would advise, by all means, to put a trap at each place. Some people are
afraid of a little expence, and make shift with one trap only, in which
case you are obliged to move your traps about, which makes them shy, and
missing some of their companions renders them still shyer: mind
therefore to have a trap at each place, set them all to feed at the same
time, and put a little bundle of straw at each end, that they may go in
and out privately; and if you cannot get any straw, shelter each end of
the trap with some old boards, and keep them as private as possible, for
this they like, and it will answer your intent the better. When your
traps are all set, as near the places where they run as you can, you
must feed them after the following manner: put some of the feed (the
recipe to prepare which will be hereafter given) at their holes, scatter
a little quite up to the end of the trap, and so along to the bridge
within side, and there put a handful. When this is performed at each
trap, you must stay two or three nights before you go to them, and you
will see which trap they have eaten out of, perhaps from all of them, or
possibly from only one, as sometimes they are very shy; for I have known
them to eat the food prepared for them, from their holes quite up to the
trap, for a week before they would enter in; but when once they have
entered in, and find they are not hurt, they will then come freely
enough. In the next place, when you go round to take a survey of your
traps, take notice of those they have eaten out of, and put some more
food in, but after the first time of feeding them, you need only put an
handful on the bridge. Make it your rule to take this survey in the
morning, and when you perceive they come to feed boldly and freely, then
is the proper time to think of taking them; but for two or three nights
previous to your catching them, when you have given them food in the
morning, remember to look at the traps again at night; for if it be a
quiet place they will feed by day-light, and where this happens, set
those traps going in the day-time, and the rest in the evening; and as
they are caught take them out of the trap, by means of a little wire
cage; which is described at the end of the Rat trap struck in [pl. V.]
afterwards put them into the large cage, proceed in this manner till
bed-time, and then put up all your traps again, that they cannot strike,
by means of a small piece of a stick laid across, under the ends, as
before mentioned, and put some more food in them, for two or three
nights longer, till they are become bold; then set them all again; and
this may be transacted without breaking your rest in the least; but in
some places where they lie in the ceilings or behind the wainscots, they
are not in motion till the house is still, and the family gone to rest,
and where this happens you must sit up later, and when any person has
this book in his possession, by following the directions therein
carefully, he may easily get the better of these vermin.
When I have been catching these vermin at any nobleman or gentleman’s
house, after having been absent for some time, I have been obliged to
sit up all the night, in order to keep their numbers under: but when a
person is in the house or near the premises, there is no necessity of
his losing his rest, or attending in so close a manner, because he may
take his opportunity to catch them when he thinks proper; and on any
night he fixes for that purpose; if any business should intervene, that
he cannot conveniently put his design into execution, then let him give
them a little food again, and they will not be baulked. Be certain to
remember this piece of advice, for when the Rats come for their supper,
and you have neglected to leave them any, then they will be
disappointed, and obliged to go to other places in search of food:
therefore when you have some at feed, mind to keep them there at the
different places, to which they will come with the greatest regularity,
if not baulked; so continue, still feeding them, never neglecting a
single night, till you have a leisure evening, and that will encourage
them to be bold and come freely. Observe the night that you set your
traps going, to lay food that they cannot carry away, and put but a
little on the bridge, and on each side, that you may be sure of catching
what comes to feed; and if in going round to your traps two or three
times, you observe one of them that has not struck, strike it yourself;
for sometimes they will not go down easily, if they stand long, but set
hard, then the Rats will eat the food out, and not strike the trap. Now
as they are caught, go round and take them out with your small cage, and
put them into the large one: in this manner I have caught seventy-two in
one night’s time, though sometimes in that trap where they have fed the
best, I have not caught one Rat, according to expectation. If this
should happen to you be not in the least discouraged; for they will come
again, and disappointment may have been occasioned by their having met
with some other vermin in the way; for sometimes a weasel, stoat, or
polecat, will go in and baulk your traps, as they leave a most horrible
stench behind them, very disagreeable to the Rats; and in the course of
my practice I have caught great numbers of the animals just before
mentioned, but more particularly the polecat, all in the rat-traps; by
which it is evident how naturally these vermin will follow one another,
when prowling in the night after their prey; but these events, which now
and then happen, ought not, in the least, to slacken your diligence; for
by care and perseverance, and by following the above rules, you will
soon take and destroy these terrible and subtle domestic enemies.
The following cautions are necessary in removing them from the trap to
the cage: when you go round in order to survey your traps, and find one
down, take the small wire cage, and put it close to the right hand end,
which is the handiest method of taking them out, unless the trap stands
in such a position that you cannot command that end. When you have
placed the cage properly, pull that end of the trap up next your right
hand, just high enough for the Rat to come out into the cage, let the
candle stand down by the cage, which you must hold fast with your hand,
that they may not drive it away; for sometimes when they see light, they
will spring or bolt out with such velocity, that except you hold the
cage tight, and close to the trap, they will drive it away, and so
escape. At other times they are sulky, and will not come out if they can
help it; in this case you must make a noise, and rattle against the
other end of the trap; and they will soon bolt out into the cage.
Another piece of advice is here necessary, for when one Rat has come out
you may possibly think there are no more in the trap, and take the cage
away, but be certain of this first, for I have had seven at one time in
the same trap. By observing this rule you will be enabled to guard
against any of them getting away, after you have been at the trouble of
taking them.
