MAMMALS. 



51 



Mus musculus, X. Common House Mouse. 



"Abundant, universally distributed wherever there are human habita- 

 tions," So said Mr. Eagle Clarke in his excellent Fauna of York- 

 shire, and indeed this may be the record for all great Scotland also. 

 The only thing left for recorders as to its distribution now, appears 

 to be to look out for developing sub-species. There is not much 

 chance of that, I fancy, upon our present area, as there are scarcely 

 any islands upon the coast, and none at least which are inhabited. 



Mus rattus, L. Black Rat. 



Without going into the general history of the old English or Black Rat 

 — not confusing it with the Black Water Rat, so-called — or Black 

 Water Vole, I merely go back to tangible proofs of its former occur- 

 rence in Tay and Strathmore. 



In 1812 Walker, in his Essays, speaks of the Black Rat (vera); 

 and it must have been at that time either well known or well 

 remembered in many parts of the kingdom. Indeed, in the following 

 year, 1813, Don speaks of it as "the only species frequenting the 

 town of Forfar," and as " not rare in all the inland parts of Angus " ; 

 but then he goes on to say : " It has become very rare in most parts 

 of Britain, and is still becoming scarcer, as the Brown Rat has nearly 

 extirpated it." 



It would have been interesting to a good field-naturalist living 

 then to have noted the process and details of the progress of the 

 annihilation, especially in the initiatory stages. 



The old Statistical Account has little of reliability in its account of 

 the species. 



The New Statistical Account only speaks of its extermination by 

 the other and more recent arrival, quoting, in fact, previous writers 

 who were unanimous in such statements. The New Statistical 

 Account mentions Dunotter as a former haunt ; and includes it, but 

 without remark, as an inhabitant of Banchory Ternan — a part of 

 which lies within our area for purposes of this volume. It is also 

 spoken of in the parish of Fortingal, Perthshire, as "having forced 

 its way of late into our most sequestered glens, and even to our most 

 retired apartments." As may be shrewdly argued, it did not so 

 much fmre itself as it was foired by its bigger relation thus to seek 

 safety in the furthest recesses. 



