MAMMALIA. GLIRES. Rats and Mice. 229 



fouthern ocean. — Of late years this fpecies has greatly diminifhed in Europe, and is even in many 

 places extirpated, in confequence of the introduction of the Brown fpecies, which deftroys the Black 

 Rats. The Black Rat is a cautious and fierce animal, which eats very voracioufly of almoft every 

 thing that comes in its way, and drinks little ; it is a great peft in houfes, as it attacks every kind of 

 provifion, and gnaws the furniture : It even preys on its own fpecies : It is preyed on, in its turn, by 

 owls, weafels, and cats, though many of thefe laft will not venture to attack them. The female has 

 ten teats, breeds feveral times every year, and brings five or fix young ones at a birth. The head 

 and body meafure about feven inches long, and the tail, which is very fmall, and has two hundred 

 and fifty diftinct rings, is about an inch longer than the body ; the whole body weighs near fix 

 ounces ; the fur is of a deep iron grey colour, almoft black ; the belly afh coloured ; the feet and 

 legs are dufky, and almoft naked; fometimes the upper parts of the body are dufky or afh coloured; 

 rarely fpotted with white, or altogether white, with red eyes. 



4-66 J S. Small Rat. — Mus Rattus minor. 



In the neighbourhood of the lower parts of the river Volga there is a fmall variety of 

 this fpecies, found in the deferts, which does not weigh above fix or feven drams. 

 Pallas, nov. fp. Fafc. i. 93. 



4 6 7 6. Common Moufe. — 7. Mus Mufculus. 13. 



The tail is very long, fcaly, and almoft naked ; the fore feet have each four, and the 

 hind feet five toes; the fifth, or thumb, having no claw. Faun. Suec. 34. 



Moufe, with a very long fcaly tail ; the upper parts of the body being tawny, and the lower 

 parts whitifh or afh coloured. Pallas, glir. 95. n. 43. Schreber, iv. 654. t. clxxxi. Faun. Suec. i. 

 11. n. 31. Muf. ad. Fr. i. 9. Brill", quad. 169. n. 2. Gronov. zooph. i. 4. n. 19. Brown, Jamaic. 

 484. — Mus domefticus minor, or Leffer domeftic Moufe. Aldrov. dig. 417. Raj. quad. 219. Sloan, 

 Jamaic. ii. 330. Jonft. quad. 165. t. 66. Hufnagel, archetyp. L t. 3. 10. p. 2. t. 8. p. 4. t. 2. — 

 Souris, or Moufe. Sm. Buff. iv. 282. pi. lxxxi. f. 2. — Common Moufe. Penn. hift. of quad. n. 301. 

 Brit. zool. i. n.. 30. Arft. zool. n. 60. 



Inhabits all parts of the world This little animal is hardly three inches and a half long; it lives 



almoft entirely in houfes, and follows mankind for the fake of their provifions ; it feeds on almoft 

 every thing, fuch as grain, bread, cheefe, butter, oil, and every kind of food ufed by mankind, and 

 drinks little ; it is of mild and gentle manners,, exceedingly timid, and very quick in all its motions ;. 

 is exceedingly prolific, breeds frequently, and produces five or fix at each litter; is preyed on by 

 cats, rats, weafels, owls, and hedge-hogs ; may be deftroyed likewife by means of Elder and Black 

 Hellebore. 



460 $. Several varieties of Mice, as to colour, are found ; fome being altogether black, fome yellowifh, 



fome fpotted with white, fome of a white colour with afh coloured ipots, and the moft beautiful cf 

 all, and the leaft common, are entirely white, with red eyes ; but, as thefe agree in every other cir- 

 cumftance, it is unnecefiary to defcribe them more at large, 



