New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1912-08-03

| Ii is more OIL uuIio"oA' ''
lives in excavations which it
makes under buildings and IN
loose soil along hedges and river
banks. This habit, combined with
! it's greater strength and ferocitN
has enabled it to supplant the
other species in temperate latl-
tudes; but in the warmer parts
| Of America and the Old World
it has not been able to drive out
!: the others. The house mouse
everywhere holds its own against
the brown rat by its ability to
escape into retreats too small Tor
the rat to follow.
The brown rat inhabits most 1T
the thickly populated parts OF
America. North Of Panama it
occurs generally except in the
arid interior, from the 1sthmus
to the Yukon Valley and southern
Greenland. In the Great Basin
it is practically unknown, and
in New Mexico and Arizona it is
confined chiefly to towns along
the railroads. The Biological
Survey is without records OF its
presence in Nevada, Utah, Wyom-
ing, Idaho, and the greater part
of Montana. The reason for its
absence in that region is mot un-
derstood, but it's ability to with
stand extreme cold is proved 10y
the fact that it fourished in lat
itude 70 degrees 81 minutes north
on board Doctor Kane's ship Adj
| vance, in the Second Grinnell Ex-
| petition, during the two winters
when that vessel was icebound. 1t
has also adapted itself to the con-
tinuous low temperatures of cold
storage warehouses, in which it
| appears to breed freely.
History Of the Brown Rat.
We know little Of this history
Of this species. Greek and Ro-
man writer's make no mention Of
| rats Of any kind, but possibly
| knew the animals and included
/ them in the frequent references
to mice. Pallas, in ITS, describ--
ed the brown rat under the name
Mus decumanus, and this was
generally used until it was found
! that Erxleben had called it M.
norvegicua In lift. Previously,
the common name Norway rat had
often been used for this species.
The brown rat is generally sup
posed Ito DO Of Asiatic origin.
Various modern writers have as
serted that it came originally from
Persia or India; but w. 7. B1an-
ford states that the species is at
present unknown in Persia, and
that in India the black rat is the
generally distributed species,
while the brown rat occurs only
along the coast and the navigable
rivers. This implies that the lat
ter species is a comparatively rec
ent Immigrant into India.
As regards the arrival of the |
brown rat in Europe, two facts
are known. The species reached
England from some eastern port
about 1928 or 1929, and accord
ing to Pallas, a little earlies, 1927,
crossed the Russian frontier from
Asia and soon spread over the
greater part Of that country.
This statement, taken in conaec-
ton with that of Blanford, makes
it highly probable that before
this migration the Asiatic home
Of the species was north, rather
than south, Of the high mountains
of northern India. This view,
which has been adopted by seve-
raj naturalists, is further
strengthened by the fact that the
animals fourishes better in temp
crate than in tropical climates.
Possibly earlier and unrecord-
ed westward migrat;ons Of the
brown rat took place. A few
years ago Professor Waile, the
archelogist, while making exca-
vations at Cherchell on the coast
of Algeria, dug up the skull Of a
rat, which he stated was contemp-
orary with the Roman occupation
of the country under the Caesars.
The skull had but one molar,
much worn, but the cranial bones
were intact, and French zoolog-
lists pronounced the remains as
undoubtedly those of the "sur- .
mulot, or brown rat. This
shows that We have little more
than conjectures for the early his
tory Of this species. L
The brown rat is said to have
first appeared in Paris in 1850. It
was brought to the United States c
from England, about
The beginning of the Revolution, I
IT'S. According to Audubon, it '
was unknown ON the Pacific
coast of the United States In 1851 Z
but DR.. ]. s. Newberry thought
IL must have arrived at San Diego,
Monterey, and San Francisco at :
much earlier date. Doctor Coop v
er recorded its arrival ait Fort
Steilacoom, Washington, as oc- =
:urring about 1855.
Ito be continued next week) Isl
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roperty tar payers Of the Parish Of Ibe. v
. qualified ~ electors under the Consti-
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