New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-06-08

have found their WY thither. As soon as the rats
see the lights approaching, awsy they run along the
sides Of the sewer just above the water line, and their
pursuers after them As az the ra gees that must
be overtaken it begins to Squea and hardly has time
to utter is cry before it is caught behind the ears and
thrown into the sack Sometimes dozen in a mauy
minutes are taken. When driven into sewer where
ell outlet ia cut Off they occasionally turn upon then
enemies and attack their boots with great cespe-
ration.
Works in which the natural history OF the rat Is
given supply many anecdotes which show the great
segscity and benevoeBoe, 10 his species of this
animal For instance, a large train Of rats moving
through field was noticed, in the midst Of which
blind rat was seen with stick in his mouth by which
two Others led him. Their method Of getting olive oil
from flask is an old story-one thrusting his tail down
and offering the tongnes Of his companions and after
ward being fed in turn in the farmer
in MASSAGE It's rat in bis barn nclose an egg
with bis limbs, and thus form dray by which others
conveyed the egg TO their hole. The writer in The
Quarterly Reriew rat overturn a basket of figs
upon table, and Immediately a number Of his COM
panions sprang to the fallen mound Rats gnaw ivory,
but only those parts of tusk which contain much ami
nal oil. In this way tooth-marks become indications
Of the best portion of the ivory for billiard balls, and
other things requiring great elasticity.
Among the English favorite sports Of the ring that
Of betting upon the number Of rats which dogs could
Kill in given time was long favorite. This sport
has been recently suppressed. The dogs did not al
ways escape bad wounds from their small game. The
rat being accustomedt to feed upon all sorts Of garbage
poisons it, teeth and wounds inflicted by them are in
Il ign degree dangerous. The rats most dangerous
enemy is the ferret. jesse unable TO account for the
destruction Of rats by SO slOw-mOving an animal in
comparison shut up n rat and ferret in small room
with one window. The rat examined his quarters
with sklfU eye, ard chose his station beneath the
window, SO a. to throw the into his opponents
eyes This gave him an opportunity to watch clearly
the advance of the enemy, whose eyes were blinded
by the light. Every time the ferret near the rat
leaped forward and seized him by the neck, finally
coming off victor in the contest.
The smell Of dead rat il Of the most
and most difficult to eradicate to which dwellings
are often subjected
Il rat carcass,fn a room adjoining The TRIBUNE
Office, for some time sent forth an almost unbear-
able euvio and for weeks after the cause Of oense
was discovered and removed in spite of chloride of
lne the scent was in the highest degree disgusting
and sickenng.
In one Of the large private hotels of Paris the scent
able as finally to lead to the removal Of the sewers aud
waercloses to another part Of the edifce, at very
great expense. Still the trouble was not removed,
and finally the cause was found to be the of
single rat who had been strangled by the be-wire.
In an article in Bentleys Miscellany, the adaptation
by nature Of the rats teeth to his mode of life is par
culary mentioned. 1t appears that the cutting teeth
are Of twofold substance, the outside being much
harder than the inner. The result is that the inside
wears away and leaves the tooth at all times sharp
The teeth grow rapidly but when one Lost no other
appears. Consequently, not being worn off by use
the opposite tooth grows out TO great length, some
times penetrating upward to the brain, or becoming
bent growing round into circle. Sir John Banks
placed rat skull in q London Museum in which is
tooth forming one entire circle and part Of another SO
large that mans thumb can enter as into a ring.
Among the German peasantry many supersti-
tions in relation to what they call the Rat King"
During our residence in Germany one of these kings
was found. We have seen specimen in Museum at
Berlin. Ii consists Of several rats-we think seven IS
the nun ber-whose tails getting into snarl while
still in the nest the result chat they grew together
and their owners, thus joined unable to leave their
quarters, depended after, Ike 50 many kings,
prncos and Democratic oliicehodes, upon the labor
lng classes for support.
The common rat which runs about over wharves
have all come originally from Europe aud the black
rat has only within a comparatively recent period
made its way from the seaboard to the cities andowns
of the country