THE NATURALIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 1764, 12 September 1885, Page 27

THE NATURALIST.

The Rat. The rat is even more unconventional as a pet than is the mouse, and yet I believe there are few animals which will better repay petting. It is intellectual to a degree, as any professional ratcatcher can witness, for to catch an old rat is a feat which taxes human intellect to the utmost. Mr B. Waterhouse Hawkins told me a curious anecdote about the common rat. While he was employed in making those wonderful models of extinct animals which adorn the grounds of the Crystal Palace, his workshop was haunted by rats. It seems strange that so admirable a naturalist should retain the prejudices of early days, but Mr Hawkins has never been able to overcome a feeling of absolute loathing for the rat. As he had about 30 men working under him, and they carried their dinners with them, there were always plenty of scraps for the rats. When the men had gone away, Mr Hawkins used to see the young rats rush from their hiding-places to seize the food. But they were always intercepted by the old rats, who began operations by driving the young ones back again. A few of the old rats then cleared the plates of any remnants, and carried them into their holes. They then "returned to the plates and licked them clean. I have seen and'haadled a pair of tame rats belonging to some young friends, and prettier, more playful, and more intelligent pets could not be imagined. They were accustomed to run abp «.t > on the table at meal times. They never stole food, but when anything was offered ' them, they sat up on their ,hin,d legs, held the morsel between their fore paws, and ate it daintily. They were very fond of a game which I saw them play. The rats were put into the boy's cap, which was hung on the hatstand in the hall. The boy and his sister then went to the top of the house and whistled. At the sound of the whistle, the rats jumped out of •the cap, scrambled ,to th& floor, and then ran upstairs and perched on their owner's shoulders.

• ■ The general idea of the rat is that it is an illsavoured animal, dirty in its person, and revolting in its diet ; whereas it is delicately clean in person, and equally dainty in its food. It is ever washing itself, and never eats without .washing afterwards. As to the character of its food, no . animal can be more fastidious. Of course, those rats which are forced to live in sewers, and are invaluable as scavengers, have to eat what they can get, just as human beings must do when they cannot help themselves. But a rat, when it can choose its food, is the daintiest of animals. When it lives in granaries or cornricks, it wastes in tasting and rejecting at least twice as much as it eats. This daintiness is recognised by ivory workers. The docks where the elephants tusks are stored swarm with rats. Whenever a tusk bears the mark of rats' teeth, it is sure to be of the best quality, and fetches the highest price. The render may perhaps be unacquainted with the fact that most nutritious jelly is made from the shavings and filings left by the workers in ivory, and the rat has evidently anticipated man in his discovery of the value of ivory as food. Some admirable specimens of rat-marked tusks and of ivory filings as sold to confectioners may be seen in the Technological Gallery of the Crystal Palace.

Not only is the rat fastidious in its choice of food, but if- affords a dainty food itself, in connection with which fact I have had some amusing experiences. Some years agoJ mentioned incidentally in the course of a lecture that the Chinese who eat the rat habitually, and the Parisians who did so under compulsion, suffered no real hardship, as the flesh of the rat is not only nutritious, but really excellent and delicate food, far surp.assing that of the rabbit. Being pressed by the audience for further explanation, I told them that I spoke from practical experience, and that cold rat pie (of course made from barn rats) was a delicacy worthy of any epicure's table. — The Rev. J. G. Wood.

. When is a kangaroo supposed to be fullgrown ? People differ very much on this point, some holding that what is called an " old man," or " boomer," will be at least 20 years old, and others that an old man is full-grown at three years.

Peculiarities op Animals. — All ruminating hoofed beasts have horns and cloven feet. If the hoofs are even the horns are evan ; if odd, as in the rhinoceros, the horns are odd, that is single, or two placed one behind the other. Creatures with feathers always have beaks. Pigeons with short beaks have small feet. The long limbs of the hound are associated with a long head.

Sir Peter Lumsden brought with him to England, for the London Zoological-gardens, a very rare animal, the snow leopard or ounce, one of the most interesting of quadrupeds. Quite recently-by M. Temminck for instance-its existence was denied, and other naturalists of

the same date have called the beautiful beast a myth. Nor were they without a certain amount of justification ; for it is ona of the most curious facts in Eastern sport that hunters, though they met with the tracks of the ounce in abundance, and had it reported t.o thorn day after day, could never see one. The animal -has a lovely fur, primrose-white paliug iuto pure white rosetted with black rings, the hair an inch and a half long.

The " Life of Frank Buckland," formerly fish commissioner in England, creates a good deal of comment. He was a very peculiar genius, and the anecdotes told of him are many and relishing. Being a great student of nature, he carried the thing almost to an extreme which hardly became the dignity of his officQ. Among other things, he would invite midgets, giants, hairy-faced women, and curiosities of all kinds to dine with him, and would then escort them to their homes for a walk. He was so ardent a commissioner as to dive into streams, and beneath weirs in midwinter to examine the approaches for the salmon. Such an experiment is believed finally to have caused his death.