Ground Vermin Taking Badgers. 343 



able. Just near the entrance to the burrow have a groove 

 upon the top of this little tunnel wide enough to allow 

 a flag to fall in edgeways through it. At the entrance 

 to the tunnel place a heavy stone to close it, and about 

 6in. inside the passage, and close to each side, drive 

 two pegs into the ground. They should be ift. long, and 

 have a nail driven in about lin from the top of each, 

 projecting about ^in. Next obtain a piece of wood of 

 such size as to fit exactly between the two other pieces 

 when they are driven in to about 6in. Upon this tie 

 two lengths of string about 4yds. to 5yds. long. To set 

 this contrivance, fix the piece of wood with the string 

 attached under the two nails of the other pieces, bring- 

 ing the strings up out of the extremity of the tunnel, 

 and then, taking them back over the top of the tunnel, 

 fix them so over the groove as to sustain the flag, which 

 would otherwise slip down. If this be all managed correctly 

 and handily, when the brock, driven from his earth by 

 a terrier, seeks to escape through this tunnel, he of his 

 own accord knocks the stick attached to the string out 

 of its position, which, flying upwards by the weight of 

 the flag suspended over the string crossing the groove, 

 allows the flag to fall, and the badger is captured and 

 unable to move in any direction. This is a modification 

 of the box trap, and if carefully made is certain to succeed. 

 Besides the plans above described, we know of no 

 other means for taking badgers alive except digging them 

 out, but each mode is quite certain to succeed if properly 

 practised, and one or other will be found suited to any 

 exigency which may occur. 



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