&c. of those vermin, is to allure them all together, to one proper
place, before they attempt to destroy them; for there is such an
instinctive caution in these animals, accompanied with a surprising
sagacity in discovering any cause of danger, that if any of them be
hurt, or pursued, in an unusual manner, the rest take the alarm, and
become so shy and wary, that they elude all the devices and stratagems
of their pursuers for some time after. The place where the rats are to
be assembled, should be some closet, or small room, into which all the
openings, but one or two, may be secured; and this place should be, as
near as may be, in the middle of the house, or buildings. It is the
practice, therefore, to attempt to bring them all together in some such
place before any attempt be made to take them; and even then to avoid
any violence, hurt, or fright to them, before the whole be in the power
of the operator. In respect to the means used to allure them to one
place, they are various; one of those most easily and efficaciously
practised is the trailing some piece of their most favourite food, which
should be of the kind that has the strongest scent, such as toasted
cheese, or broiled red-herring, from the holes or entrances to their
accesses in every part of the house, or contiguous buildings, whence it
is intended to allure them. At the extremities, and in different parts
of the course of this trailed tract, small quantities of meal, or any
other kind of their food, should be laid, to bring the greater number
into the tracks, and to encourage them to pursue it to the centre place,
where they are intended to be taken; at that place, where time admits of
it, a more plentiful repast is laid for them, and the trailing repeated
for two or three nights. But besides this trailing, and way-baiting,
some of the most expert of the rat-catchers have a shorter, and,
perhaps, more effectual method of bringing them together, which is, the
calling them, by making such a kind of whistling noise as resembles
their own call, and by this means, with the assistance of the way-baits,
they call them out of their holes, and lead them to the repast prepared
for them at the place designed for taking them. But this is much more
difficult to be practised than the art of trailing; for the learning the
exact notes, or cries, of any kind of beasts or birds, so as to deceive
them, is a peculiar talent, not easily attained to in other cases. And
in practising either of these methods, great caution must be used by the
operator to suppress, and prevent, the scent of his feet and body from
being perceived; which is done by overpowering that scent by others of a
stronger nature. In order to this the feet are to be covered with cloths
rubbed over with assafoetida, or other strong smelling substances; and
even oil of rhodium is sometimes used for this purpose, but sparingly,
on account of its dearness, though it has a very alluring, as well as
disguising effect. If this caution of avoiding the scent of the
operator's feet, near the track, and in the place where the rats are
proposed to be collected, be not properly observed, it will very much
obstruct the success of the attempt to take them; for they are very shy
of coming where the scent of human feet lies very fresh, and intimates,
to their sagacious instinct, the presence of human creatures, whom they
naturally dread. To the above-mentioned means of alluring by trailing,
way-baiting, and calling, is added another of very material efficacy,
which is the use of the oil of rhodium, which, like the marum syriacum
in the case of cats, has a very extraordinary fascinating power on these
animals. The oil is extremely dear, and therefore very sparingly used.
It is exhaled in a small quantity in the place, and at the entrance of
it, where the rats are intended to be taken, particularly at the time
when they are to be last brought together in order to their destruction;
and it is used also, by smearing it on the surface of some of the
implements used in taking them, by the method before described, and the
effect it has in taking off their caution and dread, by the delight they
appear to have in it, is very extraordinary. It is usual, likewise, for
the operator to disguise his figure as well as scent, which is done by
putting on a sort of gown or cloak, of one colour, that hides the
natural form, and makes him appear like a post, or such inanimate thing;
which habit must likewise be scented as above, to overpower the smell of
his person; and besides this he is to avoid all motion, till he has
secured his point of having all the rats in his power. When the rats are
thus enticed and collected, where time is afforded, and the whole in any
house or outbuildings are intended to be cleared away, they are suffered
to regale on what they most like, which is ready prepared for them; and
then to go away quietly for two or three nights; by which means those
which are not allured the first night are brought afterwards, either by
their fellows, or the effects of the trailing, &c. and will not fail to
come duly again, if they are not disturbed or molested. But many of the
