3302 THE ZooLocist—NovEMBER, 1872. 
was excellent protection for them: I killed four more, and there 
were four or five more left; however, fifteen was not a bad haul for 
the first time. One of them, after being struck at several times, 
I drove into a corner, when all at once he commenced screaming 
and boldly sprang at me, seizing me just above the knee, my 
trousers telling me I was fortunate not to be dressed in highland 
costume: this gallant defence, however, cost the poor fellow his 
life; his length from head to tail end was nineteen inches and 
seven-eighths. A good terrier makes it more easy and effective. 
I do not know any animal so destructive in their habits as rats 
are. An outhouse here was considered to be more convenient 
without the door, which was accordingly taken off, the frames only 
being left: they set to work and presently ate away the lower part 
of the frame; there was no obstruction in this case, the place being 
entirely open to them; their business seemed to be to get the 
place to fall down. 
Having thus accused them I may add the following in their 
favour: some years ago they made their way into a cellar which 
contained several tons of potatoes, amongst which were a great 
many diseased ones; the rats were said to be causing great havoc 
amongst them, and I went to look at them from time to time. I 
found out that they preferred the diseased to the sound by placing 
some that were partly sound on a shelf, low enough for them to 
get at, and I found the diseased parts eaten off, the sound parts 
left. I mentioned this circumstance, but was only laughed at, with 
the remark, “ Who ever heard of a rat doing any good?” How- 
ever, I resolved to prove it the first opportunity I had, and last 
year (as in this so far as disease goes) was but too favourable for 
it: the potatoes were placed in separate cellars, the rats having 
access to one and not to the other; I soon found the potatoes were 
much eaten by the rats as before, but those in the other cellar 
began to rot and smell dreadfully. I asked the farm-bailiff to have 
them turned over and the bad taken out: as soon as he saw them 
he said, “I see your statement is correct, and I think we had better 
let the rats at them.” 
I will now give you the anecdote referred to above. On the 
29th of June, 1870, I put four young swallows, nearly fledged, into 
a cage, as food for three young sparrowhawks, the age of which 
may be understood by their tail-feathers being about an inch and 
ahalflong. I left the swallows alive on a shelf by the side of the 
