262 THE KEEPER'S BOOK 



the keen sight of the rabbit, they will be as useless as a 

 piece of dead iron. Another cause of the ineffectiveness 

 of a snare or trap is the taint of anything that has come 

 from human contact. The smell of man, dog, powder, 

 rabbit, game, hanging around a trap, is a handicap that 

 can only point to failure, therefore the keeper must see 

 that his hands are perfectly clean before he sets his trap, 

 and that the latter does not come in contact with his 

 clothes. Mr. Harting recommends that after the hands 

 have been well washed in soap and water, they should 

 be rubbed with mould scraped up near the place where 

 the snare is to be set. " When it is time to put the 

 wire into shape, and smooth out any bends or kinks in 

 it, this should be done, not with the bare finger and 

 thumb, but with a bit of wash-leather between them. 

 It is easily carried in the waistcoat pocket, and a snare 

 rubbed down with this will be found to run as smoothly 

 as possible when touched by a rabbit. Moreover, this 

 intercepts any scent from the bare hand. To secure the 

 effectiveness of snares, they should beset in the morning. 

 The evening dews are apt to preserve the scents of the 

 keeper." 



The " humanitarian " side of the question must not 

 be neglected. Any trap or snare that catches a rabbit 

 and causes it needless suffering and a long and painful 

 death, must be avoided. 



It will be to the advantage of the keeper to be 

 cognisant of the best traps and snares that have been 

 recommended by authorities on the subject. Their 



