36 THE ODYSSEY OF AN ANIMAL COLLECTOR 
twelve feet long, is planted firmly in the ground and to the top 
of it the rope is fixed. At the loose end of the rope a running 
noose, or snare, is made, and the length of the rope has to be 
adjusted so that when the sapling is bent right over, the noose can 
be opened out and spread on the ground across the track. At the 
same time, it must be so arranged that when the sapling springs 
upright, the taut snare is several feet above the ground. To set 
this, and to retain it in position a piece of stick, about two inches 
long, is attached at its middle to the cord near the running end 
of the noose and this stick is inserted under a hooked peg in the 
ground. (See drawing.) 
This, in turn, is prevented from springing off by a thin stick 
which is placed across the path a few inches above the ground, 
and which engages the loose end of the small stick that has been 
placed under the hooked peg. 
The slightest touch by an animal on this cross-stick releases the 
trigger, and the sapling flies upwards, pulling the noose tight and 
catching the animal by the leg. The rope slants upwards at such 
a high angle, and the tension is so great, that the noose grips 
tightly high up the leg, thus preventing any chance of escape. 
The sapling is strong and pliable, so that even a large animal 
cannot break away, and the possibility of injury is minimized by 
the fact that any sudden rush on the part of the animal is brought 
to a gradual end instead of with a violent jerk, owing to the 
springlike action of the sapling as it bends under pressure. 
Sometimes a small hole is made in the animal track just below 
the cross-stick, which in this case is almost level with the surround- 
ing earth, and then a number of small sticks are thrown over this 
so that if an animal treads near the cross-stick without actually 
touching it, the pressure on the others will set it off. 
Very few of the Mozambique natives were of any use to me in 
catching birds, as they are only used to snaring things for the pot 
and therefore are quite indifferent about injury to any living 
creature; but I found one exception. He was a lad who seemed 
to specialize in the capture of Button Quail with a cage trap made 
of split cane. Button Quails, known also as hemipodes, reverse the 
general rule in birds that the male is the more prettily marked. 
In this family not only is the mother more handsome, but she is 
