The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003):
mouse droppings
n.
[MS-DOS] Pixels (usually single) that are not properly restored when the
mouse pointer moves away from a particular location on the screen,
producing the appearance that the mouse pointer has left droppings behind.
The major causes for this problem are programs that write to the screen
memory corresponding to the mouse pointer's current location without hiding
the mouse pointer first, and mouse drivers that do not quite support the
graphics mode in use.
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):
mouse droppings
1. Pixels (usually
single) that are not properly restored when the mouse
pointer moves away from a particular location on the screen,
producing the appearance that the mouse pointer has left
droppings behind. The major causes for this problem are
MS-DOS programs that write to the screen memory
corresponding to the mouse pointer's current location without
hiding the mouse pointer first, and mouse drivers that do not
quite support the graphics mode in use.
2. The client address recorded in a
web server's log whenever a client connects to a
site.
Users may be unaware that their activity is being logged in
this way but the potential for misuse of the information is
limited.
[March 1996 Macworld, p260, Viewpoint article by Larry Irving].
(1994-12-05)