Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-04-06
The Rat Tribe.

The last number Of the London Quarterly Re-
view contained an interesting article on the hab-
It's, &c, Of rats, in which the instances given of
their fecundty, ferocity and ingenuity are almost
incredible.
single pair of rats, in three years, il undis-
tureed, Will have thirteen ltters of eight each at
birth, and the young will begin littering in the
same ratio when six months old, at the end of
three years single pair will have multiplied to
oSS,SOS Calculating that ten rats eat as much in
one day as man the consumption Of these rats
would be equal to that of 81 COS men, 1t is clear
then, that If il were not for the extraordinary
dlminutiOn in their numbers caused by the cease
less warfare carried on against them by dogs cats,
polecats, otters, snakes, and beyond all human
rat catchers, the whiskered vermin would speedi-
ly cause famine in every part of the world in
which they are found.
Rats are great travellers. The ship rat infests
vessels OF all classes as many as 500 have been
found in single East Indiaman. The greatest
difficulty when on shipboard is that Of procuring
water; and they have been known to ascend the
rigging by night after storm, and sip the rain
fOnnd in the folds of the sails. When on shore,
ship rats are exceedingly fond Of prime fruit and
by bnrrowing under the walls of gardens will
nelp themselves to taste of the choicest melons,
strawberries, grapes, &c, that they can find.
Rats exist in millions IN sewers and drains par
tcularly where there is not good supply of flush
water. BY burrowing in every direction they do
immense harm to the briekwork of the sewers
and frequently spoil pipe drains by causing them
TO dip at the joints, under which they have exca-
waited the earth. In London and Paris numbers
OF professional ratcatchers find lucrative employ
ment in hunting them in the sewers. When
caught they are disposed of either for sporting
purposes, for which they command ready sale
in London at IS cents per dozen, they are killed
for the sake of their fur which is extensively
used in getting up the unrivaled "beaver hats
sold by Partisan hatters. The hide, also, is use
ful for making the thumbs Of the best $50 called)
kid gloves.
Rats also commit great depredations in slaugh
ter-houses and knackers' wards In severe frosts
when it is impossible to cut up the bodies of the
andx yhof1tl ;loA AL -
the rats to feed upon, they enter the body and de-
vour the flesh from the inside, that when the
tnaw comes the workmen find nothing below the
skin but skeleton better cleared of its flesh than
If it had been done by the most sklful operator.
when rats have no other food they will destroy
each other NJ. Majendie placed dozen rats in a
oox IN order to try some experiments; when he
reached home and opened the box, there were but
three remaining These had devoured the rest,
and had left only the bones and tails.
These little animals are iRdefatgable in the
pursuit OF food, and hardly any amount of pre-
caution can keep them from place where they
know there is supply to be had. The proprie-
tors OF bonded warehouses know this to their
cost They infest the London Geological Gardens
in immense numbers, and have even eaten their
@aythrough the copper wire floor of the tigers'de
The proprietoTs of the gardens have been COM
PEELED In self defence to keep pack Of terriers to
hunt them, by whom as many as a hundred are
destroyed in one night
The propensity of the rat to gnaw through even
the hardest obstacles Is not merely a craving, but
tlnually grow toward each other, SO that nothing
but the constant wearing away by friction could
prevent his inscisors from passing completely
through his lips. good sized sewer rat can
lnnlct very severe bites, even in some instances
enabling him to yanqush a terrier dog, or even a
ferret. e
There have been instances in which rats have
become thoroughly dOmestcated, like a cat or
dog and when this is the they render good
service by driving from the premises all others Of
their own tribe. One mode of Kidding a house
OF them is to catch single specimen. and fasten
a small bell round his neck, the tnkling of which
as he approaches the haunts of his comrades, will
brighten them away. An expert rat catcher how
ever, familiar with the habits of his prev will
soon clear house Of its obnoxious visitants
In China, where the excess of population has
driven the Inhabitants to econOmise every species
OF food, rats are eaten and esteemed great luxu-
ry; and cases are recorded in which ships crews
when short of provisions, have avenged them
selves on the rats for lessening the supplies by
cooking and eating them in the form Of ba ked
pies, which II is said have been deemed quite
dainty by the partakers.
One OF the most common modes Of Kidding
premises Of these unwelcome inmates, Is that Of
administering arsenic to them. This however
Is attended by very great danger, for rats which
have Partaken Of arsenic make at once for the
nearest water, and if there be a cistern in the
house, they are apt to poison it.