NATURAL HISTORY. 243 



will even light the cats in order to protect them. The 

 weasel, though a smaller animal is, however, a stilt 

 more formidable enemy than the cat. The rat cannot 

 inflict any wounds but by snatches, and with its fore- 

 teeth, which, however, being rather calculated for 

 gnawing than for biting, having but little strength. 

 The weasel, on the other hand, bites fiercely with 

 the force of its whole jaw at once, and, instead 

 of letting go its hold, sucks the blood through the 

 wound. In every conflict -with an enemy so danger- 

 ous, it is no wonder, therefore, that the rat should fall 

 a victim. 



There are many varieties in this species. Besides 

 the common black rat, there are some which are brown, 

 and some almost black ; some which are gr^y, inclin- 

 ing to white or red, and some perfectly white. The 

 white rat, like the white mouse, the white rabbit, and 

 all other animals which are entirely of that colour, has 

 red eyes. The white species, with all its varieties, 

 appears to belong to the temperate climates of our 

 continent, and are found in greater numbers in hot 

 countries than in cold ones. Originally they had no 

 rats in America ; and those which are to be found 

 there at present, are the produce of rats which acci- 

 dentally obtained a footing on the other side of the 

 Atlantic with the first European settlers. Of these 

 the increase was so great, that the rat \vas long con- 

 sidered as the pest of the colonies ; where, indeed, it 

 had hardly an enemy to oppose it but the large ad- 

 der, which swallows it up alive. The European ships 

 have likewise carried these animals to the East Indies, 

 into all the islands of the Indian Archipelago, as well 

 as into Africa, where they are found in great numbers. 

 In the North, on the contrary, they have hardly 



