An Intelligent Rat

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Oct 23, 1884

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 40.

An Intelligent Rat.

A CORRESPONDENT sends to Nature the following incident:—

"I venture to publish a rather curious instance, which recently came under my own observation, of extraordinary intelligence in a rat. I was standing in the doorway of a large shed, the further end of which had been partitioned off with bars to form a fowl-house, when I was attracted by a gnawing and scraping noise; turning around, I saw a rat run from a large dog biscuit which was lying on the floor, and pass through the bars. Being curious to watch if he would return, I kept quiet, and presently saw a well-grown specimen of the common brown rat (Mus decumanus) come cautiously forward, and after nibbling for a short time at the biscuit, drag it toward the bars, which are only two inches apart, and would not allow the biscuit to pass. After several unsuccessful attempts he left it, and in about five minutes returned with another rat, smaller than himself. He then came through the bars, and, pushing his nose under the biscuit, gradually tipped it on the edge, rat number two pulling vigorously from the other side; by this means they finally succeeded in getting a four-inch biscuit through a two-inch aperture. Not feeling pleased that my dog's biscuits should be used as food for rats, I threw a hammer at them, and picked up the biscuit. I think the conduct of these animals showed a wonderful amount of intelligence; it was evident that the first rat saw that to get the biscuit through the bars it was necessary that it should be on its edge, and, not being able to tip it and pull it at the same time, he gained the assistance of a friend. The short space of time during which he was absent, and the concerted action, show also that they must have some wonderfully facile means of communicating ideas."