362 Department of Conservation of Louisiana 



been sent us for trial, but was received too late to make 

 field experiments and include our results in this bulletin. 

 This trap presents so many marked new departures that 

 it warrants a mention here. While it is of the "box trap" 

 variety, its open wire construction does away with the 

 dark interior that characterizes other box traps, and some 

 animals, especially muskrats, are shy about entering dark 

 interiors not of their own construction. 



The folding trap is made of zinc-coated wire and is 

 so constructed that it can be folded flat to the thickness 

 of about one-half inch. It is a very light and, when flat- 

 tened, a trapper should be able to carry 25 or more into 

 the marsh under one arm. It should not take even a 

 novice more than one minute to unfold and set the trap, 

 as everything about it is very simple and it is evident if a 

 'rat enters it will remain inside. The open wire should 

 enable a trapper to easily determine the sex of a captive 

 while in the trap. The manufacturers claim this trap will 

 outcatch any other form of box trap and equal in efficiencv 

 the steel trap when properly set, because, when properly s^t 

 and covered with grass, the wire construction is practically 

 invisible, as it is coated with green enamel. 



This trap seems to have marked advantages and is 

 worth a trial for all kinds of live trapping ps the traps are 

 manufactured in a variety of sizes. The single-door 

 muskrat trap is priced at $2.50 with discounts for lots of 

 12 or more. 



Baiting Live Traps 



Live traps need to be baited, excepting, of course, the 

 Gibbs invention, to be successful, and this anpears to be 

 the weakness in live trapping muskrats in Louisiana. 



Apples, carrots, parsnips, turnips and rolled oats have 

 been urged as good baits for taking the animals else- 



