MAMMALS. 



53 



British Blac-k Rat {British Mammals, vol. i. pp. 203-18). Such as I 

 have received from vessels at anchor have been blue-grey in colour, and 

 I had several of these from H.M.S. Devastation when she was anchored at 

 Queensferry, above the Forth Bridge. If the original British Black 

 Rat was of a blue-grey colour, then the many accounts received of its 

 occurrence of late years clearly point to the black variety of the 

 Water Vole ; but if, as is said, the old British Black Rat was not 

 black but blue-grey, then these innumerable statements would hardly 

 have included the name as Black Rat ! for by no colour-blindness 

 could these two colours have been confused. 



us decumanus, Pall Brown Rat. 



Regarding the "ancient" history {V) of this animal, I do not think it is 

 necessary to go over ground amply covered many times by others. 

 Mr. William Evans in his Mammals of the Edinburgh District practi- 

 cally refers to all important previous notices. 



In 1812 Don relates of it "Common in all the seaport towns of 

 Angus " (see also under last species). It appears not to have 

 reached the inland town of Forfar, so it is reasonable to argue, and 

 natural to expect, and perhaps positive as a fact, that the Brown 

 Rat spread upward and inland from the seaport towns, driving the 

 old Black Rat before its superior assertiveness. 



But the old Statistical Account includes it in several inland 

 parishes, such as Dowally (vol. xx. p. 472, 1793); and now it is a 

 pest and horrid vermin all over the country, assertive and successful 

 in the struggle for existence. What to do 1 I would like to be able 

 to trace out all its advances, but that, I fear, is now beyond the 

 endeavour of the most enthusiastic compiler ! 



In the Breadalbane vermin lists no Rats are returned ; but it may 

 be worthy of remark, or it may not, that there are at the same time 

 no returns of Owls in these lists. Whether this has any real signi- 

 ficance or not, I am scarcely in a position to certify ; but one thing I 

 do know, and that is that on one fine Highland estate — not, however, 

 within'the boundaries of our present area — where it appears, that the 

 more Rats are killed each year, the more Owls are killed ; or to put 

 it the other way, the larger Owls bulk in the slaughter, the greater 

 are the number of Rats also ! And I would not be surprised to learn 

 some day — or to be refused further information ! — that the bigger 

 does the annual bill bulk for Indian corn and feeding stuffs for the 

 Pheasants and tame Wild Ducks, just as the tale of Rats increase, 

 and the number of Owls decrease ! 



