
2 1 g T h e - . M a m m ^ ^ r o ^ t ' ^ l ^ ^ ~ *" ^ p § §
National’ -Mouse (3ub in’ the not.. u&til* ,the twentieth!;
iUury.that classes for fancy^R^ts-came inf^hwli&~at ‘the shows.;i - ■
With respect to superstitions- atfkhipg to this speacs, Mr. Hartirig has tte
followin'» interesting nqte in fii,s ' ‘’Essays ’on Sport and Natural ffistory In- •
bygone times' it was a pteialenf nqtfoh that RAIS might be extirpated By -rv
persevering -course, of anathematising in rhyme Reginald Scott, in his/ 'Discovers ,
of Witchcraft ” (1584),-.say? the. Irish thought they could■ rhytne any,beast - to dtafh,; _
but the notion was in general .r^tripteVto the Rat. It" ts with reference;,to tfiis .,
belief or. practice that Shakespeasf ita; " A s ' You L ik e I t ( A c t pi,, scene 2> makes
Rosalind say, “ I never was -»■ iierhymed .since Pythagoras' time that ! was An
Irish R a t, which I can hardly rcmiember11 ” ’ ' ' ' ' ‘V ,V.(>' ‘ V.;:
:.-Mr^-WhU^er p a s s e s a white variety oT this species. p P p T ;v
.* •; v \ 5 M l54- ’ • V*
THE BROWN RAT.
Mus decumanus.