NATURAL HISTORY NOTES 
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some interesting articles, such as that on Hedgehogs in the July number, and 
Colonel Sir Howard Vincent's valuable report on the export of old and worn-out 
horses in that for August, hut that it would appear to have such great possibilities 
for more serious practical work. We hope that, after Father Leseher’s letter, we 
shall hear no more nonsensical attempts to make the Catholic Church responsible 
for the prevalence of cruelty to animals. 
Our Animal Friends for July and August has suffered somewhat from the 
war-fever recently so prevalent in the United States, though we need hardly say 
that we are in hearty sympathy with their denunciation of bull-lighting. Their 
valuable veterinarian papers w'ere what we had in view just now when venturing 
to criticise an English contemporary. 
The Naturalist for July and August, though valuable to local workers, 
contains comparatively little of general Selbornian interest, but there are notes on 
two cuckoo’s eggs in one nest, on a young thrush being fed by a starling, and on 
Yorkshire herbal remedies. 
The Irish Naturalist for July records the breeding of the marten in Co. 
Waterford, and an application to the Limerick magistrates to except gulls and 
mergansers from the Wild Birds Act on the ground of the damage done by them 
to the salmon and eel fry. 
The Victorian Naturalist for June contains a valuable little paper on /.oologi- 
cal nomenclature, entitled, “ What’s in a name?” by T. S. Hall. 
Received . — The American Monthly Microscopical Journal for July. — Rivista 
Tolitica e Litteraria for July. 
NATURAL HISTORY NOTES AND QUERIES. 
Rata Stealing Eggs. — A short time ago you printed a notice of mine 
about rats stealing eggs near here under circumstances leading to the belief that 
they had been carried at least half-a-mile. I ended up with the query, “ How 
did they do it ? ” This found its way into several newspapers, local and 
otherwise, and many persons wrote to me on the subject, stating all sorts of plans 
employed by these wily rodents. My brother, Captain Giles Daubeny, a well- 
known contributor to Nature Notes, suggests that the hens may have stolen 
their nests some distance from home. This the man who found the eggs thinks 
unlikely, for they were dug out of the rats’ holes early in the year before 
vegetation sufficient to hide a nest had sprung up. The locality, too, does not 
lend itself to this supposition ; and even if several nests had been stolen, my 
contention that the eggs had been carried long distances would still hold good. 
Rats have been observed to form in line and hand eggs from one to the other 
out of a basket to a hole close by. This plan no doubt would answer for short 
distances, but one could not imagine their adopting it in order to place an egg 
here and there along a mile of ditching. It would involve an amount of time, 
labour and numbers out of all proportion to the gain, and I give rats too much 
credit for business habits to suppose they would waste their energies like this. 
Rats have also been seen to roll eggs along with their forepaws. This would 
do when the ground was smooth, but other measures would have to be taken in 
rough, stony, or unlevel places ; and these are what I want to find out. 
Several of my correspondents, however, have quite made up their minds how' 
the trick is done — at least, so I conclude from the confident nature of their 
communications. One gentleman tells me that the rat tucks the egg under his 
chin, and leaves me to find out how he then proceeds, whether hopping or 
walking with his awkward burden — a difficult process if a ploughed field has to be 
negotiated. 
Along with several others, two ladies inform me that the rat lies on its back 
clasping the egg tightly somehow or other, while one or two friends take him by 
the tail and drag him along. This very common belief I have heard, lo, these 
many years ! Is it likely that any animal would quietly submit to the ordeal of 
having his tail nipped and being rubbed the wrong way into the bargain ? They 
would bump him terribly over rough ground, to the great danger of the egg ; and 
