144 THE SHIKARI 



furs, the menagerie specimens, and most of the mammals 

 in our museums. 



To the native the trap is part of his life, for it brings 

 him both food and skins, and it is to him we turn 

 to find some of the most cunning contrivances ever 

 invented by the brain of man for encompassing the 

 death or captivity of the wild fauna that roam within 

 his reach. 



The life of the trapper is almost as exciting, and 

 oftentimes much harder than that of the big-game 

 hunter. Both the trapping, the stalking, and hunting 

 of game call forth at times the greatest skill and cun- 

 ning of the hunter, that skill and cunning which com- 

 bines with it a true knowledge of woodcraft and an 

 exhaustive study of the habits of the beasts and birds, 

 and which enables the hunter to exercise his best 

 mental and bodily qualities in bringing the trophies 

 into his possession. 



Apart from securing good skins to be used as furs, 

 rugs, or karosses, trapping is really the only way of 

 obtaining the majority of the mammals in any given 

 district, especially the smaller beasts, such as the mice, 

 rats, opossums, mongoose, etc., many of which are 

 never seen in the daytime, even if diurnal species, 

 and of course very many are strictly nocturnal in 

 habits. 



Thus, if a series of the mammals are required for 

 museum or scientific use, trapping must be resorted to, 

 and for this purpose traps can be taken from home 



