Anecdotes of the Habits and Instinct of AnimalsLee, R., Mrs.
General
Anecdotes of the Habits and Instinct of Animals
Lee, R., Mrs.
Animal behavior -- Juvenile literature
The report states, that the carcases of horses killed one day, and
amounting to thirty-five, would be found the next morning with the bones
picked clean. A person of the name of Dusaussois, belonging to the
establishment, made this experiment. A part of his yard was enclosed by
solid walls, at the foot of which, several holes were made for the
entrance and exit of the rats. Into this enclosure he put the bodies of
three horses, and in the middle of the night he stopped up all the holes
as quietly as he could; he then summoned several of his workmen, and
each, armed with a torch and a stick, entered the yard, and carefully
closed the door. They then commenced a general massacre; in doing
which, it was not necessary to take aim, for wherever the blow fell, it
was sure to knock over a rat, none being allowed to escape by climbing
over the walls. This experiment was repeated at intervals of a few days,
and at the end of a month, 16,050 rats had been destroyed. In one night
they killed 2,650; and yet this cannot give an entirely adequate idea of
their number, for the yard in question did not cover more than a
twentieth part of the space allotted to killing horses. The rats in this
place have made burrows for themselves, like catacombs; and so great is
their number, that they have not found room close by the
slaughter-houses. They have gone farther; and the paths to and from
their dwellings may be traced across the neighbouring fields.
The Zoological Gardens in the Regent's Park, are greatly infested by
rats; but they are too cunning to stay there during the day time, when
they might be more easily caught; so they in the morning cross the canal
to the opposite shore, and return in the evening to commit their
depredations.
The Water-rats, or Voles, eat fishes, frogs, and toads, besides other
food, and do infinite mischief to banks and dams, which they undermine.
Their smell is so acute, that they will not approach a trap over which a
hand has been passed; and they are particularly abundant in all places
where herrings are cured, leaving them when the season is over. The
thing of all others which attracts rats of all kinds, is a piece of
roast beef; of which they are so fond, that they have been known to kill
a companion who has eaten some, that they might devour the contents of
his stomach.
Dr. Carpenter was told by a trustworthy eyewitness, that she saw a
number of rats safely convey some eggs down a flight of stairs, from a
store room, to their own dwellings. They stationed themselves on each
stair, and each egg, held in the fore paws, was handed from one rat to
another the whole way. The rats who dipped their tails into a jar of
treacle, into which they could not dip their paws, and suffered their
companions to lick them afterwards, is a well known story.
Rats have often attacked children who have been left in a room by
themselves; and infants have even lost their lives from the blood which
their bites have caused to flow.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account