THE RAT CATCHER'S WORK.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2322, 30 August 1921, Page 1

THE RAT CATCHER'S WORK.

- 4b - HOW IT IS DONE

My rat-catcher friend has been catching rats till his life, as his father and his grandfather did before him, writes E. L. in the Daily

Mail. What he doesn’t know about vats it, would not pay a rat to learn. One night he invited me to accompany him to a certain warehouse from which he had contracted to

expel the rats. The first thing lo do was to spy

out the land, as it were. Wherever a rat-hole was discovered it was blocked up, but in certain cases a stocking-like arrangement with a metal top was securely fixed over the mouth of the hole. These "stockings” were to collect the escaping rats. At last all was ready, and the bag containing the ferrets was opened. In went the rat-catcher's hand, to be quickly withdrawn with

one of the ferrets hanging on to a finger by her needle-like teeth. A word from the rat-catcher as he clasps the body of the ferret, and the animal’s jaws are relaxed. Certain of the open rat-holes are chosen, and the ferrets are duly in-

serted. We do not. wait long. Sounds of the scurryingof many rats are heard from various directions, and then loud squeals - amounting sometimes almost to shrieks. "The ferrets are right mi the track now, and driving the rats before them!” whispered the ratcatcher io me. The scurrying of the rats goe~ on, and suddenly my friend moves a lit - 1 tie away from me. I turn and notice

in the dim light something drift rapidly across the floor. The rat-caichor stoops, makes a swift movement with his arm, then turns to me, showing a live rat securely held in his hand. A heavy bench is close by. The rai-catcher loosens his grasp on iho rat’s body until il is held only |,y the tail;-a quick turn of the wrisl, and I he mi’s head strikes the edge of the heneli, A moment later its dead body is held up for my inspection, after which il is slipped quite casually into tiie side poekel of my friend’s jacket.

Meanwhile two nthor rats have escaped from unsuspected openings, to he quickly caught hv the rateaieher's terrier and done to death. Now we make examination of the “stockings” at the various outlets. With the exception of one or two, I hey are full of live rats, and the ia!-catcher decides that the operations already carried out will suffice for the night. The contents of the “stockings” are emptied into l-age>, the next and last step being in regain the ferrets.

The rat-cateher’s assislanl lms already secured two, inn there are • till two others to come. The ral-i-aldiei- selects one of lln- holes, and Liking from his pock el the dead rat previously placed there, lie inserts it in the mouth of ihe lade, fu a Irw moments there is a lug til llie laf'; body,'rind m\ friend withdraws it from the hole with otic of the ferrets limiting tightly lo il. 'flu-re is, however, no sign of the l oiii-ih ferret. The rat-catcher 1 1 11 ri k . ii ma\ ha Vi- come aero/.s a r.-- iof ia 1.,, ami is gorging deoil upon the hlnod of the inmates. In that case it may he a day or two hei-, re Iho an tin a i can bo recovered.