Ii8 Studies in Rat Catching. [cH. vii. 



every description of burrow. There had 

 been a lot of partridge and other shooting 

 going on over this farm for the last month, 

 and most of the rabbits had got a dislike 

 to sitting out in the open, and were under 

 ground, so we began at the burrows at once, 

 the dogs driving every rabbit that was sit- 

 ting out in the hedge back to their burrows 

 as we walked along. We began work in a 

 stiff clay bank far too hard for the rabbits 

 to make deep holes in, and here we got on 

 fast. I took the ditch side — in fact, I took 

 the ditch itself — with a big ferret with a 

 short line on, and I ran it into each hole I 

 came to. Jack on the other side looked out 

 for the bolt holes, and always laid down a 

 little to one side, as much as possible out of 

 sight, but with a hand just on the bank over 

 the hole ready to catch a bolting rabbit. 

 Fly and the other dogs took charge of the 

 other holes, and all kept as quiet as possible. 



