However trifling and contemptible the following Treatise may appear to
some persons, the author flatters himself that it will be productive of
great public utility, although the subject is but low and humble.
Many ingenious writers have greatly distinguished themselves in treating
of that noble and useful animal the horse; of the method of breeding
horned cattle, sheep, and other animals, serviceable and beneficial to
mankind; this little work, on the contrary, takes cognizance of those
animals, noxious to the community, describes their wonderful wilyness
and sagacity, and the uncommon and surprizing methods they take for
self-preservation and getting their prey; the research, may, perhaps,
give the reader great satisfaction, for the infinite wisdom of the great
Creator is as conspicuous in a mole as in a camel, in an ant as in a
lion.
And as most noblemen, gentlemen, and others, who have country seats are
generally, if not constantly, troubled with various kinds of vermin,
greatly detrimental and destructive to their property in the following
instances, viz. in many places where gentlemen have hare-warrens and
pheasantries, they are troubled with foxes, their waters with otters,
those great destroyers of fish; their poultry are killed by polecats,
stoats, and weasels; in other places they are pestered with wild cats,
who originally strayed from the farm and other lone houses, and running
into the woods, breed in great numbers and do incredible mischief, in
destroying the game, poultry, rabbits, and young leverets; in many other
places they are troubled with sheep-killing dogs, who in the night-time
worry and kill great numbers of sheep, so useful and necessary to the
commonwealth, and the staple commodity of the kingdom. But of all the
noxious animals none do more mischief than rats; both the old English
black rat and the Norway rat, especially the latter, which is the most
mischievous animal in the creation. In all the above cases, rules, not
drawn from theory, but from twenty years strict observation and
practice, are laid down in the plainest manner, to find out their haunts
and hiding places; with the easiest methods how to take and destroy
them, to the great joy and emolument of the persons who have been
injured and pestered with them. Rules for taking and destroying moles
and mice are likewise given, and the nature of ferrets is also
described, with instructions when it is proper to make use of them, and
when not.
And as the noxious part of the creation is not confined to the earth
only, many of the winged inhabitants of the air are equally pernicious
to the gentleman and the farmer, their natures are described, with
proper and suitable directions how to take and destroy them, from the
buzzard and the kite, to the smallest bird of prey, without which the
author would have estimated his work as incomplete.
On the whole, if the following little Treatise should any ways answer
the intent for which it was written, the author will obtain the end he
aimed at, and gratify the utmost extent of his ambition and wishes,
namely, the good and advantage of his fellow-subjects, and the general
good of the community.
THE
FOX.
I shall first begin with old Reynard the Fox, for he is the king of the
vermin in this island; wolves indeed formerly abounded here, an animal
infinitely more fierce and dangerous than the former, but these for many
ages have been entirely extirpated.
The Fox is a very subtle, sly, and daring animal, and in hard and severe
winters will come to places where hares and pheasants are kept, and
destroy a great many of them; he is likewise a mortal enemy to lambs and
all kinds of poultry, but scarce in any other instances he is more
mischievous than in destroying rabbits in warrens, which he frequently
does in prodigious numbers, but more especially in stopping time, as I
have known the young rabbits of near twenty stops taken away by the
Foxes in one night’s time. It may be necessary here to explain what is
meant by the above term; when the female rabbit is ready to kindle, she
digs an hole, or angle, about four feet long, and about ten or twelve
inches under ground, and when she goes out for food, she scratches the
earth over the mouth of the hole, or stop, so that it is scarcely
perceptible to the eye, in order for the preservation of her young ones
from any approaching enemy; in the night, the Fox being in search of his
prey, comes to the place where these stops are made and scents the young
rabbits, but instead of entering therein, he follows the scent above
ground till he comes to the end of the angle, and then scratching up the
earth comes immediately upon the young, which he devours; and this is
called _crowning_ on them.
It is very difficult to guard against the approaches of this enemy, his
motions being so uncertain, unless a trap was constantly placed, for
sometimes he will destroy several lambs and poultry in the night at
farm-houses, and not come near the same place again for a considerable
time, shifting his quarters to other places considerably remote in
search of fresh plunder; but in large parks where hares and pheasants
are constantly kept in great numbers, there is a greater probability of
taking him in the following manner:
The method to know where and which way he comes, is to make what is
termed a shrape, which is done by drawing a circle[1] on the ground, in
the park or warren, about three feet diameter, take the mould out all
over, four inches deep, then take a sieve and sift a sufficient quantity
of fine mould to fill it up again even to the surface, dig six of these
in various parts of the park, and fill them up in the same manner. The
reason of having the mould sifted so fine is, that when you set a trap
there will be no stones to intervene between the spring and the jaw of
the trap, which will sometimes happen without proper observance, and
prevent the trap from striking close.
Footnote 1:
See letter A. plate 1. fig. 1.
The next step to be taken is to procure a sheep’s paunch; tie a string
to it, and draw it to each shrape, before described, but remember at the
distance of two or three hundred yards to rub the bottom of your shoes
on the paunch, which will prevent him from discovering the smell of your
feet, and at every shrape lay some pieces of strong old Cheshire cheese,
and come again in the morning, when you will plainly perceive whether
his behaviour is shy or not; for he will sometimes eat all the cheese he
can reach, without entering on the shrape; the next night he will
venture somewhat further, and set his feet so lightly on the mould that
you can scarcely discern their print: I have sometimes fed a shy Fox for
a whole week before I have set a trap for him, but when he comes to feed
boldly he will trample all over the shrape and make prints an inch deep,
and in that shrape, where he seems to feed the freest, I would advise to
place two traps, and, without any particular accident, if he comes, you
will be sure of catching him.
Set your traps after the following manner: take some mould out, just
sufficient for the traps to lie in; and when properly placed, get some
moss, and with a small stick, put some of it under the bridge, and
likewise between the bridge and the jaw, and lay it quite smooth; now
the reason of having the above stick is, that in case you should spring
the trap, it will not injure you in the least, but only catches the end
of the stick. The next particular you must observe is, to procure a thin
piece of board, a foot in length, two inches wide at one end, and cut
away at the other to hold them by; then with this board strike some
mould or earth over the trap, entirely level with the other parts of the
shrape; this board is absolutely necessary in order to prevent your
handling the mould, for if he is in the least shy, he will not approach
the shrape if you once handle it; another caution is likewise necessary,
which is, not to let the bridges of your traps be too wide, for a Fox
had better come and put his foot in between the bridge and the jaw of
the trap, and not spring it at all, for in that case he will come again,
as he has not been baulked, but when the bridge is too wide, if he
happens to set his foot on the jaw, then his toe nails reach the bridge,
and spring the trap without catching him, which will render him shy, and
it will be a very difficult matter afterwards to get him at all.
