their tracks from a stackyard over two or three fields to a farm to get
to their food. And you will always find that they have one time for
feeding, which is as soon as it is dusk, the young Rats being the most
venturesome for their food, always coming out first.

Rats, especially stackyard ones, are of a very clean nature. You will
find that after they have had their first feed they diligently wash
themselves. These Rats feed on nothing but good stuff, such as wheat,
corn, and meal; and from experience I find that if a man is bitten on the
hand by one of these Brown or Stack Rats it never "takes bad ways," but,
if bitten by a dirty Drain Rat, then whether he cauterises or bathes the
wound is no matter, it is sure to "take bad ways." I think the reason of
this is because the Drain Rat, when it cannot get anything else to eat,
exists on the worms and slugs, and this, I think, causes the teeth to
become more venomous. When bitten in this way blood poisoning is very
likely to ensue. Indeed, you must understand that the teeth of a full-
grown Rat are quite half-an-inch long, and the jaw is very strong, so
that if you are bitten on the finger it is almost sure to penetrate to
the bone. I have known a good many cases of blood poisoning through Rat-
bites.

The damage Rats can do to property, commodities, etc., is almost
incredible. I have had so many examples of this that I scarcely know
which to submit as illustration. I think the worst case I have seen was
where they gnawed a hole half way through a 2-1/4 inch lead pipe, and
often I have known them to bite through a one-inch lead pipe. The worst
damage is done when they get under the flag floors of cottage houses out
of the drains. They scratch the soil from beneath the flags, which then
sink, and the consequent stench from the drains is abominable,
jeopardising the health of the tenants. I have seen a great many of