44 
BLACK RAT. 
which the dog, cat, and rat, lay before the hre," 
while the raven hopped about the room. The 
landlord, after accounting for the familiarity which 
existed among these animals, informed his guest 
that the rat was the most useful of the four ; for 
the noise he made had completely freed the house 
from the rats and mice with which it was before 
infested. 
Pontoppidan says, that a short time previous to 
a fire, all the rats and mice that are in a house will 
intinctively forsake it. 
Some of the Japanese tame these rats, and teach 
them to perform many entertaining tricks ; and, 
thus instructed, they are exhibited as a show, for the 
diversion of the populace. 
Black rat. 
This species is of a deep iron grey colour, near- 
ly black. Its belly is cinereous ; its legs dusky, 
almost naked. It has a claw in the place of a fifth 
toe on the fore feet. Its body measures seven 
inches ; its tail near eight. It inhabits most parts 
of Europe. They are very destructive to corn, 
furniture, young poultry, rabbits, and pigeons. 
They will even gnaw the extremities of infants 
when asleep. They breed often in a year, and 
bring six or seven young at a time. They make 
their nest in a hole, often near a chimney, with 
wool, bits of cloth, or with straw. They will de- 
stroy and devour one another ; but their greatest ene- 
my is the weasel. They were carried into South 
America about the year 1544, by the Europeans, 
and are now become the pest of all that continent. 
The word rattus, or rat is modern. None of them 
•are found in Siberia. They swarm at Otaheite, 
and others of the Society Islands, and are met with 
in New Zealand and New Holland* In Otaheite 
