PREFACE. 



My publisher writes to say that he, and he 

 thinks others too, would like to know how 

 I ever came to write such a book as this ! 

 It came about in this way. Some two 

 years ago, I was about to leave England for 

 a considerable time, and a few days before 

 starting, I went to stay in a country house, 

 full of lads and lassies, to say good-bye. 

 One evening, while sitting over the study 

 fire, the subject of rat-catching came up, 

 and, as the aged are somewhat wont to do^ 

 I babbled on about past days and various 

 ral-catching experiences, till one of the boys 