[Illustration: _Plate I._ _page 7._ _Fig. 2._ The STEEL TRAP set in a
CUBE for a FOX. _Fig. 1._ Two STEEL TRAPS fixt in a shrape for a FOX.
_Jn. Lodge sc._]
But in order to prevent any such disappointment, I would advise that
your steel traps for the Fox should be square in the jaw, and not round
as the common traps are usually made, and strike but five inches high,
and seven inches long in the jaw, with saw-teeth[2], and let the tail[3]
of the trap be two feet from the tail end[4] of the spring, for they are
generally made too short, from whence this inconvenience arises, that
when a trap stands for some time, in warrens or parks, the spring gives
out, the purchase being so quick, whereas, were the traps formed on the
principle above laid down, the spring would remain for a considerable
time without giving way; and lastly, let the [5]bridge of the trap be
four inches square.
Footnote 2:
See the letters CC in plate 1. fig. 1.
Footnote 3:
See D in the same plate.
Footnote 4:
See E in the same plate.
Footnote 5:
See B in the same plate.
But as to a shy Fox, as just above observed, I have known them come
again, when compelled by hunger and necessity, and sometimes even with
three legs, and take the young rabbits out of the stops or holes, as
before described.
And here I beg leave to correct a vulgar error mentioned by some
authors, which is, that the Fox, when caught by the leg in a trap, in
order to facilitate his escape, will gnaw off the same above the jaws of
the trap, but this assertion is entirely false and erroneous, as it
would put the animal to inconceivable pain and agony to bite its own
flesh, while any sensation remained, and renders the supposition
likewise unnatural; but the real state of the case is this, which I have
proved from long experience, for as a dog, when he has got into a trap,
will yelp and cry out till he is tired, which soon happens, and then lie
quiet, on the contrary, this artful cunning creature, we are now
describing, as soon as taken, makes no noise at all, but is
indefatigable in his endeavours to get out, and will neither stand nor
lie still till either somebody comes to let him out, or he gets out by
the following manner; he immediately begins to tumble and toss about,
and after some time striving, he breaks his leg, just at the place where
the iron jaws of the trap are fastened; the lower part of the leg, under
the trap, is soon benumbed and deprived of all sensation, which the Fox
then gnaws off, and drawing the sinews through the teeth of the trap,
makes his escape, leaving that part of his leg which he had bit off
behind him; and, as a further confirmation, I once catched a dog and
bitch Fox, early in the winter, who both escaped, by the above means,
with three legs each, and the ensuing spring came to the same warren and
took out several stops on their three legs, which I discovered, and
poisoned them by means of some balls properly prepared, the method of
which I shall soon come to describe.
It may not here be unnecessary to lay down some rules to distinguish the
dog Fox from the bitch, which may easily be done, without seeing them,
by adhering to the following observations; a dog Fox has a larger foot
than a bitch, and it much resembles that of a small lurcher dog, and has
been often mistaken for one, by those who do not examine things
minutely: but there is an essential difference; for the Fox has hardly
any ball to the heel of his foot, but the dog has a large one; and a
bitch Fox has likewise a small foot with the ball thereof still
considerably less than the male. The utility of this remark will soon
appear.
I now proceed to lay down another method of taking and destroying these
pernicious vermin, either in park, warren, or field, but more especially
those who have been made shy, or have lost a leg in a trap, as before
hinted, which is as follows: whatever place it may happen to be in, you
must take notice of all the little by-paths all round the ground, and
sift some mould in each of them, and place by the side of each path,
where the mould is sifted, a piece of white rag stuck upon a stick; for
if there be any rabbits or hares near the path, they, by running up and
down, will create such confusion in the mould, that it will be next to
an impossibility to distinguish the impression of the Fox’s foot; the
intent, therefore, of these white rags is, to fright the rabbits and
hares away, but the Fox will boldly proceed along regardless of them: as
soon therefore as you have discovered which path he came along, you must
not trail for him as before, for that having seduced him into danger,
and led him to the trap, he will remember it well, and it is a very
great chance whether he will follow the trail at all. But take two good
figs of nux vomica; let them be quite white and sound, (for those that
are of a brown colour are neither so strong nor efficacious) then rasp
them very fine, take a piece of good dripping as big as a tennis ball,
mix with these a little flower to bring it to a proper consistency or
stiffness, and then roll it in honey; for there is nothing fonder of
honey than a Fox, and I have seen one scratch up the earth for a bee’s
nest under the ground, for the sake of the honey, and after he had
accomplished this design, having the wind of him I shot him dead on the
spot. But to return.
When you have found out the path he comes in, place two or three of
these balls of the magnitude before mentioned, at nine or ten yards
distance, for fear he should miss one; place them on a small stick six
inches high, in order to prevent the mice from eating them. But a little
distinction is here necessary to be made, for if you are endeavouring
after a Fox, whom you imagine never to have been made shy or caught in a
trap, the method of trailing, as laid down in the first instance may be
followed, and then one ball will be sufficient to be put in the path,
which he will readily go up to and take, and in order still to be more
certain of his footsteps, take the foot of a Fox and print it in fine
mould or sand, but the former is better if it can be got, the latter
when dry, being apt to run; by observing this rule you will readily know
the print of his foot, wherever you see it.
When the plan has succeeded to your wishes, and the Fox has taken one of
the balls as he came in, it is ten to one but he dies before he gets out
again, as was the with the dog and bitch Fox before mentioned, and if
you print him in, and not print him out, then you may hunt for him with
your dog, being certain that he is still lurking somewhere in the
ground.
In some places where traps have not been set for them, they may be
catched as easy as a dog; I have taken them in a cube, where a trap for
a dog has been set, the cube is formed in the manner as represented in
[pl. 1, fig. 2. F.] by the cut therein annexed, and may be made in the
center where two paths cross, or in a warren, or park, or at any gate or
stile where he comes in: if you do not find that he comes in at any of
the above places over your shrapes, you must, as you go round the sides
of the path, gates and stiles, mind whether you see his billots, that
is, his dung, the term being to say after he has dunged that he has
billoted; if you should not rightly know it, take up what you imagine to
be the same, and break it, and you will find it to be full of large
black beetles; sometimes you may smell him, then look about very nicely,
and it is ten to one but he has billoted somewhere near the place.
Let your cube be made after this manner, draw a circle, [pl. 1. fig. 2.
