Attawapiskat Cree are reported to have eaten mice of unspecified species when food was scarce [1]. Huron considered mice a source of food [2]. Kalispel caught mice using deadfalls baited with fresh deer meat, dried fish and/or blood from a previous kill [3]. Deer mice are reported to have been eaten by the Tlingit [4] and other northern cultures [5]. An isolated and abundant population of introduced house mice around Grand Rapids were also occasionally caught and eaten [5].
References
1. Rogers ES: Subsistence Areas of the Cree-Ojibwa of the Eastern Subarctic: A Preliminary Study. Contributions of Ethnology V 1967, No. 204:59-90.
2. Heidenreich CE: Huron. In: Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 15: Northeast. edn. Edited by Trigger BG. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution; 1978: 368-383.
3. Lahren SL, Jr.: Kalispel. In: Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 12: Plateau. edn. Edited by Walker DE, Jr. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution; 1998: 283-288.
4. de Laguna F: The Story of a Tlingit Community: A Problem in the Relationship between Archeological, Ethnological, and Historical Methods. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office; 1960.
5. Russel F: Explorations in the Far North. In: Explorations in the Far North. edn. Iowa: University of Iowa; 1898.
Mice are small rodents occurring throughout most North America, except in the high tundra, and include the widespread deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) and the house mouse (Mus musculus) most commonly found around human settlements.
Mice are part of the largest mammal family, which also includes lemmings, rats, and voles. They have a compact body, elongated tail, a pointed head, small eyes, and large ears, unlike voles and lemmings that have a more rounded head, a shorter tail, and smaller ears. Like other members of the same family, they have a high reproductive potential, having multiple fast growing litters per year, and are important prey for many predators.
Reference
Forsyth A: Mammals of North America: Temperate and arctic regions. Willowdale, ON: Firefly Books; 1999.