BROWN RAT. 313 



in the gardens, and enjoy their night's depredations, 

 returning in the morning in the same manner to their 

 daily retreat. 



We are indebted to Mr. Stephenson also for the fol- 

 lowing remarkable illustration of the habits of these 

 animals and their prodigious fecundity : In the year 

 1816 or 1817 a Prussian vessel was wrecked on the S.W. 

 side of Puffin Island on the coast of Wales. The island 

 takes its name from the multitudes of Puffins which fre- 

 quented it, and it was also colonized by vast numbers of 

 Rabbits. No annoyance had ever been experienced from 

 Rats until the occurrence above mentioned took place ; 

 but after that, in consequence of the migration of these 

 animals from the wreck to the shore, and their subsequent 

 rapid increase, the Rabbits were almost, if not wholly, 

 exterminated, the Puffins were ejected by the destruction 

 of their eggs by the Rats, and the parties who rented the 

 island gave up their holdings. A similar instance has 

 come within the knowledge of Mr. Pattisson, who has 

 kindly supplied us with the following, which we give in 

 his words: "When visiting the Copeland Islands, in 

 Belfast Bay, in August, 1860, Captain Nesbitt, one of the 

 elder brethren of the Trinity House, related the following 

 fact. In 1845, when the Trinity House bought up all the 

 private lighthouses round the coast, the Skerries, near 

 Holyhead, had immense numbers of Rabbits, which were 

 extensively used by the lighthouse keepers. A few years 

 ago an American vessel was wrecked there, on board of 

 which were a number of Rats. These swam to the shore. 

 They have now increased prodigiously in numbers, have 

 destroyed the wild Rabbits, and are obliged to live in a 

 great degree on the shell-fish of the shore. The light- 

 house men not only have lost the wild Rabbits, but find 



s s 



