Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-10-22
Rats and Their Habits.

If white rat escapes into a sewer or
other domain of his gray brother, the lat
ter very quickly makes formal assertion
of his seniority by eating him. But it is
a very extraordinary fact that number
of albinOs in cage will brighten away
the other rats. Why this is | haven't the
slightest idea; but that tits so have reason
to believe has been proved in several in
stances that have come under my notice.
In steamers that have been Overrun with
these vermin, mine has been the only
CABIN free from their incursions, although
my predecessors have complained bitterly
of the depredations they have committed.
| have observed it also in an infested
cellar on terra tirma, but the most re-
markable confirmation of this circum-
stance | ever saw was at sea. | lived in
a cabin on the upper deck, one of several
opening into an alleyway, and all, as well
as the surrounding deck-hOuSes, haunted
by these pests to an extent which was
seriously incOnvenient, to say the least of
it. To keep bird was well-nigh impOs-
sible, while inanimate property deteriOrat-
ed considerably from their ViSltatOns, or
disappeared altogether. So said my
neighbOrs, for slept TRANQUILITY over sixty
alpines, and did not see Il dark intruder
the whole voyage, though there was big
''run" under the settee. Well, everybody
declared it must be the snakes that kept
them off: so, knowing that they had moth
ing to do with it, | devised a test. The
dispensary, just opposite, was vermin-
stricken in common with the rest of the
alleyway; they did not take the medi-
cines, it is true, though lnseed-meal,
sticking-plaSter, oiled silk, adhesive
labels, pill-bOXes, bandages and wrappers
found great favor in theireyeS. But what
they specially coveted was a towel or
grass cloth, such as / was accustomed to
keep there to dry my fingers from accden-
tai spills when the boat was rolling, or to
occasionally wipe a bottle or glass when
''serving OUT physic, as the sailors used
to say. Whether the slight medicinal
favor thus acquired commended it special
ly to them or not, l do not pretend to say;
but certain it was that no sooner was my
back turned, even in the daytime, than the
cloth was dragged off the rail where it hung
and pulled in under the chest of drawers.
1t was some while before the mystery OF
this disappearance was solved, and | fear
that my unfortunate boy had rather a
warm time of it until he one day desperate
ly pulled out the bottom drawer in a lucid
interval and disclosed a heap of nibbled
rags. Here was golden opportunity for
proving my theory! l put half dozen
albinos in "a parrot cage and stood it on the
floor Of the dispensary; for two days the
grass-clOth was uumolested. Then
piaceu piece OF Dfeau Inere on lne Jhlfd
evening; next morning | found it very
Slightly gnawed and moved a few inches,
as if the whiskered bandtti had begun to
carry it off, but had been scared from
their intent by ghostly apparitiOn in the
parrot cage. But on the third morning
the cage was furnished with rather too
liberal a bed, and during the day the bread
was devOured, because the wraiths were
all laid under the hay. AS soon as this
fYnf, mi LODI satrA aal1
however, so that the white occupants
were always visible, a second piece of
bread was untouched, and thieves return
ed no more until the surgery was relieved
of the dreadful presence and the grass
cloths made fast to a nail.