| Show rats HATS 1301 NOT 80 BAD AS THEY SEEM beem yi IN the last number gumbir of the quarterly an instructive tive and pleasing paper on arts ap aper full of cunio curio ubi usi and remarkable anecdotes ia deserving attention for it will make even the gentlest of gentle reade readers think of rats with with something bomp thing less of horror ani anil more ot of sympathy that rats possess an histrionic genius a penchant for dramatic tat ta ions tiong is pew to us ve have heard of military fleas we have seen jacko perform his na miserable imitation of hd humanity manity on th e top of a barrel organ but who whoever ever heard of 01 agats turn for tragedy I 1 I 1 I 1 nevertheless eps says the writer in the terly a newspaper liot hot long cirice since published shed an account of a theatrical performance b by a troop of rats which gives ua us d higher lea idea tea of their intellectual nature than anything else which whick is recorded of them th Thi s company of players were dressed in K the garb pf af men and wom women en walked en on their hlib legs and mimicked with ludicrous exactness many of the ordinary stage effects on one orle point only were aey pey intractable like the young lady iu in the fable who xeo turned to a cat th the moment a mouse appeared they forgot their parts their audience and their manager at the sight eight of the dianh viands which were introduced in the tho course of the piece and dropping on all fours fell to with the native voracity of their race the performance was concluded by their hanging in triumph their enemy the cat and dancing round her body itt iti the fol foi following loving fact although inhere interesting sting liing is not new to us when rats have once found their wa way yinto into a ship they are secure as long as the cargo is on board provided they can command the great necessary water if this is well guarded they wilf will resort to extraordinary expedients to procure it in a rainy night they will come on deck to drink arink and will even ascend the rigging to sip the teg moisture which lies in the folds of the balls sails when reduced to extremities thy they will attack the spirit casks and get so drun drunk that they are unable to walk home the land rat will in like ilke manner gnaw the metal tubes which in public houses lead from the spirit store to the tap and is as convivial on these occasions as his nautical relation the entire race haye have a quick ear for running liquid and they constantly eat into leaden pipes and much to their astonishment receive a douche bath in consequence nor is the rat a touch of christian f a sussex clergyman testifies in the following 1 1 walking out in 16 some meadows one evening evening 1 be e observed a great ireat number of rats anig migrating rating from one place to 0 o another he stood perfectly act still and the whole assemblage passed close to him HH hj astonishment however was great when ife he saw amongst the number an old blind r rat rae 1 which ch held a piece of stick at one end e n d in in its mouth while another had hold hoid ofte other end of it and thus conducted its bind blind companion A kindred circumstance was witnessed in 1757 byar by mr burdew a surgeons mate on board the lancaster lying awake one one evening in his berth he saw a rat enter look cautiously round and retire he soon boon returned leading a second rat who appeared to be blind by the ear A third rat joined them shortly afterwards and assisted the ori orl original gindl conductor in picking up fragments of biscuit and placing them before their inai r ri deare nt as old patriarch 9 U ap pp M to be in confirmation of their sagacity eaga city y th the e writer wn t er tells the following very ve ay iy curious it ory g i incredible incredible as the story may day appe appear mr re removing howg henby hens eggs by one fellow his back and grappin grasping g tightly V MR y his hia doovid burden with his foreba forepaws Ts whilst whilst his coffi comrades drag him hlin away b by th entail ive ire we have llave na no reason to dlab diab disbelieve eleve it knowing as we do that they will c carry larry eggs from the bottom to the top ton of a house lifting them from stair to stair the first rat pushing them up on its bind hind and the second efting lif ting them with its for tor foreleg elege ther thel the will extract the cotton fio from mafla a sask hask S k of 0 frince afore nce oil dipping in their long talis tails and repeating the manoeuvre until ebey ibey have consumed every drop we have found lumps jumps of sugar in deep drawers ata distance of 0 thirty the place where the petty larceny was vaa committed and a friend saw a h rat fat mount actable on which a drum of figs vas was placed aad straightway tip it over scattering its contents on the floor flor fi adath neatha where there d r r beof d of his expectant brethren sat watching for the winda windfall ji j but ap the writer falip rail rall into a strang strangle te argro oversight ight when he hads adds that theratus the rats instinct is no lebs less in the selection 0 of sui sul suitable tabie tAble food ay jn in the selection of food theres th ereis nathl nothing 1 n g more intelligent r teil tell igent than in the union of an a acid cid with a base rats are cju worth an aih gih win aee three I 1 ahl ahi I 1 lin gsa 1 dozen dozen for sporting g pur purposes 9 oses I 1 conse jonse consequently dently gently rat catch ins ing is a br branch of human iri lri industry astry i the underground city of sew bew sewers erb ers becomes one 0 e vast hunting ground in 1 n which men regularly gain a liv livelihood b oy c capturing apt them before entering the wod the associates socia tes generally plan what routes they will take and at i hat point tuey willi meet possibly with the dea idea of driving their prey towards a cei central i itral spot they go in couples each eich man ca carrying bryin g a lighted lighted candle with a tin tia rel rei re lector Hector a baga bag a sieve and a spade the spade and sieve being belog used for examining any deposit which promises tp to contain coptain some article of value the moment the rat brat sees the light he runs along the sides of the tha drain just above the line of the sewage sewa 1 I e water the men follow follo ivl and speedily 1 I y overtake the winded animal which no sooner finds his bis pursuers pursuer 3 gaining upon him than he sets up a pl shrill in the tiye midst of which he is seized with the bare hand behind the ears and deposited in the bag in this manner a dozen will captured ia in as many ii minutes when driven to bay at the end of a blind bilna ewer sewer s they will often fly at the boots of their pursuers in the most determined manner A company has been established in paris upon the hudsons Hud sons bay principle to buy up all the rats of the country for the sake of their skin the soft nap of the fur when dressed dressed is of the tho most mast bea hea beautiful i udel texture far exceeding in delicacy that of the beaver and the hatters consequently use it as a substitute the hide is employed to make the thumbs of 0 the best gloves the elasticity and closeness of Us its texture rendering it preferable to kid |
