The sun., 1888-11-04
20 invite them to dsr. q swimming feat. and

they went on to the ses.
s b. Wts street
or. who does q large business both n sellinl
Whfpsyer ss i not doing @ other & spsipess s
% hatsS Yes, I have rats enough" ho r nreEGliet p
SSn mnS tbs% sS,' G so 9pss SsSd hoW o
ss ssa &ea S@ Sa
ing with the surplus In this case. though
poison is very. effective for q while; but the
WITH using poison is that the Tietns q
to eat. The nah eat the poisoned rats and they
dss sSost s5S fho neseno,
me tell YOU that 0E ops aeS tailed led Norway rst I
an instance or two:
eRs NJ d ass .peu S s III si sHs
EishSn Il i ,wsivs q II insSss q 30 ,oS5 SGs; yqs ssR
hs cant gel a meal there unsidsd, We'll: then,
@ 'RpSS st hs rats n cna
top OF another, until the pile is high enough so
that a rat, scaling the heap, and standing on
One after another goes up the nile, takes his
tSs tSn S Se and tho viii dss9Ss
hsh isedine ana sn%p,on 2hs eiaP' no" 'nA'
ine-not the GROWER, but the pork barrel.
nS5 bn IN the
Ss ans pes. na of fhs hon m s5es s win 5
How 1hf Se
clearing down several inches below the brine.
40; above tho sariese :. and NJ thas keeplns tic IEiRs
operations II that isn't science what is2 l
tell you rats are smarter than the average citi-
ssn and What is worse they are perfectly well
some dreadful stories are told OF the rayen-
shackle old buildings in the lower streets. In
one Water street shop few Years ago the men
beach al seT dys nd M 5
time their meals ndwichesj were fetched to
them. Tempted by the smell OF food at the
shop. which afforded multitudinous lurking
PLACES t the rats ;trSSoped ;S ont In such numbers
In some Water street buildings The workmen
old shell on that street the walls Of Which are are
literally perforated with rat holes. let man SIT
alone and silent in one Of it's compsrtments
Of an invisible host. The walls fairly seem to
be aIiye t9s aoo5 stirs with the soft patter q
goes over the lonely visitor as he ieeis the
almost inaudible advance OF vermin life near-
ing him. A Asudden noisy movement Is sufflcient
but the sensation is less easily removed.
and it is hie last fortress Of safety when he Is
pursued. In the slime Of the city sewer he
lnds the oiTal and the garbage that he Graves.
and OF cast.off human rags he builds his nest..-
or the street .workmen to pass through from
he centre Of the city to the mouth at the river
shore. They let down ladder at the man
he black tunnel and, with their duly eleam-
ng lanterns before them. advance along the
eodos bs to the pss whrs
ats fall back: but the men hear the scurryins
II the innumerable sewer tenants continually
,ehons vold ike am esre ehossy Whsper
lnce: while the men were at work in the
franklin 1n /, street branch sewer. under Bath
empted by the muteness Of the motionless
workers. approached to within a few feet.
tarred with a thousand gIittering and shifting
'yebals. The men needed no other stimulus
han the presence OF these uncanny sewer
In al! the seacoast cities Of New England the
ray Norway rat Is numerous. bold. and In
rss asssted enspants in s6ipss from Sr
lin: and he quickly drove the big. handsome. |
md harmless native black rat away from the |
yith now. except in towns remote from tho sea. |
ie Is not robust or yorac!ous enough to stand |
lis ground against the belligerant foreigner.
The muskrat. also. is plentiful IN an the
united for his hide. which is worth from twen-
I've cents to 81, according to the season. He
Ives under the banks Of water courses, builds
house OF straw or hay in the fall. whose dome
ises Just above the level Of u brook or pond.
md lines 1t with soft stuff. He eats fish. hesh.
ruit. and vegetables. Not long ago a Nor
rich resident saw T. big fellow swimming
lacidly down the middle current OF the river
nth big orange in his mouth Muskrats are
aught in steel traps. and also are shot. In
Moonlight nights they swim about the smooth
nrface Of ponds a great deal. and the hunter
ltting In shadow on the bank, shoots at tho
pex Of the muskrat's neck In the water as 1t
pproaches the shore. The rat swims with just
is nose out OF water. and tho sportsman has
D aim low.
A Norwalk man has hen that adopted q
mall orphan muskrat last week. The waif
VI his native stream and knocked at the old
ems coop Mt a late hour Of the night. and she
ospitably helped him in: but when he wanted
crawl under her wings with the chickens she
bjected for family reasons. He persisted. how
yer. and she finally let. him In. Now that
ach night he nestles under the old hon. which
D nlarges her covers and clucks him to sleep
ith the maternal lullaby.