23 d 
V Mus zibethicus, muskrat. In the Me- 
moirs of the French Academy of Sciences for 
the year 1725, there is a complete and excel- 
lent description of this animal by Mons. Sar- 
razin, at that time king’s physician at Que- 
bec. It is from the above description that 
tne count de Billion has drawn up the major 
part of his own account, and indeed it does 
not appear possible to add any thing material 
to what Mons. Sarrazin has delivered. This 
animal is of the size of a small rabbit, and is 
extremely common in Canada. Its head is 
short, like that of a water-rat; the eyes large; 
tne ears very short, rounded, and covered 
internally as well as externally with hair. It 
has, like the rest ot this tribe, four verv strong 
cutting teeth, of which those, in the lower 
jaw are near an inch long; those in the up- 
per somewhat shorter : the fur on the whole 
body is soft and glossy, and beneath is a fine 
tur, or thick down, as in the beaver; the 
toes on all the feet are simple, or without 
membranes, and are covered with hair; the 
tail is nearly as long as the body, and is of 
the same term with that of the sorex moscha- 
tus or musk shrew, being lateral] v compress- 
ed ; it is nearly naked, and covered with 
small scales intermixed with scattered hairs. 
T he general colour of the animal is a reddish 
brown ; of the fail ash-colour. In its general 
appearance tins animal greatly resembles the 
beaver, except in size, and in the form of its 
tail. It has also similar instincts and disposi- 
tions ; living in a social state in the winter, 
m curiously-constructed huts or cabins, built 
near the edge ot some lake or river. These 
huts are about two feet and a half or three 
feet in diameter, plaisteredwith great neatness 
m the inside, and covered externally with a 
kinc] of basket-work, of rushes, &c. interlaced 
together so as to form a compact and secure 
guard, impermeable by water. During the 
winter these receptacles are generally covered 
by several feet ot snow, and the animals re- 
side in them without being incommoded by 
it, several families commonlv inhabiting each 
cabin. It is added that the insides of the 
receptacles are furnished with a series of 
steps, to prevent them from being injured by 
inundations. These animals do not lay up a 
stock of provisions like the beaver, but form 
subterraneous passages beneath and round 
their cabins, to give themselves an opportu- 
nity of procuring occasional supplies of roots, 
herbage, &c. According to Mons. Sarrazin 
the animal is particularly calculated by na- 
ture for its subterraneous habits, having a 
great muscular force in its skin, which en- 
ables it to contract its body occasionally into 
a small volume: it has also a great supple- 
ness in the false ribs, which easily admit of 
contraction, so that it is enabled to pass 
through holes impervious to much smaller 
animals than itself. 
During the summer these creatures wan- 
der about in pairs, feeding voraciously on 
herbs and roots. 1 heir odour, which resem- 
bles that of mtisk, is so strong as to be per- 
ceived at a considerable distance ; and the 
skin, when taken from the body, still retains 
■ the scent: this musky odour is owing to a 
whitish fluid deposited in certain glands situ- 
ated near the origin of the tail. It has been 
supposed that the calamus aromaticus, or 
sweet flag (acorus calamus, Lin.), which 
these animals select as a favourite food, may 
contribute to their fragrant smell. They 
MUS. 
walk and ran in an awkward manner, like 
the beaver, and they cannot swim so readily 
as that animal, their feet being unfurnished 
with webs. Their voice is said to resemble 
a groan. The females produce their young 
towards the beginning of summer, and have 
five or six at a time ; and these, if taken 
early, are easily tamed, and become very 
sportive; and it is remarkable that the tail, 
which in the full-grown animal is as long as 
the body, is at that period very short. 
'I he fur of this species is greatly esteemed 
as a commercial article, resembling that of 
the beaver. Linnxus, in the twelfth edition 
of the Sy sterna Naturae, ranked the animal 
under the genus castor; and Mr. Pennant 
has followed his example. Mr. Schreber, 
however, considers it as belonging in strict 
propriety to the present genus. See Plate 
Nat. Hist. fig. 279. 
2. Mus decumanus, Norway rat. This 
domestic species, which is now become the 
common rat ot our own island, and is popu- 
larly known by the name of the Norway rat, 
is supposed to be a native of India and Per- 
sia, from which countries it lias been imported 
into Europe. In England it seems to have 
made a national conquest over the black rat, 
which is now become rare in comparison. 
