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  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOURTH 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  

  

  germination 
  the 
  wheat 
  is 
  almost 
  free, 
  the 
  pulpy 
  maize 
  stems 
  still 
  attract 
  

  

  the 
  rats. 
  

  

  Grams, 
  Peas 
  and 
  Vetch. 
  These 
  crops 
  are 
  ravaged 
  from 
  the 
  time 
  

   when 
  they 
  are 
  sown 
  until 
  they 
  are 
  harvested. 
  When 
  the 
  plants 
  are 
  

   high 
  and 
  have 
  pods, 
  the 
  rats 
  jump 
  up, 
  bend 
  down 
  the 
  shoot 
  and 
  eat 
  out 
  

   the 
  soft 
  seeds 
  from 
  the 
  pods. 
  

  

  Control. 
  

  

  Poisoning, 
  Fumigation 
  and 
  Trapping 
  are 
  the 
  three 
  methods 
  that 
  are 
  

   generally 
  advised 
  for 
  the 
  control 
  of 
  this 
  pest. 
  

  

  Poisoning. 
  Various 
  poisons 
  were 
  tried. 
  Strychnine 
  (Sulphate), 
  

   Barium 
  Carbonate, 
  Plaster 
  of 
  Paris, 
  Arsenious 
  Acid. 
  The 
  poison 
  was 
  

   mixed 
  with 
  a 
  bait 
  consisting 
  of 
  wheat, 
  gram, 
  grains 
  of 
  crushed 
  oats, 
  

   etc. 
  It 
  was 
  observed 
  that 
  field-rats, 
  unlike 
  the 
  house-rats, 
  do 
  not 
  

  

  relish 
  flour. 
  

  

  To 
  see 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  poison, 
  all 
  the 
  rat 
  burrows 
  were 
  closed 
  one 
  day, 
  

   and 
  those 
  which 
  were 
  found 
  reopened 
  next 
  morning 
  were 
  taken 
  to 
  be 
  

   inhabited. 
  Poisoned 
  bait 
  was 
  put 
  in 
  them 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  subsequently 
  

   closed. 
  In 
  those 
  that 
  remained 
  closed 
  the 
  next 
  day, 
  presumably 
  the 
  

   rats 
  had 
  died; 
  otherwise, 
  if 
  living, 
  they 
  would 
  hav« 
  reopened 
  them 
  

   during 
  the 
  intervening 
  night. 
  (In 
  every 
  experiment 
  some 
  of 
  such 
  

   burrows 
  were 
  actually 
  dug 
  open 
  and 
  dead 
  rats 
  were 
  found 
  inside). 
  Those 
  

   that 
  were 
  reopened 
  the 
  next 
  morning 
  after 
  treatment 
  did 
  not 
  all 
  

   contain 
  live 
  rats, 
  because 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  rats 
  after 
  eating 
  the 
  poisoned 
  

   bait 
  did 
  not 
  die 
  immediately, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  poison 
  other 
  than 
  

   strychnine, 
  but 
  came 
  out 
  of 
  their 
  homes 
  as 
  usual 
  and 
  then, 
  after 
  some 
  

   time, 
  when 
  the 
  poison 
  began 
  to 
  have 
  its 
  effect, 
  they 
  went 
  in 
  and 
  died. 
  

   To 
  find 
  out 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  reopened 
  burrows 
  which 
  had 
  rats 
  dead 
  in 
  

   this 
  way, 
  all 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  closed 
  again 
  without 
  putting 
  anything 
  in 
  

   them 
  and 
  those 
  that 
  remained 
  closed 
  on 
  the 
  third 
  day 
  had 
  either 
  dead 
  

   rats 
  or 
  their 
  occupants 
  had 
  run 
  away 
  after 
  eating 
  the 
  bait. 
  So 
  the 
  

   burrows 
  that 
  were 
  reopened 
  on 
  the 
  next 
  morning 
  after 
  treatment 
  and 
  

   were 
  simply 
  closed 
  and 
  again 
  found 
  reopened 
  the 
  third 
  morning, 
  had 
  

  

  living 
  rats. 
  

  

  Rats 
  from 
  burrows 
  treated 
  with 
  strychnine 
  mostly 
  died 
  outside 
  

   their 
  homes. 
  This 
  was 
  especially 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  season. 
  But 
  

   in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  other 
  poisons, 
  the 
  percentage 
  of 
  those 
  that 
  died 
  outside 
  

  

  was 
  very 
  small. 
  

  

  Strychnine. 
  

  

  Mode 
  of 
  preparation 
  of 
  the 
  hait. 
  Half 
  a 
  chhitak 
  (1 
  oz.) 
  of 
  strychnine 
  

   sulphate 
  was 
  dissolved 
  in 
  three 
  clihitaks 
  of 
  warm 
  water. 
  A 
  thick 
  syrup 
  

   of 
  sugar 
  {shaJcar; 
  black 
  sugar 
  preferably), 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  heating 
  two 
  

  

  