GREAT RAT. 
41 
holes,, which it forms pretty near the edge of the 
water, it chiefly resides during the summer, where 
it lives upon small animals, fish, and corn. At 
the approach of winter, it comes nearer the farm 
houses ; burrows in their corn, eats much, and 
damages still more than it consumes. But nothing 
that can he eaten, escapes its voracity. It destroys 
rabbits, poultry, and all kinds of game ; and, 
like the polecat, kills much more than it can carry 
away. It swims with great ease, dives with great 
celerity, and easily thins the fish pond. In short, 
scarce any of the feebler animals escape its rapacity, 
except the mouse, w hich shelters itself in its little 
hole, where the Norway rat is too big to follow. 
These animals frequently produce from fifteen 
to thirty at a time ; and usually bring forth three 
times a year. This great increase would quickly 
be found to over-run the whole country, and render 
our assiduity to destroy them fruitless, were it not, 
happily for us, that they eat and destroy each 
other. The same insatiable appetite that impels 
them to indiscriminate carnage, also incites the 
strongest to devour the weakest, even of their own 
kind. The large male rat generally keeps in a hole 
by itself, and is dreaded by its own species, as the 
most formidable enemy. In this manner the num- 
ber of these vermin is kept within due bounds ; and 
when their increase becomes injurious to us, it is 
repressed by their own rapacity. 
But beside their own enmities among each other, 
all the stronger carnivorous quadrupeds have natu- 
ral antipathies against them. The dog, though he 
detests their flesh, yet openly declares his alacrity 
to pursue them ; and attacks them with great 
animosity. Such as are trained up to killing these 
vermin, dispatch them often with a single squeeze ; 
but those dogs that show any hesitation, are sure 
to come off* but indifferently ; for the rat always 
YOL. II. G 
