The old-fashioned professional rat-catcher is seen as rarely as the
mole-catcher, with his rude traps of wood, wire and string, actuated
by a spring of green wood from the hedgerow. And with the rat-catcher
have passed the secrets of his calling--how, when and where to use oils
and essences to attract rats to their doom. He knew how to handle rats
alive with his naked hands, and the trick of squeezing the life from
their bodies. The experienced take rats by the back of the throat, but
unless the grip is made in just the right way a dangerous bite may be
received. The safest plan for the inexperienced is to take live rats
by the tip end of their tails; then they are helpless, since their
own weight keeps their heads down. Mice, treated in this way, would
curl up and nip their captor's fingers in a twinkling. He was a deep
character, the old rat-catcher. If there were many rats he would
destroy many--but if few he would take good care to leave behind him
some fine specimens for stock. No doubt the oils and preparations
invented by himself, or handed down to him by his ancestors, would not
only attract rats for his catching, but would attract others after he
had gone, so that his trade was kept alive. Thus, perhaps, arose the
old saying that if you kill one rat twelve friends will come to its
funeral. Oils are still used as lures by the fish-poacher, and also
by the gamekeeper. To draw rats into his traps the keeper sprinkles
them with the sweet-scented oil of rhodium-wood and oil of aniseed. To
attract cats he uses tincture of valerian; the essences in the root of
that plant having so great a charm for cats that it will draw them from
far and near. To attract stoats and weasels he uses oil of musk. To
entice a fox, a dead cat is one of the best lures: many a fox, to our
knowledge, has owed its death to an over-keenness in unearthing a cat
that had been shot and lightly buried. We have heard that dog-stealers
induce dogs to follow them by carrying a piece of wart from a horse's
leg--we know a simpler plan. The keeper's woodcraft teaches him many
ways to charm wild creatures to their destruction. A common trick to
bring rabbits from their holes is to imitate the squeal of a rabbit in
fear, by applying the lips to the back of the hand, and producing a
tremulous sucking sound. Possibly the rabbits think that a brother is
in distress, and come to see from curiosity.
* * * * *