RAT KIND. 177 



that the Norway rat, having no more enemies left 

 there to destroy, is grown less numerous also. 



We are not likely, therefore, to gain by the 

 destruction of our old domestics, since they are 

 replaced by such mischievous successors. The 

 Norway rat has the same disposition to injure us, 

 with much greater power of mischief. It burrows 

 in the banks of rivers, ponds, and ditches ; and 

 is every year known to do incredible damage to 

 those mounds that are raided to conduct streams, 

 or to prevent rivers from overflowing. In these 

 holes, which it forms pretty near the edge of the 

 water, it chiefly resides during the summer, where 

 it lives upon small animals, fish, and corn. At 

 the approach of winter, it comes nearer the farm- 

 houses ; burrows in their corn, eats much, and 

 damages still more than it consumes. But no- 

 thing that can be eaten seems to escape its vora^ 

 city. It destroys rabbits, poultry, and all kinds 

 of game ; and, like the polecat, kills much more 

 than it can carry away. It swims with great 

 ease, dives with great celerity, and easily thins 

 the fish pond. In short, scarcely any of the 

 feebler animals escape its rapacity, except the 

 mouse, which shelters itself in its little hole, where 

 the Norway rat is too big to follow. 



These animals frequently produce from twelve 

 to eighteen at a time,* and usually bring forth 

 three times a-year. This great increase would 

 quickly be found to overrun the whole country, 

 and render our assiduity to destroy them fruitless, 

 were it not, happily for us, that they eat and 



* Buflbn, vol. xTii. p. 2. 

 VOL. III. M 



