10 EEVELATIONS OF A RAT-CATCHEK. 



catch or kill them at your leisure, as they 

 cannot get back again. 



By this method I may mention that I have 

 caught a great number of Eats, and it is quite 

 possible to clear a place in this manner : that 

 is, if they do not come out of the drains. I 

 have caught upwards of 103 in six nights in 

 this way. The best time to catch Eats in any 

 building is always at night, and always about 

 half-an-hour after the place has been closed, as 

 Eats are generally more adventurous to come 

 for their first feed. Always go about as quietly 

 as possible. 



In some of the very old Manchester buildings- 

 that were built in the days before drain plans 

 had to be submitted to the corporation, one 

 finds under the cellar floors old-fashioned brick 

 and flag drains (better known as "spit" 

 drains), that were left in w r hen the place was 

 built. Once the Eats get in these disused 

 drains all the professional Eat-catchers in 

 England could not clear them without pulling 

 the building dow r n. The Eats have, by some 

 means, got out of the main sewer, probably 

 by the bursting of a sewer into one of these 

 disused dry brick drains. It is then impossible 

 to get underground to see where they have got 

 into the dry drain, and the only thing that can 

 be done in a case of this sort is to engage a 



