The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1870-02-17
STORIES ABOUT RATS.

lNOAAASS-AAAS'
little reason, as it is but colonist there
This lat has now become a veritable plague
to Great Britten, where it has devoured all
other kinds.
1t is well known how cleverly rats can
swim. They cross rivers to procure food
from houses and gardens, and generally
make the passage at break of day, for fear Of
being detected. The following incident
proves the cunning of this animal, A num-
Der of rats had taken up their abode near
dog kennel, in which was lodged q great
many pointers. The food of the latter was
put into narrow troughs, and the rats were
accustomed to come and partake of the din
ner with the dogs, which, trained for higher
game, despised these little mean gnawers.
The latter seeing no danger, came in such
numbers that they devoured the daily food of
| the dogs, and the master of the kennel re-
solved to destroy these marauders. With
this intention he made a hole in the wall, al
the end of each trough, and placed in the
| openings the muzzle of loaded gun, so as
to destroy the rats at one blow AT the usual
feeding hour he stationed q servant at each
gun ready to fire. Having securely locked
up the dogs. he gave the signal for putting
the food into the troughs, and retired to the
kennel, intending ~ wait until the rats were
so much occupied in the trough that they
|
He waited patiently for a long time, but not
a single rat appeared. Having allowed the
food to remain about an hour without seeing
any rats, he released the dogs, who immedi-
ately rushed at their dinner. They had
scarcely commenced their repast when the
rats showed themselves, and, as if they knew
they were being guarded by the dogs, kept
their accustomed place in the trough. They
had never before dined with so good an ap
petite. The intelligence Of the rat is such,
thatif it has once escaped from trap, it is sell
dom caught again. Many other examples
might be given to prove the extent of their
sagacity. Dr. Franklin tells US, that when
rats gain admittance into a vessel all goes
well so long as the cargo is on board and
they can procure water, which is most nee
essaly to them; but if it be too well guarded
for them to obtain it easily, they have recourse
to very extraordinary devices in order to pro-
cure some. During rainy night they come
on deck to drink; then they climb the rig
ging to collect the water which they find i'll
the folds of the sails. If they are reduced to
great extremity they attack the spirit casks,
and drink so much they are unable to regain
their holes. Land rats gnaw even the metal
| pipes which, in public houses, conduct the
alcoholic liquors from the cask to the counter
All the race have very finely organized cars.
to catch the sound of flowing liquids No
doubt, the difficulty they find in procuring
water has in several cases, induced them to
leave the vessel rs soon rs it touches the
land.
Examples of the sagacity of rats are too
numerous to mention, The ingenious dcvic-
es by which they secure coveted food have
every mark of reasoning. They have often
found eggs stored up by careful housewives
in dry loft at the top Of the house. and have
DntI Il
the whole flights of stairs to their holes in q
deep cellar. This feat has been watched by
angry householders anxious to counteract the
stratagems of the willy plunderers. Accord
ing to the statements of these observers, the
rats appear to have skilfully combined to aid
| each other in lowering the eggs, one by one,
down every separate stair. Their mouths
and fore paws were the principal means em-
ployed in the operation. Two rats have
even been watched as they conveying an
egg up stairs-in which bit of engineering
one rat pushed or raised up the egg and the
other received it. On another occasion the
rats formed line, passing the egg along
from one to the other. = When number OF
men form a line to hand buckets of water
rapidly along, we call the act q rational pro-
| ceedlng: why should not a like combination
be deemed u sign of intelligence in these an
imals?
Rats have also been detected in the act of
extracting salad oil from the long narrow
neck of Florence TASKS, One OF the ami
mails wrenched out the cork; then the same
or companion, dipped his long tail into
the task; the others instantly licked the
delicious Oil off the soaked tail, and by re-
peated dippings of this kind the flask was
soon almost empted. Mr.. Buckand men
tions Il case in which the rats combined to
rob an old lady of her wine. The cask
was placed in cellar and before many
nights had passed the most extraordinary
and even unearthly sounds We're heard in
the lower parts of the house. What could
be the matter? Ghosts were suggested, as
the simplest solution OF the difficulty but
ghosts never intruded before and the lady
had done nothing to attract such visitors
She was, however, determined to resist
such an invasion OF her domestic peace,
and called in not spiritual but earthly forces
in the shape Of her laborers, servants, and
fierce dog. The rustic troops being armed
with hay-forkS, the house maid carving Il
T large hand-bcll and the bold mistress herself
having two huge loaded pistols on Il table
before her, the whole party awaited the at
tack of the supernatural host. Strange as il
may appear, no spirits came, though such be
ings are supposed to hold calnal weapons in
supreme contempt. However, if the unwel-
come vistants did really return, they conduct
ed themselves in a quiet and respectable
manner, the horrid sounds being heard no
more. The day at length arrived when some
of the wine was wanted for Il testal gather
ing The cask was wanted, and q moments
glance showed 4 burglary Of the most sham
full kind. The bung had been gnawed through
and then, when the wine had sunk down to
that level, the wood below was bored through
There was no mistaking the teeth-marks; no
human tool would have left such peculiar
cuttings on the perforated slaves. Not II
quart of the Wine remained and it was evil
dent that the rats had actually got into the
cask, and slipped the liquid to almost the last
drop. The outcries had doubtless been
caused by the swarms engaged in piercing
the cask; afterwards their enjoyment of such
q rare treat kept the felonious epicureans
quiet enough. Much wine was wasted by
running out of the holes; but this was prob
ably licked up from the cellar floor by the
eager topers. The cask itself was immedi-
ately raised to the highest honors, being Sc
cured by Mr.. Buckland and placed in his mll-
scum as a memorial not only of ratingenuity
in combining for common end, but of the
wine-bibbing tasts of the animals.
Rats will also combine to attack their foes