51 
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 
No. 1—MIGRATION OF RATS. 
The migration of rats from one part of the country to another is 
not unknown, and I was fortunate enough, quite recently, to witness 
another instance of this interesting habit of theirs. It was all the more 
extraordinary as it led them to their own destruction. The occur- 
rence took place in September last, when I was stationed at Koh Lak, 
and lasted for nearly a week. My section-house lies close to the beach, 
and the first intimation I received of anything unusual, was in discover- 
ing one evening that my abode seemed to be full of rats. They 
swarmed everywhere, running along the beams and rafters, and over 
and under the floors. I could see also, from my verandah, many more 
upon the beach, running across the sands and making straight for the 
sea. Their one idea appeared to be to leave the land. None turned 
back except when attacked by hawks or crows, of which they had 
attracted a good number. The following day, when going out to meet 
the steamer in Koh Lak bay, I noticed several rats. well away from 
the shore, still swimming straight cut to sea, and for days afterwards 
1 found their dead bodies on the beach, washed up by the tides. his 
I observed throughout the whole length of my section, a distance of 
of 30 kilometres. 
I am unable to give any explanation to account for this migra- 
tion. The only thing ‘which I noticed at the time was an unusually 
large number of jungle fowl about. This I look upon as a coincidence, 
as I cannot see in any way what relation the one creature could bear 
to the other. 
I did not, unfortunately, keep any specimen so that the animals 
could be positively identified, but they appeared to me to be the 
ordinary house rat which is common everywhere. 
T. S. BUTLER. 
December, 1913. 
No. I.—SORE NECK IN SAMBAR. 
From 1910 to 1913 I was engaged on Survey work in the 
district lying approximately between Lat. 14°.00’ and 167.00’ N. and 
Long. 98°.30’ and 100°.00’ E. Most of this area is in the valleys of the 
Me Klawng river or its tributaries, the remainder being on the edge 
of the watershed of the Menam Chao Praya. During those years, 
between the months of December and June, | shot several Sambar in 
this district, all of which were affected by a peculiar sore upon the 
