202 
THE RA.T. 
water they will die ; but I believe, that if a rick had a tent 
covering fixed over it, so as to keep off the rains and dews, 
it would have the effect of destroying all the mice. Never- 
theless there are cheaper means of getting rid of them, of 
which I shall speak presently under the head of " Poisons." 
So let us proceed with the first step for getting rid ot the 
rats. 
My rule is, down with the ricks, and rebuild them on 
staddies. And now, let me ask, what would be the expense 
of such a job Of course a great deal depends upon the 
size. However I have made myself pretty well acquainted 
with the cost of such an alteration. A good-sized rick 
takes eight men two days to take down and rebuild ; and 
averaging their wages according to what they are mostly 
paid, namely, ten shillings per week, it would cost £1 6s. Sd. ; 
and allowing seven shillings for thatching, then the entire 
expense would be £>1 13s. 8d. 
'Now suppose you destroy but thirty rats — never mind — 
you will be immense gainers by the outlay ; for if only one- 
half be females, pray, in six months^ what would be the 
number of their progeny 'I Let us see : fifteen females, at 
eight young ones in a litter, would produce 120 the first 
littering, and in the second littering there would be 120 
more, making together 240 young. But this is not all ; for 
the first brood would now be coming in six months 
old ; and, supposing them to be half females, they would 
have among them no less than 480 young ones. The con- 
sequence is, that, with the first thirty, you would, in six 
months from the first littering, have no less a number than 
750 living rats ; and which living rats, at the wine-glass 
standard, would consume one bushel and a half of corn 
daily, or ten bushels and a half weekly ; and valuing the 
corn at only sixty-four shillings per quarter, these rats 
would cost twelve shillings per day, or £4 45. per week, 
every week they were with you. 
Now is it not worth your while to rebuild your ricks on 
staddies, at so small an outlay as £1 13^. Sd., to save four 
guineas weekly '? Or will you let them remain to ruin 
your ricks, and after that, to go in swarms to your neigh- 
bours' ricks, and ruin them also ? 
Now that I have succeeded in convincing you to some 
