SI 
NATURAL HISTORY NOTES AND QUERIES. 
Rats. — The increase in the numbers of rats hereabouts is quite remarkable. 
Owing to them ricks require thatching, houses are invaded, and game, rabbits, 
poultry, eggs, grain, and roots, are laid under heavy contribution. One commonly 
sees banks honeycombed for 50 or 100 yards by their burrows, in the proximity 
of farmyards, ricks, and “ pies,” or earthed-up heaps of mangold wurzel and 
other roots. A few are killed with ferrets, or when a rick is threshed ; and at 
certain times of the year poisoned grain is placed in their burrows by the game- 
keeper. But as no systematic war is waged against them they seem to increase 
in numbers, size, and boldness year by year. If the lives of their natural enemies, 
foxes, stoats, weasels, owls and hawks were more respected, rats and mice would 
not be the scourge they are ; and methinks the damage they do is ten times that 
of all these enemies put together. 
Market Weston , Thetford , 1903. Edmund Thos. Daubeny. 
The Rabbit. — The other day a friend told me that he had once come 
across a rabbit which was swimming in the sea some distance from the shore. 
Is this not very unusual ? R. C. Lowthek. 
Pole-eats and stoats. — Thanks to Mr. Daubeny for his reference to 
pole-cats in January Nature Notes. I have had sent to me by a keeper near 
here a white jill stoat, 15* in. from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail. It 
is pure white except the end of the tail, which remains black, and some markings 
the correct colour on the head. I conclude this is the winter coat. I should 
like to know how this transformation takes place ; has the lady shed her coat, or 
did the hairs change colour ; and why some turn white while others do not? 
Rhyl. F. L. Rawlins. 
Moles. — Last month we had heavy floods in the Vale of Conway ; one day 
I saw a mole swim ashore, and judging by appearances he must have come a 
good way. F. L. Rawlins. 
The Mole.— A fortnight ago, during that short spell of severe weather, I 
was an interested spectator of the operations of a mole. The ground at the time 
was frozen very hard, yet in spite of that there was this energetic little creature 
working underneath the surface, and with spasmodic jerks slowly lifting up a 
small mountain of soft earth. IIow so small a creature could have the strength 
to force up the soil through the hard surface is more than I can explain. Is it 
possible that the warmth from its body was sufficient to keep the earth above in 
a soft condition ? I did not see the commencement of the building-up operation, 
but the little hillock had almost reached its normal size when I discovered it. 
Btickhurst Hill , John Horne. 
January 29, 1903. 
Polydactylous Cats. — I ant a reader of your interesting periodical, and 
shall be obliged by your kindly inserting the following enquiry (if suitable) : 
Is there a breed of cals which possess six toes (i.e., five toes, and a kind of 
thumb), each armed with strong claws? In the village of Halhersage (Peak 
District, Derbyshire), a woman has two large cats, half-sisters, one a tortoiseshell, 
the other light tan, with feet as described. I have never before seen such, and 
suppose they must belong to a particular breed. I am told that wild cats are 
still to be found in the woods which clothe the moors (in sheltered depressions), 
and other small wild animals nearly extinct in England. Are the above any 
relation to wild cats ? 
Halhersage, Elizabeth Hopkins. 
fanuary , 1903. 
Winter Hoards. — Many of your readers will have noticed the collections 
of skins and seeds of “ hips ” in convenient places in the hedgerows during the 
last few weeks, in crevices made by plashing, and in last season’s nests, the 
situations being all well chosen and adaptable lor a comfortable meal. Now that 1 
