362 ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE. 



cover the thief, he was determined to watch his store- 

 room. Accordingly, having laid in a fresh stock of eggs, 

 he seated himself at night in a situation that commanded 

 a view of his eggs. To his great astonishment he saw a 

 number of rats approach ; they formed a line from his egg 

 baskets to their hole, and handed the eggs from one to 

 another in their fore-paws.' ' 



Another device to which rats resort for the procuring 

 of food is mentioned in all the anecdote books, and it 

 seemed so interesting that I tried some direct experiments 

 upon the subject. I shall first state the alleged facts in 

 the words of Watson : 



As to oil, rats have been known to get oil out of a narrow- 

 necked bottle in the following way : One of them would place 

 himself, on some convenient support, by the side of the bottle, 

 and then, dipping his tail into the oil, would give it to another 

 to lick. In this act there is something more than what we call 

 instinct ; there is reason and understanding. 8 



Jesse also gives the following account : 



A box containing some bottles of Florence oil was placed 

 in a store-room which was seldom opened ; the box had no lid 

 to it. On going to the room one day for one of the bottles, the 

 owner found that the pieces of bladder and cotton at the mouth 

 of each bottle had disappeared, and that much of the contents 

 of the bottles had been consumed. The circumstance having 

 excited suspicion, a few bottles were refilled with oil, and the 

 mouths of them secured as before. Next morning the coverings 

 of the bottles had been removed, and some of the oil was gone. 

 However, upon watching the room, which was done through 

 a little window, some rats were seen to get into the box, and 

 insert their tails into the necks of the bottles, and then with- 

 drawing them, they licked off the oil which adhered to them. 3 



Lastly, Rodwell gives another case similar in all essen- 

 tial respects, save that the rat licked its own tail instead 

 of presenting it to a companion. 



The experiment whereby I tested the truth of these 



Jesse, Gleanings, &c., ii., p. 281. 

 2 Reasoning Pon-er in Animals, p. 293. 

 * Loc, cit. 



