Hello Lyn and All, No, this is no wind-up , it used to happen on a regular basis. The same was said for foxes many years back. Watch out for your rear ends in future. Alex Machray from Scotland. Skype name: A.Machray Original Message From: Lyn Morgan Hi Everyone A friend of mine told me that in the past, when people used to have rats in their houses, they had to catch them, kill them, then cut off their tails. They had to take each tail to the Council, to prove that they'd actually caught the vermin. They received payment for each tail they produced. Is this a wind-up? Lyn from Manchester, England. Skype name starlightgold