82 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



tant. The former of these is, undoubtedly, one of the greatest 

 of all pests. The brown rat does not appear to be indigenous 

 to this country, but was undoubtedly introduced from Europe 

 in the ships of the early settlers. Its history seems to be im- 

 perfectly known, some naturalists believing that it came origi- 

 nally from the East Indies, others, from the West ; many assert 

 that it came from Norway, while others maintain that it was 

 common in England before the Norwegians even heard of it. 

 Other authorities state that this species came from Persia and 

 the southern regions of Asia, and that the fact is rendered suf- 

 ficiently evident from the testimony of Pallas and Cuvier. Pal- 

 las describes the migratory nature of these rats, and states that 

 in the autumn of 1729 they arrived at Astrachan, in Russia, in 

 such incredible numbers that nothing could be done to oppose 

 them. They came from the western deserts, and even the 

 waves of the Volga did not arrest their progress. Pennant 

 states that this rat was first seen in England about 1728, and 

 in Paris still later. Whatever the early history of this animal 

 may be, it is a fact that the brown rat was not known in this 

 country until it was settled by Europeans, and, even now, it is 

 unknown in the West beyond the limits of civilization, upon 

 which it seems to be an attendant, accompanying it in its 

 marches, establishing itself with it, and living on it. The hab- 

 its of the common rat are well known ; he is courageous, some- 

 times even ferocious, cunning to a proverb, destructive, mis- 

 chievous and filthy. His food is almost anything edible ; in 

 fact, he may be called truly omnivorous. 



A writer uses the following language in describing the habits 

 of this species : — 



" Its food consists of almost every kind of animal and vegeta- 

 ble substances eaten by other animals. In granaries and corn- 

 yards it is extremely destructive, committing its depredations 

 at leisure in the heart of the stacks, where it frequently pro- 

 duces its young, and whence it cannot be expelled until they 

 are taken down, when the quantity of corn destroyed is some- 

 times found to be enormous. In houses it feeds on bread, 

 meats, vegetables, in short, almost everything edible that it can 

 gain access to." The rat is also "very destructive to chickens, 

 rabbits, young pigeons, ducks, and various other animals. Eggs 



