96 



THE RAT 



an expensive trap, for then I know that there will 

 not be many of them. 



The pointed peg had been driven into the ground, 

 within two or three inches of our run, with the 

 notch facing the run. The hazel wand was also firmly 

 fixed in the ground, so far from the peg, and behind 

 it, that when it was bent well downwards into a strong 

 curve the tip of it was exactly over the peg. The 

 string was tied by one end tightly to the top of the 

 hazel wand, and by the other end round the knob 

 of wood, having about an inch to spare, on to which 

 inch the wire snare was securely fastened. The hazel 

 wand was then bent downwards till the notch of 

 the knob could catch very lightly in the notch of 

 the peg, the pull of the wand keeping them in 

 their places. Then the snare was extended exactly 

 over the run at the height of two of your fingers 

 above the ground, which is just the height of a 

 rat's head as he runs, and it was opened just wide 

 enough to admit my head comfortably and no more. 

 I did not put my head in to try, for fear of acci- 

 dents, as you may well imagine, but I could see that 

 there was exactly the right amount of room. A 

 tiny twig on each side of the run kept the snare in 

 its place in case the wind might blow it to one side. 



Now mark what would happen when a rat came 



