52 
THE RAT. 
steal and destroy more in one week than the value of all 
the robberies of plate that blaze away in the newspapers 
from one year's end to another. They are one of the greatest 
animal nuisances that have infested our homes and fields 
since the days when an English king levied tribute of 
wolves' heads upon our brethren of Wales. 
Independently of their destroying furniture, &c., they 
have been known to gnaw the extremities of children while 
asleep. A child was nearly eaten to death by rats in 
the City. The parents, it appears, lived on a first floor, 
and the mother had gone out to market, leaving the 
child alone, sleeping in the cradle. During her absence the 
persons on the ground-floor heard the child crying in a 
most piteous manner, and after some time they went up to 
see what was the matter. Upon entering the room, they 
beheld several rats gnawing one of the child's hands, two 
fingers of which they had actually eaten off". The child was 
immediately taken to the hospital, and had the lacerated 
parts cut away, and fortunately no fatal consequences 
ensued. The rats are supposed to have efiected their en- 
trance from the drain underneath the house communicating 
with the main sewer, and, but for the timely interference of 
the occupiers of the ground-floor, there is little doubt the 
child would have been entirely eaten up. The circumstance 
at the time occasioned considerable sensation in the neigh- 
bourhood; but, like all other rat-exploits, was soon looked 
upon as a mere matter of course, and then sank into com- 
parative oblivion. 
One evening, as a gentleman well known to the 
theatrical world was seated with his family at the 
supper-table, they were all at once dreadfully alarmed 
by the heart-rending and pitiable screeches of his infant 
daughter, who had been sleeping in the adjoining room. 
They instantly ran to ascertain the cause of her agonies. 
At first they saw no visible cause, but on slightly turning 
•down the bedclothes they discovered, to their horror, that 
"blood was streaming from one of her feet, and upon closer 
examination they found the joint of her great toe most 
dreadfully lacerated. Of course, medical assistance was 
immediately sent for, and in the interim their imaginations 
were strained to their utmost as to how or what could 
