The Rat; Its History & Destructive Character. James Rodwell
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about him which might, as it were, charm or stupefy them; and the second was to see if their teeth were perfect; as in the event of their being drawn, that would of course disable them from hurting each other, and they would soon grow tired of quarrelling and fighting.
On both occasions I had a rat and the ferret out in my own hand, and resting on my arms together. The ferret certainly was one of the most clean and handsome animals of the kind I ever saw, and had one of the finest and most perfect set of teeth I ever beheld; and so had the rat. These facts sufficed to show the groundlessness of my suspicions as to there being any drug, charm, or delusion in the matter; for they were as tame and tractable with me as with him, and quietly submitted to every examination without the least discomfiture. Indeed, the only uneasiness they evinced was while struggling with each other as to which should first get into the bosom of my shirt. The rat got in first, and was directly followed by the ferret. In they drew themselves, tails and all, and there they lay quietly snoozing together; so that passers-by did not dream that I had anything of the kind about me. Yet do not suppose that even I was a privileged person, because if you will take the trouble to call, and give the owner a trifle, he will take them out, and they will do the same with you as they did with me, providing you treat them kindly, and not pinch their tails, as some cruel passers-by do.
Here let me warn some thoughtless persons of a wanton act of cruelty. Among the rats in the cage there are several with portions of their tails gone, some having lost half their tails, others nearly all, and so on. On my inquiring the cause, the man told me it was through the spectators cruelly nipping their tails with their thumb-nails, as they popped through the wires; and that where they nipped them, there would their tails rot off. This, I am satisfied will be sufficient to induce any person of feeling to check such wantonness where they see it. But let me proceed with my narrative of tame rats.
In a wild and undisturbed state, how often are rats to be seen so indifferent to man that they will scarcely take the trouble to get out of his way. This indifference arises either from indolence in the man, pressure of business, or kindness of disposition; and thus are rats often charged with daring and impudence which, in truth, is only a confidence they have acquired in man through coming so frequently in contact with him without molestation. I have known instances of their ascending from the bottom of the house to the drawing-room, and eating the crumbs beneath the table that have fallen from supper, while persons were seated at the fireside in comfortable conversation; nor would they go out unless driven; but, upon being left alone, they would clear the carpet, and quietly depart.
In Neale’s “Residence at Siam,” the author says he was astonished, on visiting the houses of some of the inhabitants, to see a huge rat walking about the room, and crawling up the master’s legs in a cool familiar manner. Instead of repulsing it, or evincing any horror or alarm, he took it up in his hands, and fondly caressed it; and then Mr. Neale learned, for the first time, that it was a custom prevalent at Bankok to keep pet rats, which are taken very young, and carefully reared, till they attain a perfectly monstrous size, from good and plentiful feeding. The domestic rats are kept expressly to free the house of other rats; and so ferocious are they in their attacks, that few houses where they are kept are ever annoyed with either mice or rats.
I have met with another instance of the above kind. A friend, by trade a corn-dealer, told me that he had at home one of the finest rats in England, and that he would not take the best ten sovereigns coined for it. Upon further inquiry, he told me that he found it when quite young in the corner of a bin, and that curiosity prompted him to have it emasculated. The consequence was that it grew up one of the finest fellows ever seen, and as tame and playful as a dog. But for keeping the place clear of vermin, it was worth all the cats and rat-catchers in the neighbourhood. For my own part, I feel no hesitation in saying that any one who could feel a fancy for such a thing would find the results most satisfactory.
A man living at Witnesham teaches rats to perform various tricks, such as picking up cards, drinking out of glasses, &c.; and what is even more extraordinary, he has in his possession ten rats, the lightest of which weighs four pounds.
The “Naturalist’s Cabinet” gives an interesting account of a gentleman who, about thirty years since, was travelling through Mecklenberg, and was witness to a very singular circumstance:—“In the post house at New Hargard, after dinner, the landlord placed on the floor a large dish of soup, and then gave a loud whistle. Immediately there came into the room a mastiff, a fine Angora cat, an old raven, and a remarkably large rat with a bell about its neck. They all four went to the dish, and, without disturbing each other, fed together; after which the dog, cat, and rat lay before the fire, while the raven hopped about the room. The landlord, after accounting for the familiarity which existed among these animals, informed his guest that the rat was by far the most useful of the four; for the noise he made with his bell had completely freed the house of rats and mice, with which it had been previously seriously infested.” This I know, to a certain extent, would have the effect mentioned. But that is not removing the national evil; it is only driving the calamity from your own house into that of your neighbours, and to the country at large. It matters little as to whether the rats have eaten up all farmer Smith’s corn, or farmer Johnson’s; the corn is missing in the market, and hence is the price of bread affected, without any advantage to the farmer, who has no corn to sell. But I shall mention this subject hereafter, and at present proceed with the taming of rats.
In Lee’s “Habits and Instinct of Animals,” it is related that two ladies were walking out one day and were accosted by a man who requested them to buy a beautiful little dog which he carried in his arms, and which was covered all over with beautiful, long, curly, white hair. Such things are not uncommon in that part of London, and the ladies passed on without heeding him. He followed, and repeated his intreaties, stating that, as it was the last he had to sell, they should have it at a reasonable price. They looked at the animal, and thought it a most exquisite little creature. The result was that they purchased it. The man took it home, received the money, and leaving the animal in the arms of one of the ladies, went about his business like an honest man. In a short time the imaginary dog, which had been very quiet in spite of a restless bright eye, began to show symptoms of uneasiness; and, as he ran about the room, he exhibited some unusual movements, which rather alarmed the fair purchasers. At last, to their great dismay, the dog ran squeaking up one of the window-curtains; so that when the gentleman of the house returned home a few minutes after, he found the ladies in consternation, and right glad to have his assistance. He vigorously seized the animal, took out his penknife, cut off its covering, and displayed a large rat to their astonished eyes, and to its own destruction. But Mr. Lee of course vouches for the truth of this upon the respectability of his authors, and consequently makes apparent two facts—first, that the ladies were perfectly ignorant of the peculiarity of dogs’ teeth, &c.; secondly, that the rat must have been a very tame one to bear so much handling.
It is well known that the Japanese tame rats, and teach them to perform many entertaining tricks, and, thus instructed, they are exhibited as a show for the diversion of the public. Indeed there is no doubt but, through the natural shrewdness of the rat, he might be taught to do many extraordinary feats.
In Belgium, a short time ago, there was a company of theatrical rats, which went through dramatic performances with admirable success. They were dressed up like men and women, walked on their hind legs, and mimicked, with curious exactness, many of the ordinary stage effects. On one point only were they intractable. During the performance the manager had to bring in some food; but the instant it made its appearance, they forgot their parts, the master, and the audience, and, falling on all fours, set to work most heartily to devour it; that done, the performance concluded by their hanging the stuffed cat, and dancing right merrily round it.
At Rochester, some few years ago, a singular incident occurred. The landlords of the Victualling Office Tavern had a beautiful tortoiseshell cat, the admiration of every one who came to the house. One day she kittened, and all the kittens were drowned. The poor cat felt the loss of her sucklings, and was whining and mewing all over the place in evident distress, but no notice was taken of her. But some few days after, some of the children came across her nest, and saw her in the act of suckling what they thought to be a young kitten. They mentioned the circumstance at the dinner-table, and were laughed at for their trouble; but upon their insisting