M U S. 
23 (5 
adonifining number of 1,274,840 may be produced from a 
fingle pair of rabbits in the lhort fpace of four years, as 
.tbefe animals, even in their wild date, breed feven times 
in a year, and generally produce eight young ones each 
time. They are capable of procreation at the age of five 
or fix months, and the doe carries her burthen no longer 
than thirty days. But the principle of increafe is much 
more powerful, aftive, and efteftive, in the common grey 
rat, than in any other animal of equal fize. This de- 
■druftive quadruped is continually under the furor of 
animal love. The female carries her young for one 
anCnth only, and fire feldom or never produces a lefs 
number than twelve, but lometimes as many as eighteen, 
at a litter: the medium number may be taken for an 
average; and the period of gedation, though of fuch 
fliort continuance, is confined to no particular feafon of 
the year. The embraces of the male are admitted im¬ 
mediately after the birth of the vindiftive progeny; and 
it is a fa ft which I have afcertained beyond any doubt, 
that the female fuckles her young ones almoll to the very 
moment when another litter is dropping into the world 
as their fucceffors. A celebrated Yorkflrire rat-catcher 
whom I have occafionaily employed, one day killed a 
large female rat that was in the aft of f’uckling twelve 
young ones, which had attained a very coniiderable 
growth ; neverthelefs, upon opening her fwollen body, 
he found thirteen quick young, that were within a few 
days of their birth. Suppoiing, therefore, that the rat 
produces ten litters in the couri'e of a year, and that no 
check on their increafe fhould operate deftruftively for 
-the fpace of four years, a number not far fhort of three 
millions might be produced from a fingle pair in that 
time ! 
“ Now the confequence of fuch an aftive and produc¬ 
tive principle of increafe, if fuffered continually to operate 
without check, w'ould foon be fatally obvious. We have 
heard of fertile plains being devadated, and large towns 
undermined, in Spain, by rabbits ; and even that a mili¬ 
tary force from Rome was once requeued of the great 
Augudus to fupprefs the adonifliing numbers of the lame 
animals which overran the illands of Majorca and Minorca; 
this circumltance is recorded by Pliny. If, therefore, rats 
were fuffered to multiply without the redraint of the mod 
powerful and pofitive natural checks, not only would 
fertile plains and rich cities be undermined and dellroyed, 
but the whole furface of the earth in a very few years 
would be rendered a barren and hideous walfe, covered 
with myriads of famifhed grey rats, againft which man 
himfelf would contend in vain. But the fame Almighty 
Being who perceived a necefiity for their exiftence, has 
alfo redrifted their numbers within proper bounds, by 
creating to them many very powerful enemies, and dill 
more effcftually by edablilhing a propensity in themfelves, 
the gratification of which has continually the effect of 
leffening their numbers, even more than any of their 
-foreign enemies. The male rat has an infatiable third 
for the blood of his own offspring : the female, being- 
aware of this pafTion, hides her young in fuch fecret 
places as file luppofes likely to efcape notice or difcovery, 
till her progeny are old enough to venture forth and 
itand upon their own energies; but, notwithdanding this 
precaution, the male rat frequently difcovers them, and 
.deltroys as many as he can, nor is the defence of the mother 
any very elfeftual protedtion, fince die herfelf fometimes 
falls a viftim to her temerity and her maternal tendernefs. 
It is well known that rabbits have the fame trait in their 
character, though perhaps not in an equal degree of force. 
