26 
BROWN OR NORWAY RAT. 
places along the East river below high water mark. He repaired to a 
wharf on his farm with one of his men at low water : in a few moments a 
rat was seen issuing from the lower part of the wharf, peeping cautiously 
around before he ventured from his hiding place. Presently one of the 
small clams buried in the soft mud and sand which they inhabit, threw 
up a thin jet of water about a foot above the surface of the ground, upon 
seeing which, the rat leaped quickly to the spot, and digging with its fore- 
paws, in a few moments was seen bringing the clam towards his retreat, 
where he immediately devoured it. 
When any of,these clams lie too deep to be dug up by the rats, they con- 
tinue on the watch and dig after the next which may make known its 
whereabouts by the customary jet of water. These clams are about | of 
an inch long and not more than of an inch wide ; their shells are slight, 
and they are sometimes used as bait by fishermen. 
The Brown or Norway Rat was first introduced in the neighbourhood of 
Henderson, Kentucky, our old and happy residence for several years, with- 
in our recollection. 
One day a barge arrived from New-Orleans (we think in 1811 ) loaded 
with sugar and other goods ; some of the cargo belonged to us. During 
the landing of the packages we saw several of these rats make their escape 
from the vessel to the shore, and run off in different directions. In a year 
from this time they had become quite a nuisance ; whether they had been re- 
inforced by other importations, or had multiplied to an incredible extent, we 
know not. Shortly after this period we had our smokehouse floor taken up 
on account of their having burrowed under it in nearly every direction. 
We killed at that time a great many of them with the aid of our dogs, but 
they continued to annoy us, and the readers of our Ornithological Biography 
are aware, that ere we left Henderson some rats destroyed many of our 
valued drawings. 
This species migrates either in troops or singly, and for this purpose 
takes passage in any conveyance that may offer, or it plods along on foot. 
It swims and dives well, as we have already remarked, so that rivers or 
water-courses do not obstruct its progress. We once knew a female to 
secrete herself in a wagon, loaded with bale rope, sent from Lexington, 
(Ky.) to Louisville, and on the wagon reaching its destination, when the 
coils of rope were turned out, it was discovered that the animal had a lit- 
ter of several young ones : she darted into the warehouse through the iron 
bars which were placed like a grating in front of the cellar windows. Some 
of the young escaped also, but several of them were killed by the wagoner. 
How this rat was fed during the journey we do not know, but as the wagons 
