408 Practical Game Preserving. 



animals into some of the traps of which we shall presently 

 give details. This mode of capture, however, requires care, 

 patience, and a certain amount of quiet not always pos- 

 sible, and therefore we give it but a passing notice. 



The use of poisons, of course, is rather a bad remedy, 

 but, as far as rats are concerned, it is by no means indis- 

 pensable, and there are many poisonous mixtures, some 

 good, others indifferent, and a great many bad and useless, 

 from which may be chosen one or two of value. In dwel- 

 ling-houses the use of poisons is especially undesirable, 

 but with care there is no reason why some of the prepara- 

 tions may not be employed, and certainly when the poison 

 is only deadly in the case of rats. We once obtained from 

 a ratcatcher frequenting Leadenhall Market a rat poison 

 of singular efficacy, which we have since used continually 

 with invariable success, and which we subsequently ascer- 

 tained to be " Barton's Rat Exterminator," sold by T. C 

 Cole, 53, Blackfriars Road, S.E. It is made up in small 

 round boxes at is. each, and, according to the directions, 

 one must simply remove the lid, and place the box about 

 2ft. from the holes or runs. The rats during the night 

 steal away the box to their haunts, and the whole family 

 will partake of its contents, most of them dying in their holes, 

 but not causing any unpleasant smell through decomposi- 

 tion. If one be careful to avoid touching the boxers, the rats 

 will convey them away, if not the first or second night, 

 certainly the third. One advantage of this poison is, that in 

 the event of a cat or dog eating it, or consuming the body 

 of a rat destroyed by its means, it will almost instantly 

 vomit all the poison, which, as far as these two animals 



