450 VERTEBRATA. 



Down, down by slow degrees he went 

 To the wild rocks in sheer descent, 

 Dragging the rat, 'mid cries of slaughter, 

 ' Beneath the dark and stormy water.' 

 He sank, and o'er him darned the bubbles 

 In mockerj of all his troubles; 



Nothing was left but this, his story, 



And the plain troth it sets before you — 



The cunning rat, who apes the fox. 

 And ri-ks his tail among the rocks; 

 Heedless of dangers dark and awful, 

 In search of pleasures all unlawful — 

 Is by a stupid oyster caught, 

 And made the prey of him he sought: 

 Ye cunning human rats beware, 

 Unlawful pleasures should you dare 

 To seek along the shores of sin, 

 Lest some huge oyster pull you in !" 



Although our history of rats is getting long, we cannot deny ourselves or our readers the pleas- 

 ore of a few more extracts: '"Rats have a remarkable instinct for rinding out where there is any 

 thing good for food ; and it has been often a subject of wonder how they manage to get on board 

 ships laden with sugar and other attractive cargoes. This mystery has, however, been cleat"! 

 up, for they have been seen to come off shore to the ship by means of the rope by which she is 

 moored to the quay, although at some distance from the shore. By the same means they will 

 leave the ship when she comes into port, if they find their quarters filling or filled with water ; 

 hence, the saying that 'rats always leave a sinking ship' is perfectly true. If, however, the ship 

 be water-tight, they will continue breeding to an enormous extent. M. de St. Pierre inform- 

 that on the return of the Valiant, man-of-war from the Havannah, in the year 1766, its rats had 

 increased to such a degree that they destroyed a hundred weight of biscuit daily. The ship was 

 at length smoked between decks, in order to suffocate them, and six hampers were for some time 

 filled every day with the rats that had thus been killed. 



"Rats are not altogether selfish animals : having found out where the feast is stored, they will 

 kindly communicate the intelligence to their friends and neighbors. The following anecdote will 

 confirm this fact. A certain worthy old lady, mimed Mrs. Oke, who resided at Axminster sev- 

 eral years ago, made a cask of sweet wine, for which she was celebrated, and carefully placed it 

 on a shelf in the cellar. The second night after this event she was frightened almost to death by 

 a strange unaccountable noise in the said cellar. The household was called up, and a search 

 made, but nothing was found to clear up the mystery. The next night, as soon as the lights 

 were extinguished and the house quiet, this dreadful noise was heard again. This time it was 

 most alarming; a sound of squeaking, crying, knocking, pattering feet; then a dull scratching 

 sound, with many other such ghostly noises, which continued throughout the live-long night. 

 The old lady lay in bed with the candle alight, pale and sleepless with fright, anon muttering her 

 prayers, anon determined to fire off the rusty old blunderbuss that hung over the chimney-pi' 

 At last the morning broke, and the cock began to crow. 'Now,' thought she, 'the ghosts must 

 disappear.' To her infinite relief the noise really did cease, and the poor frightened dame ad- 

 justed her nightcap and fell asleep. Great preparations had she made for the next night; farm 

 servants armed with pitchforks slept in the house ; the maids took the family dinner-bell and the 

 tinder-box into their room; the big dog was tied to the hall-table. Then the dame retired to 

 her room, not to sleep, but to sit up in the arm-chair by the fire, keeping a drowsy guard ov< r 

 the neighbor's loaded horse-pistols, of which she was almost as much afraid as she was of the 

 ghost in the cellar. Sure enough her warlike preparations had succeeded; the ghost was cer- 

 tainly frightened ; not a uoise, not a sound, except the heavy snoring of the bumpkins, and the* 

 rattling of the dog's chain in the hall could be heard. She had gained a complete victory; the 

 irhost was never heard again on the premises; and the whole affair was soon forgotten. S< 

 w.iks afterward some friends dropped in to take a cup of tea, and talk over the last piece ofg"- 

 -ip. Among other things the wine was mentioned, and the maid sent to get some from the eel- 



