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A List of Vermin On the subject of the return of the polecat—now very numerous in Radnor and Merioneth—a curious entry from a churchwarden's book in the Vale of Clwyd reaches me. Vermin appear to have been both various and numerous, and bribes were offered for their destruction : " The proscribed animals were, Mies, moles, polecats, wild cats, ravens, hedgehogs, badgers, fitchets ?, & "fulbarts ? Prices paid— Bitch Fox 2/6, dog Fox 2/-, cubs IF polecats t/-, wild cats 2/6, raven 2d., fitcharts ad..? & fulbarts 9d. ? The mole catcher was paid 45 per an. The Badger is marked low, but I find that it it once ranked with the fox in price. Hedgehogs were supposed to milk the cows (give a dog a bad name, &c.). It was a custom to nail underneath the litchgate, the carcases of the moles &c. killed, so' that the people might see that they were not imposed upon. (For killing two Pole Katts 5/- at Eghosbach. Whilst at Cilcer 1714 tht. sum for killing a Pole Katt oo : 01 : oo."
Though the name is rather different from old local names that survive in the East of England a fitchart is presumably
a stoat. . *
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