THEIR NATURAL WEAPONS. 
117 
beyond its next-door neighbour. Let us suppose this to be 
the case, and now let us give him a plank or the corner of 
a brick to gnaw, and what then will be the fact 1 Why, 
that the projecting tooth and the under one will grip the 
brick at oblique angles, while the corresponding one will 
remain idle ; and, if the rat incautiously puts on too much 
power, the result will be that he will force the teeth out 
sideways, if not break them. But, in the event of his going 
more cautiously to work, the odd teeth will continue to act 
together till the protruding tooth is ground down to a 
slightly oblique level with its neighbour, and in this position 
will they remain as long as the rat lives. 
This is our view of the matter ; but as to whether the 
preparations s23oken of are really rats' teeth at all, we shall 
leave them in the hands of more profound philosophers to 
decide. 
It has often been matter of wonder and surprise as to 
how it is that both rats and mice can come head first down 
perpendicular fencings, trees, walls, wire-work; &c. without 
falling ; but more especially that they do not tumble in, 
head first, and get a sousing for their trouble, when they 
attempt to drink out of cans, pails, tubs, cfec. when the 
water is several inches from the top. I have watched both 
rats, mice, and squirrels, drink out of vessels where the 
water has been deeper down than the whole length of their 
bodies. The truth is, they can let themselves down and 
drink at the entire length of their heads, neck, body, and 
legs, as far as their claws or middle joint of their hind toes, 
and then escape without wetting a hair. 
The reason is obvious, for if you examine their hind- 
legs and feet, you will find that they will turn outwards 
with the greatest suppleness till what we may call the 
heel is in front ; so that the animals can hang on by their 
hind toes or talons to the bark of trees, rough palings, 
or dilapidated walls, and then let themselves down by a 
gentle shuffling kind of motion, at the same time checking 
themselves with the talons of the inside toes, or thumbs of 
the fore-feet. 
As to their drinking out of deep vessels, I have seen both 
rats and a squirrel hang on to the edge of a pail with their 
hind toes, and quench their thirst when the water at the 
