Ground Vermin Baits and Drags. 285 



stones placed, as before described, along hedge banks, the 

 best to employ are either a portion of a rabbit, cut so as 

 to expose the flesh, or of a bird of some sort, and it must 

 be placed and fastened by some means on to the stone, 

 or whatever it may be, in as close proximity to the gin 

 as may seem advisable, so that when the vermin, having 

 scented the bait, approaches to reach up to it, the spot 

 upon which the trap is concealed may appear the most 

 convenient place from whence the tempting morsel may 

 be obtained. 



The corners of a field which vermin may frequent are also 

 by no means unsuitable places, and are in many cases very 

 fruitful of catches if the traps be cleverly lodged. In such 

 cases, of course, baits are most necessary, and we generally 

 prefer some "high " smelling means of enticement, such as a 

 piece of putrid meat, the paunch of a rabbit (including the 

 liver), or, perhaps, a jagged piece of a dead fowl, or anything 

 of a similar character to these. The bait, then, should be 

 dropped as near to the corner as possible without being 

 too exposed, and if the ground be pretty thickly covered 

 with rank grass or such like herbage, a fairly distinct 

 pathway should be formed for about a foot through it, 

 at the end of which sort of artificial track the allurement 

 may be dropped. In the run thus formed the trap should 

 be placed with the spring, of course, at right angles to 

 the parting, and it must be carefully set and covered. In 

 a similar way, opportunity may be taken to place some 

 gins upon the top of the hedge, and, under these circum- 

 stances, it often happens, when two hedge banks intersect 

 each other at right angles, in a case where " conies " may 



