quadrupeds. 
47 
the former. The Norway rat has alfo greatly 
Clafs I. ] 
young at a time : the fpecies increafe fo faft, 
as to over-ftock their abode ; which often 
forces them, thro’ deficiency of food, to devour 
one another: this unnatural difpofition happily 
prevents even the human race from becoming 
a prey to them; not but that there are in- 
ftances of their gnawing the extremities of ' 
infants, in their fleep. 
The greateft enemy the rats have, is the 
weefel; which makes infinitely more havoke 
among them than the cat; for the weefel is 
not only endowed with fuperior agility ; but, 
from the form of its body, can purfue them 
thro’ all their retreats that are impervious to 
leftened their numbers, and in many places 
almoft extirpated them : this will apologize 
for a brief defcription of an animal once fo 
well known. Its length from the nofe to the 
origin of the tail, is feven inches : the tail is 
near eight inches long : the nofe is fharp 
pointed, and furnifhed with long whifkers: the 
coior 01 the head and whole upper part of the 
body, is a deep iron grey, bordering on black; 
the belly is of dirty cinereous hue ; the legs 
are of dufky color, and almoft naked : the 
fore-feet want the thumb or interior toe, hav¬ 
ing only in its place a claw : the hind-feet 
are furnifhed with five toes. 
Mus fyIveftris,Rat de bois. Briffon 
quad. 170. 
Surmulot. Buffbn Tom. 8. 206. 
Tab. 27. 
Mus norvegicus. Klein quad. 56. 
H I S is a very large fpecies; thicker, 
and of a ftronger make than the 
common rat: the length from the 
end of the nofe to the beginning of the tail, 
is nine inches ; the length of the tail the 
fame ; the ufual weight eleven ounces : the 
ears refemble thofe of the rat: the eyes large 
and black : the color of the head and whole 
upper part of the body is a light brown, mixed 
with tawny and afh color: the end of the 
nofe, the throat and belly, are of a dirty 
white, inclining to grey : the feet and legs 
almoft bare; and of a dirty, pale, f eft-color: 
the beginning of the tail is of the fame color 
as the back 5 the reft of the tail is covered 
with minute dufky fcales, mixed with a few 
hairs. 
Mus ex norvegia. Seb. Mus. Tom. 
2. 64. Tab. 63. 
Forreft or Wood Rat- Pontop. 
Hift- Norway . Part 2-28. 
This is the fpecies well known in this king¬ 
dom under the name of the Norway rat ; be¬ 
ing fuppofed to have been imported from that 
country, about forty years ago. It has quite 
extirpated the common rat, wherever it ha's 
taken its refidence ; and it is to be feared that 
we fhall fcarce find any benefit by the change; 
the Norway rat having the fame difpofition, 
with greater abilities of doing mifchief, than 
the common kind. This fpecies burroughs, 
like the water rat, in the banks of rivers, ponds 
and ditches ; it takes the water very readily; 
and fwims, and dives with great celerity : like 
the black fpecies it preys on rabbets, poultry, 
and all kind of game ; and on grain and 
fruits. It increafes moft amazingly faft, pro¬ 
ducing from fourteen to eighteen young at a 
time. 
