536 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



fast, and as driving the black rat before it— at least 

 thinnin<2; i(s numhers. But the brown rat aids in 

 keeping its own species in check, a large rat being 

 the terror of its weaker companions. Yet lero- 

 cioiis as they are, having no otijeciion to prey on 

 one another in lack of other provender, the female 

 rat manilesis strong maternal instinct, taking up 

 its young and running vviih them to son)e sup- 

 posed place of shelter on an alarm of danger, 

 such as the turning of a (erret into their lioles. 

 They breed three limes a year, producing liom 

 ten to twenty in a litter. 



The antagonists most dreaded by the rat are 

 the common weasel and the ferret. Tiiese hitle 

 creatures, in proportion to their size, are more 

 blood-thirsty and daring than the most tremendous 

 of the rapacious quadrupeds. A cat or a dog 

 c&nnot follow a rat into his hole, and a rat wdl 

 defend itself against eitlierwiih something of iis 

 natural courage, as long as there is the least 

 i'hance of successful resistance. But to use a 

 common phrase, i's "heart sinks" at the siijht of 

 a ferret. It will not die so helplessly submissive 

 as a rabbit does when assailed by a weasel or a 

 ftrret, for in all circumstances a rat will die snap- 

 ping and bilins if it can. But turn a single lerret 

 dDwn a rat-hole, and the alarm and horror it 

 ■ ceates is soon manifested. The rats Hy wher- 

 ever they can, the lerret pursuing and darling at 

 the neck. The ferret does not always escape 

 vithout savage wounds, lor rat catchers some- 

 times recover the animals they employ with such 

 tokens of their conflicts as the lo.'-\s of an eye. 

 This superiority of the ferret over the rat is not to 

 be attributed to mere superiority in strength, lor a 

 ferret is generally not above 14 inches in length, 

 exclusive of the tail. But it is a resolute and 

 dauntless creature, and not to be inliniidated by a 

 bite or two. The moment it lastens on its favor- 

 ite spot, the neck, its victim is secured, fnr it can- 

 not be shaken off till it has drained the life-blood. 

 All regular rat-catchers iherelbre keep a number 

 o! ferrets for Iheir occupation. The rais that fly 

 to the moulh of the holes are killed by the dogs, 

 while those who cannot escape meet a similar fate 

 from the lerret. But they do not employ lerrets 

 in places where there is a chance of losing them 

 by drains or sewers. The)'' set traps or use poi- 

 pon, and being well acquainted wiih the habits of 

 the creatures they are employed to destroy, are 

 enabled to catch or kill them wiih more success 

 than others. Thus ihey are careful in mixins 

 their poisons or baits to leave no scent which the 

 rat may detect so as to rouse its suspicion, and 

 they employ a little of some of the oils for which 

 rats have a strong predilection. One of these, as 

 is wt'll known, is the oil of rhodium. A bait 

 scented with it will draw a rat into almost any 

 trap, if the person who has handled it is careful 

 not to leave behind a scent or flavor of his hands. 

 A mixture made up in the Ibllowing proportions 

 has been very effectual :— a quart of oatmeal, 

 [bur drops of the oil of rhodium, a grain of musk, 

 and two nuts of nux vomica powdered. But, of 

 course, caution is re(]uisite in the employment of 

 poison ; and those who do not wish to have the 

 comfort ol their houses affected, will think of what 

 may follow if a poisoned rat dies behind the wain- 

 scot. A little perseverance will frequently drive 

 away rats fi-om a dwelling-house, if care is taken 

 to block up their holes wiih broken glass, &c., 



^nd plastering them over, repeating the process 

 wherever a new entry is made. If the house ia 

 in a country place tiiis may be done during sum.- 

 mer, vvhen the rats generally take to the fields. 

 But in large establishments, where they can find 

 food in abundance, and great liicilities lor shelter, 

 it is very difficult to get rid of ihe pests; all the 

 ordinary means are frequenily found to lail, such 

 as the use of traps, poison, ill-'.reating a rat and 

 leiling it off, &e. Tlie following little narrative 

 contains a lt;w particulars of what frequently oc- 

 curs vvhen the attempt to exterminate rats is not 

 managed properly. 



In a large establishment, where many men and 

 boys were employed, a colony of rats grew to 

 such an exient as to become a seriously destruc- 

 tive pest. Much time was lost every morning in 

 repairing damages inflicted on work during the 

 preceding niirht by these destructive gnawers; 

 and though Ibr a time poison seemed to have 

 some eflect, it lost its power, for the rats impu- 

 dently dragtjed out the dead bodies of their com- 

 rades, leaving them in the court-yard, or on the 

 floor, and then, insiructed by their instinctive sa- 

 gacity, refused to laste anything which their sense 

 of smell told them had poison mixed with it. A 

 number of cats were kept, but they were compa- 

 ratively useless, Ibr they either slept during the 

 night, or, overawed by the number of their anta- 

 gonists, did not ai tempi to give them much mo- 

 lestation. Traps were also employed, and for a 

 lime were useliji in diminishing the numbers of 

 the rats. Every morning many pri.^oners were 

 (bund in them, most of ihem however being ei- 

 ther young or not full grown, for the old rats were 

 wary in commitling ihemselves. 'i'he watch-dog, 

 being an admirable rat-killer, was employed io 

 destroy the prisoners; and it became a regular 

 piece of sport to open the traps in the yard, and 

 admire the dog's slaughtering dexterity. In fiict, 

 so exciting did ihis sport become, that many a 

 lazy lellow, young and old, noted Ibr their habits 

 of lagging in after the regular hour of com- 

 mencing \4rork, now became "early risers," and 

 thronged with the rest to enjoy the fun. The dog 

 was not only a dexterous but a humane slaugh- 

 terer. He gave no unnecessary torture ; never 

 tantalized his victim while it lived, nor "worried" 

 or mangled the body when dead. If half a dozen 

 rata were turned out at once, he wheeled nimbly 

 about, caught each by the nape of the neck, dis- 

 abling it with a bite, and having thus prevented 

 iheir escape, he would deliberately return, going 

 to each in succession, and extinguish life by ano- 

 ther bite or two. 



But poison, traps, cats, and dog seemed all inef- 

 fectual. The rats refused to enter the traps, and 

 the regular morning's sport became scanty and 

 unexciting, while the damage done during the 

 night continued as much as ever. Ingenuity was 

 bafffed, for the rats improved remarkably in cun- 

 ning. There were some windows that overlooked 

 a place where rubbish and garbage were tfirown. 

 This was a central leeding-place Ibr the rats, and 

 during the day consideratile havoc was committed 

 by the discharge of mimic arrows, many of the 

 boys being provided wiih little bows and arrows, 

 with which they amused themselves, often vvhen 

 they should have been attending their employ- 

 ment. During the dinner hour, when all was 

 still, first one head, and then another, would ap- 



