WONDERFUL TALES OF RATS. 
95 
stood about sixteen inclies from the ground. How were they 
to pass over this 1 there was the difficulty. He }3resently 
let go her tail, seemingly to have some conversation with 
her as she lay on her back cuddling up the egg. After this 
he laid hold of his own tail, and placing the tip of it in her 
mouth, commenced clambering on to the rail, and as soon as 
he arrived at the top, he sat himself astride like a little 
jockey, and pulling up his mate, who held tight to his tail, 
then let her gently down on the other side, and in this 
manner they passed the four rails, one after the other, with- 
out hurting the egg. He then took her again by the tail, 
and throwing it on his shoulder dragged her backwards into 
their hole. 
Here the narrator paused for approbation. The ladies 
stared with astonishment, and the gentlemen seemed perfectly 
dumbfounded at the surprising ingenuity of the " Eats of 
Scotland." But for my own part there was one thing I 
could not reconcile my mind to, and that was the difficulty 
of holding her by the tail with his paws, seeing they have 
neither fingers nor thumbs. I could perfectly understand 
rats hanging by their claws ; but as to their grasping any- 
thing with their fore feet, sufficient to drag such a weight, 
I was totally at a loss to conceive. At this the Scot fired 
up, and wished to know " if I dooted his word." Certainly 
not," I replied, " but still I am at a loss to know how he 
could hold her tail over his shoulder without its slipping 
through his paws." " Hoot, mon," said he, " dinna ye ken, 
that the canny old rat had tied her tail in a knot, and so 
had a fair hold of herl" This was a clincher ; the whole 
company burst out into one roar of laughter, which so dis- 
concerted our friend, that he seized his hat, and rushed 
out of the room, without bidding any one good night. 
The "Quarterly Review" says, that rats will carry 
eggs from the bottom to the top of the house by lifting 
them from stair to stair. The male rat stands upon his 
head, and lifts up the egg with his hind legs, when the 
female takes it in her fore-paws, and secures it till he ascends 
a step higher ; and so they pass from stair to stair, till they 
reach the top. 
It is said that the ferocity and voracity of the rat sur- 
pass anything that can be imagined. A gentleman placed 
