194 



RECREATION. 



We noticed a number of burrows deep 

 under water where the banks were high. 

 They were set to by lowering a trap into 

 the entrance. Shepp explained that the trap 

 must not be pushed into the burrow, as it 

 would probably be sprung without catching 

 the rat; nor set too far from the entrance, 

 lest the result be the same. 



Said he: "Settin' jest at the entrance the 

 rat'll git caught when he dives down to 

 enter; or if he's comin' out he'll git caught 

 by a hind foot or his tail when he raises." 



When animals have had a rest of 6 or 

 7 months the first night's trapping takes 

 them unawares, as the following morning 

 proved. We set 65 traps, which yielded 34 

 rats, and 6 more contained feet of others 

 that had twisted up in grass and reeds. 



After trapping as much of the river as 

 lay within easy reach, we pulled for the 

 lakes. There the methods pursued were 

 the same as in the river, except that trap- 

 ping was confined to houses, feed beds, 

 runways, and floating bogs. There were 

 no burrows or logs to trap. 



One large lake was so low and miry that 

 we could not trap it, though it seemed 

 alive with rats. There were perhaps 200 

 houses on its margin. When winter came 

 and the ice was safe, we determined to 

 trap those houses. In winter trapping the 

 house is cut open with a hatchet, no larger 

 an opening being made than necessary, for 

 the frost must be kept out or the diving 

 hole will freeze. When the diving hole 

 does not go down from the nest too ab- 

 ruptly, a water set should be made. If 

 the descent is perpendicular and the nest 

 is the only place to set the trap, it may 

 be set there and covered with cattail down. 

 The stake is placed in the diving hole so 

 that the rat may drown. The opening 

 cut must be carefully filled to exclude the 

 frost, and if there is snow the plug should 

 be banked with it. When traps in houses 

 are not disturbed within 2 days it may 

 be concluded that the occupants have all 

 been caught or driven away. 



When spring came we again launched our 

 boats on the river. The signs were then 

 almost entirely confined to logs, snaes, and 



scratch signs in the banks. Each was trap- 

 ping on his own account and Shepp made 

 the larger catch until I noted his spring 

 tactics. After making a log set he placed 

 a large handful of grass on the log above 

 the trap, and wet the grass to keep it in 

 place. I asked an explanation of this pro- 

 cedure and Shepp said, "Rats notice 

 everything unusual in spring more'n 

 any other time. After the rat that made 

 the reg'lar sign has been caught the females 

 will be drawn by the grass sign an' caught 

 when they climb on the log. Then they's 

 lots of stragglers travelin' in spring that 

 a wad of grass'll be the means of getherin' 

 in if a trap is doin' duty." 



Grass was placed on the bank above the 

 traps when setting at scratch signs, and 

 after the first night's trapping, when there 

 is plenty of bait, muskrat flesh or the in- 

 testines are posted on a forked stick over 

 the water, a foot from the trap when set- 

 ting at scratch signs, or are pinned down 

 on' the bank just above the trap. This bait 

 lures rats to the trap by its appearance and 

 scent and many a traveler is thus taken 

 that would otherwise swim past. Burrows 

 are usually filled with rubbist in spring 

 and are so little used that the trapper 

 neglects them. 



The most vexing thing is the rise and 

 fall of water. If the water is rising rapidly 

 its rate must be guessed and traps set high 

 so that conditions will be right when the 

 game comes along. If the water is drop- 

 ping, the traps must be set deep. The 

 amount of probable drop is much harder 

 to calculate than the rise. As a rule the 

 traps will be found out of water the fol- 

 lowing morning; and the signs that were 

 set to high and dry. Signs made during 

 the night will be found below the traps. 

 Lakes maintain a steady head and afford 

 the most satisfactory trapping when 

 streams are changeable. The No. 1 trap 

 is used for rats, and trapping should be 

 done between November 1st and April 1st 

 in the Middle, Eastern, and Northern 

 States. Fall rats usually sell for 3 to 10 

 or 11 cents: winter, 12 or 14 cents; spring, 

 12 to 16 or 18 cents. 



Flossie was sent to the drug store to get 

 some dyestuff and forgot the name of it.. 

 "What is it folks dye with?" she asked. 

 "Oh, various things," replied the druggist. 

 "Heart failure, for instance." Well," 

 said Flossie, "I suppose that will do. Give 

 me 3 cents' worth, please." — Grit. 



