THE WILD TURKEY. 25 
they think the snow is too soft and deep to prevent tra- 
velling; and they are so fond of shelter that they may 
remain without food for several days rather than face the 
wintry blasts. They are frequently caught alive in rude 
pens, made of logs or fence rails, but only in places 
where they are somewhat abundant. The first thing to 
be done in such cases, is to find the haunt of a flock and 
scatter grain over it, by putting small quantities in dif- 
ferent places, and marking these spots for future use. If 
this grain is eaten, the trapper rebaits the ground, as his 
purpose is to induce them to come there regularly in 
search of food. 
When they have been persuaded to do this, he digs 
« trench five or six feet long, two feet deep, and about 
the same width, with the sides sloping gradually from the 
edge to the bottom. An old rail is placed across the 
middle of this trench, and others across that until they 
form a rectangle which encloses an area of two or three 
hundred square feet. A roof of rails or logs is next 
placed on it, and the trap is complete. The trench is 
then sprinkled over with grass and dead leaves, to take 
away its appearance of freshness, for turkeys carefully 
avoid any spot that has an unfamiliar aspect, as they con- 
sider it dangerous to their physical welfare. The trench 
and trap are then baited, and a trail of grain is carried in 
various directions, in order to lure wanderers towards them 
from every quarter. When the birds commence eating 
the grain they become so anxious and heedless that they 
may not lift their heads until they find themselves inside 
the pen. Having devoured the generous store usually 
deposited there, they look around for some means of 
escape, but in vain, for nothing meets their vision except 
solid wood, which no amount of flying on their part can 
shake down. Finding their efforts ineffectual, they com- 
mence marching round and round in hopes of being able 
to obtain an opening that may lead them to freedom, 
2 
