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check ; while, without poisoning, Rats are ever 

 with us. They not only take eggs, but they kill 

 and devour chickens and pigeons, and are very 

 fond of ducklings, an old Rat soon clearing off 

 a whole brood if he is not caught and destroyed. 

 Having so many animals about we cannot use 

 poison in fact, I prohibit its use. A few years ago 

 we were troubled with Mice in the parlour, and a 

 favourite song-bird dying, and his body being 

 " dissected," evidently by Mice which had climbed 

 up the window curtains during the night, my wife 

 resolved to try poison. To make sure that no other 

 animal but those it was intended for should get it, 

 the poison was placed in a saucer, and the saucer 

 deposited in the bottom of the empty cage, which 

 was hung about four feet from the ground. Next 

 morning three dead Mice were found in the cage, 

 and one on the floor. Just as the danger of the 

 latter occurred to me, I saw the tail of a Mouse 

 vanishing into one of the terrier's mouths. A salt 

 emetic was at once administered, and the Mouse 

 was vomited entire. That there was sufficient 



