American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-02-06
ALL ABOUT RATS.


The two principal kinds known are
the black and brown, the latter being the
more powerful of the two. The brown
has waged relentless war against the
black, until the latter has almost disap-
peared from some localities.
The brown rat is a famous trencher-
man. Nothing comes amiss to him.
Corn, the offal of slaughter houses,
cheese, soap, candles, bacon, eggs, jam,
pastry, butter, oil, boots ami shoes, lever
cts and other small game all serve him
when hungry But, sad to relate, he is
also a cannibal; he eats his own species.
When two rats fight, the one killed and
the other sadly mutilated, the spectator
rats set to and eat them both A lame
or decrepit companion shares the same
fate. Mrs. Rat is obliged to conceal her
little ones for time, lest papa or his
friends should make a meal of them.
On one occasion in France twelve rats
were shut up in box; the result was
nearly as marvellous the fate of the
celebrated Kilkenny cats; for when the
box was opened only three rats re-
NAMED
Even human beings are not quite free
from danger. The fingers and toes of
babies, lying peacefully in their cradles,
have been eate2 off by rats; once an in
fant's face was obliterated by similar
means; and the toes of a drunken man
disappeared through like agency.
About four years ago coroners inquest,
reported in the Times. brought to light a
sad tale. Between Highgate and Horn
sey an old house had lost a respectable
tenant on account of its being infested
with rats. A new tenant out all day on
business, and his wife out temporarily,
three children were left at home in bed.
On the mothers return, she found the
bed stained with blood; one child had
wounds in the head and under the eye
lids and hole eaten through the cheek
she died three davs afterward; an elder
child was bitten in the throat.
Mr.. Rat displays good deal of ingenu-
ity in working out some of his plans.
He can carry away eggs without break
ing them; he stretches out one foreleg
under the egg, steadies it with his cheek
and hops away cautiously on the other
three legs. Two of them, working to-
gsther, have been known to carry eggs
upstairs; one standing upon his head,
lifted an egg high up on his hind feet;
his confederate, standing upon the next
step above, took the egg and held it
until the acrobat had come up; after
which the same process was repeated
again and again. A pastry-coOk once
found that his eggs disappeared in a
mysterious way; an investigation showed
that rats made off with them, down
stairs instead of up. A big rat stood on
his hind legs, with his forepaws and head
resting ON the step above; a smaller rat
rolled an egg gently to the proper spot
the big fellow seized it firmly but care
fully in his forepaws, and brought it
down; and SO on step after step. One
particular egg adventure is as amusing
as a comedy, with the additional merit
of being true. A rat lay down beside
an egg, folded his body round it length
wise, and took his tail between his teeth
to get firmer hold; other rats APP
preached, seized him by the neck, and
dragged him and the egg off together in
triumph-on what principle the booty
was divided does not appear. MIR. Jesse
narrates an incident in which a raj
helped himself to savory Florence
oil in an ingenious way; the ami
NAL gnawed of the covering of the
flask, inserted his tail, and licked
off the unctuous treasure which adhered
to it. A drum of figs being within sight
of family of rats, papa-rat got upon the
table, upset the drum and scattered the
figs on the floor, where the others coul6
easily get at them Some of US are ole
enough to remember when an atmos
pheric or pneumatic railway was con
structed at Croydon; the engineers hat
so many difficulties to contend agains
that the enterprise was ultimately aban
0OuCQ, Jul OuC VI lAC UuOSl pIoNohlus
was that rats cunningly came at nigh
and ate the grease with which the valv'
along the top of the tube was made all
tight; each new application of greas
served them for supper. No Jesse, Oh
the authority of a medical friend, give
vivid description of desperate figh
between q rat and ferret, in a vault o
cellar which was only lighted with win
dow on one side; the rat kept his pow
<x,1 hcxv o,lx I,s,r1
by sagaciously securing to himsel
what prize-fighters call the advantag
of the sun" that is, keeping himself a
most in darkness under the window, an,
compelling the ferret to take positio
where the light would enter his eyes an
embarrass him. One rsS was a little to
clever on q certain occasion. A publ
can, going into his cellar, saw a larg
rat put his foot into the shelly house O
an oyster who temptingly opened hi
mouth; the oyster suddenly closed hi
shell, took the rat prisoner, and bot
were carried alive into the kitchen. Coz
sidering what the Happy Family me
manage to achieve, we do not know tha
we are justified in disbeleivIng story {
theatrical company of rats, exhibite
IN Belgium few years ago; dressed lik
men and women and walking on the
hind legs, they mimicked many ordinar
stage effects; concluding their perform
ance with hanging cat and dancin
round it.
On the principle of giving every on
his due, however sable his complexion
we must Say a word concerning the o.
casiOnal kindness and domesticity {
these rodent creatures. A Sussex Gle
gyman, one summer evening, saw nun
Der of rats migrating across a meadow
blind old rat was guided along by
companion, the two holding the two enc
of stick between their teeth. Mr.. PHI
der, navy surgeon, was lying awaE
one evening in his berth, on board IL
Lancaster, and, keeping quiet, was en-
bled to observe a curious scene. A r
entered the cabin, looked cautious
round, and retired; he came again, III
ging along a blind rat tenderly by Il
ear; and a third rat, following theI
picked up bits of biscuit to place befol
the poor blind fellow. A London oml
bus man caught a rat while removir
some hay. Instead of killing it he toe
1t home and so tanned it as to make it
familiar companion to his children.
the evening the rat would stretch itse
out at full length on rug before the fir
and he would creep into some war
snuggery on a cold night. In the NOR
ing, when the man said "a Come alon
key" the rat would jump into his grea
coat pocket, from whence he was tran
ferred to the boot of the bus. Rat
guarded his masters dinner, and rush,
somewhat furiously against any one wi
tempered with it. He was proof again
all temptations save one-it was not sa