452 VERTEBRATA. 



Having thus found out the thief, the saddler determined to catch him. He accordingly propped 

 up .1 sieve with a stick, and put a bait underneath ; in a few minutes out came the rat again, 

 smelling the inviting toasted cheese, ami forthwith attacked it. The moment he began nibbling 

 at tin' bait, down came the sieve, and he became a prisoner. 'Now,' thought he, 'my life depends 

 upon my behavior when this horrid sieve is lifted up by that two-legged wretch with the apron 

 on, who so kindly cuts the greasy thongs for me every day; he has a good-natured looking face, 

 and 1 don't think lie wants to kill me. I know what I will do.' 



"The whipmaker at length Lifted up the sieve, b< ing armed with a stick ready to kill Mr. Rat 

 when he rushed out. What was his astonishment to see that the rat remained perfectly quiet, 

 and, after a few moments, walk quietly up on his arm, and look up in his face, as much as to say, 



'1 am a poor ini ent rat, and if your wife will lock up all the good things in the cupboard, why 



1 must eat your nicely-prepared thongs; rats must live as well as whipmakers.' The man then 

 said. 'Tom, 1 was going to kill you, but now I won't; let us be friends. I'll put you some bread 

 and butter every day if you will not take my thongs and wax, and leave the shopman's breakfast 

 alone: and — but 1 am afraid you will come out once too often; there are lots of dogs and cats 

 about wh<> won't be so kind to you as I am ; you may go now.' 



"He then put him down, and Mi'. Rat leisurely retreated to his hole. For a long time after- 

 ward he found his breakfast regularly placed for him at the mouth of his h »le, in return for winch 

 he, as in duty bound, became quite tame, running about the shop, and inquisitively turning over 

 every thing on the bench at which his protector was at work. He would even accompany him 

 into the stables when he went to feed the pony, and pick up the corn as it fell from the manger, 

 keeping, however, a respectable distance from the pony's legs. His chief delight was to bask in 

 the warm window-sill, stretching his full length to the midday sun. This unfortunate though lux- 

 urious habit proved his destruction, for one very hot day, as he lay at his ease taking his siesta, 

 tin' dog belonging to the bird-shop opposite espied him afar oft", and instantly dashed at him 

 through the window. The poor rat, who was asleep at the time, awoke, alas! too late to save 

 his life. The cruel dog caught him, and took him into the road, where a few sharp squeezes and 

 shakings soon finished him. The fatal deed being done, the murderous dog left his bleeding vic- 

 tim in the dusty road, and with ears and tail erect, walked away as though proud of his perform- 

 ance. The <log's master, knowing the history of the rat, had him stuffed, and his impaled skin, 

 with a silver chain round the neck, forms to this day a handsome addition to the shop-front of 

 the bird-shop in Brompton.'' 



A report was published some months ago, in the Gazette des Tribunaux, of Paris, of a trial 

 which had taken place there between a gentleman and a Zouave wdio had served in Africa, the 

 latter having sold the former a new T species of animal which he called the Trumpet Rat: that is, 

 a rat with a trunk or proboscis, nearly an inch long, upon his nose. The suit was for damages, on 

 the ground that the plaintiff was imposed upon, inasmuch as this specimen was produced by arti- 

 ficial means. The case, as given by the author we have so liberally quoted, was as follows ; 



"The Plaintiff- — 'Gentlemen, this individual has cheated me out of a hundred francs, and has, 

 at the same time, willfully abused my confidence. He knows that I am much interested in gcol- 

 Ogy, antiquities, natural sciences. 1 have collections of fossils, of medals, of shells, of rare ani- 

 mal-, of curious plants. ( >ne day he called upon me and said, "Sir, I have a kind of animal which 

 has never been mentioned by any naturalist." "What is it, sir V "It is 'the Trumpet Rat! 11 

 " What do \<>u call the t rumpet-rat ?" "Sir, as the name indicates, it is a rat which has a trum- 

 pet." "Where is it?" "On his nose, like a rhinoceros." "And you have it alive?" "Alive 

 and well; if you wish to see it, you have only to come to my house." "Directly; come along." 



"•] was very anxious t<> see this strange' animal. We arrive at his house, ami he shows me in 

 a cage an enormous rat, very lively and in good condition, and which really had on its nose I 

 sort of slender excrescence about two centimetres long — two-thirds of an inch — covered with hair* 

 like the body of the animal, with vertebrae in it. and, a most extraordinary thing, larger at the 

 summit than at the base, the contrary to what it ought to be in the usual course of things. I 

 ask to examine this phenomenon; he puts it in my hand, and holds its paws -and head that I 

 might examine at my ease this extraordinary trumpet. I ask him if it was not a cheat, and a- 



