336 



THE RODENTS OR GNAWING ANIMALS. 



and thence ruled over a kingdom of Rats. It is true 

 that one sometimes encounters a group of Rats the 

 tails of which are permanently joined together and 

 which, being unable to move, are fed by compassion- 

 ate individuals of their own kind. It is believed 

 that a contagious disease causes an exudation of 

 serum on the surface of the tails, and, in conse- 

 quence of the change of this serum into organized 

 cell (or muscle) tissue, the tails coalesce and grow 

 together; but nothing definite has yet been estab- 

 lished on this score. In Altenburg, Germany, the 

 remains of a King Rat which is formed of twenty- 

 seven Rats is preserved in a collection of curiosities; 

 others have been found in other portions of Ger- 

 many, notably at Bonn, near Schnepfenthal, in 

 Frankfort, Erfurt and Lindenau near Leipzig. 



Means Used to The means used for the extermina- 

 Exterminate tion of Rats are innumerable. Traps 

 Rats. f many kinds are set for them, and 



sometimes persistent Rat hunting may bring tem- 

 porary relief from the annoyance of their presence. 

 If the animals perceive that they are the objects of 

 determined pursuit, it not infrequently happens that 

 they retire from the scene of conflict, returning, how- 

 ever, when the vigilance of their persecutors be- 

 comes lax. 



Poison to The destroyers oftenest employed 

 be Given With Ex- against them are various kinds of 



treme Caution, poison, food being impregnated 

 therewith and deposited near their favorite haunts. 

 But this method of extermination is to be repro- 

 bated, for, not to speak of the fact that the poisoned 

 creatures are tortured to death in the most cruel 

 manner, this administration of poison is always dan- 

 gerous for the reason that the Rats are prone to 

 vomit part of what they have eaten, in this way be- 

 ing likely to poison corn or potatoes, and thus the 

 lives of domestic animals or even of human beings 

 are put in jeopardy. It is less dangerous, though 

 scarcely less cruel, to. give them a mixture of malt 

 and unslaked lime; when they have partaken of this 

 they become thirsty and death is brought about as 

 soon as they have drunk the water required for the 

 slaking of the lime. This method must cause the 

 victims intense agony, by reason of both the genera- 

 tion of heat and the liberation of the carbonic acid 

 gas of the lime, which inflates the animals to the 

 point of bursting. 

 Best Extermina- The best exterminators of Rats under 

 tors of the all circumstances are their natural 

 Rats. enemies, particularly Owls, Ravens, 



Weasels, Cats and Terriers. As among all domestic 

 animals there are particular strains of blood espe- 

 cially fitted for some special use or function, so 

 among Cats there also are families the members of 

 which are passionately fond of Rat-hunting, though 

 at first they have much difficulty in acquiring the 

 art of properly seizing and overcoming the biting 

 Rodents. However, it is not really necessary that a 

 Cat should catch the Rats; it drives them away by 

 merely prowling about in stable and barn, cellar 

 and pantry. The presence of such an arch enemy 

 is highly distasteful to the Rats, for they are well 

 aware that they have not a moment of safety. 

 Noiselessly the Cat creeps upon them in the dead of 

 night, no sound and hardly a movement betraying 

 its approach; its greenish eyes with their uncanny 

 lustre look into all their holes, and it sits in waiting 

 near their most frequented passages; before they 

 know it, it pounces on them and the grasp of the 

 pointed claws and sharp teeth is so firm that escape 



is well-nigh impossible. Even Rats, audacious as 

 they are, cannot stand this; they are fain to emigrate 

 to places where they can dwell unmolested. In 

 this way the Cat always proves the best helper of 

 Man when Rats or other such annoying vermin have 

 to be driven away. Not less valuable are the ser- 

 vices of the Polecat and Weasel, the former working 

 in houses, the latter in gardens and about stables, 

 barns or granaries. 



Several American The . B1 » ck - '^V'" 1 E ^ ,a f Rats, al- 

 t • f ready described, nave invaded America 



R ts fr0m the 01d World ' and here - as wel1 as 



a ' there, the Brown Rat has succeeded in 



driving away other species of its own family. 



Besides these there are numerous species which are indige- 

 nous to the United States. One which forms a separate sub- 

 family (Sigmodon) is the well known Cotton Rat, or Rice Rat 

 (Sigmodon Aispidus). It is widely distributed through the 

 southern states. It has a stout body four inches in length, a 

 tail over two inches long, a coarse fur of blackish yellow-gray 

 above and grayish-white on the under portion. 



Still another American sub-family is that of the Wood Rats 

 (Neotoma), which includes many large, handsome species. 

 Especially numerous is the Florida Wood Rat (Neotoma flori- 

 dana) which, while especially plentiful in the southern states, 

 is found in nearly all parts of the country. These Rats when 

 young are of a bluish gray color, but the fur of the mature 

 animal is yellowish brown on the upper portion and white on 

 the under parts and the feet. The Florida Wood Rat is over 

 nine inches long, exclusive of the tail, which is about six inches 

 long. 



Another species of the same sub-family is the California 

 Wood Rat (Neotoma fuscipes), which resembles the Florida 

 Wood Rat in many respects, but has a longer tail and dark 

 feet. 



Occupying a region between those which form the homes of 

 the two last named species, is the Gray Wood Rat (Neotoma 

 cinereus) of the Rocky Mountain country, which is distin- 

 guished from the others by the possession of a bushy tail. The 

 Indians of the West find the flesh of this animal an acceptable 

 article of food. 



Mice Much Better Much more graceful, good-looking 

 Looking Than and dainty than these ugly, long- 

 date- tailed domestic thieves, are the Mice, 

 though they too are great pests to mankind, in spite 

 of their pretty looks and lively, prepossessing ways, 

 and they are pursued with nearly the same relent- 

 less hatred that falls to the lot of their larger, uglier 

 relatives. We may affirm that anybody will find a 

 Mouse in a cage charming, and that even ladies, 

 who are usually seized by a great, although un- 

 founded terror, when a Mouse crosses their path in 

 kitchen or cellar, will declare it to be a pretty crea- 

 ture when they make its closer acquaintance. The 

 possession of pointed gnawing-teeth and the fond- 

 ness for good things to eat are attributes, however, 

 adapted to inspire wrath and revengeful feelings 

 against them even in the gentle heart of woman. 



The Com- The Common Mouse (Mus musculus) 

 mon Mouse and its shows some resemblance to the 

 Appearance. Black Rat in its appearance, but its 

 structure is much more delicate and symmetrical 

 and it is much smaller. Its total length amounts 

 to about seven and one-half inches, of which three 

 and one-half inches is occupied by the body. The 

 tail shows one hundred and eighty scaly dermal 

 rings. Its color is nearly uniform: the dark yellow- 

 ish-gray hue of the upper part of the body and tail 

 gradually merges into the slightly lighter tint of the 

 lower surface; feet and toes are yellowish-gray. 

 The Wood, or The Wood or Long- tailed Field 

 Long-tailed Field Mouse (Mus sylvatiats) attains a 

 Mouse. length of eight inches; the tail which 

 has about one hundred and fifty scaly dermal rings 

 measures nearly four and one-half inches. It is 

 parti-colored, the upper surface of the body and 

 tail being brownish yellow-gray, the under parts and 



