140 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY. 
of the fore-feet, but are a Jittle stouter, and have more spread. The inner one, representing 
a thumb, is nearly as long as the outer one, though it is situated further back, The 
posterior half of the sole is hairy. The claws are like those of the fore-feet. 
DIMENSIONS. 
Inches. Lines, Inches. Lines, 
Length of the head and body ° « 9 0 Length from the wrist joint to the end of the 
3 tail (vertebre) 6 6 middle claw. 4 2,05 8 
Bs tail with the fur 7 6 >, of the middle fore-toe and claw . 0 5 
ee whiskers 3 6 ‘5, from heel to the end of the middle 
Height of the ears posteriorly é - 0 10 claw . . wd 6 
Breadth of ditto . p F 0 9 » of the middle hind-toe and claw . 0 7 
Distance from the tip of the nose to the >, Of the fur on the back ° rae | 0 
anterior angle of the orbit . . ~ 0 11 Height of the back of the prepared specimen 
standing on its palms and soles . - 3 9 
~ 1. Mus rattrus. (Linn.) The Black Rat. 
Genus. Mus. Cuvier. 
Black Rat. PENNaNT, Arct. Zool., vol.i.p. 129. Gopman, Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 83. 
Mus rattus. Haran, Fauna, p. 148. 
This Rat was, most probably, not originally an inhabitant of North America, but 
was brought thither by the early European visitors of that continent. It seems to 
have multiplied exceedingly fast in its new quarters, until the introduction of the 
still more destructive brown rat thinned its numbers, and it has now become as 
rare as it is in Kurope, from the same cause. We did not observe the black rat 
in any part of the fur countries ; and I may also venture to affirm, that it has not 
advanced farther north than the plains of the Saskatchewan. Indeed, I have no 
other reason for supposing that it may have got so far, than that an animal 
resembling a Musk-Rat, with a long round tail, is mentioned by the Indians of that 
quarter, under the name of meest¢he appeceooshees, 
