A TRIBE OF GNAWERS AND THEIR FOOD 67 



the writers have allowed their imagination to run 

 riot regarding the habits of the beaver, that I think 

 I might say that this animal fed upon roast beef 

 and pudding without exciting much surprise. 



But if the information is incomplete regarding 

 what rodents eat, we all know that they themselves 

 are not a bad article of food. Beavers' tail is a 

 historic delicacy of the backwoods. 



MUSKRATS 



are regularly served at the table in some parts of 

 this country, and not unknown in New York City, 

 while squirrels and chipmunks have been looked 

 upon as delicate articles of food ever since this 

 country was settled. 



I have been told by two gentlemen who lived in 

 a certain rural district in England that it has been 

 the custom from time immemorial in that particular 

 place to 



DINE ANNUALLY ON RATS ; 



but both men were very careful to explain that 

 they did not eat "house" rats, using only those 

 which were trapped in the granaries and hence not 

 garbage fed; "granary" rats they declared to be 

 clean animals. 



As far back as the time of the Caesars, a Mr. 

 Bambonselvergius (the man who is credited with 

 inventing sausages), wrote a treatise in a very 

 learned manner, telling how to fatten dormice for 

 the table. In those days they had dormouse 



