emily post

Fancy Notions informs of the superstitious etiquette that the best way to rid one’s household of vermin or other pests (like today’s practise of leaving an anonymous notes on the windshields of car to comment and correct the atrocious parking job of others—or the phenomena of pet-shaming) is to take down a letter and put them on notice. For rats, the Ancient Greeks recommended a threatening tone, whilst households of nineteenth century New England took the approach of laying out to the rodents the distinct advantages of decamping their homes and instead taking up residence at their neighbours.