THE RAT. 
wide world, except the American rats^ that can equal the 
ingenious rats of Scotland. 
An extraordinary instance of the sagacity of rats was 
witnessed in Argyleshire, a short time ago, by a man 
who was watching a quantity of eggs lying on the quay 
with a view to be packed. Four large rats were observed 
by him to issue from a hole, and rush all at once to the eggs, 
when presently they rolled one of the eggs to a distance 
from the heap, while one of the party, falling on his side, 
firmly embraced it with his legs ; then being turned on 
his back, the rest yoked themselves to the burden, two 
in front and one behind, and by this living vehicle they 
safely conveyed their booty to the hole. The man was so 
amused with the contrivance, that he gave no alarm, nor 
caused the robbers any molestation. ; i 
An evening or two after, I was in the company of a gentle- i 
man who related the above story which he had read in the ; 
newspaper, and, feeling jocularly disposed, I made a few ^ 
remarks upon the unenviable situation of the prostrate rat, : 
as I supposed that the only way the two front rats could 
yoke themselves to the living vehicle would be by running , 
their claws through his ears, while the hinder one would ; ^ 
bury his in his haunches, for the purpose of raising him up^ ] j 
and forcing him along wheelbarrow fashion. These remarks , 
aroused the Scotchman, who, suspecting I was ridicul- j j 
ing his countrymen, rose, with all the richness of his native \ ^ 
diction, to put me down for my wanton incredulity, by relat- ; ^ 
ing what he called a fact ; for he himself had been an eye- 
witness to it. j 
As he was walking one morning by the side of the rail- ' 
road, a few miles from Glasgow, his attention was attracted 
by two rats which ran across the line to a hedge on the 
opposite side. They appeared to be male and female, as one 
was much larger than the other. He concealed himself for ^ 
a time to watch their manoeuvres, when he presently saw |j 
them merging from the hedge bottom, the one dragging the 
other by the tail. The female was on her back, with a | 
hen's egg cuddled closely up between her four legs, thus ^ 
making a cart of herself, while the male rat, with her tail j 
over his shoulder, was dragging her along like a truck. All 
went on very well till they came to the iron rail; which 