1 he brown rat is larger than the black rat, 
measuring nine inches from the nose to the 
tail, which is of the same length, and marked 
into about 200 rings or circular spaces ; the 
colour of the animal is a pale tawny-grey, 
whitish beneath ; the fore feet have four toes, 
with a claw in place of a fifth. It is a bold 
and voracious animal, and commits great 
havoc in granaries, &c. Sometimes it takes 
up its residence in the banks of waters, and 
swims occasionally with almost as much faci- 
lity as the water rat, or mus amphibius. In 
its general manner of life it agrees with the 
black rat ; and not only devours grain and 
fruits, but preys on poultry, rabbits, and va- 
rious other animals. It is a very prolific spe- 
cies, and produces from ten to twelve or four- 
teen, or even sometimes eighteen, young at 
a time. W hen closely pursued, it will some- 
times turn upon its adversary, and bite with 
great severity. It seems to have made its 
first appearance in England about seventy 
years ago, and is still much less frequent in 
France and some other parts of the continent 
than the black rat. 
3. Mus rattus, black rat. This species, 
like the former, though now so common in 
most parts ot Europe, is supposed to have 
been originally introduced from India and 
Persia. Its general length from nose to tail 
is seven inches, and of the tail eight inches; 
the colour ot the head and whole upper part 
of the body is a dark iron or blackish grey ; 
the belly is of a dull ash-colour; the legs are 
dusky, and very slightly covered with hair; 
the fore feet, as in the brown rat, have only 
four toes, with a small claw in place of a fifth ; 
tlie tail is nearly naked, coated with a scaly 
skin, and marked into numerous divisions or 
rings. Like the former species, this animal 
breeds frequently, and commonly brings 
about six or seven young at a time. Some- 
times they increase so fast as to overstock the 
place of their abode, in which case they fight 
and devour each other. It is said that this is 
the reason why these animals, after being ex- 
tremely troublesome, sometimes disappear 
suddenly. Various are the method* made 
useof for the expulsion of rats from the places 
they frequent; among which none is more 
singular than that mentioned by Gesner, who 
tells us he had been informed that if a rat is 
caught and a bell tied round its neck, and 
then set at liberty, it will drive away the rest 
wherever it goes. This expedient appears 
to be occasionally practised in modern times 
with success. A gentleman travelling through 
Mecklenburg!), about 30 years ago, was wit- 
ness to the following curious circumstance in 
the post-house in New Stargard. After din- 
ner the landlord placed on the floor a large 
dish of soup, and gave a loud whistle. Im- 
mediately there came into the room a mastiff, 
a fine Angora cat, an old raven, and a re- 
markably large rat, with a bell about its neck. 
The four animals went to the dish, and with- 
out disturbing each other, fed together; after 
which the dog, cat, and rat, lav before the 
fire, while the raven hopped about the room. 
The landlord, after accounting for the fami- 
liarity which existed among the animals, in- 
formed his guest that the rat was the most 
useful of the four, for the noise he made had 
completely freed the house from the rats and 
mice with which it was before infested. 
4. Mus musculus, common mouse. The 
manners and appearance of this little animal 
are so universally known, that it seems al- 
most unnecessary to particularise it by a for- 
mal description. It is a general inhabitant 
of almost every part of the Old Continent, 
but it is doubtful whether it is originally a 
native of America, though now sufficiently 
common in many parts of the New World, 
as well as in many of its scattered islands 
The mouse, though wild and extremely 
timid, is not of a ferocious disposition, but 
may be easily tamed, and soon after it has 
been taken, will begin to feed without fear, 
in the immediate presence of its captors* 
The white variety is frequently kept in a 
tame state, and receives an additional beauty 
from the bright fed colour of its eyes ; a par- 
ticularity which generally accompanies the 
white varieties, not only of this tribe, but of 
many other quadrupeds. 
I he mouse is a prolific animal : the expe- 
riment of Aristotle is well known, and often 
quoted. He placed a pregnant mouse in a 
vessel of grain, and after a short space found 
in it no less than the number of 120, all 
which, he concluded, were the descendants 
of the mouse he had inclosed. 
The fur of the mouse is remarkably soft 
and elegant, and the •structure of the hair in 
this animal, as well as in the rat, and proba- 
bly in many others of this genus, is singularly 
curious ; each hair, when microscopically 
examined, appearing internally divided into 
a kind of transverse partitions, as if by the 
continuation of a spiral fibre; a structure 
very different from that of the hair of most 
other animals, and of which the particular 
nature seems not very distinctly understood. 
Derham, in his Physico-Theology, con- 
ceives that this mechanism of a spiral fibre 
may serve for the “ gentle evacuation of 
some humour out of the body and adds 
that “ perhaps the hair serves as well for the 
insensible perspiration of hairy animals as to 
fence against cold and wet.” Whatever is 
the real nature or use of the above structure 
its appearance cannot fail to excite astonish- 
ment in those who take the pains of examin- 
