Evening star., 1936-09-15

drains constructed Dy nlHl, tlley
usually outguess him at every turn
and they partake in most OF his ac-
tivities, from erecting church. sail
ing a ship, storing pantry and so on
even to digging a grave, as one
old writer puts it!
Rats are famous for their tourist
tendencies. In the old days OF
wooden ships and iron men" 1t was
said that one rat often covered more
miles than did many an explorer, ana
set his paws on twenty or more olf-
ferent shores. HordeS of rats would
ship for long voyages, before vessel
left port, going aboard single file
along the great hawsers that held her
to the dock. In this same manner
they would go ashore, although II
prevented by special guards or shields.
they would Jump overheard and swim
for it without batting an eyelaSh.
x X x
TT NEVER seems to occur to them
l. that they are unWelcome company,
and that even a mouthWaSh or special
soap won't make them any more pop
ular. Might is right" seems to be
their slogan, and where they can ap-
propriate mans goods to their own
use, and racket around on his prem
ises they will put it into practice with
out delay. Food and water are, OF
course, their two great necessities,
and to obtain either thevowill run I'M
measurable risks. On the old sailing
ships. it is said, rats would even ascend
the rigging at night to drink the mols-
Sure living in the folds of the sails;
they would bore holes into water
casks-occasionally they mistook spirit
casks for these, and went on a royal
spree.
Legend has it that as it is with
nations, so it is with rats-one tribe
comes and displaces another. The
good old Saxon rats that probably fin
ished up King Alfred's burned cakes,
were ousted from England by larger,
fiercer breed said to have come over
from Hanover when that dynasty came
INTO power. These rodents actually
were called spitefully "Hanoverian
rats" and made short work of their
smaller hosts. They killed and ate
them when they were hungry-and, if
fed to satiation, merely nibbled the
ears off their helpless opponents
much" as one writer remarks-"like
D gourmand after a substantial meal
tempts further appetite with a savory
or wafer biscuit"
" Il
CHIPPING concerns had professional
rat catchers on their pay rolls,
whose duties consisted of killing the
rats found on the ships before and
after sailing. Rats have always fea-
tured largely in any horror stories
In fact, the best regulated "thrillers"
would lose caste without them. Think
Of the rats in Poe's Pit and the
Pendulum" in the weird Coffin of
Lissa," in the tale of the luckless
and villainous Bishop Hatto and in
the immortal Pied Piper of Hamelin!"
Spectacular and interesting as these
furry fellows may be, they are very
definitely an unpleasant and danger
Gus pest. Constant warfare must be
WdSCo dsdlIloG IIlCIII IL VIC arc W hccp
our property safe from their ravageS,
and this is often a hard and dreary
task. Fortunately, in the cities, mod
ern building is rapidly reducing the
number of rats which actually can
dwell under our roofs-but in the
country and in districts where the
buildings are old and poorly con-
structed, the menace is still present.
Open garbage pals, sitting on back
porches or in alleys are sure bait;
lumber piles, stored produce, accumu-