30 
THE RAT. 
directly to her young as I expected, she turned upon the fer- 
ret again and again, a perfect little vixen, and bit him most 
severely before I could get out of the ditch : it was very 
evident that she had made up her mind to a life-and-death 
battle. I kept hold of the ferret's tail, which very much 
impeded his action ; but no sooner was I fairly landed than 
I suspended him in the air at arm's length. The rat sprang 
up five or six times, but could not reach him ; when, all in 
an instant, like a squirrel, she ran up my leg and body, then 
along my arm, and dropping on him, gave him another bite 
and fell. This I thought anything but fair play ; so when 
she attempted it a second time I brushed her off, and there 
she stood, with her head and mane up, v/hich looked like a 
black line down her back ; and her pretty black eyes flashed 
defiance at the pair of us. Indeed I apprehended she would 
lay hold of me ; so, to divert her attention, I touched her 
with the stick, which she furiously bit through, and then ran 
ofi" to her young. With this I left her mistress of the field, 
and felt perfectly delighted at the courage she had displayed 
in defence of her young. 
I made it a daily practice, for about a month, to supply 
this little heroine with food ; at the expiration of which 
time, as I passed down the hedge-side, there I saw the twelve 
young ones, and fine fat fellows they were ; but no sooner 
did they espy me than up the bank they ran, showing their 
little white tails and feet. Through the hedge they rustled 
into the corn-fields, and I never afterwards saw anything 
more of them. 
CHAPTEE lY. 
TAME RATS. 
Instances of tame rats are by no means rare, or of their 
becoming gentle and attached to those who feed and caress 
them. Mr. Bell says, that although the disposition of the 
rat appears to be naturally very ferocious, still there are 
instances on record of its evincing considerable attachment 
not only to its own species but to mankind also ; and, no 
