RATOATCHING REMINISCENCES

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 323, 21 January 1874, Page 3

RATOATCHING REMINISCENCES

A reporter of the Baltimore " American " interviewed one of the characters of that city, whose nams is Reedy, and who is a vermin exterminator of acknowledged standing, with the following result : — Mr. Reedy says that when he receives an order from some one to rid their place of rats he charges them from 5 to lOdols., according to the magnitude of the undertaking, and then binds himself not only to make the place perfectly rat-proof, but also to keep it in that condition for one year. He then takes two of his black and tan terriers, and an old Skye terrier named " Blop." " Blop's " personal appearance is most miserable, as, in addition to being minus one eye, and the larger portion of his caudal appendage, his whole head and body are covered with hundreds of Bears and wounds received in battle with the fierce rodents that he takes such a delight in slaying. Yet, notwithstanding " Blop's " wretched personal appearance, his remaining eye sparkles with vim, his head is cocked knowingly on one side, and his diminutive remnant of a tail vibratos with joy whenever the magic word " rat " is mentioned. With those three dogs, six ferrets, and a boy armed with a long piece of fine fishing net, Reedy repairs to the vermin afflicted house. The principal holes are first stopped up with brick and tin, only two being left open ; into one of the6e tha ferrets are put, and they at once begin their search. Reedy then leaves the boy and two dogs to watch tho holes, while himself and " Blop" explore every room in the building. On entering a room " Blop " smells carefully over the floor and around the wainscoting, and if there are no rats there the room is left, and man and dog pass on to another : but if there should be rats secreted between the floors of the walls " Elop " makes their presence known by whining and shaking his dilapidated tail in a fearfully agitated manner. Reedy immediately kuocks on the floor and gives a peculiar whistle and a ferret is there in a moment and the rat has decamped almost as soon. They are in this way driven from one room to another, and finally come out of the holes left open and become entangled in the meshea of the" net that has been placed across the middle of the room, and are speedily killed by the boy and the dogs. The ferrets are then taken out and fed, while the old holes aro covered with tin. Reedy claims that although there may be dozens of rat holes in the house, there is always one hole the rats use when going out for water, and this hole is always the one before which the net is placed. He also states that there are never so many rats in a house as people suppose, and that it ia very seldom he finds more than twenty- five in one dwelling. After making his first visit., awl killing »v the rats, he returns once every month and examir.es the premises, in case others may have settled there during his absence. He states that no rat can hide from a ferret, and at the approach of that animal they will .immediately hunt other qnarters. Several weeks ago he visited a house on Madison avenue, and while at work the ferret started a large rat which i\in the whole length of the house between the floors, and on coming out of the open hole it got fast and could not escape, and; that he watched its fruitless attempts to get through the hole in which it was caught, and finally, when the ferret came clashing along in pursuit, and the rat realised its hopeless condition, Reedy asserts that several large tears started out of the rat's eyes, and ran down over its cheeks I his story is corroborated by the boy who accompanied him on his rat catching expeditions, and vouches for the rat's tears.