Betides this propendty to the dedruftion of their own 
offspring, when other food fails them, rats hunt down 
and prey upon each other with the mod ferocious and 
defperate avidity, infomuch, that it not unfrequently 
happens, in a colony of thefe dedrubtive animals, that a 
fingle male ot more than ordinary powers, after having 
overcome and devoured all competitors with the excep¬ 
tion of a few females, reigns the foie bloody and much- 
dreaded tyrant over a confiderable territory, dwelling by 
hhnfelf in fome folitary hole, and never appearing abroad 
without fpreading terror and dilinay even amongft the 
females whole embraces he feeks. I11 this relentlels and 
bloody charafter may be found one of the mod powerful 
and pofitive of the checks which operate to the repredioti 
ot this fpecies within proper bounds; a charafter which 
attaches, in greater or lefs degree, to the whole mus genus, 
and in which we may readily perceive the caufe of the 
extirpation ot the old black rats of England, Mus rattus; 
tor, the large grey rats, having fuperior bodily power* 
united to the lame carnivorous propenlities, would eafily 
conquer and dedroy their black opponents wherever they 
could be found, and whenever they met to dilpute the 
title of poflefiiqn or of fovereignty.” 
When the young rats begin to ilfue from their holes, 
the mother watches, defends, and even fights with the cats, 
in order to fave them. A large rat is more mifchievous 
than a young cat, and nearly as drong: the rat ufes her 
fore teeth, and the cat makes mod ufe of her claws ; fb 
that the latter requires both to be vigorous, and accuf- 
tomed to fight, in order to dedroy her adverfary. The 
weafel, though fmaller, is a much more dangerous and 
formidable enemy to the rat, becaule he can follow it into 
its retreat. Their drength being nearly equal, the com¬ 
bat often continues for a long time; but the method of 
tiling their arms is very different. The rat wounds only 
by reiterated drokes with his fore-teeth, which are better 
formed for gnawing than biting; and, being fituated at the 
extremity ot the lever or jaw, they have not much force. 
But the weafel bites cruelly with the whole jaw ; and, in¬ 
dead of letting go its hold, lucks the blood from the 
wounded part, fo that the rat is always killed. 
One very formidable enemy of this tribe remains to be 
mentioned; and that is, the rat-catcher, or rat-dejlroyer. 
As thefe animals, like the dog and cat, are of a lalcivious 
nature, and as fome fubdances have a drong fcent, refein- 
bling, perhaps, that of" their venereal orgafin, they are 
liable to be attrafted by fuch finells, as dogs are, on the 
fame account perhaps, inclined to roll themfelves in pu¬ 
trid carrion, and male cats to eat valerian and cat-mint. 
It is of this principle that rat-catchers avail themfelves, 
and, by indulging the propenfity, deceive them to their 
dedruftion, by blending with their favourite food dif¬ 
ferent drongly-fcented lubdances, fuch as the edential oil 
of rhodium, or mufk, with the poifonous powders of nux 
vomica, or of ftaves-acre, or perhaps of arfenic. 
The fifd dep taken by rat-catchers, in order to clear a 
houfe, See. of thofe vermin, is to allure them ali together 
to one proper place, before they attempt to dedroy them ; 
for there is fuch an indinftive caution in thefe animals, 
accompanied with a furpridng fagacity in dilcovering any 
caufe of danger, that, if any of them be hurt, or piirfued, 
in an unufual manner, the red take the alarm, and become 
fo fliy and wary, that they elude all the devices and dra- 
tagems of their purfuers for fome time after. The place 
where the rats are to be adembled, diould be fome clolet, 
or fmall room, into which all the openings, but one or 
two, may be fecured ; and this place fhould be, as near as 
may be, in the middle of the.houfe, or buildings. It i$ 
the praftice, therefore, to attempt to bring them all toge¬ 
ther in fome fuch place before any attempt be made to 
take them; and even then to avoid any violence, hurt, or 
fright, to them, before the whole be in the power of the 
operator. In refpeft to the means ule.d to allure them to 
one place, they are various. One of thofe mod ealily and 
efficacioully pra6tiled is the trailing fome piece of their 
mod favourite food, which ihouid be of the kind that has 
the dronged fcent, fuch as toaded cheefe, or broiled red- 
herring, from the holes or entrances to their accedes in 
every part of the houfe, or contiguous buildings, whence 
it.is intended to allure them. At the extremities, and in 
diderent parts of the courfe of this trailed traft, linall 
quantities of meal, or any other kind of their food, fhould 
be laid, to bring the greater number into the tracks-, and 
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