MAMMALIA OF SOLWAY 205 



HARVEST MOUSE, Mus minutus. This is an animal of excessive 

 rarity, for I have neither seen nor heard of it anywhere in the 

 district for over twenty-five years. That it occurred at one 

 time on the farm of Rotchell, near Maxwelltown, there is no 

 doubt, for I saw and handled the nests woven into corn-stalks 

 and had some of the Mice from them. 



WOOD MOUSE, Mus sylvaticus. Everywhere a most abundant species. 

 A close search for the yellow-necked form has not been success- 

 ful as yet, but individuals with a large patch of yellow on the 

 lower throat are not scarce. These appear to be only the 

 ordinary Wood Mouse in exceptionally good condition. At 

 times the species is very destructive to indoor fruit, and much 

 damage has been done to peaches, nectarines, etc. Tomatoes 

 they are very fond of, burrowing in the pulp to get at the 

 ripe seeds. 



COMMON MOUSE, Mus musculus. As a matter of course is every- 

 where abundant. In some parts of the town of Dumfries, 

 piebald and plum-coloured specimens are often captured, thus 

 showing where some of the tame breeds have got loose amongst 

 their wild relatives. Examples of the so-called White Mice are 

 also caught now and again. 



BLACK RAT, Mus rattus. A small colony seems to have existed 

 until recent years in and near Dalbeattie, from whence I have 

 seen three specimens, all got previous to 1880. One or two 

 individuals were seen about the Craignair granite quarries there, 

 and my friend Mr. James Matthewson informs me that one 

 example in particular used to come out from under the stones 

 and feed upon the crumbs that fell from the bread eaten by the 

 masons at meal-times. This one got killed by a Weasel. The 

 Black Rat has also been reported from Lochmaben in Dum- 

 friesshire, but an example shown to me from that locality as 

 this species was really a very dark, almost black, variety of M. 

 decumaiuts. Mr. Stewart of Tonderghie has recorded the 

 occurrence of the Black Rat at Whithorn, where it was probably 

 introduced from ships. There is an interesting statement about 

 Rats in Symson's " Description of Galloway " (p. 71), written in 

 1684, which is here transcribed: 



" Under this head I think it will not be amiss to inform you 

 that, although we have mice good store, yet we have no rats (In 

 this Presbytrie [Wigtown] I meane, but whither they are in the 

 Rinns I know not). Whither this proceeds from the nature of 

 the countrey, I cannot determine ; or whither they will live 

 here or not. However, there is a gentleman in this parish of 

 Kirkinner who assures me that above thirty years since he 

 saw an innumerable multitude of rats in his barne, which over- 



