it ever knew, were introduced there by a fhip from Antwerp*. This animal never made its appearance in England till about forty years ago. It has quite extirpated the common kind wherever it has taken its refidence; and it is to be feared that we fhall scarce find any benefit by the change; the Norway rat having the fame difpofition, with greater abilities for doing mischief, than the common kind. This fpecies burrows like the water rat, in the banks of rivers, ponds and ditches; it takes the water very readily, and fwims and dives with great celerity: like the black fpecies, it preys on rabbets, poultry, and all kind of game; and on grain and fruits. It increases most amazingly fast, producing from fourteen to eighteen young at a time. Its bite is not only fevere, but dangerous;. the wound being immediately attended with a great fwelling, and is a long time in healing. Thefe rats are so bold, as fometimes to turn upon those who purfue them, and faften on the stick or hand of fuch as offer to ftrike them. M. Briffon describes this same animal twice under different names, p. 170 under the title of le rat du bois; and again, p. 173 under that of le rat de norvege. M. de Buffon ftiles it le Surmulot; as refembling the mulots, or field mice, in many refpects; but exceeding them in bulk. I suspect that this rat came in fhips originally from the East Indies; a large brown fpecies being found there, called Bandicotes, which burrow under ground. Barbot‡ alfo mentions a fpecies inhabiting the fields in Guinea, and probably the fame with this. Ovalle's Hift. of Chile in Churchill's Voy. iii. 43. + This fpecies reached the neighborhood of Paris, about feventeen years ago.. Churchill's Coll. Voy. 214. Le MANNERS. LINNEUS, from the external appearance of this animal, has in one of his fyftems placed it in the fame genus with the beaver. The form of the head, the fhortnefs of the ears, and the thickness of the fur and the places it haunts, vindicate in fome degree the opinion that naturalift was at that time of: but the form of the tail is fo different from that of the beaver, as to oblige him to restore the water rat to the clafs in which he found it, in the fyftem of our illuftrious countryman Ray. The water-rat never frequents houfes; but is always found on the banks of rivers, ditches and ponds, where it burrows and breeds. It feeds on fmall fifh, or the fry of greater; on frogs, infects, and fometimes on roots: it has a fifhy tafte; and in fome countries is eaten; M. de Buffon informing us that the peasants in France eat it on maigre days. It fwims and dives admirably well, and continues long under water, water, though the toes are divided like thofe of the common rat; not connected by membranes, as Mr. Ray imagined; and as Linnæus, and other writers, relate after him. The male weighs about nine ounces; the length seven inches from the end of the nose to the tail; the tail five inches: on each foot are five toes, the inner toe of the fore-foot is very small; the first joint of the latter is very flexible, which muft affift it greatly in swimming, and forming its retreat. The head is large, the ears fmall, and scarce appear through the hair: the nose blunt, and the eyes little the teeth large, ftrong, and yellow: the head and body are covered with thick and pretty long hairs, chiefly black; but mixed with fome of a reddish hue: the belly is of an iron-grey: the tail is covered with fhort black hairs, the tip of it with white hairs. A female that we opened had fix young ones in it. Mus domefticus medius. Raii fyn. quad. 218. Mus cauda longa fupra e fufco flavef cens infra ex albo cinerefcens. Briffon quad. 123. Mus fylvaticus, M. cauda longa palmis 28. FIELD. Faun. Suec. 36. De Buffon, Tom. vii. 325, Tab. 41. Brit. Zool. 49. Syn. quad. No. 230. Brit. Llygoden ganolig. Llygoden Fren. Le Mulot T y maes Dan. Voed HIS measures from the nose-end to the fetting on of the eyes MANNERS. eyes are black, large, and full: the ears prominent: the head and upper part of the body, is of a yellowish brown, mixed with some dufky hairs the breaft is of an ochre color; the rest of the under fide is white: the tail is covered with fhort hair. These animals are found only in fields and gardens: in fome places they are called bean-mice, from the havoke they make among beans when first fown. They feed alfo on nuts, acorns, and corn, forming in their burrows vaft magazines of winter provision. Sæpe exiguus mus Sub terris pofuitque domos atque horrea fecit. Often the little mouse Illudes our hopes; and fafely lodged below Doctor Derbam takes notice of this wonderful fagacity of theirs, in providing against that feafon when they would find a defect of food abroad: but they provide alfo for other animals: the hog comes in for a fhare; and the great damage we fuftain in our fields, by their rooting up the ground, is chiefly owing to their search after the concealed hoards of the field mice. They generally make the neft for their young very near the furface, and often in a thick tuft of grafs; they bring from seven to ten at a time. Syn. Syn. quad. No. 231. Lefs long-tailed field moufe, Br. Zool. II. App. 498. HIS fpecies is very numerous in Hampshire, particularly TH during harvest. They form their neft above the ground, between the straws of the standing corn, and fometimes in thistles: it is of a round shape, and compofed of the blades of corn. They bring about eight young at a time. These never enter houses: but are often carried in the sheaves of corn into ricks; and often a hundred of them have been found in a fingle rick, on pulling it down to be houfed. Those that are not thus carried away in the fheaves, fhelter themselves during winter under ground, and burrow deep, forming a warm bed for themselves of dead grass. 29. HARVEST. They are the smallest of the British quadrupeds: their length DESCRIP. from nose to tail is only two inches and a half: their tail two inches: their weight one fixth of an ounce. They are more flender than the other long-tailed Field Moufe; their eyes lefs prominent; their ears naked, and standing out of the fúr; their tail flightly covered with hair; their back of a fuller red than the larger fpecies; inclining to the color of a Dormouse: the belly white; a ftrait line along the fides dividing the colors of the back and belly, |