WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS 



open and uncovered in their runs. They then do not seem 

 to suspect any danger, but when the trap is covered they 

 are sure to detect its presence, and, Hke all wild animals, 

 they are much more cautious in avoiding a concealed dan- 

 ger than an open one. Poison is the best means of getting 

 rid of them, and the manner of applying it is as follows: — 

 For the space of a fortnight feed the rats with good whole- 

 some meal & water in some quiet room or cellar accessible 

 to all these troublesome inmates of your house. At first two 

 or three rats may find it out; these are sure to lead others 

 to the place, till the whole company of freebooters go for 

 their share. As soon as you see that they seem to have col- 

 lected in numbers in your feeding-room, season your meal 

 with plenty of arsenic, and you may be pretty sure of its 

 beinorall devoured. Continue giving them this till you find 

 no more come, and by that time probably there are none 

 left alive in the house. The only danger is, that some of 

 them may die behind the wainscots of your rooms, in 

 which case you must either open the place and search till 

 you find the dead animal, or you must vacate that room till 

 the dreadful stench is over. That rats carry off hens' and 

 even turkeys' eggs to some considerable distance is a fact; 

 how they accomplish this feat I should like to know, as 

 they do it without breaking the shell, or leaving any mark 

 upon it. A crow or magpie, Columbus like, shortens the 

 difficulty by sticking the lower mandible of his bill into a 

 hen's egg when he wants to carry it off, but this is beyond 

 a rat's capabilities; nevertheless eggs form one of their fav- 

 ourite repasts. The increase of rats, if left to breed in peace, 

 would exceed that of almost any other animal, as they pro- 



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