Feb. 15, 1913 
FOREST AND STREAM 
203 
A Humane Rabbit-Trap. 
Use a piece of strong twine for the noose, 
four feet in length. Tie a little loop in one end, 
and about ten inches from the other end double 
the twine and throw a loop, then insert a small 
stick, two inches long and as thick as a lead 
pencil, and draw the loop tight. Trim out a 
slender sapling about i or il4 inches in diameter 
at the butt, and where it tapers down to a half 
inch, cut it off. This is the spring-pole. Now 
tie the snare string firmly to the top of this 
spring pole. 
Now, about 2J/2 or 3 feet from the butt, 
drive in a crotched stake. Cut a bait-stick about 
8 inches long, and as thick as a pencil, or lighter, 
and put a piece of sweet apple, turnip, carrot, or 
other tempting bait on it. 
To set the snare, draw down the top of 
the pole until you can pass the short stick on 
the twine, under the crotch, and catch one end 
on the crotch and the other end over the bait- 
stick, which is held against the side of the 
crotch by the tension of the bent pole. A noose 
is formed of the loose end of the twine, and 
this is spread out square, about 9 inches in diam¬ 
eter around the bait, as shown, the rear sup¬ 
ported. by little twigs. In setting this, do not 
stand or sit directly in front of it, or the pole 
may suddenly spring up and hurt you. Stones 
about the size of bricks should be placed behind 
and at the two sides. If well made, the least 
interference with the bait by the rabbit will 
spring the snare, and the noose draws tightly 
about the rabbit’s neck and lifts him from the 
ground. Ordinary seine twine will answer for 
this snare, but a slightly heavier and harder 
twine is better. 
By driving the crotched stake at the right 
place, the top of the spring-pole must he drawn 
in toward the butt somewhat, and this makes 
the snare more certain in action, as it throws 
the noose forward as well as upward. The bait 
stick must also be of such a length that the bait 
is brought outward almost to the front of the 
spread noose, or the rabbit will have his front 
feet over the string when the snare springs, and 
it will catch him by the hind legs. This would 
mean, says the Blunter, Trader and Trapper, a 
slow death for poor bunny, whereas if prop¬ 
erly set, his demise is sudden. 
Proposed Changes in Game Laws. 
Explanation—Matter in Italics is new; matter in brackets 
is old law to be omitted. 
St.vte of New York, No. 691, in Assembly, 
Jan. 30, 1913, introduced by T. K. Smith, read 
once and referred to the Committee on Conser¬ 
vation. 
.A.n act to amend the conservation law, in 
relation to the propagation of game and to the 
application therefor of fees for hunting and 
trapping licenses. 
The People of the State of New York, rep¬ 
resented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as 
follows; 
Section i. Subdivision 4 of Section 185 of 
Chapter 647 of the laws of 1911, entitled "An 
act relating to conservation of land, forests, 
waters, parks, hydraulic power, fish and game, 
constituting Chapter 65 of the consolidated 
laws,” as added hy Chapter 318 of the laws of 
1912, is hereby amended tO’ read asfollows: 
4. Disposition of fees. The license fees 
above provided for shall be remitted by the city 
and town clerks on the first Tuesday of each 
month to the county clerk of the county, and 
such fees together with those received by the 
county clerk for issuing licenses from his office 
shall be remitted to the commission on the sec¬ 
ond Tuesday of each month with a schedule set¬ 
ting forth the name and residence of each license 
and the amount paid[, and shall by him be re¬ 
mitted to the State treasurer as are fines and 
penalties]. The commission[er] shall pay to each 
county clerk the sum of three per centum of the 
total amount of such license money received 
from such county clerk. The balance of such 
fees, notivithstanding the provisions of the State 
finance hnv, shall be paid by the conservation 
commission to the propagation commission. The 
commission shall consist of a member of the 
conservation commission, to be designated by 
the commission, and tzuo additional members to 
be appointed by the governor and to hold office 
during his pleasure. The members of such propa¬ 
gation commission shall receive no compensation 
for their services as such, but shall be entitled 
to their actual and necessary c.rpenscs incurred 
in the discharge of their duties. The propaga¬ 
tion commission shall appoint such number of 
clerical assistants at such compensation as may 
be fi’A'cd by the conserz'afion commission. The 
propagation commission shall have all the juris¬ 
diction, pozvers and duties of the conservation 
commission conferred or imposed by this chap¬ 
ter, respecting the propagation and distribution 
of game, and the conduct and control of game 
farms nozv ozvned or hereafter acquired by the 
State. All moneys received by the propagation 
commission from license fees or otherzvise, ex¬ 
clusive of the expanses of the commission as 
authorised by this section, shall be used and ex¬ 
pended in such manner as the propagation epm- 
mission may determine, exclusively for the prop¬ 
agation of game, the stocking and maintenance 
of game farms, and the distribution of game 
from such farms or otherzvise acquired or reared 
in stocking the fields and forests of the Stale. 
The propagation commission shall be deemed a 
bureau of the conservation commission, and shall 
at such times as the conservation commission re¬ 
quires report to such commission respecting its 
proceedings and its receipts and expenditures 
under this section. 
Se.ction 2. This act shall take effect imme¬ 
diately. 
More About Fur Seals. 
New York City, Feb. 7.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: In your issue of Feb. 8, 1913, appears 
a letter on the fur seal question by Raleigh 
Raines. I regret to refer to the fact that this 
letter illustrates once again the deplorable mis¬ 
understanding of the facts that has characterized 
all the evidence presented by the advocates of 
a close season on fur seals. And still more, this 
letter contains statements directly opposed to un¬ 
disputed facts. 
Statement in letter: "After extensive hear¬ 
ings lasting several months, both House and 
Senate committees agreed upon a treaty with 
Japan, Russia and England whereby pelagic seal¬ 
ing should be suspended for a period of five 
years,” etc. 
Facts: July 7, 1911, this treaty was entered 
into by the United States, Great Britain, Russia 
and Japan. Under its terms pelagic sealing was 
abolished for fifteen years, during the life of 
the treaty. In August, 1912, an act to put full 
effect to the treaty was passed by Congress. 
This act contained an amendment suspending 
land killing for five years. 
Statement in letter: “The Blouse bill as 
passed provided for a close season of ten years, 
but the Senate committee reduced it to five 
years, to which the House agreed and the bill 
became a law.” 
Facts: Upon an exhaustive hearing the 
Blouse committee on foreign relations reported 
the bill out without any amendment for a close 
season, and the bill was passed in the House 
without the amendment for a close season. The 
Senate committee to which the bill was referred 
held no hearing whatever, but this committee 
reported out the bill with an amendment for a 
ten-year close season, and the bill passed the 
Senate with the amendment. 
The conference committee of both House 
and Senate reduced the close season to five years 
and so the bill was passed. 
. The President, who positively disapproved 
of a close season, signed the bill rather than 
sacrifice the treaty. 
Statement in letter: “The evidence also 
