The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-02-08
Rats Building Forts.

of cactus, known as togo. which from
bottom to top is a mass of fine, sharp
thorns. To snakes, coyotes, and all
sorts of "varmints" this cactus is a
holy terror, for his thorns are easily
detached from the plant, and when
once IN the flesh make 4 poisonous
sore. Birds build their nests in a
togo thicket, and there find safety
from their enemies, which do not
dare attempt the dangers of the togo
for the sake either of eggs or birds.
Whether observation of the immu-
nifty enjoyed by the birds prompted
the rats to the intelligent actions OBJ
served l cannot say, but certainly if
ever there was case of clear ard
consecutive reasoning from cause TO
effect it was this.
Near the camp where I was lOta-
ted there was large hill very much
broken. and on one side precipice
perhaps twenty feet high. Passing
close by the foot of the precipice one
day, and coming unexpectedly round
the corner of the rock, surprised
number of wood rats, apparently
very busy about something. I'm
mediateIy on my appearance they all
sCampered away to hole in the
rock, each making high jump as he
neared the hole, and diving head
first out of sight. l paid them little
attention at the time, and did not
examine the hole or vicinity, but Il
day later, passing the same spot, |
noticed them repeat the vancouver.
Still ! did not regard it as any
thing out of the ordinary, and not
until l had witnessed their retreat
and nigh jump for the third time did
it occur TO me that The incident was
peculiar. l then went up to the hole,
and to my surprise found that for
foot in every direction the ground
was thickly set with the togo thOrns.
! wondered how they got there. but
dismissed the matter from MY mind
until a day Or so later, when l sur
prised cavaran of rats on their way
from a togo thicket close by. Each
rat carefully conveyed one or more
thorns in his mouth. Upon my ap
pearance every one dropped his little
burden and fed as before, and re.
solved to fathom the mystery.
Accordingly, the next morning l
made circuit over the hills at con.
siderable distance from the precipice,
ana no Indian stealing along in pur-
suit of an enemy ever craWltd over
the ground with more circumspect
care than in chase of information
about the rats. Finally reaching the
edge of the little cliff, l selected
spot where cleft in the rock gave
me the opportunity l sought for, of
seeing without being seen, and l
cautiously peeped oyer. The ground
was alive with rats, old and young.
and all were as busy As nailers. Some
were at the togo thicket cutting the
thOrns, others were transporting
them with cautious haste to the vi
entity of the nest, and still others
were setting them in the earth in
such way as to make a perfect and
formidable chevaux.de frise. All the
points overturned out, and so thickly
were the thorns planted that even
the tip of ones finger could not have
touched the ground without a wound
from the points.
Day by day I watched while the
work went on, and in three or four
days the fortification was completed,
and the thOrns set as thickly as they
could stand in semicircle from the
wall of rock in which was the hole,
the entrance to the nest. The rats
were evidently fresh arrivals in that
neighbOrhood, for the hoe gave no
sign of previous occupation, but in
less than week they were quite at
home, and thoroughly fortified
against snakes, which was evidently
their purpose in constructing the
thOrny rampant. For nearly two
yards in every direction from the
rock the th0rns extended, and when
the fertilization was completed no
engineer could have planned and ex-
ecutcd better system of protection.
With due regard for their own COM
fort and convenience the rats had, by
some means best known to them
selves, placed three stones. double
the size of fist, at nearly equal dis
lance from each other in the midst of
the thornv hedge, and when going in
and out of the nest leaped from one
to the other.
One evening while watching them
at play I saw a sentinel rat at some
distance from the nest running in
with evident signs of alarm. In
ment the scene was changed, and
stream of rats went leaping from one
llWy