IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAPS USED FOR CATCHING RABBITS AND OTHER ANIMALS."
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Toomer Birt, of Otterbourne, near Win-
chester, in the County of Hants, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TRAPS USED FOR CATCHING RABBITS AND OTHER ANIMALS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Toomer Birt
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 18th May 1865.
I, RICHARD TOOMER BIRT, of Otterbourne, near Winchester, in the County
of Hants, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN. TRAPS USED FOR CATCHING RABBITS AND OTHER ANIMALS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in traps used for catching
rabbits and other animals. For these purposes, in order that traps used for
catching rabbits may not catch and hold dogs or foxes, such traps are formed
in the following manner-Each trap is in general made with a pair of jaws
which are notched or serrated, but in some cases only one notched or serrated
jaw is employed, and the jaws of the trap are caused to come together when
released after being set by means of a spring, as beretofore, when the foot of
a rabbit or other smaller animal is taken, but when the foot of a dog or fox
releases the trap the two serrated jaws are prevented coming together in the
following manner:-The arms which carry the two serrated jaws also carry

page_text: two rollers, which if they come against the leg of a dog or a fox prevent the
two serrated jaws closing together, for as the leg of a dog or a fox is thicker
than that of a rabbit it keeps the rollers and the arms which carry them
further apart, and consequently the eye of the spring is not able to rise
sufficiently up the arms to act on the notched or serrated jaws, but if the foot
of a rabbit or smaller animal is taken by the trap the two rollers come
sufficiently near together to allow the spring to act on the serrated or notched
jaws, and to close them. When using only one notched jaw and one roller
the notched jaw is allowed to turn on axes, and it is acted on by a spring in
such manner as to turn the teeth or notches outwards when the foot of a dog
or fox releases the trap by reason of the roller coming against the foot, whilst
if the foot of a rabbit releases the trap the toothed or notched jaw turns
inwards and catches and holds the foot.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Toomer Birt in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 18th November 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
TOOMER BIRT, of Otterbourne, near Winchester, in the County of Hants,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Richard Toomer Birt, Her special licence that I, the said
Richard Toomer Birt, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Richard Toomer Birt, my 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAPS USED FOR CATCHING RABBITS AND OTHER
ANIMALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard
Toomer Birt, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should 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

page_text: Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Toomer Birt, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in traps used for catching
rabbits and other animals. For these purposes, in order that traps used for
catching rabbits may not catch and hold dogs or foxes, such traps are formed,
according to the first part of my Invention, in the following manner :-Each
trap is in general made with a pair of jaws, which are notched or serrated,
but in some cases only one notched or serrated jaw is employed, and the jaws
of the trap are caused to come together, when released, after being set by
means of a spring, as herein-before, when the foot of a rabbit or other smaller
animal is taken, but when the foot of a dog or a fox releases the trap the two
serrated jaws are prevented coming together in the following manner:-The
arms which carry the two serrated jaws also carry two rollers, which if they
come against the leg of a dog or a fox prevent the two serrated jaws closing
together, for as the leg of a dog or a fox is thicker than that of a rabbit it
keeps the rollers and the arms which carry them further apart, and conse-
quently the eye of the spring is not able to rise sufficiently up the arnis to act
on the notched or serrated jaws, but if the foot of a rabbit or smaller animal
is taken by the trap the two rollers come sufficiently near together to allow
the spring to act on the serrated or notched jaws, and to close them.
one roller, according to the second
allowed to turn on axes, and it is
When using only one notched jaw and
part of my Invention, the notched jaw is
acted on by a spring in such manner as to turn the teeth or notches outwards
when the foot of a dog or fox releases the trap by reason of the roller coming
against the foot, whilst if the foot of a rabbit releases the trap the toothed or
notched jaw turns inwards and catches and holds the foot.
And in order that my Invention may be more fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
D
constructed according to the first part of my Invention; in this view the trap
is "set" ready for catching such animals; Figure 2 is a plan thereof after
baving been released by a rabbit or other animal smaller than a dog or a

page_text: fox; Figure 3 is a cross section of the trap. with the parts in a corresponding
position to that shewn in Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a cross section thereof
in the position the trap would assume after having been released by a dog or
a fox or other comparatively large animal.
a, a, is the base of the trap; b is the plate or table on which the foot of the
animal to be caught presses to release the trap; this plate or table b is con-
nected to the base a by a pin joint b¹; c is the stop which takes into a notch b³
carried by the plate or table 6 for the purpose of "setting" the trap; and d is
a spring for acting upon the jaws to close them when they have been released
by a rabbit or other animal. Thus far the trap is constructed as is usual, but
according to my Invention, instead of constructing the serrated jaws e,' e, as
heretofore I form the arins e¹, e¹, thereof shorter than usual, and pin joint them
at e², e, to other arms f, f, carrying jaws f¹, f', provided with rollers f, f, in.
such manner that when the trap is released by the foot of a rabbit or other
animal smaller than a dog or a fox the rollers f³, f, will come sufficiently
close to allow the serrated jaws e, e, to close thereon, as shewn by Figures 2.
and 3, but when the trap is released by a dog or a fox or other comparatively.
large animal the serrated jaws e, e, will be prevented closing on the leg of
such animal, as shewn by Figure 4, by reason of the rollers f;f³, coming
against the leg and preventing the loop of the spring d rising sufficiently to
act upon the serrated jaws e, e, thereby enabling the dog or fox to free itself
from the trap before the serrated jaws e, e, can close.
Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8 are corresponding views to those shewn at Figures 1,
2, 3, and 4 of a trap constructed according to the second part of my Invention.
Similar parts are marked with similar letters of reference to those employed in
the previous Figures.
In this case instead of employing two serrated jaws e, e, and two
rollers ff, I employ only one such serrated jaw e and only one roller ƒ³,
or, as shewn in the Drawing, I dispense altogether with such rollers f² and
employ a grooved jaw f*, into the groove of which the serrated jaw e takes
when a rabbit or other comparatively small animal is caught; the serrated
jaw e is connected by pin joints at e to one pair of the arms f, and is acted
upon by a spring f³ of india-rubber or other suitable material to hold it in
position for catching rabbits and other animals, thereby causing the serrated
jaw e in closing to come under the stops f*, as shewn at Figures 6 and 7, but
when the leg of a dog or a fox releases the trap the serrated jawe is caused
to turn on the pin joints e³, and come above the stops f*, as shewn at Figure 8,.
and thereby enable the dog or fox or other comparatively large animal to free
tself from the trap.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise details herein shewn and described, but what I do claim
is, the combined improvements applied to traps for catching rabbits and other
animals, substantially as herein shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Toomer Birt, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fifteenth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
RICH. TOOMER BIRT. (L.s.)