66 
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY 
and not out. Fasten a springy wire along the outside and attach to 
the hd so that it is drawn shut. Push the hd in and place a baited 
spindle under its lower edge to hold it open until the mouse wiggles the 
bait. Then the spindle drops and the door snaps shut with the mouse 
inside. A still simpler trap may be made by cutting a hole in one 
end of a tin box and placing a sloping hinged door inside that easily 
hfts up for the mouse to enter and drops down behind him. 
The regular figure-four trap or one of the various forms of rabbit 
traps may be made of tin or boards for animals of larger size up to 
woodchucks and raccoons. In fact much of our fur could be taken in 
such traps with less cruelty and less injury to the fur than in steel 
traps. 
Deep holes in the ground near the burrows or runways of some 
species of mice and shrews will catch the animals, but other kinds will 
not fall into them. Many mice may be caught in your hands if you 
know where to find them under the haycocks and grain shocks when 
the grain and hay are being hauled. With a httle practice you can 
catch any mice that are uncovered in the field and hold them so they 
will not bite you. By following the tracks of white-footed mice on the 
snow to their underground winter dens you can easily dig down and 
catch them in your hands. I have caught as many as four at a nest 
in this way. With a fight pick and shovel you can dig out many bur- 
rowing species and in doing so learn much of their habits, homes, nests, 
young and food, besides catching the animals alive for study. 
The next thing is how and where to keep your menagerie. Simple 
wire screen cages with wooden or tin bottoms and ends and sliding 
