XIV. DOR- 24. DOR MOUSE. Two cutting teeth in each jaw. Long tail covered with hair. Mus avellanarum minor. The Dor- 220. The Dormouse. Edw. 266. Gefner quad. 162. fon quad. 115. De Buffon, Tom. viii. 193. Tab. 26. Glis fupra rufus infra albicans. Brif- Br. Zool. 45. Syn. quad. No. 219. MANNERS. TH HIS animal agrees with the fquirrel in its food, residence, and fome of its actions: on firft fight it bears a general réfemblance to it; but on a closer inspection, fuch a difference may be discovered in its feveral parts, as vindicates M. Briffon for forming a diftinct genus of the Dormice, or Glires. These want the fifth claw on the interior fide of their fore-feet; nor are their ears adorned with thofe elegant tufts of hair that distinguish the squirrel kind. These diftinctions prevale in the other fpecies, such as the Lerot and Loir. Dormice inhabit woods, or very thick hedges; forming their nefts in the hollow of fome low tree, or near the bottom of a clofe fhrub: 99 fhrub as they want much of the fprightlinefs of the fquirrel, they never afpire to the tops of trees; or, like it, attempt to bound from spray to spray: like the squirrel they form little magazines of nuts, &c. for winter provifion; and take their food in the fame manner, and fame upright posture. The confumption of their hoard during the rigor of the feafon is but fmall: for they fleep most part of the time; retiring into their holes at the first approach of winter, they roll themfelves up, and lie almoft torpid the greatest part of that gloomy season. In that space, they fometimes experience a short revival, in a warm funny day; when they take a little food, and then relapfe into their former state. The fize of the dormouse is equal to that of a moufe; but has a plumper appearance, and the nofe is more blunt; the eyes are large, black, and prominent; the ears are broad, rounded, thin, and femi-transparent: the fore-feet are furnished with four toes; the hind-feet with five; but the interior toes of the hind-feet are deftitute of nails: the tail is about two inches and a half long, closely covered on every fide with hair: the head, back, fides, belly, and tail, are of a tawny red color; the throat white. These animals feldom appear far from their retreats, or in any open place; for which reafon they feem lefs common in England than they really are. They make their nefts of grafs, moss, and dead leaves; and bring ufually three or four young at a time. DESCRIP. NEST. XV. RAT. 25. BLACK. MANNERS. Two cutting teeth in each jaw. Four toes before, five behind, very slender tail; naked, or very flightly haired. T HE rat is the most pernicious of any of our smaller qua is drupeds our meat, corn, paper, cloaths, furniture, in fhort every conveniency of life is a prey to this deftructive creature: nor does it confine itself to thefe; but will make equal havoke among our poultry, rabbets, or young game. Unfortunately for us it is a domeftic animal, always refiding in houses, barns, or granaries; and nature has furnished it with fore-teeth of fuch strength, as enable it to force its way through the hardest wood, or oldest morter. It makes a lodge, either for its day's refidence, or for a neft for its young, near a chimney; and improves the warmth of it, by forming there a magazine of wool, bits of cloth, hay hay or straw. It breeds frequently in the year, and brings about fix or seven young at a time: this fpecies increases fo faft, as to over-stock their abode; which often forces them, through deficiency of food, to devour one another: this unnatural difpofition happily prevents even the human race from becoming a prey to them: not but that there are inftances of their gnawing the extremities of infants in their fleep. The greatest enemy the rats have is the weefel; which makes infinitely more havoke among them than the cat ; for the weefel is not only endowed with fuperior agility; but, from the form of its body, can pursue them through all their retreats that are impervious to the former. The Norway rat has also greatly leffened their numbers, and in many places almost extirpated them: this will apologize for a brief description of an animal once fo well known. Its length DESCRIP. from the nose to the origin of the tail, is feven inches: the tail is near eight inches long: the nofe is fharp-pointed, and furnished with long whifkers: the color of the head and whole upper part of the body is a deep iron-grey, bordering on black; the belly is of a dirty cinereous hue; the legs are of a dufky color, and almost naked: the fore-feet want the thumb or interior toe, having only in its place a claw: the hind-feet are furnish with five toes. Among other officers, his British majefty has a rat-catcher, dif- KING'S tinguished by a particular drefs, fcarlet embroidered with yellow RAT-CATCHER. worsted, in which are figures of mice destroying wheat-fheaves. Mus 26. BROWN. DESCRIP. His T. Mus fylveftris, Rat de bois. Briffon TH Mus norvegicus. Klein quad. 56. Mus ex norvegia. Seb. Mus. Tom. ii. 64. Tab. 63. Br, Zool. 47. Syn. quad. No. 227. HIS is a very large fpecies; thicker, and of a stronger make than the common rat: the length from the end of the nose to the beginning of the tail, is nine inches; the length of the tail the fame; the ufual weight eleven ounces: the ears resemble those of the rat: the eyes large and black: the color of the head and whole upper part of the body is a light brown, mixed with tawny and afh-color: the end of the nofe, the throat and belly, are of a dirty white, inclining to grey: the feet and legs almost bare; and of a dirty pale flesh-color: the beginning of the tail is of the fame color as the back; the reft of the tail is covered with minute dufky fcales, mixed with a few hairs. This is the species well known in this kingdom under the name of the Norway rat; but it is an animal quite unknown in Scandinavia, as we have been affured by feveral natives of the countries that form that tract: and Linnæus takes no notice of it in his last system. It is fit here to remark an error that gentleman has in speaking of the common rat, which he fays was first brought from America into Europe by means of a fhip bound to Antwerp. The fact is, that both rat and moufe were unknown to the new world before it was difcovered by the Europeans, and the firft rats Lin. fyft. 83. |