The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-07-30

over the hedges, banks and covers OF tho
noted game estates OF tho northwest COR
ner Of the county. on one estate the
keepers were reluctant 60 go down 10 a
particularly rat-haunted wood by night.
dlshking the numbers and proximity OF
the vermin In the dark when most bold
and active. In London they are only
found In great numbers in the docks and
lower down the river at Deptford. where
'he foreign cattle are slaughtered on dis
enbarkation. Elsewhere the London cats.
ana especially those prime enemies OF rats
the homeless" class OF London cats.
keep up such vigorous and succezAfuI
war upon them that the trade Of rae
catchar has become extinct in the me-
tropolis, though IL is not long since when
the rat catcher TO the Princesn Amelia.
advertised his business and took prsce-
dence TO the trade as ono OF the humble
but necessary ministers OF royal comfort
Even the riverside rats are decreasing,
owing to the cleanliness OF the river. For
merly the amount OF unchecked and un-
cleansed sewerage poured into tha
Thames was incredible, and with II am
equally incredible proportion OF foul food
for vermin (nainly rats) to devour, I'm
which they did service. by preventing the
dirty and disgusting indifference OF tho
community at large from making tho
river absolutely putrid.
The mouths OF the London sewer OUT
falls were haunted by thousands OF the
Vermin, whose appearance at low tide
was awarded as one OF the curiosities OF
riverside scenery. II any one doubts the
Encouragement which indifference TO sari-
tary waste gives 10 all parasitic animals,
ne might do worse than pay visit on q
winter $ day 10 one OF the pumping sta
lions by the London river, whence
cleansed sewage effluent is still poured
into the stream. The stuff from the
Grains. greatly diluted and mixed with
chemicals. is passed at considerable speed
throJgh three or four tanks before set
Ting. over these tanks the Eulls, very
harmless scaVengers compared with rats,
collect i'm dense fights. incessantly Dip
ping into and settling on the foul water.
many hundreds on each small tank. feed
na ns s9 an eans 20 geiuss and s gasns
mutandis reading rats" for ''guIls" and
OF two millions as the total the rats had
10 deal with, some idea may be formed
Of their functions nifty years ago.
This country at least might rid itself
OF the rat. lt has no useful place In
nature as nature is understood hero.
Nothing would suffer by its absence. It
has not even the partial merits OF the
sparrow 10 compensate for its destruc-
tlveness. Sentiment. which says some
thing in favor OF nearly every other liv-
ing creature. has not a regret left for the
gray rat. IL excites more Just repu6ion
than any other creature i'm Europe. All
domestic animals loathe It. Horses will
not sleep in rat-haunted stables. but kick
and fidget all night. Dogs OF every class
detest IT, IL is the enemy OF all birds.
1t drove away the last of the black terms
from the marsh i'm which they nested in
Norfolk. and sucks tho eggs OF the fnches
and warblers In our gardens.
IL spoils and fouls grair in the sacks.
destroys potatoes and mangolds in the
earth clumps where they are stored for
the winter. robs the nests OF all wild
fowl on ornamental waters. drives away
rabbits and game. and causes more dam
age TO the outbuildings of farms and
large country houses than damp and rain
combined 1t is an economic loss In
every sense, and now that IL Is proved TO
be a positive menace to human health as
well. II should. IL possible be improved
off the face of Great Britain.