VERMIN-KILLERS AND RAT-MATCHES. 177 
a tavern. His house was situated about a stone's throw 
from the police-station. Here he was landlord for seven 
years, and, though considered something of a sporting house, 
still, during that period, he declared that not one case of 
disturbance ever went from his tavern to the station. Nor 
was he himself ever charged with any misdemeanour in con- 
nection with his house. Yet because this man had rat- 
matches in his establishment, and trained dogs in the art of 
rat-killing, he was persecuted by an eldery functionary, till 
he was compelled to leave his house. 
Let us calculate but a portion of the benefit this man's 
occupation conferred upon mankind, and then you can 
form your own opinions as to the wisdom and justice of 
his persecutor. But, to prevent too much repetition, I will 
couple his doings with those of another rat-catcher. 
Mr. Charles Dickens, in his " Household Words," has 
designated these two men the " Napoleons " of the Hat- 
wars. These men destroy between eight and nine thousand 
each, yearly; so we will set that down as 17,000 between 
them ; and these 17,000 rats would consume, the year 
through, as much food as would supply 1,700 men with 
sustenance for the same time. But this is without any con- 
sideration for the young they would produce during that 
period, which, if we calculate one-half to be females, namely 
8,500, and to have five litters in a year (that is, beginning 
and ending with a litter), and to have eight young ones at 
a birth, and the young to breed at six months old, then 
within the twelve months they would produce a family of 
3,060,000 strong. Then add to these the old ones, and you 
have a family of rats numbering 3,077,000 ; which, at the 
wine-glass standard, would eat 6,154 bushels of grain daily; 
and which grain would supply 196,928 men with a two- 
pound loaf each per day ; or, at ten rats per man, they would 
eat food sufiicient to supply 307,700 people daily. 
Before proceeding further, let us calculate the amount of 
money it would take to feed these animals for twelve months. 
One thing is certain, that, unless driven by extreme neces- 
sity, they will never eat either beans or peas. The reasons 
are obvious : in. the first place, they are too hard for mastica- 
tion ; and in the second, they are not delicate enough for 
their palates. Neither will they eat either oats or barlev 