F.] but in the front leave just room for the trap to go in when set,
then bank it up all round from one side of the jaw of the trap quite
round to the other; set your traps in the same manner as you see in the
plan of it, but be sure to moss them as before directed, for the moss
preserves the fine mould from running under the bridge, and at the same
time keeps it up hollow that it may strike freely and properly, but when
the mould runs in, it sets the trap so hard that it is impossible for it
to strike at all. If you are in a warren, put some rabbits guts in the
back part of the cube; if these cannot be procured, place some pieces of
strong rotten Cheshire cheese, which they are very greedy of; if at a
farm get some bits of dead fowl, if possible, and if in a field, it is
probable you may find some of the mangled carcases of lambs, which they
have killed and hid pieces of them in the ground, which they often do:
but remember, in all these particular cases to put the bait in the back
part of the cube as before hinted; and whenever you set a trap for a Fox
let it be placed early in the afternoon, in order that the soil you make
may go off before he comes, and when you have set them, cover them with
a bush cut on purpose, to keep any thing else from striking it, till you
come round at night and uncover it again.
In many country places there are people, who make it their business to
take Foxes out of their earths for gentlemen to hunt them at their
pleasure; these are properly called bag-foxes. I have known in some
stony countries that they set stone traps for them at their earths, so
that it is impossible for them to get out without being taken, but of
this method of catching them I cannot speak from my own experience,
having been only a spectator of the traps, and of consequence cannot be
so able to judge of it, as where I have been the principal actor myself.
I mention this to testify that I would not, even in the most minute
circumstances, impose on my readers.
I have practiced likewise the following method with good success, which
may be imitated with great facility; let the party employed go round and
carefully search for their earthing places, wherever they are, and make
the mouths of them quite fine with mould; then come again the next
morning, and observe whether the earth has been trampled on, and if you
see the prints of his feet tending outward and inward, you may then be
assured that he is safe within his hole or earth, on which take a good
strong hay-net, such as are used in some warrens, pitched all around at
a proper distance, put the sticks quite slight into the ground, that as
soon as he strikes the net, it may fall upon and entangle him, but if
you place it tight he will tumble over, and by that means escape.
Another caution is necessary, when you have set your net, you must put
some bells in three or four different places, that you may hear when he
strikes the net; then run in upon him, and keep him entangled, otherwise
he will get out again, and seizing him by the pole or back part of his
neck, muzzle him, and tie his fore legs together, that he may not
scratch his muzzle off again; I have known a Fox, earthed as above,
watched for two or three nights together, till he has been starved out,
before they could catch him.
Sometimes when a Fox is found in the earth, or is hunted in, the method
is to dig him out immediately, after the following manner; take a good
terrier, that is kept for that purpose, one that will lie at a Fox, then
you must listen and sound him as the warreners do their line ferrets;
dig a trench across the angle, and, when you have got to the angle,
perhaps he will fly back, as they frequently do, then sink another
trench near him, and when you have dug down to him, take care he does
not bite you, as he is a fierce animal, when drove to desperation, and
bites very hard; in the next place take your dog back, that you may get
him out, this is what we call drawing him, as follows; take an old hat,
or any thing of a similar nature, in your hand, and dodge it before him,
when he will catch hold of it immediately, then with the other hand
catch him by the back part of the poll, with all possible quickness, as
the motion must be, as it were, instantaneous; and this same method must
be observed when you have one in a trap, if you have a mind to take him
alive, and always remember to have a muzzle ready to put on him
directly, and put him into a sack, and then you may do what you please
with him afterwards; what I mean by a muzzle is this, take a bit of
strong tape, put it over his nose, bring both ends down under his jaw,
and tie them tight together; then bring it along under his throat, an
inch and half from the first knot, then tie them both together in one
knot again, then bring the two ends up behind his ears and tie them
tight, and this is what I call a muzzle, in the same manner as warreners
muzzle their dogs to drive to the nets.
Having proceeded thus far in my description, _&c._ of this remarkable
animal, I conclude what I have to say of him with the following recipe
to take a shy dog Fox, which I have known to succeed when all other
means have proved ineffectual, and like wise with another observation,
neither of which are generally known.
The trail for him is, when you have taken a bitch Fox, that goes a
clicketing, take and cut that vessel which contains her sperm, the same
as the sow-gelders deprive bitches of, when they spay them, mixing with
this some gum mastic, and put them as soon as possible, after being
taken from the animal, into an earthen pot, keeping it quite close, and
it will remain serviceable a whole year, and, when occasion offers, take
a large piece of rind of bacon, broil it well on a gridiron, and then
dip it in the pot, using it as a trail, in the same manner as the
sheep’s paunch before described.
The last remark I shall make is, that there is one season of the year
when a Fox will not run after a trail at all, at least very rarely, and
that is in the spring, when he gets plenty of young rabbits and
leverets; for then he is dainty; when this is the case, another method
must be taken: at this time of the year the bitch Fox goes what is
called _a-clicketting_, you must mind which way he comes, which may be
done by sifting some fine mould in all the little bye paths, and when
you have discovered the right one, place two steel traps, about twenty
yards distance from each other, for fear he should miss one, but lay no
bate for him, and if he comes, there is the greatest probability of his
being caught; I have often been forced to act in this manner, and have
succeeded.
THE
OTTER.
The Otter is an amphibious animal, which preys both by land and water,
for when he is disturbed in the water he preys by land: as a proof of
which, I once catched a dog Otter in a warren, where he came to prey on
the rabbits, after the old bitch Otter and all the young cubs had been
killed, down at the river, not far from the warren.
The Otter generally frequents rivers and brooks, in order to search for
his prey, and will often come to fish-ponds likewise, destroying the
fish, and yet not lie there; the method to discover his haunts is very
easy, for, in whatever place he preys, you will be certain to find
tails, or hinder parts of the fish, left undevoured, at the sides of the
ponds, _&c._ for it is observable that he eats the head and body of the
fish, as far as the vent, and very seldom any farther; look all round
the pond, and by his marks or footsteps, you will find where he enters
the pond, and likewise where he comes out to eat the fish by the side,
for no amphibious animal devours his prey in the water, or can remain a
single moment under it, longer than he can hold his breath. When you
have discovered the place, it will be adviseable to put a good strong
steel trap in the water, down in the mud; put the mud over the bridge of
the trap as much as you can, that he may not discover the trap. I have
catched several this way. If you should not happen to find where he
takes the water, you will see where he sits to eat his fish, and then
you must set a trap or two by the side of the water, in different
places, where you find the bits of fish; cut a hole in the ground to let
them in, just flush or even with the ground, then cover them over with
moss very nicely: but, in my opinion, there is no necessity to bait
them, for the Otter will seldom, I believe never, touch any thing but
what he kills himself. I may possibly be mistaken in this point, but
after many repeated trials never could get him to touch any bait I set
for him.
