The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-04-26
THE Utilization of Rats.


bedbugs, mosquitoes and other evils of
this world, allowed 70 exist by an in
scrutable Providence for reasons past
human discovery. beyond having a
vague knowledge that the heather Chi
nee deyours the murine tribe, and deems
the trIisavory-looking rodent delicacy,
the average thinker on the subject can
perceive no utilization for the vagrant
denizen of cellars and wharves, save
Indirectly in his furnishing an object
TO be caught rby the multiplicity Of in
fgenious traps which inventors have CON
struggled, andrserEing as a sourcepf per
petual nervousness to the wiry Scotch
TERRIER who spends his days nj Searching
for him under parlori sofas, behind fur
niture, and in every other shady corner
where the illogical canine mind CON
eeives a rat might possibly Shelter him
self The fact of the case is that the rat
is in reality a useful animal >; and,as we
showed recently in discussion ON bed
bugs, it is violent assumption for any
Zone to suppose that any living thing
does not serve, or may not be made to
serve, auseful purpose. Moreover, it is
equally erroneous to assert that a rat is
a uoxious beast. To be sure, he breeds
with astonishing rapidity, and he has
the falling of cannibalism toward his
progeny. But so has his arch enemy, the
Nwell fed toIn-cat. He spugnaciods, but
rarely attacks man save in defence of
his life. On the other hand, he is
scrupulously neat, even more SO than
the average male feline. As a scaven-
ger, his labors are of great value in the
filthy cities of the Orient; and his tail is
a marvel of constructive design and a
source of perpetual admiration to the
anatomist. Unfortunately he is pro-
nounced kleptomaniac; and this, with
his supposed procIivity to take refuge in
the vicinity of female ankles, makes him
a pariah and an outcast among four
footed things. Yet mark the inconsist-
encFE Ion the fair hand of the damsel,
who shrilly shrieks at the sight of that
wonderfully constructed tail whisking
into a friendly hole, may be a gloye-or
at least the thumb of it-made from that
1 despised creatures skin, and called by
courtesy '.kid." On the head of pa
terfamilias, who ruthlessly pursues the
fugitive interloper with the kitchen
poker, may be felt-hat made from the
rats fur, which exceeds in ,delicacy that
of the beaver, and which is sought after
by large corporation, expressly organ
lied for the purpose, i'm Paris. An ec-
centric Welshman once, in order to show
how far the rat might be utilized for
clothing, spent three years in collecting
enough ratskins to make himself com
plete dress, hat, neckerchief, coat, waist
coat, trousers, and even shoes; six hun
bred and seventy rats were inundated
for this purpose, and the six hundred
and seventy beautifully organized tails
were strung together to form a tippet.
1t is in Paris-that home of the utiliza-
ton of every thing-that the rat is turn
ed to the greatest number of uses He
furnishes. employment for an army of
hunters, who pursue him in his sewer
Businesses for, the sake of his skin. In
the great abattoirs of the city rats exist
by the million. One proprietor, ON be-
coming nearly driven from his premises
by the rodents, threw dead horse in a
walled Enclosure, and then stopped up
all means of escape, SO that the rats, at
tracted by the bait, could not get'out.
In one night 1850 rats We're caught in
the trap and killed by men armed with
clubs; in single month, 5000 of the
animals were thus destroyed. We note
this case mainly in connection with a
curious utilization of rats, wherein dead
animals of all kinds are placed where
they can get them as an easy way of dis
posing of the refuse flesh and secur-
| ING the valuable bones. A regular
/ pound, surrounded by massive stone
wall, is provided for this purpose blythe
city authorities of Paris, and it is the
regular mornings work of those in
charge to remove the beautifully polish
ed skeletons. - ~. = - !
4 y Aofacourse, when thus pampered,Ethe
rats multiply amazingly, and Therefore
once in a while a grand 6attue is neces-
sary to reduce their numbers The way
in which this is conducted is curious.
Horizontal holes are bored all around
in and at the foot of the inelosing walls
the depth and diameter being respect
lively the length and thickness of a rat,
body. Tpon1the morning of the 6attae
Z men armed with tin pans, kettles, drums
and other objects for producing horrible
noises, rush in at daybreak. The as
tonished rats precipitately rush for the
nearest openings which are those IN the
walls. But these, while large enough tC
contain their bodies, will not acconlmo
date their tails, and the walls are soor
ornamented with vista of those ana
Ironically superb members, whiskms
: about like animated icicles. Then arrive,
. the rat collector scientist in his way
who, with admirable. dexterity, seize
the pendent tails, jerks forth the ownel
attached thereto, and deposits him in 1
bag worn over the left shoulder. III,
privilege of catching the rats is farmeC
out by the authorities, and a profitabl,
business it is. The rats are sleek ant
fat, and fetch high prices for their fur
skins, and fiesh---the latter doubtless APP
pearing in the restaurants where on,
may haze :. dinner for one franc Will
wine, bread at discretion. = Rat flesh il
not bad eating, at least so say thos,
who have tried it, our knowledge in tn,
matter: being limited it is delicate
white, firm, tastes ike chicken, and il
China the soup made from it is consid