List of the Fauna of the County. 173 



Rat " from its having arrived in this country about the same 

 time as the Hanoverian Sovereign ; no doubt this was a 

 witticism of our Jacobin fellow-countrymen. Its fecundity, 

 cunning, and omnivorous habits enable it to defy all efforts 

 made to extirpate it, and the destruction wrought by game- 

 preservers on so-called vermin, by getting rid of its natural 

 enemies, is a great help to its continuous abundance in many 

 districts. In the light soils of this neighbourhood (Colchester) 

 every hedge has its colony, especially where game -preserving 

 is carried out. There are few animals that fight more des- 

 perately for life when driven into a corner ; all fear seems 

 entirely to have forsaken the unfortunate beast, which 

 appears determined to sell its life as dearly as possible, and 

 few of its natural enemies will attack the Hanoverian Rat 

 under these circumstances. I never saw cats even attempt 

 it, they preferring to seize the rat whilst running ; and 

 almost every cat has its own peculiar method of doing so. 

 One I remember, always with her foot turned the rat over 

 on its back, caught it by the throat, and at the same time 

 fell on her side and gave one violent kick ; the result was 

 immediate death to the unfortunate rat. Other cats throw 

 them over their heads after having bitten them through the 

 heart, and others again simply hold them in their mouths 

 until the rats are dead. But in what way soever the cat 

 seizes them she always takes care to avoid their formidable 

 incisor teeth, and at the same time drives her canines into 

 some vital spot. The town rat is very cautious and most 

 difficult to trap, and his country cousin quickly takes 

 warning after a few have been caught, and most adroitly 

 avoids all snares and gins in the future. 



RODENTIA. ArVICOLID^. 



Arvicola amphibius. Water Rat. — Bell, quoting Water- 

 house, says, " The animals comprising this family (Arvicolidae) 

 have all the essential characters of the Murida), but differ in 

 having rootless molars and in the form of the lower jaw." 

 There are other characters given, but rootless molars seem 



