MUS MUSCULUS, the COMMON HOUSE MOUSE 31.1 the Living

Home , Karni Mata Temple, Millardia, Mus (genus), Vandeleuria

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

MUS MUSCULUS, THE COMMON HOUSE MOUSE

31.1 The Living Animal

31.1.1 Zoology Mice are small rodents, closely related to rats but smaller, with a body length of about 5–9 cm on average and with a tail of about the same length. Mice are cute animals due to their rounded ears, pointed muzzle, round bodies (fi g. 391) and their habit of eating with both hands. Their fur is soft, but their tails are naked. The common house mouse is extremely common, not only in the fi elds, compounds, and gardens, but especially so inside buildings and houses. Although not every mouse in the house is a common house mouse, and not every common house mouse lives in a house, most mice at home are common house mice indeed.1 It is easily distinguished from fi eld and tree mice by its much smaller ears. In addition, the latter mice prefer a forested habitat, although they are often found in villages as well. The great success of the common house mouse started millennia ago in Iraq, where the fi rst farmers cultivated grain. From there, they spread fast all over our planet and at present, where there are people, there are house mice. This is due to their proverbial prolifi c nature, their small size and their great ability to adapt.

31.1.2 Role of Mice in Society Mice are not particularly welcomed guests. They are generally considered pests which have to be eradicated as soon as they are detected.

1 Apart from the common house mouse, there are several fi eld and tree mice in India, of which the most common are the Indian fi eld mouse (Mus booduga), the spiny fi eld mouse (Mus platythrix), the long-tailed tree mouse (Vandeleuria oleracea). A similar species is the metad, or soft-furred fi eld rat (Millardia meltada). This species is easily distinguished by its dense soft fur, large rounded ears and larger size (head and body 13–15 cm). The majority of mice lives in the forests and fi elds and is hardly seen. common house mouse 319

Most likely, mice are abhorred because of the damage they bring. They spoil the grain and other harvest and food because they eat on the spot, leaving their droppings and urine wherever they pass. Cats and mongooses are kept as domestic pets in order to control mice and other small animals. Another effective means is the use of peppermint oil, the smell of which is said to be avoided by mice. Mice are not disliked everywhere. An exception can be observed nowadays in the Karni Mata temple at Deshnok, Rajasthan. Here, black rats are venerated but there are a few white mice in the temple as well; see Plate 6, where a white mouse enjoys the milk together with some thirty or so black rats.2 The sighting of such a mouse is considered especially auspicious, and brings luck. As can be expected, the local priest is willing to show such a mouse upon donation. Why speciﬁ cally a white mouse brings luck is not clear, though a similar belief seems to have been held by the Romans as well, as described by Pliny the Elder.3

31.2 Mice in Stone

Several mice ﬁ gure on the large rock-boulder representing Arjuna’s Penance at Mammalapuram, Tamil Nadu (seventh to mid-eighth cen- tury; ﬁ gs. 392 and 528). The detail in question illustrates the Story of the Mice.4 Here, the cat stands in a yogic position just outside the cave where the mice live. Gradually, the mice get used to its presence and trusting its vegetarian life-style, they venture again outside the cave. This is the moment that is captured in the stone relief. The mice are very realistic; they are depicted as cute, well-fed rounded rodents with small ears. One is standing upright, to check what’s going on with the cat. The mice are depicted in various postures and positions, and give a lively impression.

2 See section 3.1.3 for the myth and 3.2.2 for sculptures of these auspicious rats. 3 Clutton-Brock, op. cit. (1981), 155. 4 The story is known in the Buddhist lore as Bihara Jataka, Musika Jataka or Pali Jataka 128. Main difference with the Hindu version is that in the Buddhist tale a jackal plays the role of the cat. The cat, however, is a more proper consumer of mice than a jackal. See section 20.2.2 for the Hindu version of the story.