36o BIRDS, BEASTS, AND FISHES 



duckling even to two months of age lying by the dike-side, 

 with a hole large enough to admit your little finger bitten in its 

 throat. And if you wish for revenge, you set your steel-fall 

 baited with a duckling, putting the trap under water, and it 

 may be the next morning you will find your thief looking 

 mournfully up and down the dike. 



I remember an old keeper who loathed rats, and his hatred 

 began in this way. His cottage was in the heart of the 

 swamps, in the midst of the jungle. One day he wanted 

 to get six brace of snipe for his master's table. Going 

 forth, he got two brace before breakfast, and laid them on a 

 bench before his " clear," whilst he went indoors for his meal. 

 When he came out, they were gone. He found a wing in 

 the rushes, and "laid that to an old rat." Taking his gun, 

 he went forth and got seven and a half brace of snipe before 

 the night. On his return to his cottage, he dressed the 

 birds, and laid them on the table in his room — it Avas a one- 

 roomed cottage. About one o'clock in the morning he was 

 awakened by a noise at the door ; he got up and went to 

 the door, but saw nothing. Coming back to bed, he turned 

 in again, and was again awakened about an hour afterwards 

 by the same noise. Rising, he went to the door, and as 

 he opened it a great rat flew past him into the room. 

 Shutting the door quickly, he lit his candle, and arming 

 himself with his poker, made for the rat; but the rat was 

 too sharp for the old fellow, and kept dodging him till he 

 was shining with perspiration, and well-nigh spent. At last 

 the rat, being pressed, jumped into an old tea-chest, filled 

 with nets and liggers. As the old keeper moved the chest, 

 the rat jumped out, and got into the corner, imprisoned by 

 the chest, where the poker finished him. But his daring 

 and wolfish nature is well shown by the story — he wanted 

 the snipe. 



In the prime of summer-time, when the sandpipers call 

 in the dikes, these rats will go down from their burrows, and 

 lie by the water, "laying up" in the cool dampness of the 



