PREFATORY NOTES. 



It may be asked why the State Ornithologist should write 

 a bulletin on rats. In reply to this it may be said that eco- 

 nomic ornithologists as such are especially interested in the 

 destruction of rats for two reasons: (1) rats are very destruc- 

 tive to the eggs and young of birds, whether wild, captive or 

 domesticated; (2) many people who have given up keeping cats 

 because of bird-killing habits now wish to know how to get rid 

 of rats. Hence, the suppression of rats becomes a problem for 

 the economic ornithologist. In 1912 Mr. J. Lewis Ellsworth, 

 then secretary of the State Board of Agriculture, deemed these 

 reasons sufficient to propose the preparation and publication of 

 a bulletin on rats and rat riddance. The proposition was en- 

 thusiastically received by the members of the Board, the task 

 naturally fell to the State Ornithologist, and here is the bulletin. 



In the experimental work undertaken during the last two 

 years as a preparation for the publication of this bulletin 

 thousands of rats have been destroyed. The exact number 

 cannot be given, owing to the fact that chemical poisons and 

 fumigants were used in some cases, and where such methods 

 are utilized the exact number killed cannot be ascertained. 



The author takes pleasure in acknowledging his great in- 

 debtedness to the excellent publications on rats issued by the 

 Biological Survey of the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture, and particularly to Professor David E, Lantz of the Sur- 

 vey, the author of these and other rat papers, who has furnished 

 many facts contained in this bulletin, for his kind assistance 

 and for valuable information received from him personally. 



The author is equally indebted to the Public Health and 

 Marine Hospital Service of the United States Treasury Depart- 

 ment for valuable publications, to Surgeon-General Rupert 



