TAME RATS. 
37 
gesture, that my friend became alarmed, and thought it was 
time their familiarity should cease ; so he ran for the poker, 
and on his return he found the rat in the iron pot, where he 
killed him. But he has regretted it ever since, believing, as 
he now does, that it only wanted to play with him. 
A full-grown male rat was caught at an inn in Clerkenwell, 
and became so tame that the landlord's son used to carry it 
about in his pocket. It answered to the name of ^' Tommy," 
and was very fond of stretching on the rug before the fire along 
with the cat. For the amusement of the customers, the master 
would sometimes catch half a dozen mice, and put them into 
a pan or tub, and then master Tommy would kill them one 
after the other for the gratification of the lookers-on. His 
master said he was of infinite value in the cellar, as he used 
to decoy other rats, sometimes five or six of a night, into 
the traps, but always avoided them himself, and when his 
master wanted him it was only necessary to whistle, or call 
" Tommy, Tommy," and he would instantly come forward, 
and crawl up his legs to be caressed. 
Some time ago the driver of an omnibus was moving 
some trusses of hay in his hay-loft, when, snugly coiled 
up in a corner, he found a little miserable-looking rat, 
whose mamma, having tucked him carefully up in bed, had 
gone out on a foraging expedition to find something for her 
darling's supper. The little fellow, being of a remarkably 
piebald colour, excited the pity of the omnibus driver, who 
picked him up, and took him home to his family. The 
children soon took to their little pet, and named him Ikey, 
after their eldest brother, whose name was Isaac. The little 
fellow soon grew up, and returned the kindness he had 
received by excessive tameness and gentleness towards every 
member of the family. He was, therefore, allowed to roam 
about the house at perfect liberty. His favourite seat was 
inside the fender or on the clean white hearth ; but, strange 
to say, he would never get on it unless it was perfectly 
clean. On one occasion, when the good wife was cleaning 
the hearth, she gave master Ikey a push ; so up he jumped 
on the hob, and, finding it an agreeable resting-place, there 
stayed. As the fire grew brighter and brighter, so the hob 
became warmer and warmer, till at last it became most un- 
pleasantly hot ; he would not move from his perch, but rolled 
