AN IMPROVED TRAD FOR BIRDS AND ANIMALS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Thornton Crawshaw and William Kenward,
both of Hayward's Heath, in the County of Sussex, for the Inven-
tion of AN IMPROVED TRAD FOR BIRDS AND ANIMALS
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Thornton
•
.
Crawshaw and William Kenward at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 3rd December 1872.
We, ALFRED THORNTON CRAWSHAW and WILLIAM KENWARD, both
of Hayward's Heath, in the County of Sussex, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED TRAP FOR BIRDS AND
ANIMALS," to be as follows :-
Our Invention relates to an improved trap for birds and animals, and
consists more particularly in the parts used for setting and releasing the
trap, and ensuring its unfailing action.
The trap consists of a cage open at bottom, made of wickerwork of
pyramidal or other form, with a hinged lid at top to take out the bird or
animal caught. The cage is pegged down to the ground along one edge
on which it rests when raised. To set the trap the opposite side of the
cage-is tilted up and supported on a notch in a stick hung by a notch

page_text: made higher up on its opposite side on the beveled top of an inclined
strut resting on the ground. The foot of the stick is also held in a
notch in a bow pivoted at the other end, and provided with cross sticks
to form a kind of horizontal platform placed under the trap a few inches
from the ground on which the bait is placed.
Guides are provided at either side of the bow or platform to prevent
its tilting, and as it is only supported at its pivoted end by a cleft
embracing an upright fixed in the ground, and at its other end by the
notch which restrains the tendency to tilt of the stick supporting the
cage, the weight of a very small bird or animal on the bow will therefore
.be sufficient to release the notch in the bow from the trap support, and
so cause the fall of the latter.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Thornton Crawshaw and William Kenward
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd June 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ALFRED
THORNTON CRAWSHAW and WILLIAM KENWARD, both of Hayward's
Heath, in the County of Sussex, send greeting.
•
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Alfred Thornton Crawshaw and William
Kenward, Her special licence that we, the said Alfred Thornton
Crawshaw and William Kenwary, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Alfred Thornton Crawshaw
and William Kenward, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for is AN IMPROVED TRAP FOR BIRDS AND ANIMALS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Alfred Thornton Crawshaw
and William Kenward, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should

page_text: particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same. was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Alfred Thornton Crawshaw and
William Kenward, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference
being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
Our Invention relates to an improved trap for birds and animals, and
consists more particularly in the parts used for setting and releasing the
trap and ensuring its unfailing action.
The trap consists of a cage open at bottom, made preferably of wicker-
work of pyramidal or other form with a hinged lid at top to take out the
bird or animal caught. The cage is pegged down to the ground along
one edge on which it rests when raised. To set the trap the cage is
tilted up and supported on a notch in an upright stick hung by a notch
made higher up on its opposite side on the beveled top of an inclined
strut resting on the ground. The foot of the stick is also held in a
notch in a bow pivoted at the other end, and provided with cross sticks
to form a kind of horizontal platform placed under the trap a few inches
from the ground on which the bait is placed.
Guides are provided at either side of the bow or platform to prevent
its tilting, and as it is only supported at its pivoted end by a cleft
embracing an upright fixed in the ground, and at its other end by the
notch which restrains the tendency to tilt of the stick supporting the
cage, the weight of a very small bird or animal on the bow will therefore
be sufficient to release the notch in the bow from the trap support, and
so cause the fall of the latter.

page_text: together at the corners by cords or wires. One edge rests on the ground
and is fastened down thereto by forked pegs 6 driven into the ground,
and embracing the prolonged ends of the bottom bar of that side of the
cage. The front edge of the trap is supported in a notch c in an
upright d, which is itself hung by a higher notch or shoulder e on the
opposite side on the top of a strut fresting on the ground, this strut is
inclined as shown, and its top end is bevelled to a thin edge in order that
the upright d may readily rock thereon and topple over when released
by the bird or animal. The trap is prevented from falling by the
"bow" g which is pivoted or retained by a stump or peg / driven in the
ground round which a cleft of the bow passes. The other end of the
latter is notched to hold the heel of the upright d, and prevent it tilting
outwards which it tends to do by the weight of the trap a. The
upright and the bow g thus mutually support one another, the bow
being placed horizontally at about two inches from the ground. The
bow is constructed of straight and bent twigs to form a kind of platform,
and being only prevented from falling by the outward tendency of the
upright d, the trap is very delicate in its action. a¹, hinged lid of the
trap; i, i, are hooked shaped pegs placed over the cross bars of the bow,
but not connected thereto to prevent the bow tilting up on one side or
the other.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim as the
Invention to be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the combination with the bow g of the upright d and strut ƒ,
arranged and applied for the purpose of setting the trap a, and operating
substantially as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Thornton Crawshaw, for
myself and on behalf of the said William Kenward, have here-
*unto set my hand and seal, this Third day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.