MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 261 



But there can be no doubt its presence among the 

 flint-faced walls of Breydon, where it lives on the 

 carrion drifted there by wind and tide, is beneficial 

 rather that not. It is simply astonishing how soon 

 the carcass of a large gull, a dog, or even a pig is 

 reduced to an inoffensive skeleton, thus proving that 

 rats are numerous there. The beast has become 

 extremely cunning, and seldom shows itself until 

 dusk, especially during the shooting season, when 

 rat-potting chances are never rejected, even by those 

 who are eager for nobler game. Some of the older 

 rats are woefully mangy with unsightly tumours, 

 bald patches, and broken tails, testifying to hard 

 knocks, fierce fights, and unholy living. 



Among the timbers of the Gorleston breakwater 

 in the inaccessible fastnesses of mazes of timber, a 

 number of rats have their abode, in summer varying 

 their dietary with the crumbs and crusts thrown 

 away by visitors. In autumn the herring refuse is 

 never-failing ; and in winter the remnants of 

 crustaceans, dead seabirds, and even mollusca bear 

 witness to meals enjoyed in the long dark hours 

 after nightfall. The footmarks of the rats may be 

 discovered on the sands around, over which they 

 have been prowling, a long streak here and there 



