70 
THE RAT. 
The grand object, however, which I have in view, is that 
of taking effectual steps while the horse is safe. Suffice it to 
say, that after the murder of 355 of his poor little innocents, 
he then, by dint of barytes reduced to a powder, phosphorus, 
red-herrings and sprats, commenced a war of extermination 
against these sanguinary vermin, and succeeded in annihi- 
lating them. 
In the " Gardeners' Chronicle " a writer states that he 
has, for a long time, been a great rabbit-fancier ; that he has 
an excellent outhouse fitted up for them, with an exercise- 
ground, and everything that can contribute to their health 
and comfort ; yet in despite of all this, though he has had his 
hutches mounted on trestles with projecting ends, and traps 
laid in all directions to catch the rats, he has been able to 
raise only five young ones ; although he has eight does and 
two bucks. This is lamentable ; for with such a stock and 
convenience he ought to have raised as many scores, and would 
have done so, but for the rats. They will at all times kill and 
devour young rabbits. This is a fact to which nearly every 
rabbit-fancier in London (a very numerous body) can bear 
practical testimony. Kats are the principal enemies they 
have to guard against. He says, so determined were they to 
effect the downfal of his establishment, that they actually 
bored one of their holes through the bottom of one of his 
hutches, which was placed upon trestles, fifteen inches from 
the ground, and so situated that no rat of mortal growth 
could possibly get between the bars. If this says nothing for 
their honesty, it says a great deal for their perseverance, 
ingenuity, and powers of standing upon nothing. But I 
think there is little question about their standing upon each 
other s backs to reach anything ; for I have seen them myself 
standing in a pyramid, five or six deep, when huddled up in 
a corner ; and I have also seen several suffocated and pressed 
to death by those above them. This is no uncommon 
occurrence in large rat-matches, when from fifty to two 
hundred rats will be put in the pit at one time. But for rats 
to enter a hutch, and take the young ones away, in despite 
of the mother, is an amount of daring and courage rarely to 
be met with in smaller animals, except of the weasel kind ; 
for a doe rabbit is both a desperate biter and fighter in 
