The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-10
THE SCIENCE OF TRAPPING
The Art of Luring Wild Animals
to Their Doom.
The Importance of the Trap-PrOf.
Mason Describes Some Ancient and
Primitive Forms of the snare.
An Index of Inventive Ingenuity.

Geological science has, within the past
| few years. turned trapper and as result
! several hundred new species OF animals
have been discovered which would prob
ably never have been recognized had il
not been for the improved methods for
catching them.
This fact is acknowledged by the scient-
lists of the Smithsonian Institution. One
of these gentlemen. pointing to large
pile of closely packed cards on his desk,
explained to the reporter:
Look there, each one of those slips of
paper represents new species of NAM
NAL. and all these have been discovered
within the past three or four years. Such
a great record is made possible by the in
creased perfection of trapping, which en-
ables us to get hold of animals of noctur-
nal and sly habits. and a great proportion
of mammals is of this kind"
Prof Otis T. Mason. head of the anthro-
biological department of the Institution,
has recently devoted much investigation
TO the history of the trap upon the Amer
lean continent from the days of the alb
original inhabitants.
"A trap" says Prof Mason. lis an in
vention for the purpose of inducing ami
mails to commit incarceration, self-arrest.
or suicide. In the simplest trap the au-
tomatism is solely on the part of the ami
NAL, but in the highest forms automatic
action of the most delicate sort is seen in
the traps themselves, involving the har-
messing of some natural force, current,
weight spring and so on, to do mans
work.
The climax Of invention in any direc-
ton" continues Prof. Mason, lis auto
matte action. The trap, indeed, teaches
the whole lesson of invention. At first,
il Is something that the animal unwilling
Iy treads upon Middle Low German.
treppen, to tread; tramp is similar
world in its tramps, and walks or falls in
to durance. At last, it is combination of
movement and obstruction, of release ana
execution, which vies in delicacy with the
most distinctive weapons. Gravity ana
elasticity are harnessed by ingenious me-
chanical combinations. 1t is possible to
trace the new and useful additions in
each class. which. in the Patent Office,
would be called inventions. To follow
these in saVagery and barbariSm, before
there were monopolies and patents is an
interesting contribution to the history of
cmpiriciSm.
Prof. Mason Classics traps into three
groups-nan.tiy (a) inclosiug, 90 arrest
the professor ARE those which imprison
the victim, most Of them without doing
any further bodily harm, though there
may be added to these some other devices
which will injure or kill. There are four
kinds of enclosing traps-pen-traps cage
traps, pit-traps, door-traps.' In the
course of "A learned and interesting dis
quisition upon the history and uses of
these primitive traps, Prof. Mason said:
Among the Eskimos unique contriV-
ance for catching foxes was net which
was made to be set around burrow.
Stakes were driven into the snow to sup
ha not VTh
high: in the corners We're long pockets
opening wide into the net, but gradually
contracting until the fox could go no fur-
Their; endeavoring to turn back, II became
hopeessly entangled and died OF fright
and cold The Concow Indians of Cali
foria are said to catch grasshoppers for
food by driving them into pits. Crantz
describes "A house-trap used by the Green
landers in which broad stone forms the
movable door. | have seen a trap of sim
liar mechanism. used by folk in eastern
United States, in which a cage or basket
is propped up with loop of sprint; this,
pulled inside by the animal Juggling at
the bait brings dowQ the cage upon the
victim. Doubtless this form of imprtson-
ing animals designed to be taken alive
was quite well spread over the continent
"Arresting traps are designed to seize
the victim by the neck. or gills, or feet.
resulting in death but not killing 1t out
right. The mesh net, for instance, is
based on the fact that birds, beasts. ana
fishes, by the conformation of their bod
les, or by the set of the hair. feathers.
or gills may ratchet themselves: that
is, they can move In one direction into
;he net, but cannot withdraw themselves