[Illustration: _Page 87_ _Plate III._ The SEPERATE PARTS of the RAT TRAP
described. _J. Lodge sc._]
I shall now give the reader a very minute and exact description of the
make and construction of the trap, made use of in the foregoing
instances, which, with the print annexed, will give him a full, perfect,
and adequate idea of the same; it is made in the following manner: Take
three boards [pl. III.] two feet two inches long, let the two sides
stand on the bottom, nine inches high, by nine inches wide in the clear;
then take a thick bit of wood three inches wide, and put it in the top
of the trap in the centre, for the upright centre E. [pl. IV.] to go in;
in the front of the trap, at the bottom, cut a hole for the trigger,
half an inch wide, and three inches high, BB; line the inside of the
hole with some pieces of tin about an inch wide, that they may not
deface the inside of the trap, for a Rat will always gnaw and scratch
wherever he sees any light; then take two pieces of board to go in even
or level at each end, and under these take two short pieces, six inches
high, to go in easy, nailing the top down to these at each end, and then
hanging the top-pieces F F. within an inch of the end nearest the
centre, they will go up and down together. In the centre, at the bottom
of the trap, against the back, take a piece of wood, two inches long,
and half an inch thick, make a hole in the centre of it, then put a nail
through without a head, fasten it down to the bottom of the trap, and
let the nail stand up half an inch; in order to hang the bridge on: then
take a piece of half inch board five inches wide, and seven inches and a
half long, make a hole at one end, in the centre, and at the other end
put a strong bit of wire D, and let it come through the trigger-hole B
B, bent and turned up at the extremity, a quarter of an inch, that it
may hitch or fasten to the trigger, and over the trigger-hole about half
an inch, nail a little piece of wood C, about two inches long, in order
to stop the tiller, to prevent its going into the trigger-hole; let your
standard E, at the top of the trap, be five inches high, with a notch in
the centre, opposite the trigger-hole; let it be half an inch wide, and
two inches down; then you must put a small nail at each end, to both
which tie a string and bring them through the notch in the standard and
tie them both together; then cut one end off, and bringing the other end
down tie it to the trigger, which is the small piece of wood tied to the
end of the string, in order to set the trap, which must be set up about
six or seven inches high, at each end. The intent of having the under
pieces but six inches high, is, that you may be enabled to take them out
with the greater safety; for when you place the small wire cage at the
end of the trap, then lift the end thereof level or even with the small
hole at the side of the cage, and there will be sufficient room for the
Rat to go into the cage very easily.
[Illustration: _Plate IV._ _Page 88._ The RAT TRAP set. _Fig. 1._ The
BOX wherein the RAT TRAP is placed. _J. Lodge sc._]
Having described the trap, I now proceed to another particular, which
is, that you must put it into a large box, in order to keep other
animals from eating the food prepared for the Rat, and likewise to
hinder the dogs from coming to it; for sometimes, when they find a trap
where the Rats come to feed, they will lie by it and baulk the Rats.
This box, therefore, is a safeguard or defence for them, for when any
thing disturbs them, they will run in at the holes, at each end of the
bottom of the box, to save themselves, and when the ends of the trap are
sheltered, they will feed quietly; if therefore your dogs should come
and disturb the traps, you must baulk them, and, during your absence,
mind to lock the boxes, to keep any person from them, which has always
been my constant practice.
The box [pl. IV. fig. 2.] is made in this manner: three feet long, a
foot and a half wide, and twenty inches high, with two small holes E,
one at each end, at the back, close to the bottom of the box, about
three inches diameter, or square, as you like; then the Rats can go in
and out without being disturbed, and no other animal can take their food
but themselves. Let the inside traps have a pound weight of sheet-lead
nailed on at each end, which will make them strike quick, and keep the
end down, for I have known them to get out of these traps for want of
sufficient weight: and for the more effectually preventing them from
getting their noses under the end and lifting them up, take a small
piece of wood, an inch wide and three quarters of an inch thick, and put
it across, at the bottom, in the inside, at each end, that the end of
the trap may strike down flush without side. Let this piece of wood be
lined with tin, that they may not gnaw it away. Let the traps be made of
stout inch-fir, which is the best wood you can make use of; for that
will never warp nor bend, as other wood does; but any old packing box
will do for the outside. If they are not exactly made as I have already
prescribed, they will answer the intent, yet if you are obliged to make
new ones, they may as well be made according to the directions before
given; but if it is a quiet place where you can lock the door, or in a
barn, or the outside of a barn at a farm-house, the following trap may
be used with great advantage and efficacy, which is the common hutch or
box trap, which however must be sheltered, at each end, as before
directed. This trap the reader is referred to [plate II. fig. 1.] and
likewise to the description of the same, in the account of the wild cat,
in page 49 of this work. And here I beg leave to give a general caution
to the reader, which is, to follow the directions laid down in the
preceding pages, and practise them by himself; for company will baulk
the sport, and when once the traps are baulked, the blame will fall upon
the author, who is not in the least in fault; for he will maintain and
abide by every instruction before given, to be exactly just and true.
Remember, likewise, that they are a very subtle vermin, for if they in
the least suspect what you are about, you cannot catch them, for I would
not have you imagine that any kind of vermin will ever enter a trap,
knowing it to be one; on the contrary, you must entice and encourage
them by the means before laid down, which will make them bold, and
enable you to catch them with the greatest facility imaginable. Now when
you have set all your traps to work, you will want to scent them, which
must be performed in this manner; take twenty drops of the oil of
rhodium, six or seven grains of musk, half an ounce of the oil of
anniseed, put them in a small phial for use, and before you set the
traps, shake them well together, then scent your traps as follows: Take
a small piece of paper twisted up, dip it in the bottle, and rub each
end of the trap, and put two or three drops on the bridge, and likewise
the holes at each end of the box; leave the paper in each trap, and let
every trap be served in this manner; the reason of mixing these three
ingredients together is, that I have always tried it with success, for
in some places the rats love the smell of rhodium, in others they like
the smell of musk, and again, in other places, they love the smell of
anniseed; on this account I mix them all together, that the scent of
either one or other of the above ingredients may entice and allure them
to the trap. Another piece of instruction is necessary to be given: when
you first set your traps to work, different means are to be used
according to the different places you are catching at; if it is at a
dog-kennel, put some small pieces of boiled flesh about in the trap, as
well as the feed; if in a slaughter-house, put some small bits of fat,
or small pieces of guts; if in a brewhouse put some malt; if in a
still-house put some of the meal; if in a mill the same; if at a barn,
put in some corn as well as the feed, and so likewise in all other
instances. The reason of this method of proceeding is, in whatever
places your traps are set, put some of the same things in the trap as
they have been before used to; for then they have not so great a notion
of its being a trap: you must not use any of the scenting in the feed,
for there is nothing they are so fond of in their food as the oil of
carraways.
_The Recipe how to make the Food or Feed._
Take a pound of good flour, three ounces of treacle, and six drops of
the oil of carraways, put them all into a bowl, and rub them well
together, till it looks all alike; be sure to mix it well; then put a
pound of the crumb of bread to it; for they like the bread mixt with
their feed better than the feed alone, it being too luscious, for which
reason they do not like it so well by itself; but that night on which
you catch, put no bread to it, lest they should carry it away.
