MAKING SURROUNDINGS ATTRACTIVE 253 



The best plan is a box trap, such as the Evans trap, in 

 which the cat pulls a trigger while eating the bait, and the 

 door drops. A little chloroform will mercifully end a pred- 

 atory career, and no one is the wiser. 



Squirrels. Red squirrels are particularly destructive of 

 birds' nests. Grays are ordinarily rather inoffensive, yet 

 even they become destructive at times, when allowed so to 

 increase that they overrun the food supply. Especially 

 is this true in city parks, where they are hemmed in by 

 traffic and caimot get away. If they are allowed to multi- 

 ply unduly, they are forced to devour everything edible, 

 and must be reduced in numbers. Squirrels of all sorts, 

 including the pretty flying squirrel, are apt to occupy the 

 nest-boxes put up for birds, often gnawing the openings to 

 make them larger. Birds dislike a locality where squirrels 

 are numerous and are apt to shun it. 



Other Pests. Rats, the universal pest, must be fought 

 ceaselessly. Get Farmer's Bulletin 369, "How to Destroy 

 Rats." Weasels, minks, raccoons, skunks, and foxes are 

 all after nests and young broods. For methods of trapping 

 them see Part I, last section. Cooper's, sharp-shinned, 

 and pigeon hawks, and the great homed owl are destructive 

 of bird life. Other destructive hawks, usually rare, are the 

 goshawk and duck hawk. The other kinds usually do more 

 good than harm. Though all raptorial species probably 

 kill some useful birds, the class as a whole fulfils an im- 

 portant function in keeping down snakes, rodents, and 

 other vermin, which would destroy more birds by far than 

 their captors take. Without them we should be overrun, 

 and ground-nesting birds, including quails, grouse, and the 

 like, could hardly survive. Even the great horned owl, 

 destructive as it may be, is a notable destroyer of skunks. 

 So often does it bear the skunk odour that woodsmen some- 



