The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1854-08-11
Itom the OLiO TaIh,T.
HAT-OIOGY.

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of your numerou. corrcspo ndcnts, inform US
Of any method, by which We can wage war,
and exterminate the mischievuus rebela from
our lsndl
1t does appear that something must be deae,
in order TO check their ravsges, or they will
"coms off conqucrors;" for there appears to
be no wickedness that these rats are not
ready to perpetrate. There appeurs to be a
strange relation between the cunning rodents
and human beings, investing them with a
"mysterious character" aud 0t times we more
than halt suspect them to be agents of the
Evil One.
II appears that whatever we do, these rats
always take share in the proceedings.
Whether it be the building of q hen-house,
raising chickens or goslngs, storing our
corn-cribs, grsnares or cellars, these rats arc
sure TO have something to do in the matter.
They are very cunning, too, and have quite
preferences in the choice Of their meals; Tor
we had dozen Of the Shanghai chicks, and
Eve OF the common breed, together in one
coop, and The ruscals selected in one night,
all Of the Shanghuis, and left all tho Natives!
That circumstance put us a little on our guard.
We had another coop of twelve chicks of the
Shanghais, aud concluded we would make
them safe by paving their coop around with
bricks. aud at night enclose the entrance Sc
curely; aud in this way we thoul lit we had
bafiled their skill, and put stop to their mvr-
dsrour career. But no; for few mornings
thereafter, ss we went to relieve our chicks
from their confinement, we found that these
rats understood the art of mining to perfec.
tion; for they had nude ingrcss by forming
passage under the cocp, and carried If all the
chicks but one, and that was wounded past
recovery. At another time these rats made
sad havoc with Sis's goslings.--They carried
of in one night whole brood, except one
now little pet and since the murder Of its
mates appears to be al.nost frightened out of
its wits. Nov how shall we protect our
chicks and gosings from the ravsges Of these
rstsl We know of no other way, than 10
have our coops lined through with sheet iron,
zinc, or tin-somethng that will resist their
teeth; for they will cut passage through an
inch board in "short order"
These "miners" have made ingress into our
hsn-house too, by undermining the floor,
which il laid with brick. And in like man
ner, they undermine our cellar walls and en-
ter our cellar, cat our potatoes and apples,
and commit all manner OF depredutiors. We
have tried faithfully to catch them in a trap,
but they are as cunning as fox; after we
have entrapped two or three, they somehow
"smell the rat" and wont be caught. The,
are not "Know Nothngs' by any means
They are very fond Of corn; we put nubbin
on the spindle OF the trap, then scatter few
grains around it, and they will pick up every
grain, but wont touch the nubbin.
How do these rats know, that by nbbl,ng
the nubbn it will spring the trap! Where
did they learn to carry eggs down stairs with
out breaking! Who taught them to abstract
the oil from long necked fasks, by dipping
their tails in, and then licking the unctuous
drops from the extremity! What precedent
had they for leading blind companion about
by q straw held in tho mouth, and how did
they know he could not see! And how did
they manage to lit Sis's gt sings out of the
pen, over boards fifteen or twenty inches high
II any one Is versed in "Ratology" enough to
answer these questions, and will give US some
mode Of procedure to stay their ravnges, he
will confer a lasting benefit on community
As with nations, so with rats; one tribe
comes and dispossesses another. ! he ruts
that used to gnaw our cheese and bacon, and
squeul in our larders and disturb our sleep,
were a hardy black species now seldom seen.
Like the Red Men in presence of the Pale
Faces, they have had to retire before the
Wharf Rat, larger in size. and brown in color
These rats have Tut recently made their ap-
pearance among us. think they first were
discovered at the wharves on our lakes--lrom
which fact we suppose they derived their
name. WhaJ.Rat. How long they have in
Tested those wharves we know not; perhaps
several years. But It appears that this rat
empire is not like mans empire--lor they take
thsir course East.
1t is said that these rats multiply very ra-
pidly, breeding three times year and each
litter numbering from twelve to twenty. So
that single family, If kept on, of harms
way, would produce nearly million in two
years. No wonder they drove out our abort
gnal black rat; aud il there is not some me-
thod revised 10 pu, stop to their career, it
will be no wonder II they drive out our choice
chickens, devour the contents OF our granares,
our cellars, &c, and human life will hardly be
safe from Their attacks.
Shall we resort to arsenic and caSSava, and
poison the rebels! Or will the rats, after
eating the poison, to allay their thirst, swarm
down to our streams, wells, &c, fall in and
poison the water, and thus "the remedy provo
worse than the dsease!"
In the Yves, Indies the rnts have manp nat.
ural enemies: the Emica Onniuora is net
the least formidable; battalion of this spe.
cies, known as the Ratlle's Ant, mako but
short work in clearing a plantation Of every
rat. We think those "Rsnle's Ants" are
more expert and courageous than our cats,
for II is seldom that our cats will have any
thing TO do with them-the rats are too much
for them; though we have now and then
cat that will pounce upon them, ,ake them by
the nape OF the neck, and conquer them.
II Is on record, that about i7l6 Rev. JOHN
O'MuLcoSor, who came OF the hereditary
burds, bdnishsd the rats which had long
swsrmed in Killeragh's church-yard, in such
prodigious numbers that nm internent couId