Jack Black (rat catcher)

Jack Black was a British exterminator, the mid-19th century in London was mainly active as a ratter in the service of Queen Victoria.

Act as a Pied Piper

Jack Black's life data are unknown, but he gave in 1850, the British journalist and sociologist Henry Mayhew information about his life and his work. Mayhew published his portrait Blacks in the third volume of his book series London Labour and the London Poor. Accordingly, Jack Black came in the first decade of the 19th century to the world. He had already hunted the age of nine on behalf of farmers rats and shortly thereafter became a professional Piper, who worked mainly in the area of Regent's Park. Black initially put ferrets for hunting. With 15 years Black was devoted to the rearing of songbirds, which he sold to both animal lovers as well as to butcher. Black was three years quite successfully with the bird trade, then became interested in but again for rats. For hunting he taught from a Welsh Terrier, he also successfully started in dog breeding.

In 1835, Jack Black first worked on behalf of the Greater London Authority, which employed several exterminator to combat the plague of rats in urban parks. As the royal exterminator died, Black was appointed as his successor. Black was active from now on throughout the Inner London. He praised himself as a " rat - catcher and mole Her Majesty Queen Victoria " and was tailor their own uniform, with whom he entered into the streets, to offer his services. With his wide belt, on which he had several cast-iron rats appropriate, he achieved great attention. So he could not go any claims to be without him was followed by a large amount of onlookers.

Work as a breeder rats

Jack Black usually killed the rats with poison own mix, but for the demonstration of his skills, he began regularly rats alive. Part of the animals he sold to the organizer Jimmy Shaw, who was one of the most famous provider of the popular in the 19th century Rat- baiting shows, in which rats to the amusement of the audience of dogs were mauled.

Selected specimens that stood by a particularly beautiful coat color, Jack Black kept to himself and began the breeding of domesticated brown rats (Rattus norvegicus ) from which evolved as held- pet pet rat (Rattus norvegicus domesticus) within a few decades. Today, Jack Black is considered the first breeder who has domesticated and sold pet rats.

Blacks tame and colorful animals were admired by many wealthy families, many young girls bought his rats and kept them in squirrel cages. Among his clients, the young Beatrix Potter should have counted, the ( German: The Story of Bernard mustache ) in 1908 her book The Tale of Samuel Whiskers had devoted their own rat Sammy.