rat-catchers make shorter work, and content themselves with what can be
brought together in one night or two; but this is never effectual,
unless where the building is small and entire, and the rats but few in
number. With respect to the means of taking them when they are brought
together, they are various. Some entice them into a very large bag, the
mouth of which is sufficiently capacious to cover nearly the whole floor
of the place where they are collected; which is done by smearing some
vessel, placed in the middle of the bag, with oil of rhodium, and laying
in the bag baits of proper food. This bag, which before laid flat on the
ground, with the mouth spread open, is to be suddenly closed when the
rats are all in it. Others drive or frighten them, by slight noises or
motions, into a bag of a long form, the mouth of which, after all the
rats are come in, is drawn up to the opening of the place by which they
entered, all other ways of retreat being secured. Others, again,
intoxicate or poison them, by mixing with the repast prepared for them
the cocculus indicus, or the nux vomica. A receipt for this purpose has
appeared, which directs four ounces of cocculus indicus, with twelve
ounces of oatmeal, and two ounces of treacle or honey, to be made up
into a moist paste with strong beer; but if the nux vomica be used, a
much less proportion will serve than is here given of the cocculus. Any
similar composition of these drugs, with that kind of food the rats are
most fond of, and which has a strong flavour, to hide that of the drugs,
will equally well answer the end. If, indeed, the cocculus indicus be
well powdered, and infused in strong beer for some time, at least half
the quantity here directed will serve as well as the quantity before
mentioned. When the rats appear to be thoroughly intoxicated with the
cocculus, or sick with the nux vomica, they may be taken with the hand,
and put into a bag or cage, the door of the place being first drawn to,
lest those which have strength and sense remaining should escape. By
these methods, when well conducted, a very considerable part of the rats
in a farm, or other house, and the contiguous buildings, may be taken
and destroyed. But various other methods have been practised.--The
following compositions are advised for destroying these mischievous
creatures, and which are stated to have been attended with great
success. First, to a quart of oatmeal, add six drops of oil of rhodium,
one grain of musk, and two or three of the nuts of nux vomica finely
powdered; make them into pellets, and put them into the rat-holes. This,
it is said, was at first greedily eaten, and did great execution; but
the wise animals, after a time, ceased to eat it. Secondly; this
consisted of three parts of oatmeal and one of stave's-acre, mixed well
into a paste with honey. Pieces of this paste were laid in their holes,
and again did great execution. Thirdly; this is a method of destroying
them by laying a large box down on its front side, with the lid
supported open by a string over a pulley; and by trailing toasted cheese
and a red-herring from their holes to this box, and placing oatmeal and
other food in it, which they are for a few nights to be permitted to eat
unmolested; and finally to watch them by moon-light, the inside of the
box being painted white; and, when many of them are seen, to let down
the lid; by which contrivance sixty of them are stated to have been
taken at one time.--But though the usual ways of destroying rats are by
traps and poison, it is advised never to use arsenic, or corrosive
sublimate, for that purpose, except under particular circumstances, as
they are deadly poisons: nux vomica will generally answer the end as
well, without the danger. It is a very good plan, to prevent accidents,
to enclose the traps in cases, having holes in the ends of them large
enough to admit rats, but small enough to exclude dogs, cats, &c. As a
bait for rat-traps, the following composition may be made use of with
advantage. Take a pound of good flour, three ounces of treacle, and six
drops of the oil of carraways: put them all in a dish, and rub them well
together till they are properly mixed: then add a pound of crumb of
bread. The traps baited with this mixture should be set as near their
haunts as possible; but, for two or three days, so as not to fall or
strike on the rats going in, but letting them have free liberty to go in
and out at pleasure, as this makes them fearless. Some of the bait
should also be laid at the rat-holes, and a little of it scattered quite
up to the traps, and so on to the bridge of each trap, where a handful
may be placed. It may also be proper to scent the traps with the
following mixture, for the purpose of enticing the rats into them. Take
twenty drops of the oil of rhodium, six or seven grains of musk, and
half an ounce of oil of aniseed; put them in a small phial, and shake it
well before using; then dip a piece of twisted paper or rag in the
mixture, and rub each end of the trap with it, if a box trap, and put
two or three drops on the bridge, leaving the paper or rag in the trap.
