Improvements in Vermin Traps.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 6th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 29th Apr., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Vermin Traps.
I, THOMAS THOMSON of Rusko, Gatehouse of Fleet, in the County of Kirkcud-
bright, Scotland, Gamekeeper, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in traps as employed in the catching
of wild rabbits and similar vermin and applies particularly to the manner of
forming the jaws of such traps, the object of my said invention being to prevent or
lessen the duration of the pain and suffering usually experienced by the said
animals after being so trapped and until released therefrom.
In all the forms of traps hitherto employed for this purpose, the jaws have beer.
constructed in such a manner, that the leg or legs only of the captive, were caught
and retained thereby, and it is a well known fact that the animal in struggling to
free itself therefrom, often lacerates the flesh of the imprisoned member, and
sometimes actually amputates the captive limb in its endeavours to attain this, and
not infrequently death occurs from sheer exhaustion before the animal is released,
such animals thus dying being, or should be, unfit for market and human food,
and humanitarianism calls for some means by which all this may be avoided, and I
attain the end desired by constructing the jaws of the trap in such a manner that
the captive is killed by, and dies almost immediately after, the closing of same.
In carrying my invention into effect I provide a trap in every way resembling
those in general use, except the jaws, and these I form in such a manner, that the
height of the jaws when closed, above the points at which they are hinged or
pivotted to the base of the trap, is twice or thereabouts, that of those in general
use. The standards of each jaw may be perfectly straight for about half their
length from the lower or pivotted end, at which point they are joined or connected
by a tie rod or bar, which also serves as a stop for the upward travel of the eye of
the spring, and continuing on the said standards may be more or less curved out-
wardly, terminating in a plain, curved, serrated or toothed jaw as may be desired.
In setting the trap, constructed according to my invention, the usual catch may
engage with one of the aforesaid tie rods or bars, and the aforesaid curves in the
said standards are to prevent the jaws from coming quite together when the spring
is released.
By this arrangement of the jaws the captive is nipped in the fore part of
the body, usually just behind the shoulder blades, and the sudden and intense
compression ruptures or otherwise stops the action of the heart, and death ensues
almost immediately.
D
ليم
1000
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
4, Moorfields, Fore Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Vermin Traps.
I, THOMAS THOMSON of Rusko, Gatehouse of Fleet, in the County of Kirkcud-
bright, Scotland, Gamekeeper, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in traps as employed in the catching of

page_text: wild rabbits, hares and similar vermin, and applies particularly to the manner of
forming the jaws of said traps, the object of my said invention being to prevent or
lessen the duration of the pain and suffering usually experienced by the said
animals after being so trapped, and until released therefrom.
In all the forms of traps hitherto employed for this purpose, the jaws have
been constructed in such a manner, that the leg or legs only of the captive were
caught and retained thereby, and it is a well known fact that the animal in
struggling to free itself therefrom, often lacerates the flesh of the imprisoned
limb, and sometimes actually amputates the captive member in it endeavours to
attain this, and the purpose of my invention is to lessen if not entirely prevent
this unnecessary suffering, and I effect this by constructing the jaws of the trap in
such a manner, that the height of these above the points at which they are hinged
or pivotted to the base of the trap, is twice, or thereabouts that of those hitherto
made and used, the result of this extra height of the jaws being, that the animal
is caught, not by the leg or legs as hitherto, but by the head or shoulder, or the
fore part of the body, usually just behind the shoulder blade, in either case death
resulting almost immediately through the intense pressure of the jaws either
breaking the skull, or rupturing or otherwise stopping the action of the heart.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a closed ordinary trap, the jaws of which relatively
to the scale of the drawings are about the height of those in general use.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the closed jaws of Fig. 1, while Fig. 3 is a vertical
section taken upon the line A B Figs. 1 and 2.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a closed trap similar to Fig. 1 but constructed
according to my invention, while Fig. 5 is a vertical section of same upon the
line CD.
Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are enlarged plan views, similar to Fig. 2, but referring to
some of the forms of jaws I employ in the construction of my improvements.
In carrying my invention into effect I construct a trap Figs. 4 and 5, the base A,
baiting device B, and spring C of which are of the same form as those in general
use and shown at Fig. 1, the jaws of Fig. 4 being about twice the height of those
in Fig. 1, and the standards of these a and a¹ I prefer to make perfectly straight
for about half their length from their lower or pivotted ends upon the base A,
at which point a a and a¹ a¹ are jointed or connected by tie rods or bars 6 bl
respectively, which also serve as stops for the upward travel of the eye c of the
spring C, and continuing on a and a¹ may be more or less bowed or curved out-
wardly as at d and d' this being to prevent unnecessary crushing or disfiguring
of the body of the animal beyond that needed to effect the end desired, and
ultimately a a and a¹ al terminate by being connected to, or formed into jaws e
and e', which may take the form of either of the designs shewn by Figs. 6, 7, 8 or 9,
or any desired combination of same.
In setting the trap constructed according to my invention, the catch of the
baiting device B, may engage with the rod or bar b, and the trap be placed at the
mouth of the rabbit run in the usual way, or otherwise when the trap is used for
catching vermin other than rabbits, hares or the like, the spring C operating for
closing the jaws e e' in the usual manner when the catch B is released by the
animal treading thereon, and as this invariably occurs when the animal is just
entering or leaving its run, the fore feet only operate for releasing B, consequently
the jaws e el would close upon the head or shoulders of the animal, or close behind
the shoulder blade and death ensue almost immediately as hereinbefore stated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is.
In an improved trap for the catching of wild rabbits, hares and other vermin,
the combination with a base A, baiting device B, and spring C, of jaws having
abnormally long standards a a and a¹a connected by tie rods b and 6' respectively,

page_text: 5
and bowed or curved at d and d', and terminating in plain, curved, serrated or
toothed jaws e and e' or any combination thereof, the whole connected and operating
substantially as and for the purposes herein described and shewn by Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7
8 and 9 of the appended drawings.
Dated this 6th day of March 1893.
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
4, Moorfields, Fore Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant..