INDEX. 351 



semble each other; female of the ondatra has two apertures, 

 one for urine, the other for propagation ; they can creep in- 

 to a hole, where others, seemingly much less, cannot follow, 

 and why ; they resemble the beaver in nature and disposi- 

 tion ; manner of life ; their houses during winter are cover- 

 ed under a depth of eight or ten feet of snow ; the savages 

 of Canada think the musk-rat intolerably foetid, but deem 

 its flesh good eating, iii. 186. Great rat, called also rat of 

 Norway, though unknown in all northern countries ; origi- 

 nally from the Levant, and a new comer into this country ; 

 first arrival upon the coasts of Ireland, with ships trading in 

 provisions to Gibraltar ; a single pair enough for the nume- 

 rous progeny now infesting the British empire ; called by 

 M. Buffon the surmalot ; its description ; the Norway rat 

 has destroyed the black rat, or common rat as once called ; 

 and, being of an amphibious nature, has also destroyed the 

 frogs in Ireland ; great mischief done by the Norway rat ; 

 it swims with ease, dives with celerity, and soon thins the 

 fish-pond : the feebler animals do not escape the rapacity of 

 the Norway rat, except the mouse; they eat and destroy 

 each other ; the large male keeps in a hole by itself, and 

 is dreaded by its own species as a most formidable enemy ; 

 produce from fifteen to thirty at a time ; and bring forth 

 three times a-year ; quadrupeds which have antipathies 

 against the rat ; the black rat has propagated in America in 

 great numbers, introduced from Europe, and is become the 

 most noxious animal there ; its description ; black ivater rat 

 not web-footed as supposed by Ray ; its description ; its 

 food ; is eat, in some countries, on fasting days ; the nux- 

 vomica, ground and mixed with meal, the most certain ami 

 the least dangerous poison for killing rats, 175. 



Rat of Surinam. See Phalanger. 



Rat of Jamaica, a name by some given to the racoon, iii. 394*. 



Rattle-snake, its description, and dimensions; effects of its 

 bite ; the remedies against it ; power of charming its prey 

 into its mouth ; facts related to this purpose, v. 364. Kind 

 of friendship between it and the armadilla or tatou ; fre- 

 quently found in the same hole, iii. 230. 



Ravens, how distinguished from the carrion crow and rook ; 

 manners and appetites ; raven found in every region of the 

 world ; white ravens often shown, and rendered so by art ; 

 trained up for fowling like a hawk ; taught to fetch and carry 

 like a spaniel ; to speak like a parrot ; and to sing like a man, 

 with distinctness, truth, and humour ; amusing qualities, 

 vices, and defects ; food in the wild state ; places for build- 

 ing nest ; number of eggs ; will not permit their young to 

 keep in the same district, but drive them off when sufficient- 

 ly able to shift for themselves ; three of the Western Islands 

 decupled by a pair of ravens each, that drive off all other 