The Otter in rivers and brooks has a kennel, which, with proper notice,
as before given, you will find; the structure of it is very ingenious
and admirable, indeed not equal to that of the beaver, though in some
instances of a similar construction, for they always have two ways to go
in and out, one by land and the other by water, for such is the
cunningness and sagacity of these vermin towards their preservation,
that if disturbed by land, they can vent or escape by water, and if
attacked by water they can escape by land; now when you have found out
these kennels, and discern that they use and frequent it, look carefully
about and you will see some of his landing places, where he sits and
eats his prey, and before the spot where he lands, there put a trap down
in the water as already directed in the ponds, where I have caught them,
and likewise destroyed all the young ones in the kennel, but know no
bait in particular they are fond of, as before observed; though others
may be of a contrary opinion.
In many places where I have been, small hounds have been employed in
destroying these vermin, called Otter hounds; when one is unkennelled,
he immediately goes to the bottom of the water, where he remains as long
as his breath will hold out, which is a considerable time; he then goes
under the bank, or under some reeds or boughs, there he draws breath and
blubbers the water; the term when he is perceived by any of his pursuers
is to say, There he vents; and they strike at him with a spear made for
that purpose, and often kill him, but if the spear misses, he sets off
again and the dogs follow, and if good seldom miss of killing him.
The above animal is not footed like other vermin, for they have a web
between each claw, like many water fowls, which greatly accelerates
their motion in swimming, when pursued by the dogs; they have no heel,
but a round ball under the sole of the foot, the track of which is
called their mark, and their dung is called their sprents.
THE
BADGER.
He is a grey hard haired animal, a good deal of the pig kind; and is not
near so hurtful as many other animals of the vermin kind; for the chief
mischief he does, consists in scratching of earths, or holes, which
afterwards serve for earth for the foxes to harbour in, and in
scratching and grubbing up the ground, in searching after his food, such
as pignuts and roots, on which, and on beach-mast, acorns, crabs, and
other trash, he subsists, but does not prey on living things of any
kind, as has been asserted by some authors, who have falsly affirmed
that he destroys and lives on young lambs, pigs, and poultry; and in
consequence of the simplicity of his food, I have known, in some places,
people will eat them, being generally very fat, and their flesh
exceedingly sweet.
I have practised two methods of taking the Badger with great success,
the first of which is, when you have found out one of their earths, let
two persons go out in the night, while they are in search of their food,
and put a thin sack into the hole, and fasten it at the mouth, that the
Badger may not run away with it; then let one person remain near the
hole, while the other beats round the fields with a dog, in order to
drive him home; when he finds the dog after him, he runs to his hole as
fast as possible, and goes into the sack, which slips close like a
purse; the party who stayed near the hole, on hearing his approach, lays
hold of the mouth of the sack, and pulls out the Badger in it, and this
method is termed, Sacking the Badger. Another way is to place a steel
trap, in which you will catch him very easily, as he is nothing near so
shy as the fox; when you come to his earths or holes, make the mouths of
all the angles quite smooth, and come again the next morning, when you
will see whether any have been in or gone out, and if you track him in
and out, then put a trap in each earth, in the same manner as you did
for the fox, and you need not fear catching him, but remember to stake
down your trap, that he may not go away with it.
THE
SHEEP-KILLING DOG.
This animal is extremely pernicious and detrimental, wherever he exists,
for when once a Dog takes to killing sheep, he seldom or never leaves
the practice off, in which he is extremely shy, and it is a very
difficult matter to put a stop to his proceedings till you can discover
his owner, which is no easy task, for if once he perceives you are
tracing him home, he will go two or three miles another way.
If it happens that he should come in the night, and destroy any of your
lambs or sheep, the circumstance becomes very alarming, and the farmer
generally moves his sheep into another field or place, this certainly
will baulk him for some small time, till he finds them again, and then
the consequence is as bad as ever; I would therefore advise not to move
your flocks at all, for the following reason, that by this means you may
be the sooner able to destroy him. To this end, go early in the morning
into the field where the sheep are, which is always customary, every
morning, among the farmers, then you will find whether he has been
amongst and killed any of them: if you perceive this to be the case,
inspect carefully all round the field, whether you can track, or see the
print of his feet, at any gate, stile, or gap, if there be one, if you
look carefully it is ten to one but you trace his footsteps; this being
done, you may prepare for him against night in the following manner: get
two good steel traps, set one of them by the side of the gate, stile, or
gap, where you imagine he enters, within side of the field, in the same
manner as before directed for the fox in a cube trap, and cover the
same, but do not handle the mould; then take the liver of the sheep or
lamb he has devoured, cut them into slices, fry them in some good
dripping, and put them on the back part of the cube; then take a piece
of the flesh of the sheep or lamb, and rub it all about the gate or
stile, _&c._ in order that he may be allured by the scent; then set
another trap in the same manner at a different gate, for fear he should
not come in the same way: a farmer is sometimes at a loss for these
traps, but if he lives adjacent to any warren, he may easily borrow two
of the true sort; but for fear of an accident it would not be amiss for
the farmer to have them always by him. The above directions being put
into execution, get a sheep’s paunch and draw a trail all round the
field, as you do for the fox, and draw it up close to the mouth of each
cube or trap, and by these means I have frequently catched several of
them.
In some country places where they have none of the aforesaid traps,
people are at a loss how to proceed, the subsequent method will supply
their place in some measure, and be attended with success; when you have
discovered in the morning, that he has been among the sheep over night,
get some good dripping as big as a tennis ball, rasp two good figs of
nux vomica, and mix them together, stiffened with a little flour; make
several of these balls, and at evening trail a sheep’s paunch, tied to a
string, to each gate, stile, or gap, where you imagine he enters,
putting one of these balls at every place, fixt on the top of a small
piece of stick, about six inches high, with the other end in the ground,
which will prevent the mice from eating it; when you have trailed to one
place, there stick the ball, trailing on to the next in like manner,
till you have gone quite round the field; let this be done just at dark,
and go again in the morning, and observe how many balls are gone, the
remaining ones take up, and put them down again at night, and so proceed
till you find he has swallowed some of them, of which there is no fear
if he chance to come.
