POISONING OF RATS. 
253 
poisons in certain proportions, or the mixture of certain oils 
for enticing rats. A namesake of mine died some years 
since in Hertfordshire. He was a singular creature, for 
though he would cook rats, and eat them with the utmost 
relish, still he could not find stomach enough to extract the 
oil from them. However, he used a very good mixture for 
scenting traps ; for which the following is the recipe : — 
" ' Take twenty drops of the oil of rhodium, seven grains 
of musk, and half an ounce of the oil of anise seed ; put them 
into a small phial, and shake them well before using.' The 
reason for mixing them, he stated, was, ' that in some places 
rats love the scent of anise seed ; in others, they like the 
odour of musk ; then, again, in others, they delight in the 
scent of rhodium ; so, by mixing them together, they could 
take their choice.' " 
CHAPTER XIL 
POISONING OF RATS. 
There are various secrets for poisoning both rats and 
mice ; but it appears that Whistling Joe, during his long 
professional career of half a century, only used one kind, 
and he tells us how he applied it. " In the first place," he 
says, always buy your poison at a substantial wholesale 
druggist's, because you stand a greater chance of having it 
pure. There is no doubt but many have failed in their at- 
tempts, through the adulteration of the articles used. Hav- 
ing warned you thus far, now take three ounces of treacle ; 
then put to it one ounce of finely-ground nux-vomica ; and 
after well mixing them, put them into one pound of the 
best wh eaten flour, and add six drops of the oil of carra- 
ways ; then stir them well together, till they look all alike, 
the same as I told you in making the common feed ; then 
mix it well up with a quarter of a pound of bread-crumb, 
cut to the size of peas. Here will you have bane enough 
to kill half a hundred rats, should they equally partake 
of it. 
" For mice," says Joe, " I always used the same mixture 
