140 Studies in Rat Catching, [ch. viii. 



the old-fashioned chimney corner was very- 

 sweet ; and if the beds were a bit hard and 

 knubbly, we did not keep awake to think of 

 them, for we had both been up since day- 

 break. By eight o'clock the next morning 

 we had finished breakfast, given the dogs a 

 few minutes' run to stretch their legs, fed the 

 ferrets that were not wanted, and were on 

 our way to the Denes, each with two strong 

 male ferrets, a spade, and game-bag with 

 cold meat and bread in it. We were on our 

 way to " doctor " the burrows, and this is 

 done by running a muzzled ferret that has 

 first been smeared with a little spirits of tar 

 down every hole, with a line on it. It is 

 necessary to keep very quiet, so as to get 

 the rabbits to bolt. We don't want to kill 

 a single rabbit, but only to disturb hole after 

 hole, bolt what rabbits we can, and leave a 

 nice sweet smell of tarred ferret behind us. 

 No time is lost. Jack goes one way and I 



