30 Studies in Rat Catching, [ch. ii. 



their getting bitten by a rat or a ferret ; but I 

 despise such effeminate ways, and I consider 

 he does not know his profession if he cannot 

 catch either ferret or rat with his naked 

 hands. 



I must now turn to the subject of dogs — 

 one far more important than either ferrets or 

 tools, and one so large that if I went on 

 writing and writing to the end of my days I 

 should not get to the end of it, and so shall 

 only make a few notes upon it as a slight 

 guide to the student, leaving him to follow 

 it up and work it out for himself: but in so 

 doing I beg to say that his future success as 

 a rat-catcher will depend on his mastering 

 the subject. 



But, before proceeding further, I am 

 anxious to say a few words in parenthesis for 

 the benefit of the Head Masters of our 

 schools. Admirable as their academies are 

 for turning out Greek and Latin scholars, I 