I have sometimes been greatly embarassed in catching him, though I have
fully discovered the place at which he came into the field to destroy
the sheep; for he was so extremely shy that he would not follow the
trail, nor touch any bait laid for him. I then took the following
method, _viz._ just at the gate where he came in, I procured two radded
hurdles and put them close at one end, top and bottom; and at the
extremity of the end so closed, I tied a live lamb, and at the other end
where the opening was I set two steel traps close by each other, and in
the room they did not fill up, I placed a large bush to supply the
vacancy. These traps were covered very nicely, in the same manner as for
the fox; the plan succeeded, and the arch thief was happily taken. If it
should be a Dog that comes, procure some of the urine of a proud bitch,
and rub it about the trail, or the bait, which will infallibly bring him
on, let him be ever so shy, and induce him to go boldly up to the trap
and be caught.
THE
HOUSE CAT,
TURNED WILD.
This domestic animal is so well known as to need no description here,
and is very useful in a family, but frequently they will run wild in
woods, parks, chaces, or forests, and do infinitely more mischief than
many vermin naturally wild, and become entirely the reverse of what they
were originally intended for.
They attack their prey with surprizing ferocity, equal to that of a
tiger, and are very hurtful in gentlemens grounds, such as wood-walks,
pheasantries, chicken-grounds, or places where poultry is kept; where
they destroy the young pheasants, chickens, ducks, rabbits, and
leverets. I have killed seven of these Cats in one week, in a
gentleman’s chicken ground, where they came and destroyed almost all his
Chinese and other pheasants, Bantam and Guinea fowls, and other curious
poultry, both domestic and of foreign extraction, also his tame rabbits;
on all which he set the greatest value. I have caught divers of them in
a warren, who have rambled several miles to come for their prey, for
there is a kind of these creatures, besides those that live in the
woods, which generally reside about farm-houses, and at night go out to
prowl, and are of no service to the owner. As a proof of this, a farmer
happening to come to the warren, who lived about three miles distant,
owned one of the cats killed that morning, which had left his house the
preceding evening. I have caught thirty wild Cats in a season, at the
same warren, and we had but two houses near us, upwards of a mile
distant each way, by which it appears how far these animals will ramble
in search of their prey.
I now proceed to the manner of taking them; when you find they come to
any of the fore-mentioned places, get a common box trap, or hutch trap,
[pl. II. fig. 1.] such as are used in warrens; let it be nine inches
wide, full ten inches high in the clear, and three feet long. Let the
standards A. A. be placed in the centre, on the top of the trap, ten
inches from the end B. B. which must slide up and down in a groove; let
the standards be twelve inches high, with a notch cut in each, two
inches deep, and three quarters of an inch wide, that the swords C. C.
may have free room to play by the side of each other. Let the bridge be
eight inches square, and then there will be a clear inch in length for
the bridge to play; then get a piece of wood, half an inch thick, and an
inch and half square, make a hole in the middle, and place it at the
bottom of the trap, up against the back, in the centre, afterwards put a
nail through without a head, fasten it down to the bottom of the trap,
the nail standing up half an inch, then there will be room for the
bridge to hang on: make a hole at one end of the bridge, in the centre,
place it on the nail; in the other end put a strong piece of wire, and
cut a trigger-hole in the front of the trap, towards the bottom, exactly
in the middle, three inches high, and half an inch wide, D. D. and be
careful to have the inside of the trigger or tiller hole lined on each
side the edges with narrow pieces of tin, which will prevent its being
gnawed, and the trap from being defaced, for all vermin, whether cats,
rats, _&c._ will constantly gnaw and scratch wherever they see light;
then let the wire E, at the side of the bridge go through the
trigger-hole D. D. a small matter turned up at the end, that it may
hitch to the tiller, which is the small piece of wood tied to the end of
the string, then fix a little bit of wood, F, half an inch above the
trigger-hole, on the outside of the trap, as a stop for the trigger. But
some people are apt to put the tiller in the hole, where it often hangs
and prevents the trap from striking, whereas, if placed as directed, it
cannot hang in the least, but must strike and take the enemy; whom, in
order to secure, when taken, let a piece of wood, about half an inch
high, be nailed to the bottom of the trap, on the inside, close to where
the door falls, at each end; this will hinder any light from coming in,
and prevent the vermin from scratching the door up again, as I have
known it sometimes done.
The next step in the formation of the trap is, to take out a bit of the
wood from the centre of the top board G, six inches wide, cut slanting
on one side, and directly or straight down on the other, with a small
tenant saw, which will waste but little of the board, and may readily be
taken in and out, over the bridge, and is convenient to put the bait in.
Fix a small piece of wood under the lid, the whole length, excepting the
thickness of the sides, to keep it from sliding in or out, and on the
even side of the lid, put two small wooden hasps, H. H. which will keep
it fast on that side, and that side cut under or aslant holds fast
likewise; then in the back part of the trap, in the centre, above the
bridge, drive a nail through, and turn it up with a hook, to hang the
bait on. I have now described the trap to catch this dangerous enemy,
with the greatest minuteness, but for the reader’s better understanding
the nature and meaning of the same, I have annexed a beautiful
copper-plate, containing an exact view or representation of it, with
references answering to the foregoing explanation.
This being done, take some valerian-powder, and scatter it in and about
the trap, for they are fond of valerian-root to a degree of
extravagancy, rolling themselves about when they come near it, purring,
and seeming to be as it were in an extacy; if you have no valerian at
hand, put some pieces of marem or cat-thyme into the trap, which they
are likewise fond of. Now for your bait, take some fishes heads or
bones, or a red herring, rubbing the end of the trap with the same, and
hang it on the nail, in the back part, over the bridge: this they will
eagerly catch at, it being an observation, that Cats love fish, but do
not love to wet their feet; yet I have known an instance to the
contrary, having observed one of these Cats take the water like a
spaniel, after the water rats; but this is very rare and uncommon.
The bait being placed, take several red herrings, tie them together in a
string, and draw a trail all round where you think they come, and
likewise to the traps; and if they approach you need not fear of
catching them. If you find your trap down in the morning, one caution is
necessary, which is, not to lift up the door of the trap, to discover
what kind of animal you have taken, it being possible that some other
vermin may have got in, for if it should prove to be a wild cat, the
moment she sees light she will strike at your face with her claws, and
endanger your eye-sight, and probably make her escape, having once been
served so myself; I would therefore recommend to take a thin sack, draw
the end thereof to the end of the trap, so far that it be in the sack’s
mouth, which you must draw up tight, then rattle the other end, and the
Cat will bolt out into the sack, and holding the mouth tight, gather it
together and you may do what you please with it.
THE
MARTEN CAT.
