DESTRUCTIVE HABITS OP THE RAT. 
153 
similar accounts, which he had received from various farmers^^ 
upon whom he could place the utmost reliance. In short, 
without multiplying instances, but taking the average quan- 
tity of these animals, according to the numbers actually 
killed on various farms, it is impossible to estimate the 
numbers in the district here noticed at less than from 1,000 
to 1,200 rats to be provided for out of the farmer's stock, 
with the aid of eggs, poultry, game, &c., u]Don each farm of 
300 acres. 
Now let u^ pass from Shropshire to Middlesex, where 
a rat-catcher was employed to kill rats at twopence per 
head. In one barn he killed about 250 ; and the men on 
the following day killed more than 200. But to show that 
this work is not all profit, the rat-catcher on this occasion 
had two fine ferrets killed by the rats, which were worth a 
crown each. He said there must have been at least 2,000 
rats upon the farm, and yet some of the farmers of this 
district wished to contract with this man to kill their rats 
at £2 a year, and to call every month, or thereabouts* 
This would be only 35. 4td. for each call, and each call would 
occupy a day, sometimes more, if he did his duty. 
The same man was employed by a farmer of Little Ealing, 
when at one killing he destroyed over 200, for which he 
received twopence per head; and upon another occasion he 
was employed by some gentlemen of Windsor to provide 
them with a quantity of rats to decide matches between their 
dogs. He went to a little rick in the corner of a field, 
and succeeded in catching over 150 alive. Of course many 
were killed, and many escaped. However, the gentlemen 
gave him sixpence a head for the live ones. He states that 
the stack stood only the height of his own head, and looked, 
more like a haycock than a corn-stack. 
But to run through this man's exploits in rat-catching 
would be an almost endless task, or at least too long for my 
present undertaking ; therefore suffice it to say that he 
informs me that he and his partner are the princi[)al 
tat-catchers within eight miles of Hanwell, making a cir- 
cumference of about forty-eight miles, which com2:)rises an 
area of about 144 square miles of country thickly populated 
with rats ; and yet these men cannot live by their legal 
