A Rat Killing Sheep.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 7, 6 December 1884, Page 1 (Supplement)

A Rat Killing Sheep.

In the center of O'Connor's Kensington rat pit stood a stout, short legged sheep, with his neck encircled by a brass collar and Bis black nose sheathed m a kid muzzle. His name is Brum, and he was there to kill rats on a wager made by his owner and trainer, Stone McAUster. Between fifty and sixty spectators were present. Last fall McAlister, who is a sporting butcher, found three dead"*ate m Brum's pen. A day or two later he saw the sheep kill a rat. That act saved.Brum from being converted into cbop3. His owner resolved to train him. Under training Brum improved so rapidly that McAlister made five matches m which the sheep was to kill rats against time. The first match came, off, last night, McAlister wagering 100 dols. that the sheep would take the lives of forty rats m sixty minutes. In the betting the odds were against the sheep, and {McAlister and tw,o or three friends made wagers right and left. George Tatnell was chosen referee and timekeeper, and at 9 o'clock the forty rats were emptied out of cages into the pit. The rats scampered about the pit, the referee called time and McAlister let go of Brum and vaulted out of the pit, leaving him muzzled. "-The muzzle 1 The muzzle 1 Take off the muzzle, Stone 1 " shouted half a dozen men. "He don't kill 'em with his mouth," replied Mr. McAlister, seating himself complacently on the railing of the pit and adding : " That sheep'll fool you all." So it proved. The sheep, without paying the slightest attention to the crowd, made two leaps to the corner of the pit m which a dozen or more rats were huddled. Then, rising himself upon his hind legs, he brought the carefully sharpened hoofs of his fore feet down like a flash m the pile of rats. This act was repeated Ipye times m almost as many seconds, and tha^dead- bodies of eight rats lay on the floor. Facing about Brum gave a shrill blast and darted across the pit to another nest of rats. There he repeated the stamping and strewed the pit with dead rodents. At the end of nine minutes there were but thirteen rats alive m the pit. These Brum chased with the pertinacity and determination of a bull dog and killed them one by one. The fortieth rat was slaughtered m exactly thirty-four minutes from the moment Brum was loosed. Several times during the match rats fastened their teeth m the leather muzzle, but the sheep easily shook them off. — Philadelphia Times.