The Washington times., 1901-11-17
THE ART OF RAT CATCHING
How the Rodents Are Hunted
With Dogs and Ferrets.
The Chase for the Animals Hns Re
come Business I'm This City
Methods Used in Destroying the
prey-Ancient Customs Recalled.

A man in this city has started in the
business of ridding hotels, markets, and
other large establishments of rats. for
which purpose he employs ferrets, aided
by dogs Both the ferreis and the dogs
are trained to an extraordinary degree
and, as the former are disposed to eat
the rats, muZzles are provided to pre-
vent this contingency. The dogs are ed
ucated to distinguish the ferrets from
the rodents so perfectly that in the
midst of the most involved melee of a
hunt the lives of the weasel-like little
animals are never in jeopardy. The
ferrets are sent into tfi4 holes of the
rats for the purpose of diving out the
occupants, and the dogs stand ready
to pounce upon the victims as soon as
they make their appearance. The dogs
employed are fox terriers, which, it ap-
pears, are capable of being trained as
| excellent ratters. The ferrets, of which
the professional gentleman in charge of
operations has a number, are quite
tame and gentle, and each has its pet
name, to which it answers. In addition
to muzzles, the feIrets are provided,
when on active duty, with harness,
which is used for training and working
the animals in and out of the burrows
at will Just as the rat catcher of old
went about with pouches into which he
put his quarry, so his modern successor
carries perforated sacks, which, how
ever, are not intended for the rats, but
for the ferrets.
The subject of rat-catching recalls
the many ingenious devices which have
been invented by mankind for ridding
itself of the troublesome and detested
animals. AS a rat trap perhaps moth
ing surpasses the flour barrel, with its
cover balanced upon wire in the CEN
ire. SO that the slightest pressure
causes this top to dip" more or less,
when, the pressure removed, it imme-
diately rights itself again. Some grain
placed upon the cover Of the barrel en-
tees the rats, which are no sooner upon
the treacherous lid than they find them
selves in the bottom. Of the barrel, and
they can't get out. either owing to the
peculiar shape of the interior of their
improvised receptacle. III this manner
in one barrel. The experiment has been
tried of putting kerosene oil upon the
tail of one of a number of captive ro-
dents. and lighting it, when immediate
ly all the rest set upon him and kill him
at once. Rats are, indeed, very
strange creatures. and it is an ascer-
tanned fact that the skins of dead rats
in holes have been found turned COM
pletely inside out, even to the tips of
the toes; whether this operation is a
religious ceremony performed by the
relatives and friends Of the deceased, or
whether the sometime owner of the re-
versed skin has been eaten by his can
nibal enemies, and his extremities rel
ished as dainty morsels. can only be left
to conjecture
Rosalind, in LAS You Like It," says:
II never was so berhymed since Pytha-
cords time, that I was an Irish rat,
which 1 can hardly remember" The
meaning of this observation, apparent
Iy somewhat ambiguous. had reference
TO a notion once prevalent, especially in
Ireland, that rats could be rhymed to
death; that is, that they could be got
rid of by persevering course of ana
matizing in rhyme. A superstitous
notion regarding rats Is that they have
presentiment of coming evil, and al
ways desert ship about to be wrecked,
or a house about TO be flooded or
burned. There are not lacking persons
who aver that the Galveston disaster
was presaged by great rat migration
from the doomed city, and that herds
of rodents were to be met making their
way across the fields to safer quarters
before the disastrous food came
swooping down. A like story was cur
rent in the case of the Johnstown flood.
The hatred borne to rats by most peo-
pie, and the extraordinary cruelty TO
which those animals are popularly sub
jected. is curious phenomenon.
Should a rat be caught in q trap. the
torture and execution of the victim is
Immediately hailed as a delectable
spectacle, not merely by Street vaga-
bonds. but by apparently highly respec-
table passers-by, who stop with a
pleased smile to witness the death !
scene
Yet the rat is of a social turn, playful |
and sportive, and the manner in which |
he faces his prosecutors, his body man |
gled and bleeding, but with fire flashing |
from his eyes and defiance in his whole |
attitude, shows him to be endowed |
with a very unusual amount of cOur- |
age. He is game to the last and, as
the ferret is of like disposition, bat
tie between these two bitter enemies is
very interesting sight. The ferret al
most invariably comes out victorious,
owing, apparently, To the fact that its
body is less unwieldy, and it is conse-
quently quicker in its movements
1t may be remarked in conclusion
that the profession OF rat catcher is an
old and universal one. In Italy, In the
seventeenth century, as is learned from
Annibal Caraccis illustrations of the
Cries of Bologna" this kind of profess
sional was wont 10 go about with pole
bearing a square flag. on which were
OF rats and mice The |
Chinese rat catcher carries. as the out
ward ensign of his calling. a cat in a
bag. One of the many highly priced
of Cornelius Vischer (born
at Haarlem, 1870 shows the Dutch rat
catcher of that day with all his para
phernalia. The sketch is SO hfelike and
so characteristic that its fidelity cannot
be doubted. Attached to this engrav-
ing is Latin inscription which may be