The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1882-03-01
Trapping Rabbits.

~. r. Pennington
Undoubtedly the boy readers Of Golden
Days. especially those who live in the coun-
try. where rabbits, birds, squirrels and other
small game abound, delight in making and
setting traps TO catch them; but it Is not
every boy WHO properly understands the
construction OF these devices for cap:urin :
game, II who ass an idea Of the kind Of BAH
TO be used. how the trap should be set, or
the habits OF the animals they desire 70
tempt into capture.
The old dgure-f0ur trap used to be re-
gsrdei as the best ia use, 5ut it failed so
often in doing it, work elfeclually that IL
Eas been almost entirely abandoned.
Then another rap of d complicated and
5arbsrous pattern was introduced, which
caught :he rabbit by the neck in a noose
and stFangled It to death, and if the. boy
neglected to visit his trap for two or three
days he invariably found NE rabbit rendered
unit for use by exposure of the weather.
This trap was so wantouly cruel that no boy
with > human heart would dare use it, and
1t soon disappeared from the fields and
hedges.
The old-lsshioned rabbit gum" as i: is
called down South. is the most effective
method yes invented, and, with one or two
simple Improvements, surpasses all other
trays.
It may be made Of boaras, of four pieces,
TWO feet long and twelve inches wide; or, to
economic lsbor, skOe-box may be pur-
chased and sawed of to the required length,
leaving enc end closed.
The improvements added are operated on
The same principle as those upon a mouse
trap. The sides are perforated with anger
holes, say three on each side, to admit OF
light and air. \ piece Of board is sawed
just the width of the open end of the box,
which must be two or three inches higher
than the box. This is the door. A piece OF
round wood is screwed securely on this door
projecting out at the sides about one inch
which passes into two holes, one on either
side CT the open end of the box. This en-
ables the door to move backward and for.
ward freely.
Next, = wire spiral spring must be had
one end Of which is fastened to the closed
part OK the box and the other to the bottom
of tine door. The spring should be u!
elastic as possible.
To the piece on the top of the door, which
projects above the box, y stout pieca OF wire
with small notch (which can be made
with 6le), Is fastened. In the middle o.
the box gimlet hole is made, and another
piece of wire, with hole in the center, Il
slipped IN, and wooden peg in the cente
hole prevents this wire from dropping inf,
the box, bat leaves it dangling. One enc
of this wire is for the bait, and the other
which is also slightly notched, couple
with the wire leading from the top of TIL
door.
Care mus. be taken not to get the notcbo
too deep, OF they will stick" and rende
the spiral spring inside Intellectual.
When the door is up, the spring will b
extended and the least nibbls at the 6ai
on the middle wir0 will unciose the notcnes
when the spring will fly back, bringing
the door with it, and holding it firmly
down, and thus prevent the escape Of the
prize.
In setting this trap, care must also b
taken to have no twigs, bushes or small
limbs Of trees in close proximity to ths
notches, for their motion by the gentlest
breeze might prematurely spring the trap
Have no grease or any substance which
will emit q noxious odor about the trap. The
sense Of smell Is very acute IN rabbit, anc
he will not approach q trap baited with meal
or hsh, neither viii he come where there arc
numerous footprints.
The best and most effective bait is apple