THE RAT. 



IF a word may be said for the little sleek and timid 

 mouse, it must be confessed that the rat is an unpleasant 

 looking creature. The black rat was long the common 

 species in this country ; but the brown one, supposed to 

 have been introduced from the continent, but originally 

 from India or Persia, is now met with far more fre- 

 quently. There is a marked difference between these 

 creatures : the latter, or Norway rat, as it is usually 

 called, is fierce, and lives in little harmony even with 

 its own species, while the black rats are sociable in 

 their habits, and show kindness and friendship to each 

 other. 



A rat, it appears, may be sociable also with other 

 creatures. A gentleman, for instance, travelling through 

 Mecklenburg, observed in a post-house a singular cir- 

 cumstance. After dinner, the landlord having placed 

 on the floor a large dish of soup, gave a loud whistle, 

 and immediately there came into the room a mastiff, a 