There is a necessity for your having two wire cages, one small, [pl. II.
fig. 2.] used in going round your traps, in order to take the vermin out
to put them into the larger one, made in the manner following:
The small wire cage must be thus constructed; let it be nine inches in
length by nine wide, four inches and a half high, with a fall in it at
one end and a door at the other, the first to let them in at, and the
other to let them out into the great cage, which must be made as
follows: Let it be twenty inches long, nine inches wide, and eight
inches high, with a fall at one end, to let them in from the small cage,
and a door on the top to take them out at; now when you are catching,
set your great cage out of the way, at some distance, that the other
Rats may not hear them squeak, for that will baulk your sport and
occasion them to run away. In the morning, if you do not choose to drown
them, perhaps you will want to hunt those you have taken, and know not
how to take them out at the top of the great cage; but this may be done
very easily; for if you do not hurt them they will not bite you; for by
standing together in the trap all night they are cowed, and have not the
least notion of biting, unless you should happen to squeeze them too
hard; but you may take them out one by one, with your hand, very safely.
Now this matter is a secret, for we always inculcate the notion that
they will bite you terribly, unless you rub your hands with some kind of
ingredient or other. I was once of that opinion myself, but am now
better convinced; indeed when there are but four or five left behind in
the trap, they are apt to be very violent and outrageous, you may then
shake them out to your dog. There is a wide difference in the temper and
disposition of these animals; for some are so savage and untamed, that
they will set up their backs, looking very fiercely and crying out, if
you do but look at them; but when you meet with one of this kind, shake
him well in the cage, together with the rest, and observe when he has
put his head among the others, and take him out by his tale and he will
not bite you; but observe when you have first catched them do not go to
handle them directly, for then they are so mad and furious that they
will bite any thing.
I shall here give the reader another maxim I have often followed very
successfully; if you find the holes quiet and no rats to use them, it
will then be incumbent on you to stop them up in this manner, to prevent
others from entering therein: Take a pint of common tar, half an ounce
of pearl-ashes, an ounce of oil of vitriol, and a good handful of common
salt, mix them all well together in any old deep pan; get some pieces of
paper, and put some of the above mixture very thick on the paper, and
place enough of this into the holes to stop them, and then let the
bricklayer make good after you; and if you should find any of the holes
opened again, it is certain you had not put in a sufficient quantity,
then put in some more, and, if it is done as it ought, they will never
approach there any more, while either smell or taste remains in it; now
by stopping the holes in the shores in town, where they come up, with
the above mixture, I have kept a gentleman’s house entirely clear, and
never have caught one single Rat.
Now sometimes they will get in behind the wainscot and in the ceiling,
in town, and not come out into the house, but remain there, and become
very troublesome, and this is a very bad case: in order therefore to
make them forsake these places, find out a small hole or crack, then
take a handful of common salt, and put it in at the hole or crack, and
pour upon the salt a spoonful or two of oil of vitriol, and this will
make such a fumigation or smoke, that they cannot bear it, then stop the
hole or crevice again, that the smoke may not come out, do this in two
or three places, as near where you hear them as you can, and it will
cause them to forsake those places. This method is very safe, as no
damage can possibly ensue to the wainscot from the smoke.
I shall now point out a method to kill them, where you cannot set a trap
for them: Take a quart of the same food, before made use of in taking
them in traps, then rasp three figs of nux vomica, add to these a
quarter of a pound of crumb of bread, mix them all well together, and
this will be their certain bane; but first give them some without the
nux vomica figs, for two or three succeeding nights, and when they find
it agrees with them, they will then eat that mixed with the fig, with
great freedom and greediness.
I am not much a friend to poisoning Rats in houses, except in cases of
necessity, but if it must be done, I would by no means recommend the use
of arsenic, or corrosive sublimate, which is too often practised, for
then they creep into holes about the house, get between the ceilings,
and other places, and there die, and occasion a very disagreeable smell;
for as soon as they have taken enough of it, it is like a spark of fire
in their bowels, and brings on an insatiate thirst, and they are
restless and uneasy till they get at something to drink, either water,
milk, or beer, and then they die immediately; from this circumstance it
is evident what dangerous consequences may arise, if any person should
drink any of the milk or beer, where these vermin, thus poisoned, have
been slavering and drinking; but sometimes it is a difficult matter to
make them swallow enough to kill them, for the moment they taste the
sharp acid contained therein, it corrodes the mouth and loosens the
teeth, and then they will eat no more of it, whereas the mixture of the
nux vomica, before recommended, is quite different, and if even tasted
by any person, no such fatal effects can happen, for there is nothing
but a little bitter taste that is disagreeable; and they will take a
sufficient quantity to kill them before they know it, and then they
cannot get rid of it, for it throws them into fits, puts them to the
greatest agony, and they die soon after; and in order to be more certain
of its effects, I have kept them in a cage, and gave it them to try the
experiment.
I conclude my account of the Rat with the few following particulars,
which I flatter myself will prove useful; they are often very
troublesome in coming up the shores, more especially in still-houses and
brewhouses; now in the above instances, or in any other shores, where
you cannot conveniently set a trap, I have practised the subsequent
scheme with great success, which although it does not destroy them, will
infallibly drive them away: When you have catched some Rats and killed
them, take some white arsenic, finely powdered, put it into an old
pepper-box, and shake a quantity of it on the fore parts of the dead
Rats, and put them down the holes or avenues by the sides of the shores,
where they come in at, which will put a stop to their coming any
farther; for when they once perceive the arsenic, they will retire
immediately, whereas if you was to put them down without the arsenic,
the living Rats would eat the dead ones; I have seen one Rat kill
another, when put into the large cage, and afterwards eat him; and once
had an old she Rat, big with young, which she brought forth in the cage,
and immediately eat them; for there is no kind of vermin whatever so
savage as a Norway Rat; again, when you find they have taken to a rick
of any sort of corn or hay, take some dead Rats, put some arsenic over
them, as before observed, then place one in each hole they have made in
the thatch, and it will make them all forsake the rick; in like manner
you may stop some of these Rats, served as before, under the barn-floor,
where the Rats use, and it will prevent others from taking shelter or
harbouring under them; these vermin are likewise very fond of lying
under the calve-pens, where they keep snug and warm; use the above
method and it will drive them away; and also in any of their burrows, if
you can put the dead Rats, prepared as above, so safe that nothing can
easily get at them, and by observing these rules, you will obtain the
desired effect.
