586 MURIDAZE—EPIMYS 
together with xorvegzcus, upon Lundy. Inthe Channel Islands they were 
stated by Ansted (Channel Islands, ii., 201, ed. 2, 1862) to be “common 
in Alderney and Herm.” They are known from Jersey, where they are 
pretty numerous, especially in the east; Guernsey, where they are 
also in fair number; and Sark, where they are abundant, there being 
no Brown Rats, and all landing being made by boats; this colony is 
of interest, inasmuch as it appears likely to be one of the last remnants 
of the original va¢twus stock. On Herm these rats are said to be stronger 
and more robust than on Sark, and to have longer hair on their backs 
(35 mm.). The “Blue Rat” of the Ecrehuo Rocks, a few miles to the 
north-east of Jersey, is va¢tus also; the species is becoming rare on all 
the islands with the exception of Sark (see R. H. Bunting, Zoologts?, 
1908, 464). 
The species is now very rare in Ireland. Thompson (Vaz. Hzsz. 
Treland, v., 16, 1856) received one from Co. Cork in December 1842 
(see Harvey, Fauna of Cork, 2), and he records it as then resident in 
various localities in Kerry, Armagh, Dublin, and Antrim; but Barrett- 
Hamilton (J/S.), fearing confusion with /zbernzcus, doubted these latter 
records. In turn, Barrett-Hamilton stated this species to be not 
uncommon in the neighbourhood of his home at Kilmanock (Zoologist, 
1887, 425; and 1888, 141); but no mention of these is to be found 
among his later manuscripts, and the old skins in his collection from 
Kilmanock are all referable to Azbernzcus. Barrington mentions a 
litter of Black Rats found at Levitson, Co. Kildare, in 1876. In 1911 
Ussher discovered a colony in a corn-store at Dungarvon, Co. Water- 
ford; he sent specimens to the Dublin Museum and to Barrett- 
Hamilton, from whom Hinton received one. 
In Norfolk, Black Rats were considered rare and almost unknown 
by Southwell, but in 1895 Patterson discovered the species living in 
considerable numbers in certain parts of Yarmouth. This colony 
appears to be well established ; it is chiefly composed of true va/tus, 
the brown or wild-coloured forms being rare. 
In 1905 Patterson (Mature in Eastern Norfolk) reported it as having 
never before been so numerous at Yarmouth. He says that in 1895 it 
forced itself into notice by an apparent increase, although strangely 
enough it seemed to flourish only in the south-western corner of the 
town, Regent Street then forming a boundary of its northern distribu- 
tion, Patterson obtained over 100 examples within a few months, 
besides a great many from fishing-smacks. In the summer of 1896 
Black Rats became troublesome in private houses, warehouses, and 
stores. At one grocer’s store, where these rats had caused much trouble, 
the Brown Rat made its appearance, and the supply of Black Rats 
suddenly ceased as if they had fled, although they still swarmed in a 
neighbouring dwelling (Zoologist, 1901, 153). In 1906 and 1907 

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