476 Practical Game Preserving. 



make them too important to be omitted here. Fig. 36 

 represents a small trap with the large title of " Single 

 Spring American Steel Musk Trap," with which appellation 

 we have no fault to find, except to advise the omission of 

 " American," for to us it seems that everything which has 

 only the fact of its being Yankee to recommend it is in- 

 variably so badly made that to term this excellent little trap 

 American is unwise, whether it be from " the other side " 

 or not. As will be seen from the drawing, although the 



FIG. 36. SINGLE SPEING MAGPIE TRAP. 



general principles of the gin proper are retained, the trap 

 is a circular one, and being, in addition, made entirely of 

 steel, its size is sufficiently large and weight small to render 

 it remarkably handy. It measures 4^in. across, and is easily 

 covered with one inch of earth. The adjustment of the 

 spring is novel, for whereas in most circular traps it is 

 pushed into a straight position to obtain a tension, in this 

 case such an arrangement is reversed, the broad base being 

 bent, and the spring, when setting, having to be forced down 