Of whatever kind the trap is, it should be scented; but once in a
twelvemonth will be sufficient. Then throw some chaff mixed with a
little wheat about the bottom of the trap, in order to deceive the
rats; for they are very sagacious, and will not enter a suspicious
place. This will be necessary to be done only at the first time of
setting the traps; for, after some rats have been caught and have
watered and dunged in them, rats will enter boldly when they find others
have been there before them: do not, therefore, wash or clean out the
trap, as some people do before they set it again, but let the dung and
urine remain in it. Keep the places where the traps are set as private
as possible; and when they are set for catching, mix no bread with the
bait, as the rats will, in that case, be apt to carry it away. And it is
useful, when the holes are found quiet, and that no rats use them, to
stop them up with the following composition. 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 an old pan or pot.
Take some pieces of paper, and lay some of the above mixture very thick
on them; then stop the holes well up with them, and build up the mouth
of the holes with brick or stone, and mortar; if this be properly done,
rats will no more approach these while either smell or taste remains in
the composition. But with a view to destroy rats in places where traps
cannot be set, it is recommended to take a quart of the above bait, then
to rasp into it three nuts of nux vomica, and add a quarter of a pound
of crumb of bread, if there was none before; mix them all well together,
and lay it into the mouth of their holes, and in different places where
they frequent; but first give them of the bait without nux vomica, for
three or four succeeding nights; and when they find it agrees with them,
they will eat that mixed with the nut with greediness. However, as it is
frequently found that rats are very troublesome in sewers and drains,
in such cases arsenic may be used with success in the following manner.
Take some dead rats, and having put some white arsenic, finely powdered,
into an old pepper-box, shake a quantity of it on the foreparts of the
dead rats, and put them down the holes, or avenues, by the sides of the
sewers at which they come in; this puts a stop to the live ones coming
any further; for when they perceive the arsenic, they will retire
immediately; whereas, if they were put down without the arsenic, the
live ones would eat them. It is by means of arsenic, notwithstanding the
above observations, that the most certain method of destroying these
troublesome vermin, (provided they can be made to eat it,) takes place;
which has been found to answer best when it is prepared by being finely
levigated, and mixed up with very strong old cheese and oatmeal. But
after all, it is probable that this highly destructive animal, and great
pest to the farmer, might be most readily exterminated by parishes
uniting for the purpose, and raising certain sums of money to be applied
in this way, under the direction of a proper person who is fully
acquainted with the business.--In many grain and other districts in the
kingdom these animals prevail very much, especially the grey kind,
particularly in all those where there are no regular raised staddles or
stands for the grain stacks to rest upon, which is the case in a great
number. The mischief, injury, and destruction of grain which is produced
in this way, is scarcely to be calculated; and they are besides very
mischievous, troublesome, and inconvenient in several others; so that
they should be every where extirpated as much as possible. And in corn
tracts, stands or staddles should every where be provided in order to
prevent mischief being done by them.
RAZOR STRAPS. Nothing makes a better razor strap than crocus martis with
a little sweet oil, rubbed well on doe skin with a glass bottle; and to
keep it in perfect order, it should not be left too long dry.
RED CABBAGE. Slice a red cabbage crossways, put it in an earthen dish,
and throw on it a handful of salt. Cover it over till the next day,
drain it in a cullender, and put it into a jar. Boil some good vinegar,
with cloves and allspice; pour it hot on the cabbage till the jar is
full, and when cold tie it down close.
RED HERRINGS. Choose those that are large and moist, cut them open, and
pour over them some boiling small beer. Let them soak half an hour, then
drain and dry them; make them just hot through before the fire, and rub
them over with cold butter. Serve with egg sauce, or buttered eggs;
mashed potatoes should also be sent up with them.
RED INK. Infuse a quarter of a pound of Brazil wood, rasped, in two
pints of vinegar, for three days. Then boil the liquid and the wood over
a gentle fire, for an hour, and strain it off quite hot. Put it again
over the fire, and dissolve in it, first, half an ounce of gum arabic,
and afterwards, half an ounce of alum, and the same quantity of white
sugar. When the alum is dissolved, remove it from the fire, and preserve
it for use.
RED MULLET. This sort of fish are in season in August; and to be good,
they should be quite firm. Sea mullets are preferred to the river ones,
and the red to the grey. This fish is sometimes called the sea woodcock.
To dress mullets, clean them, but leave the inside. Fold them in oiled
paper, and bake them gently in a small dish. Make a sauce of the liquor
that comes from the fish, with a piece of butter, a little flour, a
little essence of anchovy, and a glass of sherry. Give it a boil, serve
in a boat, and the fish in the paper cases.