230 NATURAL HISTORY IN ANECDOTE. 



large arm-chair taken out of a French vessel, and covered 

 with blue satin damask, I sat prepared for my enemies, whom 

 I dreaded much more than the lightning, which was flashing 

 across the iron bars laid upon the floor. I felt that the silk 

 of my place of refuge was some sort of protection against 

 this; but my own arm could alone save me from my four- 

 footed foes. Presently my husband came in, and saluted me 

 with a shout of laughter, which, however, abated when he 

 saw my antagonists. The storm lulled for a while, and the 

 rats retreated. We then crept within the curtains of bamboo 

 cloth which encircled a rude imitation of a fourpost bedstead, 

 but I kept possession of my shoe. Weary with watching, I 

 closed my eyes, but was awakened by a tremendous flash of 

 lightning, immediately followed by awful thunder and a 

 tumultuous rush of rats. Some of them scrambled up the 

 outside of the curtains; but, arms in hand, I sat up, and 

 directed by the noise, I hurled the invaders to the ground, 

 till at length resistance and the passing away of the storm 

 allowed me to sleep in peace." This was the brown rat so 

 familiar all over the world. 



Migrations The habit of rats to migrate in numbers, ap- 

 of Bats, parently well ordered, and under leadership, has 

 often been noticed, and the way in which they will leave a 

 burning house or a sinking ship has often been recorded. These 

 companies will as a rule pass on their own way, and mind 

 their own business if unmolested, but instances are recorded 

 of their attacking and severely biting those who have opposed 

 their progress. The Rev. Mr. Ferryman, who resided at Quorn 

 in Leicestershire and who made somewhat of a study of rats, 

 was walking in a meadow one evening when he observed a 

 large number of rats in the act of migrating from one place 

 to another. He stood perfectly still, and the whole assem- 

 blage passed close to him. His astonishment, however, was 

 great when he saw amongst the number an old, blind rat, 

 which held one end of a piece of stick in its mouth while 



