Practical Game-Preserving. 356 



have a regular track up and down the corners of the walls, 

 and, in order to prevent the number from escaping which are 

 otherwise certain to do so, some small pieces of smoothly- 

 planed board, about ift. wide, having the form of a 

 quarter circle, should be cut to the shape of the corner, 

 and fastened up, one in each, sloping downwards at an 

 angle of about 45deg. When descending the wall, rats, 

 if they get on the board, slide off and fall to the ground, 

 in all probability without any injury to themselves. If 

 these pieces of board can be easily supplemented by 

 pieces of glass of smaller size, all the better, but any nails 

 used to support them must, if situate toward the outer 

 portion, be placed beneath the glass. In some instances 

 these embellishments of the corners of outbuildings will 

 be found excellent for preventing rats from getting away. 



If it be intended to employ traps as well, there should 

 be plenty of them placed about, unset if gins ; or tied 

 up, if box-traps or those working on similar principles. 



Ferreting rats out from buildings and killing them with 

 dogs, &c., unless properly carried out, is a very uncertain 

 mode of dealing with the pests, as it often has the effect 

 of bustling the vermin about and scaring them; on the 

 other hand, if the work be thoroughly done, then it rarely 

 fails to leave its mark. In order, then, to make the 

 business productive of beneficial results, a systematic raid 

 must be arranged and carried out. Of course, the chief 

 thing is to have a good lot of ferrets well up to their 

 work, and at the same time large and strong enough to 

 show to good account in the many fights which they will 

 have to engage in. The number of ferrets would be regu- 

 lated by the extent of ground they will have to spread over, 

 and it is best to obtain about twice as many as one wants 

 to keep going at a time. Some terriers must also be on 

 hand good dogs, really steady on their work, and not 



