FERRETS AND RATS. 99 



put them in the holes where the rats were seen 

 making their escape. They will chase the rats 

 from one building to another, and thus the men 

 will be able to kill most of them with their clubs. 

 The ferrets will kill all the young rats they find 

 in the nests. They will not stop to eat a rat, 

 however, as long as there is a rat left in the holes 

 to be killed. 



^^We do not advise the use of a muzzle in 

 working ferrets on rats. When the ferrets have a 

 litter of young they will bring out all the rats 

 they kill for the young ferrets to eat. After they 

 have hunted for an hour or two they should be 

 put back in their pens. Give the ferrets a few 

 such hunts and the rats will leave. Eats are 

 very cautious animals and are afraid of ferrets. 

 They will not stay in the holes where ferrets are 

 worked occasionally. Hunting rats with ferrets 

 is great amusement. The boys especially take an 

 interest in this sport. Buy the boy a pair of fer- 

 rets and he will soon have your place cleared of 

 rats. Ferrets can be turned loose in cellars, 

 mills and storerooms and they thoroughly rid 

 the place of rats. The usual way is to have a pen 

 to keep them in when they are not being worked. 



Ferrets are particularly valuable to poultry 

 men to protect young chickens from the rats. A 

 rat will often carry off a whole brood of chickens 



