12 THE RAT. 
covered with 200 roY/s of scales. On the fore feet are four toes, 
of which the two middle are much the longest ; the soles are 
bare, and have five prominent papillae. The hind feet have 
five toes, of which the three middle are the longest, and 
nearly equal, the first shorter than the fifth ; the sole is 
bare up to the heel, and has six papillae. The general 
colour of the upper parts is reddish brown ; the long 
hairs are black at the end, the lower parts greyish white. 
On the feet the hairs are very short, whitish, and glisten- 
ing; the claws are horn-coloured, or greyish yellow. The 
cesophagus is four inches long ; the stomach transversely 
oblong, 2 1 inches in length ; the intestine slender, about 
2J twelfths in diameter for four feet three inches ; it then 
enters a large curved sack formed by the head of the colon, 
which projects two inches, with a diameter of nine-twelfths; 
from thence to the extremity the intestine measures ten 
inches ; its diameter at first seven-twelfths, but gradually 
diminishing to four-twelfths. The liver is divided into six 
lobes, and there is no gall-bladder. In the female there are 
six pectoral and six inguino-ventral mammae. 
Male. 
Female. 
Length to the end of tail 
19 inches 
16 inches. 
2| „ 
2i „ 
Tail 
8i „ 
7i 
Ears 
3 
4 Jf 
3 
• + }) 
Hind feet 
li „ 
n „ 
Besides the black and brown, Baron Cuvier gives ac- 
counts of seventy-two different kinds of rats, each of which 
has its native locality, and which it seldom or never quits, 
except by force or accident. But the black and brown 
rats are citizens of every genial portion of the globe, and 
seem to say the world is theirs, for they go where they like, 
and do as they please. Now it may be asked from whence 
came they ? Ay, there's the rub ; for I know of no animals, 
in the whole range of natural history, wherein there is so 
much discrepancy of opinion as to the land of their nativity, 
or such conflicting testimony adduced by the various philo- 
sophers as to which country has the honour of claiming 
these little truants as its legitimate offspring.* Some 
* Cuvier says that this animal did not pass into Europe till the 
