THE ROYAL RAT-CATCHER.

Golden Bay Argus, Volume VI, Issue 72, 14 October 1897, Page 2

THE ROYAL RAT-CATCHER.

The rat-catcher has almost disappeared as au every day acquaintance.

But he still lingers in the Royal dockyards, and is occasionally to be seen in the old wooden battle-ships that lie in a row (Rotten Row, it is generally called), in our naval ports. Her Majesty’s Royal Naval Rat-catcher is bub a humble official, in spite of his long title, bis remuneration being simply that of au ordinary dockyard labourer, 18s. a week, in addition to which he is allowed a penny a head for each rat caught.

Rat-catchers are not, alas ! superior to the temptations of ordinary humanity ; and it wa3 discovered some time ago that the same rats used to appear over EDd over again to be couuted for the rodential capitation grant. fMi.ce then each batch has been cremated in the presence of the chief boatswain of the deckyard. The rat-catcher makes periodical visits to infested vessels, aud seldom fails to bring away a bagful of his living prey. Nobody ever stes him at work. He descends into the bowels of the ship, and is lost to sight and sound till he emerges laden with his victims. Au atmosphere of mystery surrounds his rusty brown, silent figure, in the eyes of the blue-jackets.

He is popularly supposed to possess seme of the occult powers of the “ Pied Piper of Hamelin,” and go down to the haunts of the rats, gently whistling, and reeking with some strange odour, when they at once flock round him, and he simply picks them up with his naked hand (he never gets bitten), aud puts than into his bag. The writer knew one who used no bag, but always carried the rats in his bieast, where they might be setn running round and round inside his vest, and occasionally puking out their sharp noses from under his chin. In riality, however, his modus operandi is very simple. He places traps, baited with aniseed, in all the corners of the hold aud bilges ; and so fond are the rats of the odorous substance that two, and sometimes three, are found iu one trap.

He uses neither clogs nor ferrets ; tbei e is no room for the former, aud the latter would get lust In the endless maze of a ship’s bottom

As long as the wooden bulks last which lie rotting in the eur harbours occupation will always be found for Her Majesty’s rat-catchers