INSTINCT OF THE BROWN RAT. 453 



to remove them at once to some spot which is made Rat-proof. Much of the damage which is 

 done by Rats is laid upon innocent shoulders, the fox and the weasel being the ordinary 

 scape-goats. 



The audacity of these animals is really wonderful, especially when they have enjoyed an 

 unmolested life. They have been known to enter a stable and nibble the horn away from the 

 horses' hoofs, or to creep among dogs as they lay sleeping, and gnaw the callous soles of their 

 feet. They have even been known to attack sleeping infants, and to inflict fearful damage 

 before they were detected in their crime. Butchers in our large cities execrate the Rats very 

 sincerely, as they are forced to remove every joint of meat as soon as their business is over 

 for the day, and hang it up in some place which is so well protected that not even a Rat can 

 gain access. Indeed, the black list of their misdemeanors is so extremely long, that even a 

 rapid enumeration of their crimes would more than occupy the entire space devoted to one 

 animal. 



Rats are not without their use, especially in large towns, which but for their never-failing 

 appetites would often be in very sad case. Taking any of our large cities, we find that the 

 sewers which underlie their whole extent are inhabited by vast hordes of Rats, .which perform 

 the office of scavengers by devouring the mass of vegetable and animal offal which is daily 

 cast into those subterranean passages, and which would speedily breed a pestilence were it 

 not removed by the ready teeth of the Rats. So that, when kept within proper bounds, the 

 Rat is a most useful animal, and will continue to be so until the drainage of towns is con- 

 ducted in a different manner. 



How to keep them to their own proper dominions is no easy task, as their sharp teeth can 

 cut through almost any obstacle, and have been known even to grate away the corner of a par- 

 ticularly hard brick. It is found, however, that if these tunnels be stopped up with mortar or 

 cement well studded with pieces of broken glass, they will not ventxire their teeth against such 

 a barrier. Moreover, if a few table-spoonfuls of quick-lime be placed in the hole before it is 

 stopped up, it will deter the Rats from coming in that direction, as the lime burns their feet. 



Catching them in traps is by no means so easy a process as it appears to be, as the Rat is 

 a very crafty animal, and is moreover gifted with so acute a nose that it can perceive the touch 

 of a human hand upon a trap, and will keep aloof from so dangerous an article. In order to 

 set a trap properly, it is needful to avoid touching it with the bare hand, and to wear thick 

 gloves powerfully scented with aniseed, caraway, or other powerfully-smelling substance. 

 Even in that case, the successful chase of the Rat requires such an accurate knowledge of the 

 animal's habits, and needs so many precautions, that it is almost impossible for an amateur to 

 be permanently successful in that line. 



Although the Sewer and the Barn Rats belong to the same species, they are very diffei'ent 

 in aspect as well as in habits, the former being very much larger than the latter, and much 

 fiercer in disposition. The Sewer Rats remain in their strange habitations during their whole 

 lives, while the Barn Rats are in the habit of making annual migrations as soon as the spring 

 season commences, some betaking themselves to the fields and hedge-rows, while others take 

 up their abode on the river-banks, where they commit sad havoc among the fish. 



. During this temporary migration, the female Rats make their snug and comfortable nests 

 in any sheltered spot ; and before the autumnal season has fairly commenced add a consider- 

 able number of new members to the Rat family. It is a wonderfully prolific animal, begin- 

 ning to breed at four months of age, and having three broods in the year, each brood being 

 from eight to twelve or fourteen in number. When the autumn has set in, the emigrants 

 return to their old quarters, marvellously increased in number. 



The female Rat is a most affectionate mother, braving all dangers in defence of her young, 

 and dashing boldly at any real or fancied foe who may happen to alarm her maternal sym- 

 pathies. Unfortunately for her peace of mind, the paternal Rat is far from partaking of these 

 tender affections, and if he condescends to pay a visit to his young family, only does so with 

 the intention of eating them. Should the mother be at home, she shows such a defiant front 

 that he is fain to decamp from the cradle of his offspring, but if she should perchance happen 

 to be absent from her charge, the result is tragical indeed. 