THE
BLACK RAT.
This animal is the old genuine English House-Rat, no other being known
in and about houses, for many ages, in this country, and differs in many
particulars from the Norway Rat, last described, for they do not burrow
and run into shores as the others do, but chiefly lie in the cielings
and wainscots in houses, and in out-houses they lie under the
ridge-tiles and behind the rafters, and run along the side-plates; but
their numbers are greatly diminished to what they were formerly, not
many of them being now left, for the Norway Rats always drive them out,
and kill them wherever they can come at them; as a proof of which I was
once exercising my employment at a gentleman’s house, and when the night
came that I appointed to catch, I set all my traps going as usual, and
in the lower part of the house, in the cellars, I caught the Norway
Rats, but in the upper part of the house I took nothing but the black
Rats; I then put them together into the great cage, to keep them alive
till the morning, that the gentleman might see them, when the Norway
Rats killed the black ones immediately, and devoured them in my
presence.
These vermin are not near so bold, nor will feed so freely as the Norway
Rat, and when you are troubled with any of them you must observe where
they use, which you may do very easily, for if you go into any place and
look up at the side-plates, you will perceive they will be quite black
where they run along them, and likewise along the cross beams; on these
cross beams place one of the traps you set for the Norway Rats, and put
some of the same feed in them, but mix more bread in it than you did for
the Norway Rat, and scent the trap in the same manner, and put some corn
in of any sort: set a trap at each place where they use, and set them
all to feed, as you do the others for the Norway Rat; and when you
perceive that they come to feed boldly, then take them; but this must be
done in the night, for they do not move by day-light, as the other rats
will. By this method I catch them alive, but I have likewise taken them
on the side-plates and beams, where they run, in wires and in snares, so
that they swing off the beams; they are not near so savage as the Norway
Rats, for they seldom kill any chickens or any thing of that kind,
unless extremely hungry and sharp set indeed, but they are sly thieves
for cheese, bacon, or any kind of eatables they can get at and pilfer.
THE
WATER RAT.
These Rats lie always by the waterside, and feed chiefly on grass and
vegetables, eating neither flesh or corn, but they will devour green
peas, when in season, if there are any growing near the ditches where
they lie; these vermin do not much mischief, except in making holes in
banks and spoiling fences; they make kennels or holes by the side of
ditches, very much resembling those of the otter, for they have one way
out in the water, and another way out by land, in order to escape from
their enemies, which ever way pursued. The method of taking them is by
setting little hutch traps by the side of the ditch or pond where they
lie, with wings made with bushes or raised with mould, running aslant
from the trap as a guide for them to go in, such as they have in
warrens. Feed them with any thing green, such as the hard part or stalk
cut out of a cabbage, or cabbage-leaves, which they will eat; but do not
set your traps going till they feed boldly, and give them some leaves
regularly, as you do the other Rats their proper feed; tie some of these
leaves in the trap, then you will be a judge of what comes to feed, else
one will convey away as much as ten will eat, which occasions you to
conclude there are a great many of them. You may take them another way;
get some small steel traps and put them in their runs, even with the
surface of the ground, and covered over very nicely with the mould.
These vermin are something like the Norway Rat, but smaller, their noses
and tails are shorter, and their heads rounder, or what is commonly
termed muffheaded.
THE
SQUIRREL.
These little animals are admired for their beauty, and for the sport
they afford in hunting them among the trees; they are about the size of
the stoat or cain, with a tail as large as their body, which they always
turn up when they sit still, to keep their bodies warm; they are of a
reddish colour, except under the belly, which is white; they make
themselves nests or lodging places, commonly called drays, in a very
neat manner, with small sticks, leaves, and moss, in the tops of the
trees, where they hoard up nuts to serve them in the winter; but besides
these, they make a reserve of nuts, acorns, and other things of a
similar nature in retired and bye places, which they know where to find,
in case the other should be taken away, which often happens; they are
chiefly hurtful in destroying wall-fruit, for they will run along the
top of the wall, taking the first choice of the fruit, whether
nectarines, peaches, apricots, _&c._ and do prodigious mischief; I have
caught them on the wall with a small steel trap, covered nicely, and in
wood-walks I have seen them take the eggs out of birds-nests and break
them, by that means destroying their nests. Their flesh is reckoned a
great dainty by some persons, and is said to be superior to venison in
flavour.
THE
MOLE.
This animal is in some places, but chiefly in the North of England,
called a Want, and, contrary to most other vermin, lives chiefly under
ground; its skin is of a fine black jet colour, very smooth and soft,
and has short legs, with which they, with incredible swiftness, will dig
themselves into the earth when they apprehend any danger; they are
supposed by some people to be entirely blind, it being in many places
proverbial to say _as blind as a mole_, but this is a mistake, for they
have eyes as well as other vermin, but very small, appearing scarcely
larger than the head of a common pin, but sufficient to serve their
purposes, their residence being, as was before observed, generally under
the earth.
These animals do great mischief in gardens and grounds, and if you find
they come observe the outsides, for their angle, or run; or, if there is
a path in a field, it is very probable but they have a run across the
path, or at a gate-way, they will frequently have one; these are what we
call the main runs, and about two or three inches under the earth, and
may very easily be found by the heaving up of the mould or earth, along
which they will run ten times in a day. When you have discovered one of
these runs, you must tread in the earth tight, and when you come that
way again, see whether it is as you left it, and if you perceive the
Mole has been along, then set a trap, by which means I have caught
several of them in an afternoon; these being their main roads out of one
part of the ground to the other, for it will be of little signification
to set a trap in any other angles or runs, and if you should, it may
possibly remain a great while before a Mole comes; for in the spring,
when they run near the surface of the earth, they make a great many
different angles in search of the worms, on which and chaffers their
chief food consists.
