at a tannery, or about kennels, where hounds
are kept, and they generally feed on horseflesh or offal. Red Rats are
the "gameist" Rats I know, for whatever kind of Rats are put into the
store cage, these Red Rats kill them the first night they are left quiet.

I may describe another mode of catching Rats. In any Rat-overrun
warehouse, storeroom, or cellar, where there is a deal of rubbish such as
packing cases, wrappers, waste paper, etc., throw a lot of food, say
oatmeal or soaked bread, carelessly amongst the cases or rubbish and let
the Rats have a full week's feeding at their leisure, and then if you
know the holes round the floor wherefrom they come, go in some night as
quick as possible, turn up the lights, run to the three or four holes,
and block them up with pieces of rag, etc. Now as all the Rats will not
run out of the packing cases or waste paper, but will hide amongst the
same, this is the time to take a good terrier dog or two with you, and to
have a bit of sport. Let one dog hunt among the cases, etc., and hold
the other, for the Rats will soon make for the holes, but the rags
preventing their escape you will catch and kill a great many by this
means.

It should be stated here that as Rats are very cunning, it takes a lot of
study, dodging, and experience to be able to rid them entirely. When you
are feeding Rats anywhere, never feed them with other than soft stuff,
which you can squeeze through your fingers, for if you feed them with
anything lumpy, they will carry pieces into their holes and eat at their
leisure.

FERRETING.

Ferreting is a very good plan for destroying Rats in cottage houses,
stables, hotels, etc., as it can be done in the day, but in buildings,
say five or six storeys high you cannot ferret very well as you cannot
tell where to set your nets. The only way to ferret a large building is
to ferret one floor at once, and always start at the top storey first.
The majority of floors are laths and plaster. This is what the Rat
likes, especially the Brown Rat, and there are more nests found in these
places than anywhere else. To ferret thoroughly in such places you will
require to have a board up at each end of the floor: the two end boards
that run crossways with the joist; then you must have a man to put the
ferret in at one end, and ferret one joist at a time; have a net set at
the other end. The best way at the catching end is to have a long sheet
net about a yard wide,