The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1906-12-07
NEW RAT DANGER
Rodents Two And 0ne-half
Feet Long.
Reached New York Oh Sings
And May Become
NatnraIiZsd.
New York Amsricax.l

tic rats on barge in The North nv
err. They attacked a terrier and BIZ
him to death, but were finally KILLED
with an AK by John Stennecs,
'longshoreman, who livec az 2S
River Street, Hoboken.
The rats were of such extraogdina'
~ size as to suggest that they may
have been brought to New York from
the west coast of Africa, where
there exists in large numbers spe.
eies of rat known in the native Fang
language as kui. About two aad
half feet long, the kui is in ether
. respects so much like the COMMON
brown rat as to be practically q mag
nificent edition of the latter.
That it should be imported into this
is no matter for surprise. insz1nuch
inasmuch as it frequents houses and
might easily find its way on board a
ship.
This be it observed. isexaetIy the
way in which the rats which are 81
ready so familiar first arrived in
America. They have been the com
panions of man, living at his expense,
though against his will, SINCE pre-
historic times. and have made their
way to all parts of the world By tax
ing passage on vessels. No house
rats are natives to this country,
though we have a good many non
domesticated species, such as field
rats and wood rats.
Thirty years ago the common
house rat in this country was the
black rat, with long tail and big ears;
and at that time the brown rat,
sometimes called the Norway raj,
was familiar to US only as denizen
Of wharves and ships, being eften
spoken of as the ship rat" or deck
rat" This rat, however, soon drove
out the black species. twas nearly
twice as big and much more feroei-
Gus. so it was able to put the black
to fight, taking its place IN our
houses.
Both the black and the grSy rats
are of Asiatic origin. The former
is said to have entered Europe BY
way of Aitrachan about fosy CEN
turtles ago, the brown speciss ftron
PERSIA following 200 yeays later
At the present time the brown rat
is the animal, being able 80 hO,s. is
own anywhere by reason Of its vigor
and ferocity. Man has nerer been
able to fight it wry successfully,
and its numbers are limited only by
the available food supply. So rapid
ly does it breed that. If al odsprings
survived, the progeny of sing e pair
in three years would number s6ol--
600 and would weigh as E1uch AS
eighty large elephants.
IL the kui from Airica sho1Id De
introduced in the United SKATES il
would be likely in its tuyn TO drive
out the brown rat. and seIng SO
huge. it might become l. dangerous
nuisance. Rats two anc u half fee;
long. if they became eomsnon, VOaid
be no joke. Indeed the Drawn Yats
are bad enough. A doD.D Of them
killed two little children named
Woodward in Dorchester. a suburb
OF Boston, in February, Lag They
will even assail grown u,aple vixen
the latter can be taken AZ Aissud-
vantage. and in many Instances they
have bitten 10 death inlo-1i ate.i yer
sons.
The brown rat. iH pnc 5nyfiog 20
is size. is one Of the s,lost danger
.,ds OF animals. A discreet sas wil
hesitate To tackle il and 4 vic sven
face ferret in the open. 3'gce5l!-
~ when fouGd it sewers y eScesd-
ingiy dangtroI,, hclufe its teeth,
foul with half-dec5rl9osQA matter
on which it has fed. ronvty Yffest-
ion to the wound. Thai .g freap@ns-
~ carri,s disease sach ~ Tna!igo,c.
and scarlet fever FROM hoose. g.
house cannot he doubted. an3 n ,.
po,iveiy known to he tbs princ6%..
agent by which the soess.!a! ktA.5.
or bJb0n;c piuge is spTe!2
For chapped and sracGcd iM.;ta
nothing Is quite 50 good a; ansiy'ii3;..
ton of DeWitt's WitcsI l}aegi .ia'Ge,
Put it on before &, ar, ~ SO, $50.
- 1 r 49, Ga. =. ..