Man and Nature 387 



Hessian soldiers ; hence its name. Another immigrant which 

 came to us in Revolutionary days was the brown rat. 1 



This rat first crossed the Eussian frontier of Asia in 1727 

 in such numbers that it soon overran Europe, whence it came 

 to America. With the rat came its parasite, the deadly 

 Trichina, while more recently the yet more deadly Bacillus 

 pestis of the bubonic plague has become established in Cali- 

 fornia, brought in by rats from oriental ports. What a pity 

 we cannot return to Europe with our compliments all of our 



FIELD OF ALFALFA 



Ruined by meadow mice in the Humboldt Valley, Nevada, 1907. 

 Courtesy of the U. S. Bureau of Biological 



undesirables, four-legged, as well as two-legged and winged 

 ones as well ! 



An old Welsh legend tells of the frantic father, who upon 

 returning to his home found his child missing, and the dog 

 which he had left to guard her dripping with blood; and 

 thereupon slew the faithful creature, only to find his child 

 safe and the body of a great wolf which the dog had sla^n, 



1 There are two other species of naturalized rats in the United States 

 the black and the roof rats. Both are too few and restricted in dis- 

 tribution to be of much economic importance, being held in subjection 

 by the stronger and fiercer brown rat. 