Now if they make hills in your fields or gardens, take notice of the
places before mentioned, and set a trap in the following manner: Take a
piece of board half an inch thick, four inches and a half long, by two
and a half wide, then put a small hoop or bow at each end, with just
room for the Mole to go through; then in the centre, at each side, put
two small pegs, in order to keep them in the trap; for sometimes one
that is shy, when he finds the peg before him that springs the trap,
will turn out at the side and spring the trap, and not be taken: it is
necessary therefore to use these small pegs, which will keep them in the
straight road, placed as before directed. In the next place, get two
strong horse-hairs, or pieces of small wire, then in the centre or
middle of the bow, at each end, make a hole to put the hair or wire
through double, then open the hair or wire just to fit, and lie close
inside of the bow, like a noose, get some fine mould, make it moist like
paste, and work some of it with your finger and thumb all round in the
inside of the bow, so that the horse-hair or wire may not be
perceivable. Through the hole in the centre of the trap let a short bit
of string come. Put a forked peg tight in the hole, that may keep the
string from slipping through, till the Mole, by going through, pushes it
out; then the string slips up. When you have thus prepared the trap,
then open one of the runs, exactly the length of the trap, and put it
down in the run quite level, and make it all smooth, that there may be
no light discovered. Then take three good strong hooked pegs, two on one
side, and one on the other, and stick them down tight, then take a stiff
stick, about four feet long, stick one end in the ground tight, bring
the other end down to the trap and hitch in a loop, that comes from the
hair or wire, and then it is set, and when the Mole comes he pushes out
this little peg, then the string draws out, the bow-string flies up, and
the Mole is caught; in the spring time, when you catch a she Mole, rub
her back part about the bows and the inside of the trap, by which method
I have caught eight he Moles successively; observe, when you have caught
all that you perceive to move, you need only look round the outside of
your fields, and keep some traps constantly going there, and they will
lay hold of them as they come in and out; another expedient you may make
use of, by putting some dead Moles in the runs where they come, which
will prevent their coming, and keep your ground quiet and free from
these trouble-vermin.
THE
HOUSE-MOUSE.
These are a nasty little vermin, well known, and are very nauseous, for
wherever they come, whether in the pantry or larder, you may easily
discover it by the disagreeable smell they leave behind them. They are
very troublesome in dairies, where they will skim the milk, and will get
into bird-cages after the seed, and kill the birds; and are mischievous
in other instances, of which no mention needs here to be made. Many
persons would doubtless be glad to be informed of a method to kill these
vermin, which is done very easily; and to accomplish it nothing is so
good as nux vomica; take a quart of the feed above prescribed for the
rat, before there is any bread mixed with it, then take four figs of nux
vomica, and rasp them very fine, or else they will pick the feed from
it, upon account of the bitter taste; rub it well together, and it will
be their certain bane. My method of laying it is after this manner; if
they come into the larder at night, put the bread into a pan, and take
the other eatables out of the way; then lay some of the feed on a piece
of paper, and do this in two or three other places, which will not be
attended with any danger, however, for fear of any accident, what is not
eaten take away in the morning, and at night lay it down again, and so
keep on as long as any come; in the dairy do the same, or in any other
place where they appear; I have found several lay dead on the paper at
one time, but remember always to lay the ingredients on paper, then you
may take away what is left.
THE
FIELD MOUSE.
This is a larger Mouse than the former, being the largest of the Mouse
kind, with a reddish back and a good deal of white under the belly. They
abound in gardens, and frequently swarm in prodigious numbers in the
fields: they will eat either corn or flesh just as it comes in their
way. I have seen five or six of them by moon-light attack a large toad
and kill it, which they do often; and when I have been trailing for a
fox in the night, I have observed, by turning the light round, several
of these Field-Mice following the trail. They are more difficult to
destroy than the house-mice, on account that they are shy in taking any
bait; however, sometimes, when I have been going to catch a fox, I have
been sometimes obliged to put some of the feed (so often before
mentioned) in the shrape, in order to kill the Mice, before I could get
any to lie for the fox. In winter they will likewise come into houses at
the sink-holes, and get into the pantries, larders and dairies, being
driven from the fields by extremity of hunger, and prove very
troublesome and pernicious; and in spring they will get into the
gardens, and eat whole rows or drills of peas, after they are set: I can
give no better method to destroy these vermin, than to lay some of the
above feed for them, as you do for the other, on a tile, and shelter it
with some pieces of old boards that it may not get wet: lay it out at
night and take it in again in the morning, and all that eat of it will
certainly die.
THE
RED SHREW-MOUSE.
This species of the Mouse-kind has a nose like a mole, and is in general
a very harmless, inoffensive little animal, in regard to its preying on
any thing: it is much smaller than the house-mouse. The chief mischief
done by these vermin is, that in harvest-time they will come home with
the corn, remain there and breed. I have known great numbers taken out
of a rick; and I once remember half a bushel of these and other Mice
caught at one time out of a rick or stand, which is often owing to the
farmer’s own negligence and inattention; for you may often see a
rick-stand made a nursery, occasioned by putting under it harrows,
ploughs, hurdles and props: what avails it then to have a stand to fill
the ricks in this manner, and assist the vermin up? You cannot indeed
prevent their coming home with the corn, or when rats hop up and down
the stand, which they do very easily: the best method, therefore, would
be to nail some tin to the props, which would keep the Mice from getting
up them; and when once you find they have got to a corn-rick, the best
way is to take it in as soon as you can, for these Mice, in one
particular, are worse than the rats among the corn, and do a great deal
more mischief; for this reason, that they will live a great while
without water, only by licking the ends of the straws, while any
moisture remains therein, and all the while they remain in the ricks
they do infinite prejudice. If it is not convenient to remove the rick,
observe the following method; take a quarter of a pound of the best nux
vomica, put it into an old saucepan, with three quarts of water, boil it
till it comes to two quarts, and put two pounds of treacle to it, in
order to overcome the bitter taste of the nux vomica; then take some
small earthen pans, into which pour some of this mixture, and set the
pans in different places under the eaves of the ricks; the Mice being in
want of water, will greedily drink of the mixture, which will kill them;
and this method you must continue till they are destroyed.
Before I conclude this account, I cannot help taking notice of a gross
blunder, which a certain writer has made in his description of this
little vermin, who asserts that it is as large as a rat, of the colour
of a weasel, and very mischievous to cattle, and that it will get upon a
beast’s back, and make it lame in the chine; and in consequence of the
bite, the beast will swell to the heart and die; all which particulars
are entirely erroneous; for its size is less than that of the common
house-mouse, its colour like the squirrel; and as to the miraculous
affair of its killing any beast or cattle, it is of a piece with the
rest. On the contrary, I am convinced from long observation, that it
feeds on roots, vegetables, and corn, and will not touch flesh on any
account.