This is a very curious and beautiful animal not commonly known, even by
many connoisseurs in natural history, and is the largest of the ferret
kind; he seldom or never comes near any dwelling-houses or farm yards,
but delights in solitariness, frequenting lone forests, chaces, woods,
and other desart places: however I knew one that used to run tame about
the kitchen of the Bald-Face-Stag, on Epping-Forest; they have no strong
disagreeable scent, like the polecat, weasel, and other stinking animals
of a similar nature, but are reckoned the sweetest of the vermin kind; I
caught several one winter, on the aforesaid forest, and sold their skins
for four shillings and sixpence each, for the sake of the fur, which is
exceedingly good.
Their lodging places are in old crows or magpies nests, and sometimes in
a woodpecker’s hole, and in hollow trees: I have traced them in the
snow, and when they take to a tree they will go from one to another with
incredible swiftness like a squirrel, till they settle themselves in
some or other of the places before mentioned, where you are likely to
find them. They are very fond of birds of all kind, particularly the
wood-pigeon, or ring-dove, and turtle-dove, which in the night-time they
take from their roosting places. Now when you have discovered by their
tracks, either in the earth or snow, where they go, place a common box
or hutch trap, such as they use in warrens, [pl. II. fig. 1.] bait it
with a bird, in the same manner as I before described for the wild cat,
pick off some of the bird’s feathers, and strew them through the inside
of the trap, from one end to the other, and hang the bird on a nail;
this is the way I have caught several of them; but in some places I have
known them hunted with hounds, when they are sure to lead the dogs
through the thickest covers they can find. They are not an animal that
abounds in great numbers, but rather scarce to be found; I make this
observation, because many persons are entirely ignorant of its
existence, for which reason I have been more particular and exact in my
account of this uncommon creature.
THE
POLECAT.
This animal is distinguished by various appellations in different parts
of the kingdom, being in most places called a Polecat, in some a Formet,
and in others a Fitchet, and by one or other of the above three names he
is known all over England.
He is a very subtle and pernicious creature, being a mortal enemy to
fowls of all kinds, and doing prodigious mischief in warrens, by
destroying the young rabbits, for when once they take to a borough,
consisting of a large number of holes or angles, they either kill or
drive the rabbits away, who, by instinct, shun so dangerous a foe; in
the hen-houses they are equally destructive, and when they have killed a
fowl, they drag it away, if they can get it through the hole they enter
in at, but they have one good property, that is, that if they can get
what they have killed away, whether fowl or rabbit, they will eat of it
as long as it remains sweet, before they return back to kill any more;
in this circumstance differing from the weasel and stoat, who, after
they have destroyed their prey, only suck the blood out, and very seldom
take it away, but leave the flesh behind untouched; if therefore you
miss any of your fowls, or find any of them in part devoured, it will be
an almost infallible criterion for you to distinguish that the mischief
has been done by these vermin.
In order the better to destroy them, I would recommend this method; at
night, after your fowls are gone to roost, mind to sift some sand before
every little hole you suspect he may come in at, and look at them again
in the morning early, before the fowls are moving, and you will soon
discern the prints of their feet by their trampling about, then set a
common hutch trap, such as are used in warrens, [pl. II. fig. 1.] and
bait it with a piece of fowl or small bird of any kind; hang the bait on
the nail, over the bridge, as has been observed before, and if you
should catch one of them, remember to make the print of his feet in the
sand, which will enable you the better to know it another time, which
has been my own constant practice, to discover what kind of vermin have
been there in any shrape, whether made by sprinkling mould or sand; and
if you should not have a hutch trap in your possession, then put at the
place where you have tracked him, a small steel trap, and place a brick
on each side, so that he cannot avoid coming over the trap, which must
be covered nicely with fine mould; do this in the afternoon, then cover
it with a thin board, that the fowls may not spring it in going to
roost, then take the board or shelter away, and go in the morning before
the fowls move, and if you should not catch him the first night, observe
the same methods for a few nights more, and you will be sure of him.
THE
STOAT.
This animal in some places is called a _Cain_, and is the worst small
vermin that exists, for if they approach to any warren, pheasantry or
chicken-garden, they do incredible mischief, for whatever they kill they
seldom eat, but only suck their blood, on which account they are more
destructive and pernicious by far, than all the vermin of the ferret
kind put together, as I have known one to kill a dozen fowls in a
chicken-garden in the space of one night, and then let them remain
behind, after having sucked out the blood at the side of the neck; but I
cannot help here taking notice of a remarkable circumstance, that is
almost peculiar to this subtle animal, which is, that they will start a
hare from his form, and follow it by the scent, as true as the hound,
till he comes up to it again; when they will slyly fasten on the side of
the neck, and there hang till the hare sinks down with loss of blood,
and then is left untouched by the Stoat, in regard to the flesh, and in
this manner I have shot many Stoats hanging on a hare’s back, for if you
should chance to be near where this happens, you will hear the hare cry,
which will direct you which way the affrighted animal is coming, be then
ready with your gun, and it will be next to a miracle if you miss
shooting him.
In the same manner I have shot these vermin in warrens, for in going by
some of the burrows, I have heard a rabbit cry under ground, which
occasioned me to remain a short time by the side of the burrow, when of
a sudden the rabbit has bolted out with the Stoat on its back, which I
have then immediately shot dead, and by this method have killed great
numbers of them.
Now in all chicken-gardens and pheasantries, two or more hutch or box
traps, should always remain set under the walls or pales, baited with
any small bird, rabbits or fowls guts, when the person who looks after
the fowls may likewise take a proper survey of the traps, by which means
they might be caught before they entered within side and did the
mischief, which otherwise must necessarily ensue. Let the traps be
placed on the outside, close under the walls or pales, with the back
part against the same, make a wing or low paling, about eighteen inches
high, with old pales, or form a small hedge, about the same height, from
each end of the trap, extending four or five yards aslant, and about two
or three yards open at the end from the wall, which will be a guide for
them to enter into the trap, for they love to run under such places, and
unless prevented in proper time, by the method here laid down, they will
enter and destroy great numbers of rabbits, pheasants, and poultry, in a
single night’s time; in most warrens, therefore, it is generally
customary, to have traps constantly set and baited, otherwise you would
soon not have any rabbits left therein. In hare-warrens, likewise, hutch
or box traps should be placed in divers parts of the warren, with the
two ends painted white, and rubbed over with the guts of any animal,
which will prevent the hares from entering in, but allure the vermin;
let them be always baited in the same manner as before observed; and if
you find they likewise come to your hen-houses, use the same method, and
they will naturally come into the trap and be catched, and in case you
should not have a hutch trap, set a small steel trap, as before directed
for the polecat, and you will be certain of securing him.
THE
WEASEL.
