142 



MAIXE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



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Opening jy. inches in diameter is placed across the box 12 inches 

 from the back end and 15 inches from the front end. The back- 

 section is the nest proper. Instead of a close door at the en- 

 trance, a light frame of inch by inch and a half stuff is covered 

 with wire netting of one inch mesh. The door is ten and one- 

 half inches wide and ten inches high and does not fill the entire 

 entrance, a space of two and a half inches being left at the bot- 

 tom and one and a half inches at the top, whh a good margin at 

 each side to avoid friction. If it filled the entire space it would 

 be clumsy in its action. It is hinged at the top and opens up 

 mto the box. The hinges are placed on the front of the door 

 rather than at the center or back, the better to secure complete 

 closing action. 



The trip consists of one piece of stift wire about three-six- 

 teenths of an inch in diameter and eighteen and one-half inches 

 long, bent as shown in the drawing. A piece of board six mches 



wide and just long enough to reach 

 across the box inside is nailed flatwise 

 in front of the partition and one inch 

 below the top of the box, a space of 

 one-fourth of an inch being left be- 

 tween the edge of the board and the 

 partition. The purpose of this board 

 is only to support the trip wire in place. 

 The six-inch section of the trip wire 

 is placed across the board and the long 

 part of the wire slipped through the 

 quarter inch slot, and passed down 

 close to and in front of the center of 

 the seven and a half inch circular open- 

 ing. Small wire staples are driven 

 nearly down over the six-inch section of the trip wire into the 

 board so as to hold it in place and yet let it roll sidewise easily. 



When the door is set, the half inch section of the wire marked 

 A comes under a hard wood peg or a tack with a large round 

 head, which is driven into the lower edge of the door frame. The 

 hen passes in through the circular opening and in doing so 

 presses the wire to one side, and the trip slips from its connection 

 with the door. The door promptly swings down and fastens 



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