The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1907-11-30
HOW CREATURES DRInK.



Eject - TAfrst On Rats, Cats ana
Other Anamals.
All creatures, with the exception OF
the highest endowed species, are not
only teetotallers, but drink very mod
erately Of water never anything else.
For instance, It would, be equally difa-
cult to picture dormouse Quafflrg 4
pint OF soda water as a bottle OF Bur.
gundy.
Rats, especially when they are feed
Ing on corn in ricks or barns, suffer
very much during q comparatively
short spell of rainless weather. Even
the dews, which In some measure com
pensate for the absence Of rain, are
quite insufficient for their needs.
II you would like to see really happy
rats, watch a rat-infested corn stack
ON summer evening after shower
following a few scorchlng days. You
will not have long to wait before you
hear the stack rustic, as it were, and
soon the rats will steal out to gulp
down the great, glistening raindrops on
the thatch and heritage near their
abode.
So thirsty do rats become that have
seen one which, In spite of my fright
ening him back each time he appeared,
made fresh attempt about every half
minute to gain a puddle OF DRAWINGS
from farm yard. And l remember q
farmer shooting at one, shot no fewer
than seven rats, which had crowded to
drink from small pool of water near
stable.
Moreover, my experience Of rats
and l have dealt with" tens Of thou
sands-leads me to believe that the
larger rats when hard pushed for
drink" kill their own and other rats
young ones for their blood-truly a
CHASTITY beverage, even in times of fam
Inc. This theory certainly dovetails
with the fact that dry breeding sea-
son means poor crop Of rats and vice
versa.
Rats are even credited with 20 far
forgetting themselves as to drink from
uncorked bottles, by inserting their
tails into the liquid, though, PERSONAL
", have yet to behold this astute
dodge.
My old black cat Is cat among cats,
and don't think any rat can best her
at ways and means. When she has
plain" thirst, puss balances herself
on the edge of an open galvanized tank
and subdues her feelings by means Of
about five tongue laps to one swallow.
But sometimes, after washing day,
for instance, the water level Is too
low for direct drinking, so she dips
front paw and ticks the water there
from In a way unexcelled in daintiness
by any society stars manipulation Of
q finger bowl.
Rabbits and hares, which may be
truthfully called strict vegetarians,
need very little in the shape of direct
drink but dew, for their food In It's
raw state contains very large per-
centage of moisture.
And sheep, In this country at least,
seldom require water, except In the
hottest part Of the summer, and never,
l believe, when feeding of root crops
in autumn and winter.
Now, water, In direct form, is in
dispensable to stoats and weasels.
This accounts for their being found In
much greater numbers In well-watered
districts, where the supply never fails.
than in parts where there is only q
pond here and there which holds water
all the year round.
Ferrets, too, when fed on warm
flesh and milk only, do not thrive 30
well as those which have water always
in reach. It suggests that water is so
necessary to stoats and weasels, and
In a lesser degree to ferrets, because
the warm blood Of their prey creates
an exceptional thirst, for salt Is pres
ent in considerable quantity in blood
Pearson's Weekly.