ClafsL NORWAY RAT. 59 



Species II. The Norway RAT. 



Mus fylveftris, R.at de bois. Mus norveglcus. Klein quad. 56. 



Briffon quad. 20. Mus ex norvegia. Seb. Mus. lorn. 

 Le Surmulor. De Buffon, Tom. ii. 64. Tab. 63. 



viii. 206. Tab. 27. Br. Zool. 47. 



TH I S is a very large fpecies •, thicker, and of 

 a ftronger make than the common rat : the 

 length from the end of the nofe to the begin- 

 ning of the tail, is nine inches -, the length of the 

 tail the fame ; the ufiial weight eleven ounces : the 

 ears refemble thofe of the rat : the eyes large and 

 black : the color of the head and whole upper part of 

 the body is a light brown, mixed with tawny and a(h- 

 color : the end of the nofe, the throat and belly, are 

 of a dirty white, inclining to grey : the feet and legs 

 almoft bare 5 and of a dirty, pale, fleih-color : the 

 beginning of the tail is of the fame color as the 

 back ; the reft of the tail is covered with minute 

 dufky fcales, mixed with a few hairs. 



This is the fpecies well known in this kingdom 

 under the name of the Norway rat -, but it is an animal 

 quite unknown in Scandinavia, as we have been affured 

 by feveral natives of the countries that form that 

 trad: : and Linnaus * takes no notice of it in his iaft 

 fyftem. It is fit here to remark an error that gentle- 

 man has adopted in fpeaking of the common rat, 

 which he fays was firft brought from America into 

 Eurcfe by means of a fliip from AnfuDsr^, The fad is, 



* Lh.fyJ}. 83. 



H 2 that 



