450 
VERTEBEATA. 
Down, down by slow degrees he went 
To the wild rocks in sheer descent, 
Dragging the rat, 'mid cries of slaughter, 
' Beneath the dark and stormy water.' 
He sank, and o'er him danced the bubbles 
In mockery of all his troubles ; 
Nothing was left but this, his story. 
And the plain truth it sets before you — 
The cunning rat, who apes the fox, 
And risks his tail among the rocks ; 
Heedless of dangers dark and awful, 
In search of pleasures all unlawful — 
Is by a stupid oyster caught. 
And made the prey of him he sought; 
Ye cunning human rats beware, 
Unlawful pleasures should you dare 
To seek along the shores of sin. 
Lest some huge oyster pull you in !" 
Although our history of rats is getting long, we cannot deny ourselves or our readers the pleas- 
ure of a few more extracts : "Rats have a remarkable instinct for finding out where there is any 
thing good for food ; and it has been often a subject of wonder how they manage to get on board 
ships laden with sugar and other attractive cargoes. This mystery has, however, been cleared 
up, for they have been seen to come off shore to the ship by means of the rope by which she is 
moored to the quay, although at some distance from the shore. By the same means they will 
leave the ship when she comes into port, if they find their quarters filling or filled with water ; 
hence, the saying that *rats always leave a sinking ship' is perfectly true. If, however, the ship 
be water-tight, they will continue breeding to an enormous extent. M. de St. Pierre informs us, 
that on the return of the Valiant, man-of-war from the Havannah, in the year 1766, its rats had 
increased to such a degree that they destroyed a hundred weight of biscuit daily. The ship was 
at length smoked between decks, in order to suff'ocate them, and six hampers were for some time 
filled every day with the rats that had thus been killed. 
"Rats are not altogether selfish animals: having found out where the feast is stored, they will 
kindly communicate the intelligence to their friends and neighbors. The following anecdote will 
confirm this fact. A certain worthy old lady, named Mrs. Oke, who resided at Axminster sev- 
eral years ago, made a cask of sweet wine, for which she was celebrated, and carefiilly placed it 
on a shelf in the cellar. The second night after this event she was frightened almost to death by 
a strange unaccountable noise in the said cellar. The household was called up, and a search 
made, but nothing was found to clear up the mystery. The next night, as soon as the lights 
were extinguished and the house quiet, this dreadful noise was heard again. This time it was 
most alarming ; a sound of squeaking, crying, knocking, pattering feet ; then a dull scratching 
sound, with many other such ghostly noises, which continued throughout the live-long night. 
The old lady lay in bed with the candle alight, pale and sleepless with fright, anon muttering her 
prayers, anon determined to fire ofi" the rusty old blunderbuss that hung over the chimney-piece. 
At last the morning broke, and the cock began to crow. 'Now,' thought she, 'the ghosts must 
disappear.' To her infinite relief the noise really did cease, and the poor frightened dame ad- 
justed her nightcap and fell asleep. Great preparations had she made for the next night; farm 
servants armed with pitchforks slept in the house ; the maids took the family dinner-bell and the 
tinder-box into their room ; the big dog was tied to the hall-table. Then the dame retired to 
her room, not to sleep, but to sit up in the arm-chair by the fire, keeping a drowsy guard over 
the neighbor's loaded horse-pistols, of which she was almost as much afraid as she was of the 
ghost in the cellar. Sure enough her warlike preparations had succeeded; the ghost was cer- 
tainly frightened ; not a noise, not a sound, except the heavy snoring of the bumpkins, and the 
rattling of the dog's chain in the hall could be heard. She had gained a complete victory ; the 
ghost was never heard again on the premises ; and the whole aff'air was soon forgotten. Some 
weeks afterward some friends dropped in to take a cup of tea, and talk over the last piece of gos- 
sip. Among other things the wine was mentioned, and the maid sent to get some from the eel- 
