BROWN RAT. %' * * % - HOf 



* 



along the hedgerows until they reach, t)ieV{avg f - 

 farmer has stored his mangolds to secure them from frost. 

 Scores of them will burrow through the cover of earth 

 and eat their fill of the succulent roots. Well is it for the 

 farmer if the Weasels have not been exterminated on his land, 

 for they are the most efficient guardians of his hoard. Hawks 

 and Foxes render similar service if the Rat wanders out into 

 the open moorland ; but the Rat rarely ventures far from cover 

 of some sort. 



There is a melanic or black form of the Brown Rat which is 

 frequently mistaken for the true Black Rat, though the more 

 bulky build and blunter muzzle should show the difference at 

 sight. First recorded from Ireland in 1837, it was considered 

 a distinct species under the name of the Irish Rat. Its fur is 

 uniformly dusky above and below, and the skin is of similar 

 hue. The variation is now known not to be confined to Ireland, 

 but to occur in many parts of England and in the Outer 

 Hebrides. White, fawn-coloured, and pied variations also 

 occur. 



The versatility of the Brown Rat is such that it would be idle 

 to attempt any description of its habits. Every one knows at 

 least some part of the story, and the whole of it would require 

 a book. It is the most powerful natural enemy that civilised 

 man has had to contend with, for it attacks him in his own 

 strongholds, spoiling and wasting his food stores and destroying 

 his property in general. There was a time when it could be 

 looked upon more as a commensal because of the valuable 

 scavenging work it performed ; but since man has learned that- 

 it is safer to attend to this work himself the Rat has become 

 a mere parasitical nuisance. Sir ]. Crichton-Browne has 

 estimated the annual loss to this country through the depre- 

 dations of Rats at ,15,000,000 (pre-war figures, 1908). 



The Rat is so thoroughly omnivorous that it would be 

 equally absurd to attempt a list of its food : there is nothing 



