Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1868-04-16

= In England there are men who make it
business to catch rats. The large, brown
rat swarms in that country. 1t is very
cunning and sagacious, and is remarkable
for its daring courage. So ferooious are
these rats that they do not hesitate to prey
on one another when other food is lacking.
They breed three times year, producing
from ten to twenty in litter.
The Yoracious and destructive habits Of
the rat not only make it q great pest
where grain is housed or stacked, but
cause it to be disllked wherever found.
The farmer Is the rats greatest enemy
among men. Bent upon thinning its
numbers or discriminating it, if may be,
he supports literally the men who make
rat catching business.
One of these professional rat catchers
usually agrees with the farmer or country
gentlemen to keep his house and grounds
from rats for an annual payment, or ESQ so
much for the particular job.
Traps and poison are Intellectual IN de-
stroying these creatures. for they are too
sagacious 10 be thus disposed of. The rat
catcher employs to do his work both the
little animal called the ferret and the ter
Tier dog.
The former Of these can follow a rat into
1t its hole, and the alarm and horror 1t Gre
ates are soon manifested. The rats flee
wherever they can, the ferret pursuing
and killing them. The rats who fee 10
the mouth OF the holes are killed by the
dogs, while those who remain in the
"runs" meet similar f.te from the fer
rets; thus few escspe,
The rat-catcher's well-traired dog is lot
only a dexterous, but humane slaughter
er. lie gives no unnecessary fortunes !;
never iaDtalizes his victim when alive, nor
worries il when dead. Ii q dozen rats
rush out at once, he wheels nimbly about,
catches each by the nap of the neck, and
with a single nip kills each in the most
artistic way, and in the shortest possible
time
An observer cannot fail TO be amused
with the quiet, mysterious air with which
the professional rat-catcher goes about his
business With his dogs in a cluster
round him and his cage of ferrets slung
across his shouldera, be takes q preliminary
view OF the position to be carried by as.
sault, and does so with all the gran0iose
air and dignity of a general gazing at a
citadel he is about to storm and win.
The barking of his dogs tells him, in
unerring language, that there sre rats be-
1oxr- and tabfrc q fo-rat from, Iio oa0e he
NV, al'S .aA'aS -
Pu.s ~ uown 'ne nioes pio ans;n .a;,e ' ,n5,
-, an, III ~ ."o 90 S,lan oag h;oh ~
suie,y ~'S 40 aJi - &c ~, t.-sat b.s
pIeeei,ce anu ssssui' vi 'no ieiio' Aa'
ca 9aha.. .o,,a.r ,;,.. Tho uor7 IF o,,,
IL .a' SsS s'' 90 o, ,no W. ond oooh
naanu, 70 LIS uoss, enu eao,.
e th snsros sepsrs.s noe, % 'ce1snca
-, ;,.a;. bs-S sud;oa.os ,vhich
, a. ,n a ,ts TIL, - sn';rI sc salf
Slsy arc W w. nsh wisa s ,a, ~ esn
b;s ,ns;,;aa , .ne ~ he saror;tao an5 di
r o ST.. a sSv - 80 iii uo1a
1SJ r;s M Ia ''e'' nv e's''' veg ""''
vi NJ ,I,S NAM mora : -, soo..s,o, 20
scoId such weli.trained dogs; each takes
up fne POSITION Incicaied 10 MN, aho
STANDS, statae-lke, win patea breath ho'
aaring 10 move a mpscac, tnougn puIst,
ing Win iihps.ience ies' sns spoft snoni u
oe spolied. AZ tne rats Iusn ou', eacA -
snapped up IN winning py tns nea,sst
uog, until the "hoie place Is cieareo oi
'he'n; 49,. - -l-aok
The first bujIding in CHEYENNE was