162 



THE MAINE TRAP NESTS. 



(Taken From Government Bulletin No. 357.) 



The nest is a box-like structure, without front, end or cover, 

 twenty-eight inches long, thirteen inches wide and sixteen inches 

 deep, inside measure. A division board with a circular opening 

 seven and one-half inches in diameter is placed across the box twelve 

 inches from the rear end, and fifteen inches from the front end. In- 

 stead of having the partition between the two 

 parts of the nest made with a circular hole, it 

 is possible to have simply a straight board par- 

 tition .extending up six inches from the bottom, 

 as shown in figure 1. The rear section is the 

 nest proper. 



The front portion of the nest has no fixed bot- 

 tom. Instead there is a movable bottom or 

 treadle which is hinged at the back end (Fig. 2). 

 To this treadle is hinged the door of the nest. The 

 treadle is made of one-half-inch pine stuff, with 

 one and one-half-inch hardwood cleats at each 

 end (Figs. 2 and 3) to hold the screws which 

 fasten the hinges. It is twelve inches wide and 

 twelve and one-fourth inches long. Across its 

 upper face just behind the hinges holding the 

 door is nailed a pine strip four inches" wide, 

 beveled on both sides, as shown in figures 2 and 3. The door of 

 the nest is not made solid, but is an open frame (Figs. 1 and 2), 

 to the inner side of which is fastened (with staples) a rectangular 

 piece of one-eighth-inch mesh galvanized screening (dimensions eight 

 by nine inches). The sides of the door are strips of three-quarter- 

 inch beech stuff twelve inches long and one and one-half inches wide, 

 halved at the ends to join to the top and bottom of the door. The 

 top of the door is a strip of hard wood thirteen inches long and one 

 and one-half inches wide, halved in two three-fourths inches from 

 each end. The projecting ends of this top strip serve as stops for 

 the door when it closes (Fig. 3). The bottom of the door is a hard- 

 wood strip ten and one-fourth inches by four inches. The side strips 



Trap nest closed. Vlewfr 



Fig. 1. 



Trap nest open. One side removed to show method of operation 



Fig. 2. 



are fitted into the ends of this bottom strip in such a way as to pro- 

 ject slightly (about 1/32 inch) about the front surface of that strip, 

 for a reason which will be apparent. 



