DESTRUCTIVE HABITS OF THE RAT. 
155 
his dog against the others for a thigh of mutton and trim- 
mings ; and, in order to facihtate the match, and also to be 
present at the supper, a third farmer undertook to have one 
of his ricks unthatched, wherein he was certain there were 
plenty of rats. The whole party met at the appointed time, 
and the rick was taken down ; when the dogs killed rat for 
rat, till the rick was completely removed ; and, on each party 
counting their dead^ they found that the dogs had killed 
170 each. But my informant complained that his oppo- 
nent took an advantage of him, for, on his leaving the 
ground, he had scarcely gone half-way across the field, when 
the other, who had seen some rats escape into a hole in a 
piece of old wall close by, went and removed a stone, and 
pulling out nine by their tails, let his dog kill them ; thus 
winning the match by nine rats, to the great amusement of 
all present, except the loser, who by this time had returned 
to witness his defeat. The number of rats killed in this one 
rick amounted to 349. 
I was told by a man who for seven years was in the 
employment of a farmer, that he had seen a sackful of rats 
taken out of one barn. His master always had from five to 
fifteen ricks standing ; but every rick was built on the bare 
ground, with the exception of a little straw at the bottom. 
He regularly employed a rat-catcher, who used to call about 
every month; and, as the ricks were not built on staddles, 
he always found plenty of rats to kill. My informant can 
form no idea as to the numbers destroyed at each killing ; 
but he says that at times they were immense. I mention 
this circumstance merely to show the folly of building ricks 
upon the ground, because of the great facility it affords for 
vermin ; but I shall have some remarks to make presently 
upon that subject. 
A few years ago appeared an account of a capture of rats, 
which took place in a stack of beans, when 216 were taken 
alive, and 96 killed. The bean-stack had been standing- 
twelve months, and the delay in thrashing it had led to this 
great increase of rats. 
The author of the " Book of the Farm," states that he 
witnessed the exploits of a man in the art of rat-killing 
by means of twenty-one small steel or gin-traps. But 
some days before setting to work he had to put the place 
