Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1891-12-07
ANNAPOLIS ND MONDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 2 1891.
RATS AND THEIR WAYS.
IITTLE BEASTS THAT ARE uNPLeAs-
AMI, SUI WORTH STUDYING.


ayes.
A rats tail Is wonderful thing The
great naturalist, Cuvier. says that there
are more muscles in this curious append
age than are TO be found in that part OF the
human anatomy which is most admired
for its ingenious structure--namely, the
hand. To the rat, in fact, its tail serves
as sort of hand, by means OF which the
animal is enabled to crawl along narrow
lodges or other difficult passages, using
1t to balance with or to gain nold. Ii
is prehensile, like the tails Of some mon
keys. BY means OF it the little beast can
jump up heights otherwise inaccessible,
employing it as a projectile spring.
1t has often been said that the glove
makers of Paris make use in their trade
of the skins of rats which are caught in
the sewers, but this is denied.
A thrifty Welshman at one time ex-
hibited himself publicly in England at
tired in costume composed from top to
toe Of ratskins.
DIR. Buckland says that many of the
elephants tusks brought to London for
the use of workers in ivory are observed
to have their surfaces grooved into small
furrows. This is done by rats, which are
fond of the gelatine or animal glue in
the substance. The ivory cutter selects
for his purposes by preference those tusks
which have been gnawed in this way, be-
cause they contain the most gelatine and
are the best in material.
How many people have ever eaten
Jelly made from elephants, tusksl Yet
1t is very good indeed. Years ago ivory
Jelly was very fashionable remedy and
much sought after.
Rats are remarkably intelligent ami
mails, as may be perceived from the diff.
Guilty that is experienced in catching
them. They can be taught many tricks.
Among other things it is possible TO make
them learn how to beg, to jump through
hoop, to drag little cart in harness
and to carry sticks or money.
Rats have never found favor as a del
icacy for the table in Europe or in this
country, but in many lands they are rel.
ished as an article of diet The negro
slaves of Jamaica used TO regard them as
dainty, their masters not providing
them with any other meat. Rats may
commonly be seen for sale in the markets
of any Chinese town, split and pressed
under heavy weight. so as to lock
somewhat like dried fish. In this shape
the pigtailed oriental buys them, soaks
them in water, and then boils, roasts, or
fries them.
When the French zouaves were first in
Africa a new sort of rat made its appear
ance there. 1t was called the trumpet
rat, " having long proboscis. The sale
Of a specimen by one of the soldiers to an
enthusiastic naturalist gave rise to 40
action at law. Said the plaintiff in
court:
This zouave has cheated me out of
100 francs. He knows that I am much
interested in natural sciences. One day
he called upon me and said: Sir.
have kind of animal which has never
been mentioned by any naturalist. 1t Is
q trumpet rat, and has a truzk like an
elephants. II you wish to see it, yoa
have only to come to my house
II was very anxious to behold this
strange animal. We arrived at his house,
and he showed me in cage an enor-
nous rat. very lively and in good con-
dition, which really had on its nose a
slender excrescence more than an inch iu
length. The excrescence was covered
with hair like the body of the animal.
with yertebr@ in it, and Ia most extraor-
dipa..v fhinoA 10 rvar a fI,a .,,r,,1,.e 49,.
at the base-the contrary to what il
ought 70 be in the usual course of things.
To convince myself that it was not
dupe and mystification Y stuck a pin
into the trumpet. The animal cried out
and a drop of blood came from the prick.
The experiment was conclusive. 1t was
really a trumpet forming part of the rat.
Il was amazed. paid him so francs
Tor it My friends and servants all all
mired it, and was enchanted. My rat
vas a male. Some one said 10 me that
Iught to procure a female. / asked the
Eouaye If he could procure for me fe-
male, and he said he had two. I bought
one Of them for so francs Some months
4fterward the female had young.
looked at them and they had no trumpets
said to myself, They will sprout.'
waited one month, two months, six
months but the trumpets never appeared
In house where go frequently |
made the acquaintance of an officer who
had served long time in Africa. told
MIN about my trumpet rats, and he
laughed as though his sides would split
He told me that the trumpet rat was not
freak Of nature, but an invention due
70 the leisure moments OF the zouaves.
This is how they make them: You take
Two rats and fasten their paws firmly TO
70 board, the nose Of one close to the
end OF the tail Of the other Then with
penknife you make an incision into
the nose Of the rat and you graft the tail
II the first into the nose; you tie firmly
lhe muzzle 70 the tail, and you leave the
.wo rats in this position 4s hours At
Ahe end Of that time the union has taken
,lace and the two parts are grown to-
yether; then you cut of the tail Of the
at TO the required length and let him go,
put still keep the other fastened to the
board, with his head loose, and you give
aim something to eat. At the end of a
fortnight slls wound is perfectly healed.
This is the way the xouaves make rats
with tTlimpets
On tie part of the defendant il was
Irged that he had certainly made np the
rats as stated, but he affirmed that he had
not sold them to the plaintiff AS haying
- -xat. p