Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1890-06-28
THE RATS SANDWICH.
A Strictly True Story Of Rodent Intelii
w~nce and Prudence.

gence and Prudence.
II any one had related TO us how be
had seen o rat lunehing upon sand
witches composed of crumbs and tad
poles, we can not doubt that his com
munication would have been listened 70
with more or less uccesstully-dissemble
inaredulity. Yet Of that spectacle we
we're ourselves witnesses not many
months ago. IL had suggested itself 70
some members OF the household during
last spring TO keep large shoal OF tad
poles In deep earthenware milk-pan
on window-stool, for the purpose OF
watching their evolution into frogs. For
some time that quaint process went on
swimmingly, being apparently In no
way impeded by this abnormal glaziness
and rigidity Of It's subjects environment,
which, however. was judiciously mitl-
gated at the bottom by a deposit OF peb-
bles and mud. but, while the shrink
ing OF tails and sprouting OF legs were
still in full progress, it began To be OBJ
served with pain that the number OF
tadpoles was rapidly aud steadily de-
craasing. Day by day we had TO
notice q very perceptible decline
in the population OF our aqua
rum; there could be no doubt that in
every fOur-and-twenty hours a certain
contingent Of tadpoles somehow vanish
I'D. melted into thin air, leaving not q
wrack behind, any more than did one OF
the silycry bubbles which they were
perpetuaily sending up to wink out OF
existence on the surface
~ 80 al
for this unhappy state Of affairs, but II
was pronounced 10 be impossible that
as some one suggested, patches OF tad.
poles, attaining TO frogdom suddenly,
should have thereupon oycrleaped the
rim Of their dwelling place; for the drop
OF twenty feet which was the only
means of quitting the windowstool,
would have been beyond the powers OF
even the maturcst and most athletic
frog, and the pavement underneath
showed none of those mangled remains
which must have resulted from any such
reckless attempt A suggestion that Il
might, perhaps, take two or three tad
poles to make the frog was dismissed as
still more untenable; no plausible q
priori explanation Of these mysterious
disappearance had been devised, when,
one day all hypothesis were rendered
unnecessary by ocular demonstration.
We CHANGED 10 look out OF the win
dow; and, behold. sitting upon the rim
of the pan, brown rat with mile
and intelligent cast of countenance, ant
unusually large bright eyesl Upon tbs
surface Of the water floated larg,
number OF the bread crumbs with which
our p.oteges were always kept Literally
supplied. One OF THESE fragments th'
newcomer secured with rapid sweep o
his left forepaw. while with the other
narrowing 10 relate. he deity scoope'
up wriggling and reluctant tadpole
and, having thus provided himself witt
the materials Tor his sandwich, he dis
posed OF il in an incredibly short time
and Immediately set about the captur
and manufacture of second. lilo,
many he ate thus at that sitting we ar
not in position To state accurately, a
his movements were Overwhelmingly rapi
as well az marycluusly doXterous, cor
sidering the slipperiness alike OF tn
narrow ledge upon which he balance
himself and of the slithery prey Il
NAANn Wt b1UfAs ifhN W. GuH Nv
doubt that when he slid dow
and glided unobtrusively awal
descending the creeper up while
he had climbed, the tadpoles, whol
he left gyrating in violent perturbatio
round their troubled waters, must hay
lost at least dozen of their comrade
through the unarring sweep of that viii
paw, which they had not the sense
eyade by taking refuge in the inaccess
Bile mud at tho bottom OF their dish. /
fact. they betrayed upon this occasio
SO marked an absence Of intolligenc
and presence Of mind that our symp;
thies all Inclined toward the angler; an
We must oWn that We felt some chagri
when, on the morrow, lac fell victim
the snares II trap set in readiness {.
him by the enraged proprietors OF b
fishing-grounds, For though. strict
speaking, he Was no doubt, not justifle
in deyouring our tadpoles with priv
paw. still. Ike prospero's delicate Arie
"a grace be had doyouring;r and it VI
melancholy, further, TO reflect that h
accomplishment should, after our NJ
comfortable human fashion. have mer,
~ paved tue way Ia his undoing -Lol
don Illustrated News.