The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-22
TIE RATS OK LONG ISLAND.
THE AsTONIsn Va STORIES rom NY
THE OHi'LE or ISLfP

THE on i'II or ISIfF.
Investigations in HcIation TO the WAYS Of
the Rodent world - Information sought
from Sources -upposedto he AUTHORITATIVE.
reporter for The SUN hailed the local
0sh dealer In the beautiful village Of lslip, L. l.,
yesterday, and handed him the following
For years past ip L. L. had been infested with rats
Poison and t&P. seemed t. have no ecct on tnI mex
the village noticed countless TRACKS Of mi,raing 70
dents Tie tracks we're lost eight Of In piece Of GODS
"Is It true2' the reporter inquired. The
dealer let fall three large bluonsh that he held
In his right hand, but kept tight hold Of drip
ping sea bass that Topped against his left trow-
sers-log. lie read the paragraph through sol
EMMY six times, and. turning, said without
trace Of agitation. " Holy smukel Well. now,
guess That ain't so. don't know. though. May
be tpassng hts hand effectively through bis
locksI rats Is curious. Rats ulluS 90 togctncri
I've seon that myself. And when rats get pes
tered, and stamped on. und kicked, ana starved,
and shot at, aud uisened. aud treated bad Rln.
orally they lght out. ihey gets loecther and
hold "A caucus in the night ana DECIDE upon a
course, aud then they All 70 IN lump, and darn
the man 3 knows whore tboy go. now, was
ago, and saw more II ten million little tracks
We'll, followed EN- M FUR five miles to aswamp,
and when left 'en ihey was still going north.
That's the first Migration l ever see from Ishp.
I tell you, YOU kc that piece OF paper To Mr.
stillingwoIth, and perhaps he knows something
MIR. Siinugwotth Of the breezy Lakeland
House pulled his blonde TuOust che. eld the
article I've times impassively, and i'd Well.
that's the first I've heard Of anything Of the
Kind. We've cot rats enough, that's true. bu,
no migratory rats. Our rats stay right 10y us.
There's nothing mean about them. They pro-
pose to see the hotel through
Here a nttle, elderly gentleman, In yellow
wig and snur .cOlored clothes, VINO mad been
writing and smoking 10y turns at u table In the
middle OF the room, arose nervously ana
stepped rapidly to the desk, inquiring below his
breath, what the deviFs up nowf' tie 1Xed
his sptctacles on the lower pitch of his nose,
looked iutpu.itV hat iuui-
Gated his Intention to read both sides OF the
paper at the same lime, III. vely shook hi head
after the fourth rusal, and, uttering the single
monosyable, CEh :" went o. ck to his writing.
"Ihis Is the eastern cod Of the village" ex-
planned the landlord: "pttnups II YOU 20 down
to the western end, mile from here. some one
there can tell you where those rats immisrated
nom.'
AT the western end. no one In George W.
Clocks grocery knew auything about migratory
rats. All looked skeptical. and doubted Whc-
,,ner tnere l. any such thing. Ia Hawk'ns
BrUthcrs' lumber yard were plenty Of the YER
min; the men shot an average Of two or three
rats d y, but no one believed thai there had
been any combined movement 10y the rats to
evdcuate the village. They hoped sine rely that
At length late IN the afternoon the reporter
reached a retreat on the outskirts Of the village,
In winch there l. strong suspicion that the re-
port was originated. \ village sage sat on the
cool verandah, eucrcled 10y several Of the VII
studied the paragraph Wen, we'll here seems
TO be mystery around tins suuject. n there Is
one man 10 lslip That can pick The kinks out Of
man thus addressed {, ok OF his glasses d angled
them VI his lett h4nd, smootbed out MS news
paper, ana audiesS. 81 the representative OF the
press IN the following words;
Now, done know nor care a great deal about
rats, but this do Know. ana know what I'm
talking about. There's Gn old farmer that lives
down here "A piece that HAD many OF the crit
tiers tnat At was doubtful VINO owned ana run
the place. lie or the rats. they patrolled the
cellar, they prOmenaded the front yud IN
couples at Night. and sleut IN the pantry aud
the spare oed al n ght. They were so bold tnat
they stood under the table at me Il time. At
length one gay one I them suffered for his i'm
puueuce Tue cid farmer told me the story.
sad he: lhe rat. "a gray-headed old fellow.
went out IN the orch rd ana in scouting round
tipped over "a beeniVe-ihr very best hive /
mad. Well, that rat sOt ON the hive bench for
about nve-eignths Oi second. hen he got
down. lie seemed to be ANXIOUS t. git away.
He was seen STRUGGLING for the house with about
denly NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. | guess Well
added the farmer after solemn pause, Il
didn't regret the loss Of the rat, / d never ha'
missed HIM but what made me mad was ter
see ther bees make sich damned fools of their
self. One pint 'ud done Jst ~ well toward
killing the tat 4, tier hull swarm. Also added
the beck cper. emthltiCa ally, i noticed when |
got ther honey in The fail mat IL tasted damned
strong v rat tail soup
After tue sage uau finished the narrative every
man IN tue party wiuked at his neigubor, ana
one turning his face .side, said; " W ell. don't
know; maybe So rats are thick. anyhow" III
that migration story Is true" said the elderly
gentleman after mOmUn { reflection. then IT'S
my opinion That those rats have merely gone
down to FIRE Island a-oystering, and will be
back ia the fall"