308 



Practical Game Preserving. 



over and clasps whatever may be the cause of the trap 

 springing if a varmint so much the better. 



At Figs. 25 and 26 we give an illustration of the Dead Fall 

 Trap, which is very useful for vermin of the stoat and 

 weasel kind. It has, however, another recommendation, 

 namely, that it is essentially a box trap, but kills its 

 capture outright. The trap or box should be 3ft. long, 

 nin. high, and 4in. wide (inside), the wood used being 

 deal, except for the treadle, for which oak is a necessity. 

 The treadle, a, is ift. long and fin. thick. It is really 



FIG. 25. 

 THE DEAD PALL TEA P. 



a swing door upon the floor of the trap, and works upon 

 brass pins about the thickness of a quill, which are driven 

 into the treadle exactly at its centre. The holes in the 

 side of the trap in which these pins work should be faced 

 on the inside with a small brass plate having a hole through 

 it, the brass plate to act as bearing for the pins. On to 

 one of these a flat piece b of iron is riveted, perfectly 

 upright and immovable. C (Fig. 26) should be of bell spring 

 about 6in. long, and pointed at the lower end. It is 

 screwed on to the side of the box immediately above 

 by so that the latter overlaps the former by about one-eighth 



