16 THE TRAPPER'S ART. 



1. TJiejaws should not be too thin and sharp-cornered. Jaws 

 made of sheet-iron, or of plates approaching to the thinness 

 of sheet-iron, and having sharp edges, or, still worse, sharp 

 teeth, will almost cut off an animal's leg by the bare force of 

 the spring, if it is a strong one, and will always materially 

 help an animal to gnaw or twist off his leg. And it should be 

 known, that nearly all the animals that escape, get away by 

 self-amputation. 



2. The pan should not be too large. A large pan, filling 

 nearly the whole space of the open jaws, may seem to increase 

 the chances of an animal's being caught, by giving him more 

 surface to tread upon in springing the trap. But there is a 

 mistake in this. When an animal springs a trap by treading 

 on the outer part of a large pan, his foot is near the jaw, and 

 instead of being caught, is liable to be thrown out by the 

 stroke of the jaw ; whereas, when he treads on a small pan, 

 his foot is nearly in the centre of the sweep of the jaws, and 

 he is very sure to be seized far enough up on the leg to be 

 well secured. 



3. The spring should be strong enough. This is a matter 

 for good judgment, that cannot well be explained here ; but 

 it is safe to say that very many traps, in consequence of false 

 economy on the part of manufacturers, are furnished with 

 springs that are too weak to secure strong and desperate 

 animals. 



4. The spring should be tempered scientifically. Many 

 springs, in consequence of being badly tempered, " give 

 down " in a little while, i. e., lose their elasticity and close 

 together ; and others break in cold weather, or when set 

 under water. 



5. The spring should be correctly proportioned and tapered. 

 Without this, the stronger it is and the better it is tempered, 

 the more liable it is to break. 



6. The form of the jaws must be such as to give the bow of 

 the spring a proper inclined plane to work upon. In many 

 traps, the angle at the shoulder of the jaws is so great, that 

 even a strong spring will not hold a desperate animal. 



7. The adjustment of the spring and jaws must* be such, 



