402 TRAPPING THE TRUE AND LEGITIMATE 



certainly fought at disadvantage, one of its fore-legs having 

 been injured by a trap. These creatures had lived together 

 for upwards of a month, after which time the ferret commenced 

 its attacks at intervals of a few days or a week. I went out 

 daily to see them fed, when the dinner-party exhibited very 

 little kindliness or good breeding. 



No traps should be set for running vermin during warm 

 weather, as the bait so soon taints ; nor in hard frost, as the 

 traps are then not apt to spring, or hold the vermin so 

 slightly that they escape. 



WINGED VERMIN 



The hawk tribe, seldom or never taking a bait, are the 

 most difficult to be trapped of all winged vermin. The only 

 plan with any chance of success (except at the breeding time) 

 is to place a trap on the top of a wall, or bare stump of a 

 tree, throwing a dead cat or other carrion at the foot ; the 

 hawks will often alight, to look down at it, and thus be 

 caught. A hawk, however, will always return to any bird he 

 has killed, even should scarcely anything be left but the bones. 

 In such a case, immediately procure a trap, hang the bird 

 directly above, and close to it, or the hawk may reach over 

 and take it down without touching the trap. 



But when they hatch is the time thoroughly to thin them. 

 The nests should be most carefully searched out, and not dis- 

 turbed until the young are more than half fledged. Many 

 shoot the old hen flying off her eggs ; but this is not the way 

 to extirpate the race, as the males of course escape. When 

 the young are pretty strong, and able to call loudly from 

 hunger, take them out of the nest, and make two circles out 

 of sight of each other. These circles must not be artificial or 

 formed of twigs stuck in the ground, but any bushes of furze, 

 heather, or rushes, must be taken advantage of for the pur- 

 pose. Half of the young ones must be tied in the one, and 



