308 COMMON BEASTS OF AN INDIAN GARDEN 



of trees and shrubs, where they build great nests 

 of dead leaves and dry grass. One of them once 

 took up its quarters in the crown of a young tadi- 

 palm in the Botanic Garden, and built a nest 

 between two leaves just at shoulder-height from the 

 ground over the side of a path, so that one could 

 exchange greetings with it in passing as it lay in 

 its bed (Plate XIX.). It belonged to the variety 

 named Mus rufescens, which is distinguished by the 

 length of the tail and the beautiful yellowish tint of 

 the fur over the sides, back, and head, and which 

 seems to be the commonest, and certainly is the 

 prettiest form occurring in the gardens of Calcutta. 

 The extreme prejudice ordinarily entertained 

 against brown-rats is, in so far as my personal 

 experience goes, rather unfair. They doubtless have 

 a very debased look, they are not at all nice in 

 their choice of food, and latterly they have acquired 

 ill-repute as possible importers of plague, but, in 

 ordinary circumstances, and when not present in 

 great number, they really are very inoffensive neigh- 

 bours, so long at least as they do not use one's house 

 as a cemetery, and they certainly are most efficient 

 scavengers. During a long term of years I lived in a 

 house in Calcutta where the stables were close to 

 the main-door and greatly infested by rats, but, 

 although the latter were in the habit of visiting 

 me frequently, they never did any serious mischief 

 or attempted to establish themselves permanently in 



