36 NOTES TO THE 



the aucient British black rat, which is now gradually becoming 

 extinct. I wonder White does not mention it. It is dis- 

 appearing gradually before the common brown or Norway rat. 

 It is probable that the black British rat was introduced into this 

 country from France. To this day it is called Llygoden Frenzig, 

 or the French mouse. The black rat looks like a gentleman as 

 compared with the common brown rat. He is much slighter in 

 make, his upper jaw projects further over the lower jaw than 

 it does in the brown rat, his ears are much larger and his tail 

 very much longer than in his first cousin, and lastly his colour is 

 a jet black, with numerous long hairs projecting out from the 

 lower fur-like coat. 



He is a very timid creature, and rarely shows fight ; he is in 

 fact not very powerful, but his want of strength is made up by 

 his excessive activity. The black rat does not frequent drains, 

 cellars, &c., but rather inhabits the rafters of outhouses : they 

 are said to be still plentiful in the Isle of Pogs, in Jersey, and 

 Bristol. I have described this rat fully in my " Curiosities of 

 Natural History," first series. Bentley, 1874. In 1875 I received 

 a fine specimen of a black rat. Mr. Searle, my secretary, from 

 I eel ling him in his cage for some length of time in my casting 

 room, got him quite tame. Mr. Searle reports to me that a common 

 brown rat, nearly full grown, was put with him, but the black 

 one being very quarrelsome, the plebeian had to be drowned, as it 

 had been so constantly worried and bitten. Mr. Delarnotte 

 has given a very faithful portrait of this interesting little animal ; 

 observe the silky appearance of his coat, his delicate attentive 

 ear, his intelligent eye, his long whiskers, by means of which 

 he feels his way about when out feeding at night, 

 and his little pinkish white paws (the rat always 

 keeps his paws excessively clean). Fear and danger 

 constantly surround him, yet he looks happy and 

 contented. 



To most people a rat's tail is not a very interest- 

 ing object. If however it be carefully examined it 

 will be found to present a very curious structure. 

 The skin is arranged in the form of rings, and from 

 I-\T - STAM between the rings project rows of fine stiff hairs. 

 These hairs assist the rat to hold on with his 

 ta'il as he is climbing about rafters, &c. ; he also uses his tail 

 as a balancing pole. You will see all this if you set a tame 

 white rat to climb along a rope. 



The following story will illustrate how an elephant can 

 be almost persecuted to death by rats. There is a very fine 

 elephant at the Zoological Gardens at Clifton, near Bristol. 



