586 MURID^— EPIMYS 



together with norvegicus, upon Lundy. In the Channel Islands they were 

 stated by Ansted {Channel Islands, ii., 201, ed. 2, 1862) to be "common 

 in Alderney and Herm." They are known from Jersey, where they are 

 pretty numerous, especially in the east ; Guernsey, where they are 

 also in fair number ; and Sark, where they are abundant, there being 

 no Brown Rats, and all landing being made by boats ; this colony is 

 of interest, inasmuch as it appears likely to be one of the last remnants 

 of the original rattus stock. On Herm these rats are said to be stronger 

 and more robust than on Sark, and to have longer hair on their backs 

 (35 mm.). The "Blue Rat" of the Ecrehuo Rocks, a few miles to the 

 north-east of Jersey, is rattus also ; the species is becoming rare on all 

 the islands with the exception of Sark (see R. H. Bunting, Zoologist, 

 1908, 464). 



The species is now very rare in Ireland. Thompson {Nat. Hist. 

 Ireland, v., 16, 1856) received one from Co. Cork in December 1842 

 (see Harvey, Fauna of Cork, 2), and he records it as then resident in 

 various localities in Kerry, Armagh, Dublin, and Antrim ; but Barrett- 

 Hamilton (MS.), fearing confusion with hibernicus, doubted these latter 

 records. In turn, Barrett-Hamilton stated this species to be not 

 uncommon in the neighbourhood of his home at Kilmanock {Zoologist, 

 1887, 425; and 1888, 141); but no mention of these is to be found 

 among his later manuscripts, and the old skins in his collection from 

 Kilmanock are all referable to hibernicus. Barrington mentions a 

 litter of Black Rats found at Levitson, Co. Kildare, in 1876. In 191 1 

 Ussher discovered a colony in a corn-store at Dungarvon, Co. Water- 

 ford ; he sent specimens to the Dublin Museum and to Barrett- 

 Hamilton, from whom Hinton received one. 



In Norfolk, Black Rats were considered rare and almost unknown 

 by Southwell, but in 1895 Patterson discovered the species living in 

 considerable numbers in certain parts of Yarmouth. This colony 

 appears to be well established ; it is chiefly composed of true rattus, 

 the brown or wild-coloured forms being rare. 



In 1905 Patterson {Nature in Eastern Norfolk) reported it as having 

 never before been so numerous at Yarmouth. He says that in 1895 it 

 forced itself into notice by an apparent increase, although strangely 

 enough it seemed to flourish only in the south-western corner of the 

 town, Regent Street then forming a boundary of its northern distribu- 

 tion. Patterson obtained over 100 examples within a few months, 

 besides a great many from fishing-smacks. In the summer of 1896 

 Black Rats became troublesome in private houses, warehouses, and 

 stores. At one grocer's store, where these rats had caused much trouble, 

 the Brown Rat made its appearance, and the supply of Black Rats 

 suddenly ceased as if they had fled, although they still swarmed in a 

 neighbouring dwelling {Zoologist, 1901, 153). In 1906 and 1907 



