i66 THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE 



down to the ground in order to go and look for water; and 

 when he is once down he cannot get back again. 



In the summer-time the rat prefers to Hve out in the open 

 country. So, as soon as the days begin to grow warm, he leaves 

 the house or barn where he has been living during the winter, 

 and goes out into the fields for a few months. 



Sometimes he makes his hole in a hedgerow, near which 

 plenty of good food is to be found. Or he will go down to the 

 river bank, and live upon dead fish or any other edible thing 

 that may turn up. When autumn comes, and the days draw 

 in, he goes back to his winter dwelling. 



We must not think that all rats are altogether mischievous, 

 for many live in drains and eat all sorts of substances that 

 would otherwise decay and poison the air by their bad odour. 

 These rats are much larger than those which live in barns, and 

 are so fierce and strong that one of them is almost a match for 

 a dog. Sometimes a number of them will join in an attack, and 

 then even a man armed with a stick would find it very diflScult 

 to beat them off. 



The front teeth of a rat are so sharp and strong that one of 

 these animals has been known to gnaw a hole quite through a 

 hard brick. Of course its teeth must have been very much worn 

 down in doing so; but then, like the incisors or "cutting" teeth 

 of all rodent animals, they would always be growing, and the wear 

 would be constantly remedied. 



THE HARVEST MOUSE 



When sitting quietly in a field one may catch sight of a mouse 

 of so small a size that it is hard to believe that it can be a full- 

 grown one. It is of a reddish-brown colour, except underneath, 

 where it is white. It is so small that, without counting its tail, 

 it measures only a little more than two inches in length. This 

 is the Harvest Mouse, and we shall find it well worth our while 

 to watch it for a few moments. 



While we are looking at it, and admiring its graceful move- 



