New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-04-12

Rtr.sKIy GLOVES
w. have heard that their sklhs ~ osed 70 MAKE
sLcvs. have ir CURED IN many s'o'e shops D1u
~, slove, OF this descriptions ard frends 10 farn
SoD - N "a The fsne Inquiries, but without cue
TS,bs, they are Lot used for this purpose, or
~, more rrobsbe, the slove-deslers wont Own 70
- az, IA their gloves. by the wsy OF testing me
fsc, have tanned several fatskins ami me resois
nv experience 10 hist in prepared state, the skns
ave very thin ard very fragile; still hosever, they
might Be made hsto gloves Of . very delicate desohp
Bon .r. II 5T,,ent
hind Of leather 70 that Of the res. Of the gioVe ha
skns would do well for the thumb part OF inc go'e'
TAME RATS.
pr, o.n.c;.v for bsoomins tame and accustomed
N the pressrcs Of man, is not cobnned ID Ioo
for,Iepeer' rsts; my.e have hsd many tsne ones;
When earning on my az, o1S Da. tss@ 10 Wsid's
ease which formed q capital cage for Thorn. 10 the
sourse Of few weeks my colony increased 70 az
.poruous eltebt; 1 mad specimens on ALMOST o'ery
kind Of rst--the pure white sloino RAJ, VIII pins
sve, The common brown rat the true black rat, and
lie make or shiprst. bad 10 pay several snIlnss
for my black raj, but be was tine beast ny aklhg
trouble obtained some very remarkable crosses
had one litter half slbino, hall blsek-tne Waite the
color Of snow, the black the color OF coal. Ihsr
pbysiogrOuy, TOO, WISE very peculiar, ana rat IRON
his lot might resdily have been taken for new
speeiesi they we're really very pretty creatures:
byovn rat, except through the medium of nJ ono
IN whom the blood Of t1e black breed existed OF
the eross between the brown add white rat, nad
periodically took bag full TO the Geological Gardens
Tor the benefit Of the snakes. All my rata knew me
veil The moment came 10 the room they sTarmeo
round the door Of the cage, and was oohg1o 20 Keep
them back while put in their food, ss huntsman
does 10 his hounds. Al feeding time there sn-
gle rat IN the cage that could not take up ana nan1e
with IMMUNITY; they never offered 70 bite me- IL,
h0wev.r stranger teo . .Guca ,.T% oment
The snake or ship-rsts however, acknowledge, peat
me. i got two from the docks, and unwseiy tuIoeo
them in with the others. In a feS moments most
tremendous fight begar-snake-rats cerss' tne cou-
pnny I put them into another cage by themselves,
after having had the greatest dlhcuIty IN cscnpg
them; and this first, because the moment got hold
Of their tails the akin came OF in my hand ana Secooa
", they we're 20 tremendously active that having
caught them coul1 hardly hold them. When you
wish to catch ordinary rat seize ms tali ana NV
him from the ground ct this instant ne wl try 70 turn
M and bite and most bite ne Will give II you
don't keep perpetualy twisting him round and round
he then can turn upward; then having caught him
IN the night hand by the tall swing him uncer the leit
arm. The rat will Immediately ebdesvor 10 get away,
and 40 doing fI himsef on your wsistcoat bring your
ann 10 your slde and you have him prisoners then,
hyou ssh further 10 examine him. put the fore finger OF
e right hand behind his right shoulder and the thumb
in front of the lett, be s secure and can possibly
bite; dc Mt squee 70 10 much he will die fof rat s
q tender beast, and does not require much killing.
The snake-rats, however, managed to tSlst round;
tae made his teeth meet in my hand, 40 let MN 60
day or tuo aerward found the remains OF hu body
eaten by the common, or, as then called them the
Wild rats who used 10 come nightly 10 the tame rats
cage TO see what they could pick up. This, think,
was the only time was ever bitten by q rat, bat
should, nevertheless, advise novice TO be careful
vhat he in about in his first attempts
Ratcstchers will frequently tell you that TO prevent
the rats biting them they put some preparation dis
sneesb TO the rats upon their hands, but this IL not
the truth. 1t ia done by knowing the habits OF the
animal. suboin the experience Of an olo ratcatcher
on the subject
Rats may be taken out Of the cage very easily;
for II you don't hurt them they will not bite yoni for
BY standing together in the trap they are oowed ana
have not the least notion of biting unless you should
happen ~ squeeze them too hard as you catch them
one by one with your hand. There is wide differ
ence In the temper and disposition of these animals;
for some are 80 savage and untamed, that they wln
set up their packs looking very fercely and crying out
you 90 but look a. them but when you meet with one
of this Kind shake him well in the cage, together with
the rest and obseT,e when he has put his head among
the others take him out by his tail, and he Will
no; bite you; but observe, when you have hrst
catched them do not 20 handle them directly, for
then they are mad and furious that they VIII bite
anything"
Ihaye frequently had rats brought 10 me in iron
eager. On arrival they have shown themselves e1'
oeedipgy fierce, biting at everything and utterlng
their peculiar CRY Of alarm when went near them
In the course of few hours they become pretty tame
even eating bread and milk out Of spoon introduced
between a
tos of me whatsoever except TO beg for food with their
noses through the bars when go near and here, be
it observed, q rat invariably washes himself all over
after eating, matter what. The operation Is per-
formed lust as cat does it, viz, by licking the paws
They are naturally exceedingly clean animals; never
yet Jaw parasite of any kind on one. When rat
eats he, by means Of his sharp front teeth, gnaws
away mouthful, which he deposits in sort OF pouch
formed between his grinding teeth and his cheeks;
then he ces,es knawing and mssticstes his food, by
moving his Jaws incessantly and without pausing.
They move times faster than the jaws OF RABBIT
When a rat drinks, he laps up the tmd IKE d1g,
and does not suck il up like sheep. rat generally
tastes his food With hs tongue previous TO eating IT,
IL ia curious 20 see rat asleep. never saw II but
once and that in a case where the animal was III. IL
In a. difficult to catch rat asleep as 1t weasel
The rsl coils himself tito ball and places his nose
down between bis hind legs: his tail is curled up
round the outside Of his body: he then looks ike q
mas OF hair. No part of bis body projects but his
two delicate ears which are beautifully adapted ior
catching the least sound and which seem to be placed
there centres; and pretty sharp senries they are
IL ia certainly not the case, a. has been stated Else
whore, that the garbage on which rats i've posons
their teeth and renders the wounds they make dead
w." A rat, though living in and among garbage, is
always Gle in its person, and his teeth are sTays
beautifully clean. The yelowlooklDg substance on
the ont part OF the tooth is m natural color, and not
the result Of the accumulation of tartar
The transition from rats TO snakes is not unnat
ural, and We will wind up our specimens of natural
hstOry with the following;
About four years sgo myself, in person, had pain
ful experience Of the awful effects OF snakes poison
have received dose Of the oobrss poison into my
system, luckily minute dose, l should not have
survived il. The accident happened in very curious
way. was poisoned by the snake, bot not bitten by
him. got the poison secondhand. Anxious 10 wit
meas the effects the poison OF the cobra upon rat
took up Q couple in bag alive 70 certain cobra.
took rat out of the bag, and put him into the
cage with the snake. The cobra was cooled up among
the stones in the center Of the cage apparently asleep