DECOYING AND TRAPPING- ANIMALS. 41 



and yet will be sprung by half an ounce weight being placed upon the 

 plate over and above what it has already, and without leaving anything 

 between the jaws, he may be considered a master of his craft. All this 

 should be done with strong leather gloves on the hands, and with as little 

 breathing over the trap as possible. The object of these precautions is 

 to avoid leaving any scent behind, which might alarm the vermin, who 

 are always suspicious of any place where they have reason to believe man 

 has been at work. 



Daniel, in Ms " Rural Sports," says : 



Otters are taken in an unbailed trap, for they reject every kind of bait, 

 This trap must be placed near his landing place, which will be found by 

 carefully examining the edges of rivers or ponds, either by his spraints, 

 his seal, or the remains of fish (for in whatever place he eats his plunder 

 he always leaves the tail or hinder parts of the fish undevoured). Tho 

 trap must be set in and covered with mud to prevent his seeing ifc ; the 

 instant the trap " strikes," the otter plunges into the water with it, 

 when its weight, preventing his rising to the surface, soon destroys him. 

 The trap will seldom be drawn more than twenty yards from the spot, 

 and with a grappling iron is soon recovered. If the place where he comes 

 out of the water cannot be discovered, upon the ground where the 

 remains of fish are left, cut a hole near the edge of the water, and place 

 a trap or two upon a level with the ground and cover it over carefully 

 with moss. 



THs aqueous metliod of trapping, is also recommended for 

 taking all birds of the crow tribe. Tbe bait in tMs case is an 

 egg, so secured that on tlie bird walking along a prepared 

 pathway to seize the delicacy he springs a concealed trap, and 

 fluttering into deep water drowns by the weight of the attach- 

 ment. 



Another method of setting the trap on land for the taking 

 of some animals, which, says Daniel, speaking of the marten 

 (now a rare animal in most parts of England), is a sure way 

 of catching this destructive little animal in a park or covert 

 which is railed in, is to cut a groove in some of the posts or 

 gate posts, in which set an unbaited steel trap, and as they 

 constantly run along the posts and pales early in the morning to 

 dry themselves, in leaping up from the ground upon the place 

 where the trap is set, they are sure to be captured. 



Fish is recommended as bait for weasels, polecats, &c., 



