Winged Vermin Taking Crows and Rooks. 453 



crow is caught it flutters into deep water and quickly 

 drowns. The way the vermin gets taken is obvious enough ; 

 observing the egg, apparently floating close to the water's 

 edge, whilst endeavouring to reach it by approaching little 

 by little along the artificial pier, as it were, it ends by 

 putting its foot or feet upon the gin and springing it. 



Small eggs, such as bantams', may be used to take 

 crows, by placing them, one at a time, on the plate of a 

 gin set near or beneath the trees where the crows mostly 

 resort at midday, a conspicuous spot being chosen where 

 the egg might have fallen out from a nest situate among 

 the branches above. Also, in roads through plantations, 

 or along drives made for shooting, this may be tried, for 

 very often a couple of crows will make a point of resort- 

 ing thither, and we have often taken crows in such places. 

 Another likely method of employing eggs, as also any 

 other bait, is similar to that which we recommended for 

 weasels and stoats, and consists in cutting a large clod of 

 turf about two feet or more long and eighteen inches wide, 

 and having laid it end on into a pond or stream, setting 

 a trap, or two if considered advisable, about halfway 

 along it, and placing the bait eggs or otherwise at the 

 extremity. 



So far we have been aiming at the capture of the crow 

 by his legs, and as this will invariably be the case when a 

 catch is obtained, it is necessary to pay some attention 

 to the traps ; otherwise, in spite of one's precautions to the 

 contrary, in softly working gins and those of improved 

 pattern, often the vermin will struggle, if caught only 

 by one leg, till it breaks aways, and being more wary for 



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