Improvements in Traps for Catching Rabbits and other Small Animals.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Aug., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 23rd May, 1899-Accepted, 29th July, 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Traps for Catching Rabbits and other Small
Animals.
I, FRANCIS BUCKLAND, Surveyor, 8, Beulah Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows: --
The trap consists of wire or other netting and of what I call a screen preferably
formed of upright bars or rods connected by cross rods with other suitable
material so arranged as to leave space for the animals to pass under. The space
or opening thus left is to be closed by a flap or door made to operate by suitable
device. The action of the Hap may be assisted by springs. I may make the
flap or door to close automatically by clock work or other contrivance.
The screen is to be set where the animals resort to feed, then netting is attached
to the ends of the screen and extended so as to enclose as much ground as may
be desired, more than one screen may be used for the same enclosure. The
animals enter the enclosure through the opening at the lower part of the screen
the flap is caused to act closing the opening the animals are thus kept in the
enclosure where they can be dealt with at will.
To support wire netting for this and similar purposes I make rods or uprights
stays of iron or other suitable material cach having a projection of requisite
length so far from the lower end as may be necessary to give the rod a firm
hold when driven into the ground to that depth the rod is continued from the
projection upwards to about the same length as the width of the netting used,
at or near the top of the rod I make a notch or holding place. The lower end
of the rod is driven into the ground the selvage or edge wire of the netting being
placed under the projection this holds the lower border of the netting close to
the ground. The other selvage or border wire is then passed into the notch
or holding place this strains the netting to its width and renders it comparatively
rigid.
1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Traps for Catching Rabbits and other Small
Animals.
J, FRANCIS BUCKLAND, Surveyor, of 8, Beulah Road, Thornton Heath, in the
County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
Dine 877

page_text: manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly deseribed and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
The object of this invention is to provide a trap for catching small animals
such as rabbits and hares, which can be quickly set up in any suitable spot so
as to form an enclosure, the entrance to which may be closed by hand or auto-
matically at any desired time.
In order that my invention may be more readily understood I have caused
to be attached hereto one sheet of drawings, in which similar letters refer to
similar parts.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of one of the entrances.
Fig. 2 shows one of the vertical rods which I prefer to use for supporting the
wire or other netting.
i
A is a frame rigidly fixed, the vertical bars of which act as guides to the sliding
door B, which is furnished with rings C sliding on the said vertical bars, or if
desired any other suitable means may be adopted for guiding the door. When
the entrance is open the door B is hung up on hook 1) which is pivotted on pin E
so that by pulling the said hook D, it disengages from the ring and the door
falls, thereby closing the opening. The hook D may be arranged to act at any
given time by clockwork F, actuating the drum G and cord H attached to hook 1),
or other suitable device. The clockwork may be of any well known type such
as is used for alarum clocks or other devices, but arranged so that at any desired
time the drum G will be caused to rotate and so wind up the cord H disengaging
the hook D from the ring on door B. Weights or springs may be employed to
accelerate the movement of the door.
The enclosure may be formed of wire or other netting, for supporting which
I prefer to use vertical rods as shewn in Figure 1, and separately in Fig. 2. A
loop or projection J is formed on the rod, sufficient length being left below the
said projection to give the rod a firm hold in the ground, and the top of the rod
is formed with a fork K. In erecting the netting the point of the rod is threaded
through the netting so that the lower edge is held down by projection J, the
upper edge of the netting is then looped over the fork K, thus drawing the
netting taut.
It will be readily understood that the enclosure may be of any desired area
and height and more than one entrance door or gate may be used for the same
enclosure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
(1) In traps as described herein, a clockwork releasing device for the gate as
and for the purposes herein described.
(2) The combination of the various parts to form the complete trap having an
automatically controlled gate.
Dated this Twentieth day of May 1800
G. T. HARRAP,
Agent for Applicant.