3 8o HISTORY OF QUADRUPEDS* 



The WATER-RAT 



Is fomewhat {mailer than the former •, its head and nofe 

 are thicker ; its eyes are fmall ; its ears fhort, fcarcely 

 appearing through the hair ; its teeth are large, ftrong, 

 and yellow. In an old one which we examined, the low- 

 er incifors meafured fomewhat more than half an inch in 

 length. The hair on its head and body is thicker and 

 longer than that of the common Rat, and chiefly of a 

 dark-brown colour, mixed with red; the belly is grey ; 

 the tail five inches long, covered with fhort black hairs, 

 and the tip with white. 



The Water-Rat generally frequents the fides of rivers, 

 ponds, and ditches ; where it burrows, and forms its 



neft. It feeds on frogs, fmall fifii, and fpawn ; fwims 



and dives remarkably faft j and can continue a long time 

 under water. 



