TKAPPING. 11 



professional Rat-catcher occasionally, and keep 

 two or three good cats to keep the Rats down. 

 These places as a rule are more plagued with 

 them when it is very wet weather and there 

 are floods running. This is the best time to 

 catch them, as they are all under the floor of 

 the building, and are very easy to catch in the 

 night with the traps. 



As a rule the Black or Drain Rats feed only 

 in the night, very rarely in the day, as they 

 are of a dirty nature, and prefer being in the 

 drains. In my opinion the Black Rat is more 

 vicious than the Brown. 



There is another Rat I call the Red Rat, 

 which is akin to the Brown Rat. You will 

 always catch these at a tannery, or about 

 kennels, where hounds are kept, and they 

 generally feed on horseflesh or offal. Red Rats 

 are the "gameist" Rats I know, for whatever 

 kind of Rats are put into the store cage, these 

 Red Rats kill them the first night they are left 

 quiet. 



I may describe another mode of catching 

 Rats. In any Rat-overrun warehouse, store- 

 room, or cellar, where there is a deal of rubbish 

 such as packing cases, wrappers, waste paper, 

 (fee., throw a lot of food, say oatmeal or soaked 

 bread, carelessly amongst the cases or rubbish 

 and let the Rats have a full week's feeding at 



