SPORTSMEN, FARMERS, &C. 91 



quietly, and listen. The doors of the traps, 

 when they fall down, make a considerable 

 noise, which you will distinctly hear. When 

 you hear one trap strike, you must be pre- 

 pared with a large canvas bag, with a large 

 mouth to it, so as to admit one end of a trap 

 into it : hold the bag vmder the trap, whilst 

 another person tilts the trap, with the lower 

 door open, perpendicularly, and shoots the 

 rats into the bag; shaking the trap well, 

 and striking the sides of it with your hand. 

 Open the upper door by degrees; look 

 well, with a light, into the trap, to see that 

 every rat be shaken into the bag; then ga- 

 ther vour hands round the mouth of the 

 bag, swing it, and strike it very hard against 

 the wall or the floor, so as effectually to 

 kill every rat in it. In this you must be 

 very particular, for in it lies the whole 

 strength of the art. If you let even so little 

 as one single rat, either out of a trap or the 

 bag, you will not catch one more rat 

 that night ; and you must fasten the traps 

 Ikmly up, and begin to feed them again, 

 which will take four or five days at least. 

 I forgot to* mention that, when you hear 



