BRITISH MAMMALS 



enemies ; but, in a state of Nature, Owls, Hawks, Foxes, 

 Weasels, Stoats, and other predatory creatures greatly 

 aid in keeping its numbers in check. 



Black Rat. — Still belonging to the same genus as the 

 Mice (Mus), and before coming to the Voles, we have to 

 consider the claims of the Black and Brown Rats, animals 

 which are probably more disliked than any others in- 

 cluded in our Mammals volume. It is the Common, or 

 Brown, Rat which has become such a pest, as the Old 

 English Black Rat, as it is called, is not by any means a 

 common inhabitant of our country, and in many districts 

 it has entirely disappeared. In what are sometimes 

 referred to as " the good old days," when, nevertheless, 

 human existence was less strenuous than it is to-day 

 and there was more time and leisure, the Black Rat 

 occupied similar territory to that enjoyed by his com- 

 moner relative to-day, and it would be interesting to 

 know exactly why its numbers have been lessened to 

 such an extent that it may now be regarded as a rare 

 British animal. War was probably waged upon it in 

 the same way that we institute Rat-crusades at the pre- 

 sent time ; but it is difficult to believe that even drastic 

 measures would be sufficient to cope with the means 

 of increase and escape which the Rat possesses. How- 

 beit, the Black Rat has given way in our fauna to its 

 brown cousin, and those who own granaries and other 

 buildings, which at one time contained more than their 

 fair share of black representatives, now find the Brown 



Rat occupying pride of place. 

 64 



