248 BROWN RAT. 



spread, and which, it is but fair to suppose, must 

 equally attract the Rats upon all points. These 

 animals have made burrows for themselves, like 

 rabbits, in the adjoining fields, and hollowed out 

 into catacombs all the surrounding eminences, and 

 that to such an extent, that it is not unusual to see 

 the latter crumble away at the base, and leave these 

 subterraneous works exposed. 



The Brown Rat is the largest species of the 

 genus that occurs with us. Its bod}' is rather 

 elongated and full ; the limbs short and moderately 

 strong, the neck short, the head of moderate size, 

 compressed, and rather pointed ; the ears short and 

 rounded, the tail long, slender, tapering to a point, 

 and covered with 200 rows of scales. On the fore 

 feet are four toes, of which the two middle are con- 

 siderably longer; the soles are bare, and have five 

 prominent papillae. The hind feet have five toes, 

 of which the three middle are largest, and nearly 

 equal, the first shorter than the fifth ; the sole is 

 bare up to the heel, and has six papilla. The 

 general colour of the upper parts is reddish-brown ; 

 the long hairs are black at the end ; the lower 

 jarts greyish-white. On the feet the hairs, which 

 are very short, are whitish and glistening ; the claws 

 are horn-coloured or greyish-yellow. The oesopha- 

 gus is four inches long ; the stomach transversely 

 oblong, 2 J inches in length ; the intestine slender, 

 about 2j twelfths in diameter for four feet three 

 inches ; it then enters a large curved sac formed by 

 the head of the colon, which projects two inches 



