Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1857-05-02
WARlGT Try,
The Rat Tribe.

The Rat Tribe 2"
The last number Of the London Quarter
y heoiew contained an interesting article on
the habits, 60, Of rats, in which the instun,
ces given of their .fecundity. ferocity and
ingenuity, are almost incredible.
Asingle pair Of rats in three years, if un
disturbed, will have thirteen litters of eight
each at birth, and The Young will begin
htteringsin the same ratio when six mouths
old, so at the end Of the three years a single
pair will have multiplied TO CSC, sos. Cal,
culating that ten rats eat as much in one
day as mar, the consumption of these rats
would be equal to that Of 64, COS men. 1t
Is clear, then, thati it were not for the ex-
traordinary dimunition in their numbers
caused by the ceaseless warfare carried on
against them by dogs, cats, polecats, offers,
snakes, and beyond al, human rat catchers
the whiNkered yermin would spcedilycause
famine in every part of the world in which
they are found
Rats are great travellers. Tie ship rat
infests vessels of all casses; as MANY as 500
have been found in a single East Indiaman
Their 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 found in the
folds of the sails When on shore. shin rats
are exceedingly fond of prime fruit; and
by burowing under the walls Of gardens
will help themselves to a taste of the choic-
est melons. Strawberries, grapes, &C., that
thevlcan find.
Rats existin millions in sewers and drains
particularly where there is not gond sup
ply OF flush w"'cr. Burrowing in every
direction they do immense harm to the
brick work Of the sewers. and frequently
spoil pipe drains by causing them to dip al
the joints, under which they have excava-
ted the earth. In London and Paris mum.
bers of professional rat cstchers find lucra-
tive employment in bunting them in the
sewers. When caught they are disposed
OF either for sporting purposes, for which
they command ready sale in London at
75 cents per dozen; or they are killed for
the sake of then. fur, whchis extensively
used in getting up the unrivalIed "beaver
hats" sold by Partisan haiters The hide,
also. is useful for making the thumbs Of the
best $50 cnlled) kid gloves.
Rats also commit great sdtpredations in
slaughter houses and Knacker's Yards. In
severe frosts. when il is impossitleio cut up
the bodies of the horses. and whenlhe out.
side flesh is too hard for the rats to feed up.
on. they enter The body and devour the flesh
from the inside, so that when the thaw
comes the workmen find no;hing below the
skin but skeleton, better cleared Of It's flesh
than il 1T had been done by the most skill,
fnl operator. When rats have no other
food they will destroy each other. M. Ma
jendie paced dozen rats in box in order
to cry some experiments when he reached
three remaining. These had devoured the
rest and had left only the bones and tails,
These little animals are indefatgable in
the pursuit of food, and hardly any amount
of precaution can keep them from place
where they know there is'a supply 10 be
bad. Tho proprietots of the bonded ware
houses know this to their cost They in
fest the London Geological Gardens, in i'm
mense numbers, and have eaten their way
through the copper wire floor Of the tigers
den. The proprietors of, the gardens have
been compelled, in self defence. TO keep a
pack Of terriers to hunt them, by whom as
many as hundred are Bometines DESTROYED
in one night.
The propensity Of The ratio gnaw through
even the hardest obstacles is not merely &
craving. but necessity. His teeth are SC
formed rs to continually grow toward each
cther,s so that nothing butthe constant wear
ing away by friction could prevent his incis
iors from passing completely through hI
lips. A good sized sewer rat can in6ic
very severe bites, even 10 some instances en-
abling him TO yauguish a terrier dog, o.
even ferret.
There have been Instances in which rat,
have become tboreaghly domesticated. lik,
cat or dog and when this is theca the,
render good service by driving from tn
premises nll others Of their own Irbo. On
mode d, riddles q house Of them is to catcl