Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1899-11-24
THE RATS OF CHICAGO
Five Rodents to Every One OF tn
City's Population.
Poison and Cats Are Of Little Avail
to RIA the City of the RAP
IDLY Multiplying
Rodents.

When the Englishman who recently
wrote q bird book called the sparrow
the avian rat, doubtless he had the
great numbers of the birds in mind as
we'll as their rodent-like habits of life
Yet, as a matter of fact, the sparrows,
though in multitude they are like the
leaves on the trees before the army
worm arrived. are in reality far less
numerous in this big city than arc the
great gray rats. There are in Chicago
probably about five rats for every man,
woman and child within the city's con-
fines.
Rats are repulsive at best, and nearly
everybody is afraid of them. Possibly
not much cheer will be derived from
this statement that there are living in
and about the city's houses, stores ana
waste places some 10,0OO,OO0 OF these
cruel-toothed, sleek, sharp-eyed crea-
| lures.
The rat probably has more enemies
than any other animal on earth. It's
prosecutors, animate and inanimate,
come in the form of poison. traps, cats,
dogs, birds, ferrets and men. Some CT
all ct these agents are at work con-
stantly, and yet the city rat thrives,
wakes fat and raises a large family.
It is asserted by authorities that Chi
cago has more rats in proportion to its
size than any other city on earth. The
conditions here are peculiarly adapted
to the preservation of the species.
Under the wooden sidewalks, which are
still to be found at places even in the
heart of the city, the rats have haven
of refuge. When driven from buildings
by cats OF by ferrets kept for the pur'
pose, the Chicago rat makes straight
for the nearest wooden pavement ano
under it digs a burrow. The rat is
true gamin-sharp, cunning and, whei
necessity requires it, bold. Boldness II
the Chicago rats birthright. for in 1T
veins flows Viking blood. Chicagoi
rat came from Norway, and its first nc
was to kill or drive out all the black rat
which were indigenous to the Amer
: lean soil.
If anyone should wonder why 1t !
that despite all it's enemies the city ra
, manages to increase in numbers he ma,
, satisfy his curiosity and gain wisdom
E at the same time by taking spade an
q digging out rat hole at almost an
, time between March / and October
I These months are the family rearin
, times, and during this period thre
/, broods are sent out by each old pair
c begin their predatory existence.
: If the man with the spade succeed
o in reaching the end of the hole he wi
: uncover family of young roden
y which never numbers less than ten al
frequently exceeds Is members. Tai
ing ~ nestlings as the average famil
). each good healthy pair of the whisker'
gray rats will present to the world eat
l. year Sc of their kind. Now on basis
100000 pairs of rats it will be see
that each year there is added to the r
population of Chicago something lii
st 1s0,000,0o0 of young rodents.
er In the face of these figures it ceas
" to be a cause of surprise that pois'
lg and cats and other things cannot c
e. tirely do away with the city's rat pc
81 1t is a matter of congratulation to t
IL citizens of Chicago that the cats a
oil other rat enemies do the work as w
ID as they do, otherwise the rat arr
nc would not content itself with co
or missariat of bread, meat and che,
ei and scraps, but would turn, attack a
We. subsist on the Chicago citizen himss
nj Chicago Tribune.
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