Rats Carrying Eggs Upstairs 搬鸡蛋上楼的老鼠
Rats are very ingenious little creatures;they have actually been known to convey eggs up a staircase,from the pantry to their nest!Here is a beautiful picture,by Mr.Harrison Weir,from The Children's Friend,showing how they did it.The rat bears little resemblance to the rats with which we are chiefly acquainted,namely,the black rat,the albino or white rat,and the brown rat.
The other day,as I was walking by the river-side,I saw a beautiful little creature sitting on a stone in the stream,with a piece of succulent root between its forepaws,and nibbling its repast in perfect peace with every living thing.It was timid and innocent in the expression of its countenance.Its color was of a reddish brown.It was about as large as the common rat of the sewers,but its tail was much shorter,and covered with hair.
老鼠是非常机灵的小生物。据说它们曾经把鸡蛋从楼下的食品储藏室搬到了楼上的窝里！它们是怎么搬的，看这幅图就知道了。这是哈里森·威尔先生为《孩子们的朋友》画的插图。图上的老鼠和我们平时熟悉的那些黑鼠、白化鼠或白鼠以及棕鼠不太一样。
有一天，我在河边散步的时候，看到一只漂亮的小老鼠坐在河流中间的一块石头上，前爪捧着一块汁多味美的菜根在那里啃得忘乎所以，一副胆怯、天真的表情。它身体呈红棕色，大小和下水道里常见的老鼠相差无几，只是，尾巴短多了，还毛茸茸的。
