VORACITY OF THE BROWN RAT. 553 



The Brown Rat is well fitted for its exterminating mission, as it is a fierce and 

 dangerous animal, and can inflict very painful wounds with its long incisor teeth. Ai 

 unarmed man would be quite impotent against the attacks of even a small party of old 

 sewer Rats, while a large body of these animals would make but short work of any man, 

 however well he might be armed. There is a wonderful power of combination in the 

 Brown Rat, which enables it to act in concert with its companions, and renders it a truly 

 formidable animal when it chooses to make a combined attack upon man or beast. A 

 number of these animals have been known to attack a cat, and inflict such grievous 

 injuries that the poor creature had to be killed as soon as its evil plight was discovered 

 by its owner. Even a single Rat is no despicable antagonist, and, according to the 

 observations of practical men, could beat off a ferret in fair fight, and would foil any 

 but a properly trained dog. 



It is an exceedingly voracious animal, eating all kinds of strange food, and not sparing 

 its own species in times of scarcity. Like the wolves, the Rats will always fall upon and 

 devour one of their companions if it should chance to be wounded, and excite their 



BROWN RAT.-yWus Decuman us. 



carnivorous passions by the sight and smell of flowing blood. If a Rat should be caught 

 by a foot or a leg in a steel trap, its former companions will often fly upon the poor 

 captive and tear it to pieces, instead of endeavoring to effect its release. As in such 

 instances the imprisoned limb is left in the teeth oi the trap, it has been erroneously 

 supposed that the Rat had severed its own limb in order to set itself free. 



From some strange cause, the male Rats far outnumber the females, the proportion 

 being about eight of the former to three or four of the latter. This disproportion of the 

 sexes may possibly be caused by the cannibalistic habits of the Rat, the flesh of the 

 female being more tender than that of the opposite sex. Whatever may be the cause, 

 it is clear that the wider increase of these creatures is greatly checked by the compara- 

 tive paucity of females. 



There is scarcely a greater plague to the farmer, butcher, sailor, provision merchant, or 

 poultry keeper than the Rat, whose mingled craft, daring, and perpetual hunger require 

 the greatest watchfulness and the most elaborate precaution. The havoc which an army 

 of Rats will make among the corn-ricks is almost incredible, while they carry on their 

 depredation with so much secrecy that an unpracticed eye would think the stacks to be 

 sound and unharmed. Fortunately they can easily be dislodged from any rick by taking 

 in down, and replacing it on proper " staddles," taking great care that no stray weeds 

 or branches afford a foothold to these persevering marauders. While the risk is being 



