Manchester Memoirs, Vol. Hi. (1908), No. C 3 



with a thick cushion of coarse grass through and beneath 

 which are numerous Rat runs and burrows. The earHest 

 reference to this islet under the name Rat Island, which 

 I have been able to find, is in a manuscript journal of a 

 friend of Benson's, one time lessee of Lundy, and a 

 notorious character in connection with its dark history. 

 I have not seen the original, but an extract is quoted by 

 Chanter which indicates that the name was in use in 1752. 



Various walls, ruins of cottages and enclosures, show 

 that at different times much of Lundy has been under 

 cultivation, but at the present day the farms, cottages, 

 and cultivated ground are all at the southern end ; the 

 greater part of the island is rough moorland, where a few 

 cattle are grazed. 



" The indigenous terrestrial mammalia," says Chanter, 

 "are represented by two animals only — rats and rabbits, 

 both of which abound. The old English black rat, mus 

 rattus, is the indigenous and until recently was the only 

 species on the Island ; but of late years the Norway, or 

 brown rat, has found his way there, most probably from 

 some shipwrecked vessel, and bids fair to exterminate 

 the native breed." On the next page he contradicts his 

 previous statement by adding a third species. " The 

 shrew mouse is also found ; but no other mice, nor moles, 

 stoat, or other vermin, nor any snakes or reptiles, exist on 

 the Island." Mr. Heaven, however, informs us that Bats 

 occur, but as we did not see any we can give no suggestion 

 as to the species. 



The " shrew mouse " of Lundy is probably the Lesser 

 Shrew, Sorex miniitiis, Linn. According to report, a 

 Shrew is common ; in the banks of the lane, as well as 

 at one or two places on the eastern slopes above the cliffs, 

 the runs of some small mammal were very abundant. 

 We only succeeded in capturing one Shrew, and this was 



