50 



the sides, with the chains fastened radiating outside, so as to 

 keep a caught rat from getting into more than one trap. Cover 

 all with bran in which scatter small bits of any alluring bait. 

 To render the box still more attractive, an upright stick about 

 a foot long may be fastened in the center with a choice tidbit, 

 large enough to be conspicuous, tied to the top. Some strong- 

 smelling fish or ancient meat will do. Some rat is likely to be 

 caught while dancing around the pole. The box should be 

 moved rather frequently and a different kind of bait tried 

 every few days. If the rats learn to climb the stick and get 

 the bait, avoiding the trap, the bait may be hung by a string. 

 In prancing around after the swinging bait the rats may get 

 incautious. When they have learned to avoid the box a 

 quantity of bran, fine sand or fine sawdust may be spread near 

 the rat holes, and when the customary trails of the rats are 

 shown by the tracks, unbaited traps may be set carefully where 

 they run, and covered by the bran or other material; or an 

 old chair may be set against the wall, the trap set beneath it, 

 bait tied to the pan and the seat of the chair covered with straw 

 hanging down to the floor on all sides; or a trap may be set 

 near a rat hole and covered with a light weight, dark-colored 

 cloth ; or set in a bucket in meal or bran, with a piece of toasted 

 cheese tied to the pan, and the bucket covered carelessly with 

 a weighted cover or board having a rat hole made just over the 

 trap. If the rat jumps in he may spring the trap, or he may 

 try the cheese and be caught by the neck, or he may tread on 

 the pan in jumping out, with results disastrous to his peace of 

 mind. If he does not go in, remove the cover and try him that 

 way, covering the trap with meal. 



In covering steel traps with cloth, sawdust, meal, etc., care 

 should be observed not to get much of the material over the 

 jaws near where they are hinged, as that will interfere with the 

 proper closing of the trap. Some trappers use a "bed" of 

 feathers and other light materials in which food is scattered, 

 until the rats come nightly, then carefully cleaned, smoked 

 traps are buried in the bed. For this purpose good snap or 

 "break-back" traps may be used in place of the steel trap, 

 but the steel trap is best. 



