102 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
THE RAT. 
276. This troublesome animal is found wherever 
man resides. It is not from the largest animals that 
we receive the most injury. The smaller tribes, 
from their numbers and perseverance, are much more 
annoying than the larger. The Rat is one of the 
greatest nuisances among the race of quadrupeds. 
277. They multiply with great rapidity, and, were 
they to remain unmolested, the progeny of a single 
pair would in two years be swelled to more than a 
million. Fortunately, they have numerous enemies, 
and the human race are no more prone to spare a 
Rat than a snake. 
278. On board a man-of-war, they have been 
known to consume a hundred weight of biscuits 
daily. The Isle of France was once abandoned on 
account of their immense swarms, and, even now, 
✓ they are a severe scourge to it. Rats often discover 
much sagacity and cunning, as appears from the fol- 
lowing anecdote. 
279. “ At Amsterdam lived a man who was curi- 
ous in keeping fowls. One of his hens, in the midst 
of summer, had several days stopped yielding her 
What is said of the Rat ? What is mentioned to show their vo- 
racity on board of vessels ? Why was the Isle of France once 
abandoned ? What curious anecdote shows their sagacity and 
cunning ? 
