i42 



BROWN RAT. 



Class I. 



Descrip- 

 tion. 



King's rat- 

 catcher. 



Its length from the nose to the origin of the 

 tail, is seven inches ; the tail is near eight inches 

 long ; the nose is sharp-pointed, and furnished 

 with long whiskers; the color of the head and whole 

 upper part of the body is a deep iron-grey, bor- 

 dering on black ; the belly is of a dirty cinereous 

 hue ; the legs are of a dusky color, and almost 

 naked ; the fore-feet want the thumb or interior 

 toe, having only in its place a claw ; the hind- 

 feet are furnished with five toes. 



Among other officers, his British majesty has 

 a rat-catcher^ distinguished by a particular dress, 

 scarlet embroidered with yellow worsted, on 

 which are figures of mice destroying wheat- 

 sheaves. 



26. Brown. Mus sylvestris. Rat de bois. 



Brisson quad. 20. 

 Le Surmnlot. De IBuffon, 



Tom. viii. 206. Tab. 2?. 

 Mus decumanus. Gm. Lin. 



127. 



]Mus norvegicus. Klein quad. 



56. 

 Mus ex norvegia. SeJ:. Mus. 



Tom. ii. 64. Tah. 63. 

 Br. Zool. 47. Hist. quad. Ii. 



No. 21 5. p. 178. Arct. Zool. 



i. lol. 



Descrip- X HIS is a very large species, thicker, and of 

 a stronger make than the common rat: the 

 length from the end of the nose to the beginning 

 of the tail, is nine inches ; the length of the tail 

 the same ; the usual weight eleven ounces ; thQ 



