128 THE RABBIT 



There are various patterns of gins, some of which 

 are so clumsy and so badly constructed that they are 

 of very little use. As an exception may be mentioned 

 Burgess's Spring Trap, described and figured in The 

 Field of March 26, 1887. One of the best we know 

 is made by F. Lane, of Plymouth, in which the parts 

 are so well fitted that with fair usage they will never 

 break or wear out. It is specially commended by 

 Mr. W. Carnegie, who, in his little book on ' Practical 

 Trapping,' thus describes it : — 



' Most gins are wholly made of iron, but this is 

 not so, for zinc and copper are introduced. The 

 spring, the most important part of the trap, is 

 thoroughly well tempered and strong, but nevertheless 

 easily pressed down when the trap is being set. The 

 flap and catch, and other important parts in which 

 most makers fail, are of copper, and do not wear 

 away like iron, nor do they rust, which would clog the 

 trap and prevent it acting. The plate is square with 

 the four corners taken off, and is of zinc, being so 

 fitted as to be level with the jaws when set. These 

 latter are thick and rounded, the teeth fitting one 

 into another, though not closely, a space of \ in. 

 being left between. The teeth should on no account 

 be sharp or pointed, as their being so tends to 

 break the leg and cut the sinews, thus liberating the 

 rabbit ; nor should the teeth be continued round the 



