383 Winged Vermin. 



open, although sufficiently near shelter to retire quickly to 

 it in case of need. 



As mentioned before, jays have a habit of working their 

 way up hedgerows, covered on the top with a fair amount 

 of growth, more especially when they are plentifully 

 threaded with rabbit- runs, the chance of securing a young 

 rabbit being one of the chief inducements. Choosing any 

 well -frequented hedgerows, and favourable situations 

 having been decided upon, say two or three every 6oyds., 

 a young rabbit should be pegged down at each, and two 

 neatly -covered traps set one on each side of the bait. If 

 the jays be in the habit of frequenting the hedge, some 

 are sure to be captured, and if opportunities recur repeat 

 the process till the vermin clear, or are cleared off. 



Jays in the open are not easily trapped. They are 

 remarkably uncertain in their habits, passing from one 

 haunt to another in quite erratic manner at times. In 

 young plantations the smaller the trees the better, where 

 the ground is divided out by paths or drives jays 

 are particularly disposed to forage. They will get on the 

 small trees and hop in and about them, run under them, 

 and work and search about on the paths and drives at 

 irregular and alternate intervals. Here, again, the coney 

 becomes useful as a bait, whilst in their season eggs serve 

 an excellent purpose, and a neatly-placed and formed nest 

 of four or five shells, put for preference at one side of a 

 little open patch amongst the trees, should not fail to 

 entice the jays into the gins placed in front of the 

 artificially-formed nest. 



When one is trapping or snaring rabbits, especially 

 adjacent to covert, the operation will frequently be closely 

 watched by any magpies in the neighbourhood, and if a 

 rabbit be left dead in a trap when removing the catch of 

 the morning, and occasion taken to set two or three quick- 



