BEAVER HABITS, BEAVER CONTROL, AND BEAVER FARMING. 23 



The trigger for springing the trap must stand upright in the center 

 and spring by a slight pressure from any side as the animal swims 

 against it. This can be accomplished in many ways, but the form 

 shown in the diagram works perfectly and is easily made. The jaws 

 must be held down on both sides by heavy wire catches, which, to 

 give light pressure at the tips, may be 10 inches long, the tips held 

 down by wire loops around the bottom cross-bar and the other end 

 hinged in the holes at the ends of the cross-bar. The loops can be 

 released simultaneously from both sides by crossed wires attached to 

 a small double spring in the center wired to the longitudinal strip ; 

 this is released by a touch from any side on the upright trigger. 



The trap should be set in the middle of a beaver canal or narrow 

 water channel or in a pond, 10 or 12 inches below the surface of the 

 water, with the upright trigger about 1 inch below the surface, where 

 the beaver will swim against it, or an aspen twig may be attached to 

 the trigger as bait. 



Beavers may be taken out of the trap by the tails and dropped into 

 a wire-mesh carrying bag (PL VII, Fig. 1), or a large gunny sack 

 may be slipped over their heads and bodies while in the trap and 

 used as a carrying sack. A slender pole can be run through the wire 

 basket or through loops at the ends of the gunny sack, so that two 

 people can carry the beaver between them on their shoulders. 



TRANSPORTING BEAVERS. 



Beavers are easily handled, and surplus stock in one locality may 

 be shipped for long distances if properly crated. Adults will rarely 

 eat anything if kept in close confinement and should be shipped at 

 once to their destination or else kept in an inclosure large enough 

 to have a house and a swimming pond well supplied with food. 



For two adult beavers a box 3 by 4 feet and 1^ feet high should be 

 used, with partly open wire-mesh top and hand grips at the ends. 

 One end or corner should be covered or inclosed for a dark retreat 

 and nest. For food, bundles of aspen branches, or cottonwood, hazel, 

 bush maple, or willow should be nailed to the sides and some 

 branches, twigs, and leaves laid on the floor. For a three or four 

 days' journey, two loaves of white bread should be fastened into the 

 corners and a box containing 2 pounds of rolled oats nailed to the 

 side or bottom of the box ; a tin pan to hold a quart of water should 

 be fastened in one corner, so that it can be filled from the top ; no 

 additional food need be supplied, but instructions should be given 

 and written on the label, to keep the tin pan half full of water. 

 Beavers are thirsty animals and suffer if they do not have plenty of 

 water to drink. They show no inclination to gnaw out of the box 

 when there is daylight above and will travel quietly and comfort- 

 ably, except for fear and nervous excitement, which should so far 

 as possible be avoided. The box should be marked RUSH, and no 



