MUS DECUMANUS. 269 



Family MURID/E. 



MUS DECUMANUS Pallas. 



Rat. 



This ubiquitous naturalized exotic is found even within the con- 

 fines of the Adirondacks. But his presence here omens no good. 

 Like the lumberman, whose footsteps he follows, he is the personi- 

 fication of destruction, and desecrates the soil on which he treads. 



He is omnivorous, greedy, and fierce, and is totally lacking in 

 qualities of a compensatory character. His long residence in the 

 very stronghold of his enemies has developed hereditary habits of 

 great circumspection, and where much persecuted he is one of the 

 most cunning and crafty of mammals. The means devised for his 

 extermination may be numbered by hundreds, but he is so prolific, 

 and so soon learns to avoid the artifices designed for his capture, 

 that he has spread himself over nearly the whole civilized world. 



The Rat ranks among the worst enemies of the farmer. Not 

 only does he force his way into the cellar, the milk-house, and the 

 granary; but he also commits great havoc in the poultry-yard. He 

 wantonly destroys far more than he consumes. The choicest fruits 

 and vegetables are ruined by a single bite ; smoked hams sus- 

 pended from the rafters show the marks of his sharp teeth ; pans 

 of rich cream are soiled by his lash-like tail ; large holes through 

 the plank-walls of the oat-bin leave no doubt as to the identity of 

 the thief ; and the constant loss of eggs and of young chickens and 

 ducks may be regarded as one of the most serious evils his pres- 

 ence occasions. Even the sleeping child and the shrouded corpse 

 have been mutilated by his cruel jaws. 



He is not content with deriving his sustenance at our expense, 

 but, to save himself the trouble of a walk between meals, takes up 

 his abode in or under our dwellings and outhouses. In unsettled 

 regions he often makes long journeys from house to house, but I 



