QUADRUPEDS. 59 



yet heard is dropping into the holes, and on different portions of the 

 field, pellets of the phosphoric compound described when treating 

 of the rat. A little trouble of this kind, taken in the heat of sum- 

 mer, when the holes can most easily be seen, will soon greatly 

 diminish the number of the mice, if not wholly extirpate them. 



Before leaving this section, I conceive it advisable to say a few 

 words of two valuable aids 11- the destruction of many of the pests 

 which I have enumerated. 1 think that a few words of advice as 

 to dogs and ferrets may not be amiss ; for, after all, the worst ot 

 these four-footed plagues is undeniably the rat. There are three 

 distinct sorts of terrier the common Scotch, the Skye, and the 

 English. The Scotch is a strong, wire-haired dog, standing mode- 

 rately high on his legs, with a thick head and a broad muzzle ; the 

 Skye is very short on the legs, long in the back, small head, and 

 narrow-muzzled ; his hair is also stiff and coarse ; the English ter- 

 rier is short, close-haired, stands high on his legs, has a thickish 

 head, with a long and fine muzzle, and is usually of a black-and- 

 tan color. It is not, perhaps, very material as to which of these 

 breeds you have, provided you train them properly to their game. 



The proper time for breaking your whelps is at the age of six 

 to eight months ; if you do it earlier you may blink or cow them, 

 and if you neglect it to a later period, you may find them unfit, 

 too old for tuition. One great point is to teach your dogs never 

 to mouth this would prevent them from being rapid killers, and 

 would cause the escape of many a rat : teach them to kill a rat in 

 a single chop, and then to drop the carcase. You will readily effect 

 this by putting him into a corn bin with a dozen or two rats ; he 

 will then be in a hurry to get at all, and will not waste his time 

 with any individual. 



FERRETS are originally natives of Africa ; it will, therefore, be 

 obvious that they require warmth and a perfectly dry hutch. 

 These animals are by no means to be trifled with, as they are only 

 half reclaimed. Goldsmith says they have been known to attack 

 and kill children in the cradle. Mr. Jesse relates an incident that 

 occurred a few years since at Kingston in Surrey, of a ferret attack- 

 ing a child, and having it nearly killed before it could be removed, 

 and even then persevered in its attacks until its back was broken 

 by repeated kicks, and it perished. I myself was one evening 

 looking for a bitch ferret which I missed from her hutch ; it was 

 dark, and I had only a candle to aid me in my search, when she 



