THE BROWN RATION, A LOCAL VARIETY OF MUS RATTUS, FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE 



ALEXANDRINE RAT. 



HOW TO KNOW THE WILD ANIMALS 



By DOUGLAS ENGLISH, B.A., F.R.P.S. 

 Author of "Wee Tim'rous Beasties," " Beasties Courageous," etc 



THE RATS AND RATTONS 



With Photographs by the Author 



IX a previous article I suggested that 

 the old Enghsh term " Meadow- 

 Mouse " (which has a distinct flavour 

 of its own) should be preferred in popular 

 speech and writing to " Vole." The 

 nomenclature of our British Rats calls 

 for a similar revision, and the necessities 

 of the case would, I think, be best met by 

 the revival of the old term " Ratton." 

 An expression is needed which shall dis- 

 tinguish the species scientifically known 

 as Mus Rattus — which is at once cosmo- 

 pohtan in distribution and bewildering 

 in variety — from the larger and clumsier 

 species, which is scientifically known as 

 Mus Decumanus, and popularly — perhaps 

 I should say unpopularly — known as 

 the Common Brown Rat. There are at 

 least three varieties of Mits Rattus not 

 uncommonly met with in certain of our 



seaports, and these I would designate 

 the Blue Ratton. the Black Ratton, and 

 the Brown Ratton. I would reserve the 

 title of Brown Rat for the ubiquitous 

 and unmistakable Mus Decumanus, and 

 I would call its melanistic variety the 

 Black Rat. 



So far as external form is concerned, 

 I hope that my photographs will enal^le 

 the reader to (hstinguish with ease be- 

 tween Rat and Ratton. It will be noticed 

 at once that the latter are built on finer 

 lines than the Rats, that they have more 

 tapering muzzles, longer tails, larger cars, 

 and m(jre prominent e}'es. The dimen- 

 sions of the average Rat are about a third 

 larger than those of the average Ratton. 

 This sujieriority in size (and a corres]i()nd- 

 ing su})eri()rity in strength) has pro\-ed 

 the determinant factor in a struggle for 



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