Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1855-07-11
Horses and Rats in Paris.

A correspondent of the New YORK Splfit o' 'h'
Times oives an interesting account OF the manner
in which the bodies of Pmisian horses and rats are
usually disposed of. He says:
"Four hundred horses die or are killed 10 fari'
in one week There is common pound' sur
rounded by stone wall, covering some len acres
According to some municipal regulations mere
! is an .ordonnance' for everything IN rahcel al
dead carcasses. except human bones. must oo
brouoht to this general receptacle Ihe carcass
Of horse is valuable for the bone, the hide' anu
the hair. to say nothing of the flesh, much prlzeu'
when fresh. in certain sausage manufacturers, :,
But should you wait until the horse has actually
shufled off his hairy coil, you might miss OAR
pan-anoher of the trade proceeds ana PURCHASES;
Hence it is important to buy the horse, US deao
horse. before he is dead. 1t is regular business
in Paris. You can tell these agents for the Pur-
chase Of dead horses at a glance; the dress Is
that Of an English groom, save the vigne''e on
the visor of the cap, representing dead hoi'e
head and cross bones a memorandum pooh'
pencil, stamp and piece of causIc complete
his accoulrements. With scrutinizng eye he
travels the thoroughfares Of Paris should horse
90 lame, break leg or neck, should he show
symptoms of distress-in word, anywhere or IN
any way evince signs of the many ills TO which
horsehesh is heir. Immediately is an offer made
for The animal, deliverable when really dead.
"The bargain concluded, the 'signalement OF
the horse and owner is carefully recorded, and
private mark stamped on the inside of the toreeg
with the caustic the horse goes, perhaps relolc-
ing. on his way for weeks. perhaps months, only
TO be met with and identified after death, at ihe
public graveyard for horses. Now. except IN
cases OF fresh specimens, as mentioned above, 'he
first operation on dead horse is TO take of the
skin; then the flesh, to get at the bones. Ihe
skinninp portion is easy and performed with
dexlerity and rapdty truly astonishing. have
seen in the enclosure spoken Of. al the time. over
one hundred horses skinned, or being put through
that process. The next point is 10 dlvest The
bones of adhesive and often putrld fiesh-bones
are valued in proportion as they are clear, neat,
and free from other matter. To take off the flesh
bv hand is tedious and difficult operation. An
ingenious Frenchman solved the difficulty. lie
noticed that rats were very fond of horse flesh;
he advised the authorities to coloniZe the dead
horse pound with these animals the catacombs OF
Paris furnished them by thousands. twas done,
and now a days dead horses carcass put In over
night, is literally nothing but neat and beautiful
skeleton in the morning The pecunary saving
to bone dealers from the voracity and gnawlng
propqnsities of the rat family is, was told, very
considerable.
"Our Yankee Frenchman did not, however,
stop there. 1t was natural to suppose that rats,
so well fed and provided for, would rapidly in
crease and multiply hence the necessity of regu,,
atng the matter Every three months grand
'balue' is made upon the aforesaid colony OF rats,
and all caught above ground, die the death of rats.
The manner of doing this amused me. Horizon
tai and cyndric holes are bored all around, in
and at the foot OF the enclosing walls-he depth
and diameter being respectively the length and
thickness of rats body. Upon the morning of
the .battue' men armed with tin-pans, kettles,
drums, &C., rush in at The peep of day and Char
vari' the poor rats, who, frightened to death,
poke their heads into the first opening. OF
course, all those in the wal-holes have tails stick
ing out The rat collector, with bag over his
left shoulder, now makes 4 tour of the premises,
and the scientific and rapid manner with which
the rats are seized by the tail and safely (O both
rat and operator) transferred to the bag. challenger
admiration 1t even surpasses the 'Chillunner's'
RAG picking. Perhaps you wish to know what
becomes of the rats. These, also are sold before
they are caught or killed. The privilege of gath
ering rats on the 'battue' days. is larmed out by
the authorities, and profitable business it is
These rats, sleek and fat as they necessarily are,
fetch highly remuneraive price-the fur, the
skin, and the flesh meet with ready sales"