l PRICE SIX CENTS 
1 $2.50 PER YEAR. 
VOL. XXVTIT. No. 14. I 
WHOLE No. 1236. ) 
fEntered according to Act of Congress, in tho year 1373, by D. D. T. Moore, in the ofTlco of the Librarian of Congress, »t Washington.] 
oral an easy matter to capture the olleuder 
by means of a common steel trap, and when 
lot is caught that is the end of tho business. 
But when we attempt to rid a house of rata 
in any case in which it is infested with over 
a dozen, If we use the steel trap we shall un 
doubtedly kill two or three but then the rest 
will bo frightened and rendered cunning, and 
all our efforts to catch them will fall. At 
least this is always, the case where the cap¬ 
tured animal is left so long In the trap that 
its comrades can see it. If tho trap be close¬ 
ly watched and tho ruts removed as fast as 
they are caught, a hirge number may be 
taken. We have seen a dozen caught in a 
few hours in the following manner: 
A pail containing broken bread and other 
t.id-blts was left standing for some days near 
their haunts, being regularly furnished with 
a fresh supply at about the same hour every 
afternoon. Tn a very short time the rats 
learned to watch for the filling of the pail, 
and during the afternoon they literally 
swarmed around it, jumping into it froely. 
A small steel trap was then set in the pail 
and covered with leaves. In a few minutes 
a rat jumped in, was caught and instantly 
removed by a boy whose sole business it was 
to watch this trap. On resetting the trap 
and placing it in the pail, it was not five 
minutes until another one, all unconscious of 
the 1’aJI of his companion, jumped in, was 
caught and instantly removed. And so the 
got at and refuse to enter the trails. A little 
starvation will bring about the desired re¬ 
sult. If the traps, from long use, smell of¬ 
fensive, boiling water or a strong toasting 
before the fire will cleanse them so that they 
will no longer bo offensive to the mice. 
Passing from these simple little rodents to 
others that are more difficult to capture, the 
first that meets us is the common rat, and it 
may be said without fear of mistake that an 
old and experienced rat is altogether the 
most difficult animal to capture that will de¬ 
mand attention from those who are uot, pro¬ 
fessional trappers. We have seen a rat defy 
traps, starvation, poison, dogs, cats and men 
for months. Huch a ease is generally most 
easily disposed of by patient watching and 
the use of a good rifle. Our readers may, 
however, accept it as a rule that if they can 
succeed in capturing rats, they need not des¬ 
pair of trapping any other kind of vermin. 
In general, the cases in which our trapping 
powers are called into play resolve them¬ 
selves into two classes—those in which some 
special animal is to be captured so as to put 
an cud to ids depredations, and those in 
which tho premises are to be freed from a 
horde of depredators; and although this dis¬ 
tinction is r. it always taken into considera¬ 
tion, it is one of great importance. If, for 
example, we find that ft single rat, or weasel, 
a skunk or a eat is committing depredations 
on our poultry-yard or corn-bin, it is in gen- 
ning prove stronger than the most alluring 
temptations, and our traps are either avoid¬ 
ed altogether or such an amount of cunning 
and ingenuity is exercised bv our proposed 
victims that they are enabled to cany off 
the very bait itself and use the trap as a 
mere feeding trough. Those who have at¬ 
tempted to catch an old crow or a rat by 
means of the traps in ordinary use, must 
have experienced this, We ha ve seen a crow 
lift up the jaw of a common steel trap and 
steal the bait from the plate. And it is a 
very common crick with old rats to first 
spring tho trap and then luxuriate upon the 
tempting morsels used as a decoy. 
There are a few animals, such as mice, that 
seem to be almost devoid of this cunning. 
They are easily caught, and follow each 
other, one after another into our traps, with¬ 
out suspicion. In some cases, where large 
numbers are being caught in the same trap, 
they become suspicious after a time; the 
trap seems to become offensive to them and 
they refuse to enter it. But in general it is 
not difficult to clean a house of mice and to 
keep them down so that they shall cause no 
annoyance. The common wooden trap with 
wire springs is all that is necessary. Bait it 
with a little cheese, lock up all other food, 
and mousey will inevitably be caught, Of 
course, if large supplies of excellent food are 
left Lying about and easily accessible, the 
mice may prefer that which is most easily 
ie Naturalist 
THE QUAGGA 
WE herewith present an illustration of the 
Quagga, an animal belonging to the family 
of Equidce, and a native of the southern 
parts of Africa. It is rather smaller than 
the Zebra, with its hinder parts higher and 
shorter ears. The head, mane, neck and 
shoulders arc blackisli-brown, banded with 
white; there arc similar bands towards the 
rump, gradually becoming leas distinct; also 
a black line running along the spine. It re¬ 
ceives its name from its voice, which some¬ 
what resembles the barking of a dog. It is 
more easily domesticated than the Zebra, in 
its wild state it docs not associate with the 
Zebra, although it inhabits the same plains. 
Hybrids, or mules, have been produced be¬ 
tween the Horse and Quagga. 
TRAPPING VERMIN 
At first sight it seems the simplest thing in 
the world to set a trap for any animal and 
catch it, but when we come to try it practi¬ 
cally it is found to be not so very' easy. The 
setting of the trap does not involve much 
difficulty; the trouble is that the animals re¬ 
fuse to go into it. Their timidity and cun¬ 
