A BOOM IN ANIMAL LIFE 275 



with the result anticipated. As the water advanced 

 the rats fled from their holes in tens and hundreds 

 of thousands, and made for the banks which re- 

 mained high and dry. The screeching and snarling 

 of the rats as they fought for foothold beggared de- 

 scription. Many were, doubtless, drowned by the 

 inundation, but, being for the most part expert 

 swimmers, the impression made in the numbers of 

 the great army was practically nil. Adjudging 

 rightly that a day's sport might be had shooting the 

 vermin, a party of gentlemen went down on Saturday 

 in the commissioner's launch, among them being Sir 

 Ralph Payne-Gallwey, Col. Burstall, Mr Legard, 

 Col. W. H. Wellsted, Mr M. Samuelso-, Mr E. 

 T. Sharp, Mr H. Saxelbye, Mr E. D. Davis, Capt. 

 Hume (the Humber conservator), and others. 

 Hundreds of rats succumbed to the firing of these 

 gentlemen, and it was manifest that extraordinary 

 measures will have to be taken to rid the island of 

 the pest. The inundation seems to have done little 

 good, and to shoot them down would be an im- 

 possibility. Poisoning has been thought of, but 

 that is deemed of no value, since the Reed's Island 

 rat appears to live on the roots of grass and herbs 

 under which he burrows. Already considerable ex- 

 citement prevails in North Lincolnshire, on account 

 of the invasion of these rats. Nightly they swim 