THE
BLACK SHREW-MOUSE.
This animal has a nose like a mole, and much resembles the red
shrew-mouse, last described, except in colour; they are very harmless
little creatures, for they seldom come to barns or ricks, their
residence being amongst the grass, by the sides of ditches which they
feed on. You may often hear them as you are walking along, squeaking by
the path’s side, and making a noise something like the grasshopper; but
they do not the least mischief that I know of; I thought proper however
to mention them, that the reader might know that such a little animal
really exists.
THE
GRASS MOUSE.
This Mouse is rather larger than the common Mouse, with a muff-head like
a water rat, and a short club tail, looking as if the top was cut off,
and has a great deal of the nature and disposition of that animal, for
it eats no corn at all, but lives on grass and vegetables; being of a
very harmless nature, it is a prey to other vermin, as the water rat is,
(such as stoats and weasels) which are the worst enemies it has.
THE
DORMOUSE.
This is a small red Mouse, with a tail like a squirrel, and is the most
harmless and inoffensive of all the mouse-tribe. It is a very beautiful
tame little animal, and is kept by many persons in small boxes or cages,
and fed with crumbs of bread, _&c._ They have one singular and peculiar
quality, which is that of sleeping for several weeks together, without
receiving the least sustenance, and appearing all the while as if dead.
You may oftentimes find them in dry banks, or in wood, laid up very warm
in a nest, in the ground, made with oak-leaves, and always asleep when
you discover them.
THE
BAT.
This little animal is half mouse, half bird, having wings something
resembling leather, and a head very much like that of the mouse, except
that their nose is flatter, and their mouth wider; they keep close in
holes all the day and never fly abroad till the evening, and that in the
summer time, for which reason they are called in many places, the winged
mouse; they live chiefly on flies and other small insects, and dwell in
holes under the roofs of houses, churches, barns, old ruinated
buildings, and in the holes of hollow trees, where in winter time I have
sometimes found several scores of them closely adhering together, in
large clusters, and in a torpid state, in which condition they doubtless
remain till vivified again by the enlivening warmth of the sun, on the
approach of the summer. I have been the more particular in my account
and description of the different kinds of Mice, as perhaps many of my
readers might be unacquainted, that there are so many distinct species
of the mouse-kind.
THE
LARGE BLACK EAGLE
BUZZARD.
Having finished my account of the four-footed vermin, I now come to
describe the winged-tribe of vermin, inhabitants of the air, which,
notwithstanding, often descend to earth, and do much mischief; I shall
begin with the Black Eagle-Buzzard, which is one of the largest and
fiercest birds of the hawk kind, that breeds in England.
This bird frequents parks and warrens, and often catches leverets, young
rabbits and pheasants, or any thing else that moves, as soon as the
morning light approaches, for they are a very early bird; in winter time
I have caught them in a steel trap, the same as is set in a cube for a
dog; bait it with the guts of rabbits or fowls, or some pieces of
rabbits that you find dead by accident; in spring I have caught them in
steel traps, with the skin of a young rabbit stuffed and tied to the
bridge, but after the young rabbits begin to be able to run about, they
sometimes are shy and will not strike at a rabbit, unless they see him
run; the steel traps that you set for this vermin should strike seven or
eight inches high, in order to clear the bait as it ought to be,
otherwise the jaws might only catch the bait, and miss the vermin; I
have sometimes caught them with a rat in the following manner: set two
traps in the manner as you see in plate VI. fig. 1. head to head,
covered very nicely with moss, then round the circle as in the same
plate, put some small pieces of fern, or a bush or two, quite low, that
the bait may be visible and open; put the bait, whatever it may be, in
the middle, between the two traps, then he must of necessity go over one
of them, in order to get the bait, and by this means I have often caught
him. Sometimes you may observe him to haunt a place in a warren or park
for a week or fortnight together, then set your traps in the same method
as before laid down, and you will be almost certain of taking him. Let
your bait be a dead rat, if you can procure one.
THE
GREY BOB-TAILED
BUZZARD,
OR
PUTTOCK.
This bird is much of the same nature as the former, in haunting parks
and warrens, for the destruction of rabbits and pheasants, going in
search of them when the morning light appears. In this respect, however,
it differs from the Eagle-Buzzard, that it is smaller. You may catch
them with the steel trap above described, baited with the entrails of
fowls or rabbits, or with some of the pieces of rabbits which may have
been accidentally killed. They are to be caught easiest in winter time,
for then I have known them haunt one place for a month together, in a
warren, where you may easily catch them, as at that season they are
short and destitute of food.
THE
LARGE FORKED TAIL
KITE.
This is the largest and heaviest bird of the hawk kind in England, but
not near so fierce as the Eagle-Buzzard, being rather of a sluggish and
indolent disposition, not caring much to hunt after prey; but when the
other kites and hawks have killed any birds, they come upon them, and
beat them away, and then devour the birds themselves; they chiefly dwell
in woods and desart places, and frequent the sides of rivers and brooks,
being fond of fish, and often eat the tails of the fish, which the
otters have left behind them. You may catch them by setting two traps,
in the same manner as you do for the buzzard; bait them with a piece of
fish, if you have it, or with a rat, or the guts of fowls or rabbits,
and when once you discover the places they haunt, you may catch them
with the greatest facility.
THE
LARGE BLUE SHERARD
KITE.
This kind of Kite frequents forests, heaths, and other lonesome places,
but especially bogs and marshy grounds, where they destroy great numbers
of snipes, to which they are the worst enemy of any bird of prey of the
hawk kind; they beat all over the bog with the greatest regularity and
exactness, till they find them lying: for the nature of the snipe is, if
they perceive their enemy in the pursuit, they lie as close to the
ground as possible, when the Kite pounces upon them directly and takes
them: I have observed one of these vermin beating at one end of a bog or
marshy piece of ground; and at the other end I have stooped down till he
has come up close to the place where I was, he looking stedfastly down
for his prey, regardless of any thing else; and when he came near enough
I have shot him; sometimes they will have a beat cross a warren, where I
have caught them in traps, baited with what is termed a stall, which is
a young rabbit-skin stuffed.
