The most determined instance of cannibalism among rats I ever witnessed took place about thirty years ago, at Ware-side, where I was at school. The Principal was a real old English schoolmaster, and the very antipodes of your modern pedagogues. He had no idea of storing our heads at the expense of our healths, or sending us home at Midsummer and Christmas a race of upstart, pigmy, juvenile men. His principle was to well fill our stomachs with the solids of life, and then, if any vacancy remained, to eke out with reading, writing, and arithmetic; but the latter only went as far as the rule of three—he cared nothing for anything beyond that, as it formed the boundary of his arithmetical knowledge; and since it had served his every purpose up to a good old age, why, of course, it was sufficient for any one else, and who dared dispute with a British schoolmaster in those days? His terms were tolerably reasonable, and to supply his establishment as economically as possible, he kept a farm, whereon he used to raise nearly everything for the school’s consumption, as well as supply the market on Saturdays.
The cows were wont to be brought from the farm to be milked in a cowhouse adjoining the play-ground; and against which, on the opposite side, stood a large faggot-stack. Now, it was Milly the housemaid’s business to milk these said cows. Milly was a pretty, laughing, dark-eyed, kind-hearted, curly-headed creature—one for whom nature had done much, but education nothing; yet, nevertheless, her cheerful, single-hearted, innocent hilarity would rivet the affections even of the most serious. Suffice it to say, that with Milly I was an especial favourite; consequently I used to come in for many little attentions and favours; such, for instance, as having a good fill of new milk sucked through a straw when master was out.
One afternoon, when on one of these succulent expeditions, I experienced two awful frights; for scarcely had I secreted myself in the cowhouse when I heard the master’s footsteps advancing from the adjoining stables. You may imagine my fright at being caught oat of the boundaries, when a retreat was impossible. Nor do I believe that our black cat felt more confounded and astonished when she missed the sparrow, and went souse into the water-butt, than I did at the terribly well-known grunting cough of this grand master of the rod. I thought he had gone to market, and I am satisfied that pussy did not scramble out of the water with greater agility than I clambered into the loft above the calf-pen, and as speedily buried myself among the straw. Nor was it till I heard the shuffling tramp of his heavy step and capacious slippers die gradually away, that I dared to breathe, or think myself something living.
While thus listening and musing, with all the frantic bogies of imagination dancing menacingly before my mental vision, I was suddenly aroused from my unenviable reverie by the grumbling and squealing of rats in the adjoining faggot-stack; when, through a hole in the boards, in tumbled a pair of monsters, rolly-polly over each other, and fighting like two bull-dogs. In came others in all directions, till the place seemed one mass of living rats. They all gathered close round the combatants—those behind scrambling and pushing on those before them, till there was not a ring a foot in diameter left to fight in. Those in front, and those immediately next them, were reared upon their hind quarters. By this time the stronger had got the weaker down, and was in the act of killing him, when his dying moans seemed to be the invitation for a general onslaught. They then, one and all, as if by a given signal, fell upon the combatants, and scrambled over each other’s backs—those behind struggling hard to be in at the death, till nothing of the victims was seen. Indeed they looked like a mound of rats, or all backs and tails. Presently there was a most violent and general struggle; so that you would have thought they were all fighting together. When one ran away, he was followed by others scrambling for a piece. Then a second, a third, and so on, till the combatants were torn to tatters; and then came the quarrelling, grumbling, and scranching of bones—’twas enough to make one’s hair stand on end. No sooner were they demolished, than in came a large fellow, evidently attracted either by the smell of blood, or sound of fighting, when, meeting a fellow-rat somewhat besmeared in the fray, he, without any ceremony, fell furiously upon him, and there was a second battle. The rest gathered round, the same as before, doubtless in hopes of having a second feast, when in came Milly, whose sudden appearance put them all to flight. She threw down the pails, and away she ran screaming with all her might. Now, thought I, is the time for my escape. Down I jumped, and seized a stick. In came the boys, heels over head, and I was busily engaged banging away at everything within reach, when in came the master, inquiring where the rats were. I told him they had passed through a hole into the faggot-stack. Out they all ran in pursuit; but no one thought to ask me whence I came, and so I got out of my difficulty.
Thus it appears evident that rats do not cluster round these outbreaks for the purposes of peace, but to gratify a carnivorous appetite for hot blood; and that they will greedily indulge this gloating propensity, whenever an opportunity offers, with any of the smaller animals as well as their own species.
There is a notion abroad that rats, when caught in a trap by the foot or leg, will sometimes escape by gnawing away the limb above the trap. This I believe to be perfectly erroneous, and I am supported in my opinion by a gentleman, where, speaking of the rats of Shropshire, he says: “So savage and voracious are the common Norway rats, that often and often, when one of these gentry is caught in a trap, the others attack and eat him up; and frequently the keepers find from ten to twenty rats caught in the rabbit-traps during the night, though set far away from ricks or buildings of any kind; and perhaps two-thirds of them before morning would be eaten by these cannibals of the worst kind; for,” he says, “they do not wait even to kill their brother rats in trouble before they feast upon them.”
One evening I called upon an acquaintance of mine to obtain some particular information, and found him just going to decide a wager respecting a large male ferret of the polecat breed, which was to destroy fifty rats within the hour. It must be borne in mind that this ferret was trained for the purpose. The rats were placed in a large square space measuring eight or ten feet from corner to corner. The ferret was put in, and it was astonishing to see the systematic way in which he set about his work. Some of the larger rats were very great cowards, and surrendered with scarcely a struggle; while some of the smaller, or three-parts-grown ones, fought most desperately. One of these drew my particular attention. The ferret, in making his attacks, was beaten off several times, to his great discomfiture; for the rat bit him most severely. At last the ferret bustled the fight and succeeded in getting the rat upon its back, with one of his feet upon the lower part of its belly. In this position they remained for some minutes, with their heads close to each other, and their mouths wide open. The ferret was rather exhausted with his former conflicts, and every move he made the rat bit him. At last he lost his temper, and making one desperate effort, he succeeded in getting the rat within his deadly grasp. He threw himself upon his side, and, cuddling the rat close to him, he fixed his teeth in its neck. While thus engaged, a rat was running carelessly about; all at once, when near the ferret, it threw up its head, as if a new idea had struck it; it retreated till it met with another, and it was astonishing to see the instantaneous effect produced in the second. Off they ran together to the corner where the ferret lay. The fact was, they scented the blood of either the rat or ferret, which in both was running in profusion. Without any further ceremony they seized the ferret fast by the crown of the head, and drew themselves up for a comfortable suck of warm blood. The ferret, feeling the smart, thought it was his old opponent that was struggling in his grasp, and bit his lifeless victim most furiously. Presently he let go the dead rat, and seemed astounded at the audacity of the others. He began to struggle, and they seemed quite offended at being disturbed at their repast. He very soon, however, succeeded in catching hold of one of them, and the other ran away, but only for a few seconds. The ferret demolished the whole fifty considerably under the hour. Nevertheless, two facts were established beyond a doubt—first, that rats are perfectly carnivorous; and, secondly, that they delight in sucking hot blood.
Having thus given some accounts of the worst propensities of rats, it is but fair to present some authenticated facts, as well as my own personal observation, in confirmation of their better qualities.
Mr. Bell quotes a case of fraternal affection among rats from Mr. Jesse. A gentleman was walking out in the meadows one evening, and observed a number of rats
