14 



Rats and Mice 



books, linen, pets, and sometimes man (alive and dead) being 

 attacked. 



To agriculture in all its branches the Brown Eat is especially 

 a most dangerous pest. Grain of all sorts is undoubtedly the 

 chief and favourite food of the rat. Before the grain is sown, in 

 every stage of its growth, and after the harvest, wherever it is 

 stored or in whatever form it is used, it is subject to attack by 

 this animal. An enormous toll is thus levied upon farmers, 

 millers, grain merchants, and consumers — a toll which is difficult 

 to appraise, but which, in the case of the farmer, must often be 

 equal to rent and taxes combined. People who keep animals for 

 profit or for pleasure sometimes feed, regularly if unwittingly, 

 some hundreds of rats in addition to their stock. Poultry farmers, 

 breeders of game-birds, pigeon fanciers and others suffer great 

 losses in this way ; what is worse, their eggs are regularly stolen, 

 their young and even their old birds are attacked and killed. Pigs 

 and other large animals are often destroyed, or rendered worthless, 

 either by reason of deliberate attacks upon them made by rats, or 

 through coming in contact with or devouring rats or food con- 

 taminated by the latter. In warrens, large numbers of young 

 rabbits are destroyed. Great havoc is sometimes wrought among 

 root-crops, and all kinds of fruit and vegetables are greedily 

 devoured. 



In short, every description of food for man or beast, whether in 

 course of production, store, or use, is subject to the attacks of the 

 rat. The quantity actually eaten or carried away is very consider- 

 able, but far more is ruined than devoured ; and when food, rat- 

 tainted though still wholesome in appearance, is used it sometimes 

 entails disastrous consequences to the health of man or that of 

 his domestic animals. 



Such damage is not confined to Britain ; it is caused through- 

 out the world wherever the Brown Eat has gained a footing. In 

 favourable circumstances rats multiply w4th amazing rapidity, and 

 they speedily bring utter ruin and devastation in their train. Two 

 small instances of this may be quoted. Deget is a small island in 

 the Cattegat. According to Zuschlag, the rat was quite unknown 

 there until two boys introduced a pair of tame rats, which they 

 had purchased in Jutland. These pets escaped. In less than two 

 years their progeny became a plague infesting the whole island 

 and succeeded in exterminating the numerous birds, which until 

 the establishment of the rats in such numbers used to breed there. 