These vermin are very remarkable for one particular circumstance, for at
any time when you observe any of them come along in the morning, you
will be certain of seeing them return the same way back again in the
afternoon, and three or four succeeding mornings they will have the same
beat, if they are not frightened or disturbed; whenever, therefore, you
see one go along in the morning, get a trap set ready against his
return, baited with a rabbit’s skin stuffed and put on the bridge of the
trap, as before directed, but remember to cover the trap nicely with
moss; if you set it in a green sward, then cover it with grass, and in
this manner I have often taken them; I have likewise caught them by
means of two steel traps, set in the same manner as for the buzzard; but
always mind when you set traps in this manner, to fasten down the bait
between them with a peg, otherwise they will frequently take it away,
and not strike the trap; but when the bait is fixed they cannot get it
away, but are constrained to stop, when by hopping and picking about,
they spring the trap and are caught.
THE
BLUE SHERARD
HAWK.
This bird, in many respects, resembles the blue kite last described, in
haunting heaths, forests, and lonely places; especially quags and marshy
grounds, doing much mischief, particularly among the snipes. You will
always be sure of seeing him return home by the same path, in the
afternoon, by which he pursued his flight in the morning, but he is not
so large, and preys in much the same manner, but does not, however,
frequent warrens so often as the other; you may catch them by the same
method as the Sherard Kite, with a rabbit’s skin stuffed and put on the
bridge of the trap, remembering to cover the trap nicely with moss or
grass, observing the directions before given.
THE LARGE
BROWN, WHITE ARSE,
RING-TAILED
HAWK,
Is the most pernicious and mischievous Hawk that flies; but especially
in destroying that admired game the partridge, which it takes, not so
much by swift flying, as by the following manner or stratagem: viz. when
they find a covey and spring them, they fly after them as fast as they
are able, and mark where they pitch down again, and then spring them
again; and thus keep following them till they catch their prey; for
partridges, when they are driven hard for three flights, become so tired
and languid that they are easily taken; I have sometimes observed one of
these Hawks in full pursuit after a poor partridge, almost spent, when
the Hawk has suddenly stopped, and alighted on a tree in the next hedge,
to which I imagined the partridge had taken, as they frequently do, when
they are almost tired or down. On this I got near enough the Hawk, being
intent and earnest after his prey, shot him dead, and on examining, to
my great surprize, found that the partridge, being driven by the Hawk,
had taken refuge in a hutchtrap, that stood on the other side of the
hedge, where the Hawk had marked it, and sat watching for its coming out
again; these vermin will keep their walk or beat for some time very
regularly. I have caught them in a trap, baited with a rabbit-skin
stuffed, as before observed.
THE
SMALL RING-TAILED
HAWK
Is the largest of the Sparrow-Hawk kind, and is a very fierce and
pernicious bird, destroying young ducks and chickens, in yards, &c.
about farm-houses, in the fields, they kill black-birds, thrushes, and
in the winter-season fieldfares and other small birds; I have driven one
from a blackbird, and immediately set down a steel trap, covered quite
smoothly, placing the same bird on the bridge of the trap, and have
taken the Hawk, which returned soon after for its prey. They will
likewise frequently come to the chicken-gardens and pheasantries, when
you must set a steel trap, baited with a dead chicken or any other of
the birds before mentioned; which they delight to feed on, and in all
probability you will lay hold of them, and if you find they have been
made shy, by reason of the trap striking and not catching them, which
will sometimes, though very rarely, happen, you may destroy them after
the following manner: take a live chicken, tie it to a small stake drove
in the ground, by one of its legs, laying some bread or corn for it to
feed on; then get out of sight, with your gun, and the hawk will come
and strike at the chicken, when you may easily shoot him, and this
method I have often practised with good success.
THE
SMALL SPARROW
HAWK.
Birds which fly wild in the fields, are the chief prey of this little
Hawk. It very seldom destroys chickens, or any other kind of poultry,
unless driven by the greatest extremity of hunger; I have driven them
from a bird, and caught them in a steel trap as I have the others,
having been allowed so much per head for all the winged vermin, as well
as others that I destroyed, which made me very anxious and assiduous in
trying and inventing various methods to destroy them.
THE
SMALL BLACK-HEADED
SPARROW-HAWK.
I never caught this Hawk in a trap, but have shot several of them; it is
a very beautiful bird, and has a black head, with pointed wings, and is
very quick and sharp after its prey, which are small birds of every
kind. It is more timid than the last mentioned Hawk, and is seldom seen,
there being but few of them in England. On which account we need not
dwell minutely upon him.
THE
WIND-HOVER
HAWK.
You may often see this little brown Hawk, the smallest of the species,
hovering in the air, then they steadily look down on the ground, and if
they chance to see a mouse, they will dart with incredible swiftness,
like an arrow out of a bow, and catch it; sometimes they will catch a
mole, and I have frequently taken this kind of Hawk in a steel trap, by
laying one of these animals on the bridge; and with this I conclude my
account of the birds of the Hawk kind. The three last mentioned indeed
do not much damage or mischief, but if I had not mentioned them the
catalogue would have been incomplete; besides, I flatter myself it will
be acceptable to my readers, some of whom might, possibly, not be
acquainted that there were so many different kinds of Hawks which breed
in England.
THE
BROWN
WOOD-OWL.
Few persons perhaps imagine this to be a pernicious animal, yet in my
opinion, it is the very worst winged vermin that exists; they seize
their prey with great fierceness, and break it up exactly as the cat
does, by beginning at the fore part. It is very happy for the farmer,
and others who keep poultry, that the ducks and chickens are gone to
roost before the Owl comes to prey in the night, otherwise there would
be few, if any of them left; however I now proceed to make good my
assertion, and describe the infinite mischief done by this sort of Owls.
