The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1900-12-11
SHOWMANINTHE WOODS
MEANS OF MAKING GREAT COL.
LEcTIONS OF LIVING ANIMALS.
The Lion. the King Of Beasts, That Most
Tempts the Cunning Trappcr-Carght
la Shares Which Resemble the Hum
bile Mousc-Trap-Tigcrs in Captivity.

arise regarding the means by Wnlcl
the great collection of living animals
of this country and Europe have been
brought together II is Obvious the
rifle of civilization OF the iaVelin of
SayageS Is not the means 10y which
their dens have been stockcd.and those
labeled cages marking their inmates
ms born in the gardens" must al
ways he i'm II minority. Hence the
question arises. how are these rich
stores of fur and feather obtainedF
And the answer is. i'm some very in
genious and little-known ways
The lion naturally stands AT the
head of the list and more powerful
and sanguinary beast does not tempt
the cunning trapper.
He is generally captured 10y means
of what is called the Silo-cage ana of
which the following Is short descrip-
ton:
The frame and bars are of iron. II
Is ten feet long. six feet six inches
wide and the same i'm height Mount
ed on three cast-iron wheels of small
diameter. it can he moved even ON
hlil'AlA EANhAiAAs wv NUlifl I''ll y
opens with folding doors. like a ward
robe, and they close of themselves at
the e,'%htest shock given to springs
of steel. Catches retain the lids as
they fall and imprison the animal as
soon as he touches the bottom of the
trap
The plan is to place this trap, prop
o,1Ny hafto1 nm Tho Ground fr.rronf.,f
by the wild animals. and then. when
the game is caught, to wheel the ma
chine away TO some menageric pre-.
pared for the purpose.
The natives themselves have taken
the lion in pits covered with reeds
since the dawn of history. Pliny rec
ords this device OF theirs, though the
Roman naturalists of his time were
rather shaky as TO the specific differ
ence between bear and lion.
The cubs found i'm caverns and caves
after the parents have died under fire
OF village matchlocks find ready sale
among the coast agents of geological
gardens. and hardly caravan comes
down frUm the Abysinian tablc-lands
or from Fez without a cub or two
AS for the lions of Persia and Syria.
the line of Nimrod and the hunter
kings is over, and il is very doubtful
whether Bedouin or subjects Of the
Shah ever get nearer to the lord of
beasts than they can possibly help.
In the days when Weir hearts were
a little stouter, and the country was
one great game preserve, they stocked
their zoos by the help of nets and
beaters.
The precise locality Of the lions
dwelling place having been discovered.
a circular wall of nets is arranged
around it. Dogs are then sent into
the thicket, stones thrown. and burn
ing sticks hurled after them and ut
last the lion bolts like q rabbit into
the net and rolls over i'm It's entan-
clements, n chaos of dust and hemp
and tawny hide the thunder of the
frantic brute almost drowned in the
babel of dozen villages Of men and
whole countryside of dogs yclping
together. This was sport which. while
it lasted, contraSted favorably with
shooting, for instance
But to-day the lion and that other
great cat, the tiger. are rarely netted.
If they do enter into bondage in their
extreme youth, and imbibe nourlsh-
ment from a lemonade bottle and a
Quill they usually fall victims at n
more mature age to some sort of box
trap, such as that mentioned previ-
Ously. and are almost identical i'm de
sign with the humble mouse-trap.
Needless TO say. however. the proper
tiOns are very different
Wandering one day through trop-
ical jungle, and pressing through the
thickets of great tree ferns aud shrub.
berries Of cinnamon that fringed the
banks of Il bill river came upon one
of these structures. and had for 20
moment some doubts as 10 IFS pur-
pose.
1t was The royal "mousctrup" of
a native rajah and perhaps of m.
usually large size II looked some
thing like % Swiss mountain chalet
Obling i'm shape 10 was constructed
of heavy timbcrs of squared iron
wood. with their ends dovctailcd. In
side there were two apartments. di.
vidcd 10y barrier and doorway
the inner FOR the unfortunate bait. %
goat or q young pig. of which latter
the tiger is intensely fond. ana an out
or chamber
The massive door of this was held
up by rope which went over % wheel
to the great shed. and when the beast
enters and approaches the victim.
whose lamentations have attracted his
attention. he frees the catch. and tho
pOrtcullis desccnds behind cutting
him of forever from his native hills
lie is as noisy and snvagc 20 quarry
when discovered next morning as we'll
could bc bur tamcs down under star
walton. and turns in course OF Time.
into Chat comparatively tame animal
which is 900 the ordinary American.
know of thr royal beast
African tribes occasionally kiU al
lion prowlng about their cncamp
ments o night hy means of "a short
but very powerful rOss.bow. armed
with q poisoned arrow and set On tine
animals patti q string is attached
to- thc trigger aud taken across ibp
trail to "a peg where ls is made fast
ON thc Hon moving The string with
als feet Che arrow is discharged into