The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-25
MIsCHIEVOUS WOOD RATS.
Thieves That Steal Things for which They
Have No Use.

WatHs Nosh in the Portland Oreoonian.
-Neotoma Cinerea rather frightening
name for the merry little scamp crossbred
between q monkey for mischief and squirrel
for gambolling. which turns night into day
in the farmhouses in the hills
at night. !, for one. would not lift stick to him
In anger. He is a pretty. brown. large eyed.
clean furred. nuf1y tailed little fellow. He
finds, does not make. the holes by which he
climbs into your house, He has the funniest
taste for arnassing and hiding things. and at
night he practises his gymnastics with his
family.
Our farmhouse the other side Of the Coast
range 10 a two storied cedar built and single
covered structure. 90 feet long. with an attic
open the whole length Of the building The
woodrats would pack an apple or two UP
between the double walls OF the house. into
the attic. Then. as you lay In bed. Just be-
low, you could hear. or fancy you heard.
the apple rolled TO one end and the whole
troop set in line for start at the other then
at the word go" of they went. heller SHELTER,
over the sounding board Of q floor. for the
apple; then a chorus Of saueakings. and
try It all over again / have fallen asleep
many a time to that accompaniment So
long % they keep between the walls they are
safe. Sometimes they found big mouse
hole out into the kitchen. That was too bold.
Of white skirted boys and men. from room
to room. by lantern light, folio wed. with Mr..
Woodrat an easy first. unless by III luck he
got cornered, and that was an end OF him,
Watches had to be taken to bed to be safe.
but one morning We caught one robber maxi
ing of with gold Eyeglasses. In one hoard
under the stairs in a neighbours house were
found foot rule, pair OF opera glasses.
pair Of gloves roll Of lace. q screwdriver.
q pair OF silk stockings some screws. photo
graph with an apple or two. So was Chinese
boy saved from punishment on cireumstantial
evidence.
Another time we set out 400 cabbage plants
In the garden in front Of the house. In the
morning we found 100 Of them pulled up and
piled in heaps at the ends OF the long rows.
Our Scotch ranch hand slept on q bed in q
corner OF the big upstairs dormitory. His
tangled yellow hair was a great attraction
to the woodrats. He told US they often woke
him by stretching through tho cracks In the
cedar boards by his bed head and grabbing
his hair for nest lining. At the ordinary
trap they just laugh. But we caught several
by setting the trap close to one of the floor
beams In the attic. thro wing a cloth loosely
over it. and narrowing the race course at
that point by a couple OF boxes placed on
either side Of the trap. When the race came
off the leading rat jumped the beam and
pumped into the trap, Then rose a chorus
Of saueals.
Bishop Morris used to take day or two
trout fishing In the Tillamook country and
no mean fisherman ia he. by the way He
hung his long tailed coat on the wall In the
bedroom. and dressed in his short coat went
out to fish. Next day but one the Bishop
dressed up and started homeward. A few
miles on his journey and he felt in his pocket
for handkerchief. There was ball Of wool
and hair and moss. Safely in the heart OF
1t were ooiled up six or seven tiny wood
rats. Their mother evidently thought she
could trust them to the care Of the church.