When the evening approaches, many animals such as leverets, young
rabbits, young pheasants, young partridges, who had lain quiet in the
day-time, come out to feed in the stillness and silence of the evening,
when there is nothing else to disturb them, the Owl then comes, when
they are exposed, and takes away what he pleases, and if they happen to
have young ones at the same time, it is impossible to conceive what
numbers will be taken away in a night’s time to satisfy his voracious
appetite; and this I can affirm from my own observation, as I used to
make it my frequent practice to go out and hunt the Owls all round the
outsides of the warren. The method was this, two of us used to go with a
gun, one on one side of the hedge, and the other on the other side; a
third person accompanying us with a long pole or stick, who therewith
beat the hollow and ivy trees, when the Owls would fly out, and we have
shot sometimes a dozen in a morning. But one morning particularly I
found an Owl’s nest, and shot the hen; and, on examining the nest, I
found two young ones, with several pieces of young rabbits, leverets,
&c. therein, but we could not meet with the old cock; on which I took
out one of the young ones, leaving the other in order to entice him home
to the nest again; the next morning I repaired to the place, when he
flew out, and I shot him dead, and took away the other young one which
had been left behind. But, what is remarkable, the old Owl had carried
no less than three young rabbits to the single young one remaining, in
one night’s time, which is an evident proof what havoc they make among
the game. Another particular of these vermin deserves mentioning, which
is, that they seldom eat more than the fore-quarters of any animal they
kill, as the cat does, and always leaves the hind quarters untouched,
which are found in the nest. I have likewise caught them in moon-light
evenings in steel traps, baited with a rabbit-skin stuffed, and have
often killed many of them with a gun, by keeping close under the hedge,
and imitating the squeaking of a mouse, when the Owl has come directly
to the place, and I have shot him dead on the spot.
THE
LIGHT COLOURED BARN,
OR,
SCREECH OWL.
This kind of Owl is a very beautiful bird, of a palish brown colour, a
little spotted and white on the breast, doing more good than harm, for
it seldom preys on any thing but mice, which it will watch for in the
barns like a cat, and destroy great numbers of that little vermin. On
this account these Owls are encouraged by the farmers. If you should see
one of them, mimick the squeaking of the mouse, and he will come to you
directly, and you may easily shoot him, as was before observed of the
Wood-Owl.
THE
HORNED OWL
Has its name from the feathers which stand up on each side of his head,
resembling two horns, and making a very beautiful appearance. There are
many people, who do not believe there are any Owls of this species bred
amongst us; the large brown horned Owl, (which is bigger than our
largest birds of prey, whether kite or buzzard) is indeed from foreign
parts, and is esteemed a very great curiosity, but never breeds here,
which this little Horned Owl does, and much resembles the large one,
only in miniature. I have shot several of them on Windsor-Forest: they
do no mischief that I could ever learn, however I thought it proper to
mention them, that the reader may be assured there is such a bird
existing.
THE
FERN OWL,
OR
NIGHT JAR.
This is a very harmless bird, about the size of the small Sparrow-Hawk,
of a dark colour, and with a large mouth. They never go out till the
evening, and then catch beetles and other insects for their sustenance.
THE
RAVEN.
This is the largest bird that feeds on carrion, and is of a fine shining
colour; in some places it is very serviceable, in eating up the stinking
flesh or carcases of dead beasts and other carrion, but in many other
places very mischievous, and does a great deal of harm. I having been
allowed as much per head for killing them as I had for kites and hawks,
as they are equally pernicious in killing and devouring young rabbits,
ducklings and chickens.
I know of no better way to catch them, where they become troublesome,
than to set two traps for them, in the same manner as you do for the
buzzard, [see plate VI. fig. 1.] and put a rat between them for a bait,
but when you have taken one or two, you must move your traps to another
place, or the others will prove too shy to be caught; for as soon as one
is taken, great numbers will keep round him, and seeing him fast, will
grow suspicious of some danger, and not come near the place any more;
but by observing the above method, in moving the traps, I have caught
great numbers of them in a day, though it is attended with some labour
and trouble.
I have often caught the London Ravens near twenty miles from home, in
warrens, where they will sometimes come after the young Rabbits; by the
London Ravens I mean those that generally frequent the outskirts of the
metropolis, and live upon the filth lying there, grubbing up the dirt in
order to get at their food, from whence the tops of their wings become
of a nasty, dusky brown colour, occasioned by their wallowing in the
dirt, by which means they are easily distinguishable from the country
Ravens, which are as black as jet, according to the old saying, _As
black as a Raven_.
[Illustration: _Plate V._ _page 174_ The RAT TRAP struck, describing
also the CAGE for taking out the VERMIN.]
I have seen some of these Ravens sit upon a lamb, that has been dropped
weak, not being able to run, when they have got to his head and picked
out the creature’s eyes while yet alive. Another remark I shall make,
which is to point out the difference between the manner of birds of the
hawk kind carrying their prey, and those of the carrion kind. Now it is
observable that buzzards, kites, hawks and owls, constantly carry their
prey in their claws, whereas Ravens, carrion-crows and magpies carry
their food in their beaks.
THE
CARRION
CROW.
This bird is well known, and in country places will do prodigious
mischief, by destroying young rabbits, chickens and ducks, and likewise
in sucking eggs, which the hens and ducks lay in the back yards or in
the hedges: these the Crows will break and eat as greedily as any other
vermin whatever. Now if you find they have any haunts about your house,
get a steel trap, of the same kind as you use for other winged vermin;
set it in the ground, quite level with the surface, and cover it with
moss; then take a little piece of bush or some fern, stick some of it
down, by one jaw quite low, and bring it round to the other jaw, [see
plate VI. fig. 1.] put the bait, whether it be an egg, or rat, a piece
of rabbit, or the guts of the same, or any thing else of this sort, in
the back part, on the tail of the trap; and when you have put the little
fence, before described all around, as a guide for him, he must of
necessity go over the trap for the bait, and be caught; but I have been
plagued with these as much as I have been with the Ravens, by being
obliged to move the trap after every Crow I had taken; but by observing
when one is caught, which you may easily hear, for they then make a
great noise and keep flying round their imprisoned brother, almost close
to the ground, you may then probably get a shoot, and kill some of them;
but sometimes I have known them so shy that I could not get them to the
trap at any rate. In this case you must observe the places where they
most frequent, and take a cat, or a ferret, and tie it to a stake; then
take a gun, and hide yourself, when the first Crow that sees the cat or
ferret will make a terrible screaming noise, and bring many more, who
scream and hover about till you have a fair shoot. In this manner I have
had, sometimes, three or four shoots before they dispersed, and killed
several of them; for when they see any kind of animal they are not used
to, in the day-time, it greatly attracts their attention, and they
wonder at it, as the small birds do at the sight of an owl by day-light;
and this is the best way to get at the shy ones. I have seen the Crows
pick out the eyes of a weak lamb, while alive, in the same manner as the
ravens will.
[Illustration: _Fig. 2._ The FOX TRAP struck