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Our largest weasel, the black-footed ferret (Putorius nigripes}, 

 occasionally deserts its wild haunts on the plains and comes about 

 buildings in search of rats and mice. In 1905, while the writer was 

 at Hays, Kans., one of these ferrets took up its quarters under a 

 board sidewalk in the business part of the village. The squealing of 

 the rats it killed was often heard. 



As regards the destruction of poultry by weasels, the same care 

 necessary to exclude the rat from a poultry house will keep out the 

 weasel also. When so excluded, a weasel will do no harm about the 

 premises, but may be depended upon to drive out or kill all the rats 

 and mice. 



MINKS. 



Minks are excellent ratters, but as enemies of poultry are worse 

 than weasels. They destroy fish also. The great demand for mink 

 fur causes close trapping of these animals, and in the future they are 

 not likely to influence greatly the numbers of rodent pests. 



DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 



Among the enemies of rodents often employed as aids to rat 

 destruction are the dog, cat, and ferret. 



DOGS. 



The value of dogs as ratters can not be appreciated by those who 

 have had no experience with trained animals. The ordinary cur 

 and the larger breeds of dogs seldom make useful ratters. Small 

 Irish, Scotch, and fox terriers, when well trained, are superior to 

 most other breeds as ratters, and under favorable circumstances 

 may be depended on to keep premises free from rodents. Much, too, 

 may be done by the farmer or householder to increase the effective- 

 ness of his dogs by removing obstructions to their work. Corncribs 

 and outbuildings, when of wood, should not have floors close to the 

 ground, but should have ample room below to permit dogs to move 

 about freely. 



With a little preliminary training, most terriers learn to hunt rats 

 independently, and they thus become doubly useful on farms and in 

 warehouses. 



CATS. 



When the black rat w^as the dominant species in Europe and 

 America, cats were the chief dependence of the householder against 

 rats ; but comparatively few cats will venture to capture a full-grown 

 brown rat. Then, too, the ordinary house cat is too well fed and 

 consequently too lazy to be an efficient ratter. 



Occasionally, however, one meets with rat-killing cats whose work 

 in destroying the brown rat has decided value. These cats are 