The Weasel is the smallest vermin of the ferret kind, and is a very
noxious little animal, in many particulars resembling the stoat, last
described, but is not capable, on account of its size, of doing half so
much mischief, though they will destroy young hares, rabbits, and
chickens, and, sucking out their blood, leave them behind; but in one
instance it is extremely pernicious in chicken-gardens, hen-houses,
_&c._ by sucking the eggs in great abundance; they begin by making a
small hole at one end, at which they lick the yolk out, and leave the
shell behind, whereas the rats, on the contrary, always drag the eggs
out of the nest and carry them away, making a large hole in the egg, and
sometimes break the shell in half, in order to get at the yolk, which
the Weasel will not; by the above observation you will distinguish what
animal has destroyed your eggs, and lay your trap accordingly. In some
cases Weasels are serviceable, for they will kill mice, water rats,
young house rats, but the old Norway rat they are afraid to attack,
shunning him if possible with the greatest assiduity: they will likewise
destroy moles, having sometimes catched them in mole traps.
When you have discovered that they have destroyed your chickens, or
sucked your eggs, get a hutch or box trap, and bait it with a small bird
or egg, for I have catched many by baiting with an egg, and if you
should be at a loss to know at which place he enters, make some shrapes,
either with sand or fine mould, as before described, and when you have
discovered which way he comes, place some small steel traps, and it will
be a thousand to one but what you catch him; and when you have taken any
of these vermin, make an impression of their feet in some fine sand, and
you will be able to distinguish them another time: and if this was
strictly observed, it would be possible for you to know if even a mouse
had entered your parlour or dining-room, by sifting some sand all over
the bottom of the room at night, the last thing you do; then lock the
door, and in the morning you will see which way they come in and out;
which remark will serve for all these kind of vermin in general. I
conclude my account of this creature in describing an odd method by
which I have killed them, _viz._ when I have observed one run into a
hedge, by standing at a proper distance from the place, and imitating
the squeaking of a mouse, I have enticed the Weasel to come out to the
side of the hedge, and then shot him dead, and by this method I have
destroyed several of them.
THE
FERRET.
Of these animals there are two kinds or species, the white Ferret and
the polecat Ferret, so called from its great resemblance to the polecat,
but they are certainly two distinct animals, though by many persons
imagined to be one and the same, and confounded together; and as a proof
of this distinction, I have had several excellent Ferrets killed by the
polecat, when turned into the rabbit burrows, wherein the polecat had
taken prior possession.
Ferrets are much used by the warreners in the following manner; when the
young rabbits become of a tolerable bigness or growth, they go to the
holes where they have been observed, with a dog-Ferret, and turn him in
with a long small line round his neck, and the other end of the line in
their hands; if he goes a considerable way in, and finds no game, they
draw him out again, and put him into another hole; and when they
perceive by the line that he has struck at one of them, the line is
gently drawn out, and he will bring the rabbit out in his mouth; the
Ferret’s throat is then pressed, or squeezed close, in order that he may
quit his prey, and then he is turned in again, this method the reader
may practise with success, and take all the young rabbits out of their
burrows, be their number never so great, but one caution is necessary to
be observed, which is, not to lay the rabbits, as you take them, in the
wind of the Ferret, this will baulk your sport, for if he scents or
winds them, he will not keep in the ground; in the course of my practice
I have tried a great number of holes, in some of which he has gone six
or seven fathom in almost straight or horizontal angles, generally about
three or four feet deep under the earth before he found his prey, but
these are too great lengths to draw them, and would be losing too much
time, but if you find the rabbits at about three fathom deep, it will
answer your purpose, though you may try different angles or holes, and
take your game at the nighest; the above method is what is termed
drawing them with a Line-Ferret.
In the winter season, when you are endeavouring to take the rabbits, and
you cannot get them to bolt or come out of their holes, the following
expedient may be put into execution, in order to take great numbers of
them together; make use of the Line-Ferret as before, turn him into one
of the holes or angles till he finds them, but let him not remain there
long enough to lay hold of the rabbits, then put him in at another, and
so in like manner into all, and in the nighest angle you find them,
there turn in the Ferret, and let him lie while you can sound him; what
is meant by sounding is, you must listen about where you think the line
goes, with your ear to the ground, and where you hear him dig a trench
cross the hole, just behind the place where you sounded down to the
line, then follow the line till you come to him, and in all probability
you will take a great number of rabbits, and this is the reason of
trying the Ferret in so many different angles before you let him lie,
for by this method they are driven together, for if you was to let him
lie at first, perchance you might have the trouble of digging for only a
single rabbit, for they do not keep in any great degree together till
driven so by the means aforesaid; but remember not to muzzle your
Line-Ferret.
Another method of catching them is, by what is termed starting or
bolting; to this end take the bitch or the Ferret and muzzle and use it
in this manner, where there are any rabbits in burrows or at hedges,
which you intend to destroy; when you first approach to the place,
remember to take the wind of it, and fix a small purse-net, made for the
purpose, called a Flan, in some countries, at each hole, do this as
still and silent as possible, then put in the Ferrets at the lee-side of
the burrow, in order that you may have the wind of the rabbits, and
stand at the lee-side yourself, not making the least noise, for though
many persons have a notion, that do what you will the rabbits will not
start, yet this is a mistake, for if they hear a noise above ground they
will fly down into their lower holes, till they can run no further, then
the Ferret gets behind them and scratches them till they bleed, in which
situation it is impossible for him to get before to drive them out into
the net, and this is the reason I enjoin a strict silence, for then he
catches them in their upper angles, on which they bolt out immediately,
for they never lie in the lower ones till they are disturbed above
ground; it is therefore a mistaken notion of a great many people, to
hunt and drive in all the rabbits they can find before they put the
Ferrets into the ground, but this method is entirely wrong, if you
intend to start or bolt them, for if they are once driven to ground, it
is ten to one if they move, but will lie and be scratched to death: but
if you hunt them with a Line-Ferret, you will then have nothing to do
but to sound your Ferret and dig them out as before directed.
I shall here beg leave to make a remark relative to a bad practice of
the warreners, who make too frequent use of Ferrets, which method I
entirely disapprove of; for, was I in possession of a warren, which I
occupied for my livelihood, I would never put a Ferret into the ground
at all, as it does a warren infinite prejudice and damage; it makes the
rabbits forsake their own home, and run away, and lie out till they are
killed, for they have a fixed antipathy against entering into the ground
where there is the least smell of the Ferret; they have the same dislike
to other vermin, and the Ferret is as bad as any of them; my own method
of catching rabbits is, by nets made into pound pitches, and then you
may sort them as you think proper, the best you may turn over the net
and the worst you may kill; on the contrary, the Ferret has no respect
to either, but will destroy the good as well as the bad.
