344 
NOTES TO THE 
tlie ancient British black rat, which is now gradually becoming 
extinct. I wonder White does not mention it. It is dis- 
appearing gradually before the common brown or Norway rat. 
It is probable that the black British rat was introduced into this 
country from France. To this day it is called Llygoden Frenzig, 
or the French mouse. The black rat looks like a gentleman as 
compared with the common brown rat. He is much slighter in 
make, his upper jaw projects further over the lower jaw than 
it does in the brown rat, his ears are much larger and his tail 
very much longer than in his first cousin, and lastly his colour is 
a jet black, with numerous long hairs projecting out from the 
lower fur-like coat. 
He is a very timid creature, and rarely shows fight ; he is in 
fact not very powerful, but his want of strength is made up by 
his excessive activity. The black rat does not frequent drains, 
cellars, &c., but rather inhabits the rafters of outhouses : they 
are said to be still plentiful in the Isle of Dogs, in Jersey, and 
Bristol. I have described this rat fully in my " Curiosities of 
Natural History," first series. Bentley, 1874. In 1875 I received 
a fine specimen of a black rat. Mr. Searle, my secretary, from 
feeding him in his cage for some length of time in my casting 
room, got him quite tame. Mr. Searle reports to me that a common 
brown rat, nearly full grown, was put with him, but the black 
one being very quarrelsome, the plebeian had to be drowned, as it 
had been so constantly worried and bitten. Mr. Delamotte 
has given a very faithful portrait of this interesting little animal ; 
observe the silky appearance of his coat, his delicate attentive 
ear, his intelligent eye, his long whiskers, by means of which 
he feels his way about when out feeding at night, 
and his little pinkish white paws (the rat always 
keeps his paws excessively clean). Fear and danger 
constantly surround him, yet he looks happy and 
contented. 
To most people a rat's tail is not a very interest- 
ing object. If however it be carefully examined it 
will be found to present a very curious structure. 
The skin is arranged in the form of rings, and from 
between the rings project rows of fine stiff hairs. 
These hairs assist the rat to hold on with his 
tail as he is climbing about rafters, &c. ; he also uses his tail 
-as a balancing pole. You will see all this if you set a tame 
white rat to climb along a rope. 
The following story will illustrate how an elephant can 
be almost persecuted to death by rats. There is a very fine 
elephant at the Zoological Gardens at Clifton, near Bristol. 
