so that the Rats will get used to it. On
the night that you are going to catch them, before leaving the place
carry the string from the nail heads to the door or window; let the door
or window be closed within an inch, with the end of the string outside.
After the place has been quiet for thirty minutes return to the door or
window very quietly, and you will hear the Rats feeding. Pull the
string, the loose nails come out of the wall and the brick or board drops
over the hole. You can then go in, close the door, turn up the gas and
catch or kill them at your leisure, as they cannot get back again.

By this method I may mention that I have caught a great number of Rats,
and it is quite possible to clear a place in this manner: that is, if
they do not come out of the drains. I have caught upwards of 103 in six
nights in this way. The best time to catch Rats in any building is
always at night, and always about half-an-hour after the place has been
closed, as Rats are generally more adventurous to come for their first
feed. Always go about as quietly as possible.

In some of the very old Manchester buildings that were built in the days
before drain plans had to be submitted to the corporation, one finds
under the cellar floors old-fashioned brick and flag drains (better known
as "spit" drains), that were left in when the place was built. Once the
Rats get in these disused drains all the professional Rat-catchers in
England could not clear them without pulling the building down. The Rats
have, by some means, got out of the main sewer, probably by the bursting
of a sewer into one of these disused dry brick drains. It is then
impossible to get underground to see where they have got into the dry
drain, and the only thing that can be done in a case of this sort is to
engage a professional Rat-catcher occasionally, and keep two or three
good cats to keep the Rats down. These places as a rule are more plagued
with them when it is very wet weather and there are floods running. This
is the best time to catch them, as they are all under the floor of the
building, and are very easy to catch in the night with the traps.

As a rule the Black or Drain Rats feed only in the night, very rarely in
the day, as they are of a dirty nature, and prefer being in the drains.
In my opinion the Black Rat is more vicious than the Brown.

There is another Rat I call the Red Rat, which is akin to the Brown Rat.
You will always catch these