74 Studies in Rat Catching, [ch. iv. 



killed a lot of young ones and " laid up," and, 

 as I had not a box-trap with me, I had to 

 dig it out. This took some time, as I lost 

 the hole, and Jack, whilst down grubbing 

 with his hands, broke into a wrong one in 

 which the old rat was ready for him, and at 

 once bit him through the end of his finger. 

 Jack sucked it well and did not mind, but I 

 did not much like the appearance of things, 

 for in half-an-hour I had had a ferret laid 

 up, and a dog and a boy bitten badly by rats, 

 and these bites are often very poisonous. 

 Fortunately this time Jack took no harm and 

 was soon well. As soon as Jack pulled his 

 hand out of the rat's hole, Pincher put his 

 long nose in, and all was over in a minute. 

 Soon after I came on the ferret curled up in 

 a nest of young rats, all minus their heads ; 

 and so that ferret, from being gorged with 

 food, was no more good for work, and had 

 to be put away with the bitten one. 



