THE RAT. 201 



Amazing fecundity. 



pigeons, rabbits, and game of every description. 

 They swim with ease, dive with great celerity, 

 and not unfrequently prey upon fish. 



Goldsmith remarks, that they frequently pro- 

 duce from ten to fifteen at a time, and usually 

 bring forth thrice a year. Such, indeed, is their 

 amazing fecundity, that they would soon overr 

 run the whole country, and render all our aU 

 tempts to destroy them fruitless, had they no 

 enemies to lessen their numbers. But this bane- 

 ful increase is happily counteracted, not only by 

 numerous foes among the other animals, but by 

 their destroying and eating each other. The 

 $ame insatiable appetite that impels them to in- 

 discriminate carnage, also incites the strongest to 

 devour the weakest, even of their own kind; and 

 a large male rat is as much dreaded by its own 

 species, as the most formidable enemy. 



The weasel is in perpetual enmity with these 

 animals; and will pursue them into their holes, 

 and fight with them there. This little creature 

 endeavours to fix itself on their bodies, and suck 

 their blood; which it very often effects. They 

 are, however, so bold as to attack a small dog, 

 seize him by the mouth, and, holding fast there, 

 they inflict a wound very difficult to be healed. 



In the Isle of France, rats have been found in 

 guch prodigious swarms, that it is said the place 

 was completely abandoned by the Dutch on ac- 

 count of their numbers. In some of the houses 



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