newspaper clipping 
FURNISHED BY THE 
American Press Information Bureau. 
WORLD EUIL DING, NEW YO RK^ 
* me$ ^ 
WASHINGTON. D. C. 
-j or; 
tfl&V. 
RATS OF ALL NATIONS 
IL 
Interesting Collection Sent By an 
Armj' Surgeon. 
Surgeon Edgar E. A. Mearns, U. S. A., 
recently sent to the division of mam¬ 
malia of the Ma iintwi i , n large] 
collection of field mice, skunks, squir, 
rels, opossums, racoons, mink, and dee 
which he collected while in Florida. T: 
[Collection is now being arranged a 
[classified in the division. Its. most i 
teresting object is a field mouse, whl 
appears to be found only in Polk cou 
ty, Fla., where Dr. Mearns was gat 
ering specimens. 
The collection of rodents in the N 
tional Museum, to which Dr. Mear 
field mice will be added, especially t. 
rats, of which there are enough to sea. 
all the ladies in Washington, is rapidj 
growing. Among the rats are several 
the woods variety, which live entir. 
among the trees, and feed on what tb 
find above or below ground. Peo, 
strolling through the woods occasional 
see a rat, and think it is one of the o| 
dinary ceiling walkers which infest 
many happy homes, but unless it is se. 
near a dwelling or a stable, it is pro 
ably a woods rat, leading a wild, car 
less life, which is not disturbed 1, 
Thomas cats, rat poison, or cheesi] 
baited traps. It is a knight of tr 
and shrub, living on eggs, birds, at, 
small animals, or whatever else m3 
come its way. 
But there are , still other woods rati 
which climb trees and live altogeth 
on decent food, spurning the tempt 
tions offered by a dead'bjs or bii-d. Th, 
Ate found in the Maliy Archipeiug,, 
? X Sumatra Bast India 
