134 
SMALL DEER OUR RODENTS 
No animal has had more enemies, perhaps, amongst 
all sections of society, than the common brown rat. 
Farmers, gamekeepers, sportsmen, ratcatchers, sol- 
diers, sailors, and sewermen, and last, but by no 
means least, our household cooks all have their 
grievance with regard to him, and he suffers under 
their undying persecution. 
Here he is, however, and like the typical Jew he 
seems to flourish in spite of all, and to be about as 
universally distributed. The hand of every man, 
woman, and child is against him, and added to these 
he has his natural enemies in his own animal world, 
who, if man would only leave them to their appointed 
task of thinning the ranks of these depredators, would 
do it to perfection. Unfortunately, man supposes 
himself to be a wiser orderer of creation than He who 
called all creatures into being, and so the balance of 
nature has been upset. 
A strange mixture of courage, caution, audacity, 
