rats of the cellar, the warehouse, the barn,
the rick-yard, the granary, and the cornfield,
are the grand destroyers against whom
war to the terrier, the trap, and the ferret is
proclaimed.

Do not let any reader suppose that the
Ratsbane put forth in the guise of a blue
pamphlet, is a mere tasteless dose of useful
knowledge on the rat genus. It is no such
thing. The author gives a passage or two
of politics, and then a page or so of rats.
He is an honest hater, such as Dr. Johnson
would have admired; nor is his hatred
confined to four-legged adversaries. He evidently
dislikes Communists and Socialists, as
sincerely as he does rats. "Communism, Socialism,
and Ratism," he says, "are terms
synonymous;" but this is not the part of his
book we have to deal with, so let us pass on
from what he hates to what he admires.
"Now," he says, "for the prolific disposition
of rats;" and here takes an opportunity of
saying the best word he can for his friends
the rat-catchers—the rat-killers—the
Napoleons of the vermin war—the exterminators
of the catchable rats—the Nimrods of the
hunting grounds to be found in sewers and
cellars, and under barn floors. The passage
looks very like an advertisement; but since
it is characteristic, and as the statements are
curious, and really not without importance,
they shall be here quoted:—

"Now for their prolific disposition! In this
respect I have been most ably assisted by the
renowned James Shaw, of rat-killing celebrity,
landlord of the Blue Anchor Tavern, Bunhill Row,
St. Luke's, and of whom I cannot speak too highly
for the civil, straightforward, and animated way
in which he communicated every information I
desired. Curiosity prompted me to make
inquiries respecting him, and I find him to be a
man universally respected for his manly bearing
and refined sentiments of honour, consequently, a
man whose testimony can be relied upon. I have
also been supplied with similar information from
Mr. Sabin, of rat-killing renown, residing in Broad
Street, St. Giles's. These men destroy between
eight and nine thousand each annually, averaging
seventeen thousand between them. We will now
proceed with the calculations. In the first place,
my informants tell me that rats will have six,
seven, and eight nests of young in the year, and
that for three and four years together; secondly,
that they will have from twelve to twenty-three at
a litter, and that the young ones will breed at
three months old; thirdly, that there are more
females than males, at an average of about ten to
six. Now, I propose to lay down my calculations
at something less than one-half. In the first place,
I say four litters in the year, beginning and ending
with a litter, so making thirteen litters in three
years; secondly, to have eight young ones at a
birth, half male and half female; thirdly, the
young ones to have a litter at six months old.
At this calculation, I will take one pair of rats;
and at the expiration of three years what do you
suppose will be the amount of living rats? Why,
no less a number than SIX HUNDRED AND FORTY-
SIX THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND EIGHT! Mr.
Shaw's little dog 'Tiny,' under six pounds weight,
has destroyed TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND
TWENTY-FIVE pairs of rats, which, had they been
permitted to live, would, at the same calculation,
and in the same time, have produced ONE THOUSAND
SIX HUNDRED AND THIRTY-THREE MILLIONS,
ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY THOUSAND, TWO
HUNDRED, living rats! And the rats destroyed by
Messrs. Shaw and Sabin in two years, amounting
to SEVENTEEN THOUSAND pairs, would, had they
been permitted to live, have produced, at the
above calculation, and In the same time, no less a
number than TEN THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND
NINETY-FIVE MILLIONS, SEVEN HUNDRED AND
THIRTY-SIX THOUSAND, living rats! Now, let us
calculate the amount of human food that they
would destroy. In the first place, my informants
tell me that six rats will consume day by day as
much food as a man; secondly, that the thing has
been tested, and that the estimate given was, that
eight rats would consume more than an ordinary
man. Now, I—to place the thing beyond the
smallest shadow of a doubt—will set down ten
rats to eat as much as a man, not a child; nor
will I say anything about what rats waste. And
what shall we find to be the alarming result?
Why, that the first pair of rats, with their three
years' progeny, would consume in the night more
food than SIXTY-FOUR THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED AND
EIGHTY men the year round, and leaving eight rats
to spare! And the rats destroyed by the little
wonder 'Tiny,' had they been permitted to live,
would, at the same calculation, with their three
years' progeny, have consumed as much food as
ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-THREE MILLIONS, THREE
HUNDRED AND NINETEEN THOUSAND AND TWENTY
men; above two-thirds the population of
Europe!!"

Here we come to the great glory of our
author's thoughts. After its master, the
rat-catcher of "manly bearing and refined
sentiments of honour," "Tiny" is his true
hero. Eclipse might lord it at Epsom or
Newmarket; Tom Thumb might trot to
renown at sixteen miles an hour, but what
was that compared with the triumphs of
Tiny?—the killer of rats who might have
had a family capable of eating (if they had
found it) as much victuals or more than
one hundred and sixty millions of men? Our
writer proposes a solid gold collar testimonial
for the "good" dog Tiny, to be raised by
public subscription. But that would be a paltry
return for such great services. Tiny's renown
lifts him above such mercenary rewards.

More wonders are in store:—

"Now for the vermin destroyed by Messrs. Shaw
and Sabin. Taken at the same calculation, with
their three years' progeny—can you believe it?—
they would consume more food than the whole
population of the earth. Yes, if Omnipotence
would raise up ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE
MILLIONS FIVE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-THREE
THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED more people, these rats
would consume as much food as them all!! You
may wonder, but I will prove it to you."

A calculation—like that which has made Tiny
immortal—is given, and then the reflection
succeeds, "Is it not a most appalling thing