43^ THE EROWrJ RAT. 



be new to many of my readers:— -^A gentleman travel- 

 ling through Mecklenburg about thirty years ago, was 

 witness to a very singular circumstance in the post- 

 house at New Harcard. After dinner, the landlord 

 placed on the floor a large dish of soup, -and gave a 

 load whistle. Immediately there came into the 

 room a mastiff, a fine Angora Cat, an old Raven, 

 and a remarkably large Rat with a bell about its 

 neck. They all four went to the dish, and, with- 

 out disturbuig each other, fed together ; after which 

 the Dog, Cat, and Rat, lay before the fire, while 

 the Raven hopped about the room. The landlord, 

 r.fter accounting for the familiarity which existed 

 among these animals, informed his guest that the 

 Rat was the most useful of the four ; for the noise 

 he made had completely freed the house from the 

 Kats and INlice with which it was before infested. 



Pont oppidan says, that a short time previous to a 

 fire, all the Rats and Mice that are in a house wilt 

 instinctively forsake it 1 



Some of the Japanese tame these Rats, and teach 

 tlicm to perform many entertaining tricks ; and, thus 

 instructed, they are exhibited as a show for the di- 

 version of the populace *. 



In Egypt, as soon as tlie Nile, after havino- fer- 

 tilized the land, leaves it free for cultivation, mul- 

 titudes of Kats and Mice are seen to issue in suc- 

 cession from the moistened soil. The Egyptians 

 hence believe that they are generated from the earth 

 itself. Some of those people even assert, and main- 



* Kaemffcr, i. 12U. 



