Uncle Dick and Lisa's Old Time Animal Tales

     Catching rats is often difficult, as the old rats are proverbially cunning. Laying around poison is not alone dangerous, but objectionable for the reason that the rats may die in inaccessible spots and contaminate the atmosphere with the well known detestable odor. A better plan has been adopted by one of our correspondents by which he takes advantage of the cunning habits of the rats. He covers the floor near the rat hole with a thin layer of caustic potash; when the rats walk on this it makes their feet sore; these they lick with their tongues; it makes their mouths sore, and the result is, they shun this locality not alone, but appear to tell the neighboring rats about it, and eventually the house is entirely abandoned by them, notwithstanding the neighborhood may be teeming with rats.-Philadelphia Ledger.