Winged Vermin Taking Crows and Rooks. 451 



must be hollowed out, it being advisable to make the part 

 which will contain the spring accessible when the gin 

 comes to be fixed down, which has to be done before the 

 actual setting takes place. In covering this gin, as w r ell as 

 the Mitigated trap, one must be careful to avoid all small 

 stones, for reasons before mentioned ; more especially is 

 this necessary with the latter, the tilling of which is iden- 

 tical with the ordinary style of gin. 



When eggs are employed as the lure, traps may be set 

 in all places at all likely to be visited by crows, or to be 

 spots where eggs might occur. Thus, all along the open 

 banks of streams, in a conspicuous place amongst rushes 

 bordering any brook or ditch of running water, are very 

 suitable spots, care being taken to choose one well open 

 to scrutiny by any passing crow, and where the bait 

 would be a sufficiently prominent object. Ducks, when 

 they lay astray, very often form a nest in the midst of 

 a clump of rushes, where by continually entering and leaving 

 a gap is produced on one side ; and in order to simulate 

 such an instance, a little manoeuvring soon renders any 

 handy bunch of the rushes which may border a water- 

 course sufficiently like reality to be of service. One thing 

 must be observed, namely, that the entrance be well 

 defined. In this set the trap, the spring inside the make- 

 believe nest, and the jaws covering the way in or out. 

 The gin having been carefully covered, the portion over 

 the spring may be formed to slightly resemble the often 

 slovenly nest of a duck, and one, two, or three egg- 

 shells may be placed in proper position. If one consider 

 there be any chance of the crow getting at the bait from 