The Ferret, as has been before observed, in many instances resembles the
polecat, and if one should get away from his hutch, and get into the
garden or field, if you should chance to get him again, he becomes so
wild that you can scarcely venture to touch him. I have catched them at
the hen-house, in a farm-yard, where they come to kill the fowls, for
being set by some people to drive out the rats, they sometimes lose one,
when he preys about as the polecat does; and will sometimes feed upon
young rats, but as to the old ones those he does not choose to face, for
I have had several good Ferrets as could be, all beat by an old rat,
which they will not touch, except they are very sharp set and hungry;
this experiment I have made by keeping one fasting for a day and a
night, and then he killed an old fierce rat and eat him presently. This
affords a useful lesson, for if you are going to make use of your
Ferrets for any business, keep them fasting for some time before, they
being of a very sluggish disposition, and when their bellies are full
they will not hunt after any thing, or work in the least: I have often
turned them into holes after rats, when, if they find a nest of young
ones, they will eat them, and if sufficient to satisfy their hunger,
they will hunt after no more prey, but fall asleep, for they only go in
search of it to serve themselves, and when their bellies are full, you
may hunt by yourself; this is the true nature of the Ferret.
In some places people employ them instead of cats, in destroying rats,
when they often prove of good service, especially in under floors of any
kind, and when they lie between the boards, but in ceilings and common
sewers they are not so serviceable; in the first they can do no good,
and in the latter they do not much care to wet their feet, except when
sharp set, and then they will seize the rat, which sometimes bolts from
the Ferret, and is driven into a narrow angle or corner, where being
kept at bay and made desperate, he maintains a fierce combat with the
Ferret, and makes him retire with his face and head terribly bitten and
bloody.
THE
HEDGEHOG.
This little animal greatly resembles the porcupine, though in miniature,
his body, being armed and fortified all over with small sharp-pointed
quills, which is an admirable defence for him against his enemies. It
has been asserted by some writers, and is a notion commonly received,
that it will suck the milk of cows in the night-time, while they are
asleep in the fields, and bite the dug in such manner that the cow never
recovers, but this opinion I believe to be false and erroneous, having
never been able, after many years strict enquiry and observance, to
discover a single instance of it; their chief food consists in acorns,
crabs and roots, in grubbing up of which latter they damage the ground;
you may catch them by setting a hutch trap under the wall or pale of any
park or warren, as these animals will run under them in the night a
considerable way, having taken several of them by this method in the
course of a week. I recommend it therefore as the most preferable, as
few dogs will venture to kill them, their quills being so extremely
sharp, and when they find they are pursued or attacked, they immediately
roll themselves up round as a globe or ball, and lie as if they were
dead; but put them into a puddle or pan of water, and they will expand
themselves immediately. I know of no particular bait they are fond of.
THE
NORWAY RAT.
This vermin was brought originally from Norway to England, in ships
trading for timber, _&c._ to that country, and being of foreign
extraction, they are commonly, though erroneously, called in many
places, the _Hanover_ Rat.
There are very few buildings, either in town or country, that are not
troubled and pestered with them. Now you must carefully observe what
part of the building they frequent; examine the sewers or shores, for
they will find their way up them where there is no grate, and if there
is one, they will gnaw through a soft brick, and scratch the dirt out by
the side of the shore into it, and there lie dry, which often stops up
and greatly detriments the shore. If there are any hog-sties, where hogs
are fattening in winter time, the Rats without doors about the
buildings, will repair to the sties; they are very apt to get under the
floors, greatly to the damage of the houses; they will likewise get
behind the wainscots, and in cielings, and make a noise that is very
disagreeable to the family: it is necessary, therefore, to mind where
they go in and out, for some way they must of necessity have, as they
cannot remain there long without meat and water. In order therefore for
the better discovery of the same, sift some sand about, and if any move,
you will easily see which way they go, for this is an infallible method
to betray all vermin; in the same manner, if the comparison may be
allowed, as Daniel, in the apocrypha, traced the footsteps of the men,
women and children, coming in at the private door, by means of sifting
some ashes. In the country sometimes they will lie out in the fields and
hedges, as long as any corn remains upon the ground, and breed in the
most prolific manner, for I have known them frequently bring forth
twelve young ones at one time; and I once caught an old female Rat, that
had given suck with sixteen teats; and as a still farther proof of their
fruitfulness, I have known them breed when only half grown; but in this
case they have had only three or four young ones at a time. But to
return, when the cold weather comes on, they flock in prodigious numbers
to the houses and other buildings; they likewise repair to the barns and
wheat-ricks, and sometimes I have known them take to the ricks,
notwithstanding they have been placed on stands, for they will jump up
on the top of the stones placed as a safeguard, with surprizing agility,
which it was imagined was impossible for them to do, and get into the
ricks, where they always make holes in the thatch. I have known them
take to hay-ricks and get to the top of the thatch, and bite through the
straw, in search of what little corn may be left in the same; so that
the stacks or ricks have been obliged to be thatched again.
Having given a general description of these animals, I now proceed to
point out the methods of catching them, in the various places they
haunt; whether in the cellars, shores, hog-sties, barns, stables,
slaughter-houses, brewhouses, still-houses, or any other place, be it
what it will. When you have discovered their haunt, you must put a trap,
hereafter to be described, as near the place as possible; put a small
piece of stick across under each end of the trap, near the standard, to
prevent it from falling down or striking, and it will remain in the same
position as set, and the Rats have free liberty to go in and out at
pleasure, in order to embolden them, before you set your traps in
earnest to take them; then scent it, by a method hereafter to be
explained, and it will not want scenting again for a twelvemonth; for it
is my constant rule to scent them only once a year, which will be
sufficient. Take some chaff of any kind, mix some wheat-corn with it,
and put some about the bottom of the trap, this prevents them from any
notion that it is a trap. If it be in a place where you cannot procure
chaff, throw a handful of oats, barley, or malt about the bottom; but
chaff, mixed with some kind of corn, as before observed, is preferable.
You will have occasion to do this only for the first time of setting the
traps to work; for when once some Rats have been catched in them, and
have pissed and dunged therein, they will be in better order for it; it
is a wrong practice, therefore, in many people, to wash the trap clean
before they set it again; on the contrary let the dung remain in it, for
this reason, that the Rat will enter with greater confidence where he
finds his brethren have been before him; but if it hinders the trap from
striking, or it is got under the bridge, then take it out.