The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-11-09

The nest near the fshhouse was nn. usually large, with five different rooms, all connecting with the passage that led out be meath the surface into the river, and with another passage clevery concealed among the arrow-weed roots near shore. In front of the door into the water the broad stream swept In a curve to the southward, and just at the shallows, where the water ran more slowly than elsewhere, the colony of the rats of that neighborhood was built. Some Of these nests were like "Old White Tips, but smaller. Others, farther back in the marsh, were built entirely above ground, Of sticks and mud like the beavers houses farther up stream.
 Thus matters stood when the Black Rat came down the river. He was a very large rat and was, moreover, "real rat, Of good old American birth and family; not musk rat (who are not real rats) nor a foreigner from Europe, like the gray and brown rats. He knew his importance, too, and his very looks spoke of courage, experience and ad- ventures Around his neck was a thin gold collar, with piece of broken chain attached; for he had escaped from a farmer far up stream and had been chased with dogs canoes and guns, his pelt was so valuable.
 The Black Rat had important news for the muskrats, mink, otter and beaver; but especially for the muskrats. 'Old White Tip" who usually fought with every true rat he met, welcomed this elegant stranger of the gold collar, and even admitted him to his
 
 came one dark evening, before the moon had risen for a consultation.
 The Black Rat made speech. He declared that the farmers were preparing for grand spring hunt, and were going to kill every rat on the river, of whatever kind, and all mink, otter and beaver, also.
 The old muskrats answered that, while they didn't care an old rotten stick whether the otter and mink were exterminated utter ly, they were sorry about the good, patient beaver. A general move to the interior of the Great Swamp was proposed and decided upon. Tn those watery wastes said the black rat, you will find my relatives, the marshrats; my friends the gray squirrels, and my own people, the black rats.
 ''We will gather, then, by the great sweet gum tree in the swamp, and if the hunters dare follow so far let them beware the bot tomess morassi'
 Thus 1t happened that on the third night following, "Old White Tip" with a multi tude of muskrats, swarmed away down the river into the borders of the Great Swamp. They were followed by swarms of beaver and of water rats, by hordes of squirrels and other animals, so that on the night which followed the farmers sought in vain for anything but mink and otter. These two kinds of animals, being fish eaters, had not received any warning, and, by the rising of the sun, were nearly exterminated in that region of deserted river and empty nest All other game had disappeared.
 But when the hun. was over and the Great swamp gave up again its swarming visitors there was consternation among the musk rats. Every nest had been destroyed, every beaver house and dam was levelled and every bite of stored up provender that had survived the winter was stolen or scattered.
 The poor muskrats went to work to build again, and meanwhile the Black Rat, urged by his knowledge of the farmers ways, told them that this was the work of the otter and the mink, not of the farmers.
 For said the Black Rat one cold night to circle of starving muskrats, farmers let your nests alone, from inability to de- stroy so many; they let the beaver dams alone in order to preserve the levels of the river; hence, this Is the revenge of the otter for not being warned"
 Then did the muskrats declare war on the fisheaters and seek for aid among their