"A thin plate of iron or tin, should be nailed upon the inside of the aperture, through which the neck of the bridge passes, or the rats will soon destroy the trap by enlarging that passage. The end of the bridge opposite to the neck must be suspended about half an inch from the bottom or floor of the trap, by a single loop of iron wire, attached to a hook fixed in the side of the traps; by which means the bridge, being very loosely suspended, will move with the slightest pressure upon either side of it, and the trap will be made to strike by the weight of a small mouse.

"The traps hitherto used have been made of elm or birch, or poplar boards, which are without scent; and how far the strong scent of deal might prove injurious, the author cannot decide; but he wishes such wood only to be used as has already proved eligible. Whatever boards are chosen should be well seasoned, or they will be subject to warp, and the doors in consequence will not fall perfectly.

Fig. 1. in the preceding sketch represents the trap when set.

AA are the falling doors, with the wire grates.

BB, the levers which support the doors.

CC, the small cord which is attached to the trigger.

D, the trigger. A small thin plate of iron, two inches long, and about six lines broad, with a hole in the middle to receive the cord which passes the levers.

E, the extremity of the neck of the bridge.

F, a bundle of straw placed to conceal the entrance of the trap. There should be two or three such as this put at each end.

a, the pin which holds up the door.

Fig 2. This section of the trap gives its appearance end-ways, and is intended to show the position of the door, bridge, trigger, &c., as when set for catching, except that the pin is in its acting state, and the bridge must be covered with straw, agreeably to the directions herein after given.

E, the end of the neck of the bridge, projecting two-thirds, or not more than three-quarters of an inch.

a, the pin which supports the door.

b, the wire grate or window.

c, the bridge hanging horizontally half-an-inch above the floor.

"In setting the traps, care must be taken that the triggers have not too deep or strong hold of the neck of the bridge; and to prevent the probability of this happening, the depth of the notches in the neck of the bridge should not be more than what will be necessary to cause the bridge to be supported till the rats tread upon it. The trigger should also stand very nearly perpendicularly, as the weight of the rat will then operate most powerfully to disengage it from the neck of the bridge. (Fig 2. E.)

"When the traps are set, the falling doors must be raised six inches from the floor; for if not raised so high, the rats will be sometimes found cautious in entering them; and the doors must be made to hang evenly (by slightly moving the levers when necessary), so as not to press more upon one side of the grooves, through which they descend, than the other, as they may not always fall with sufficient quickness.

"The traps being prepared, the most proper and convenient places for setting them must be found. These are either close to their holes, where every animal is least timid, or where they are known to come regularly for food, and not where a rat has been accidentally seen. Wherever they often pass, the boards or stones will be discoloured by their feet; and such marks will generally indicate proper places for the traps."

Our readers will find, if they once fairly take to the sport, that there is no amusement that will afford them more entertainment (taking it always for granted that they have a varmint bump on their cranium); indeed, this is so much the case, that

in one instance we heard a friend of ours, who is a very keen and staunch sportsman, debating most anxiously whether he would go, on the 12th August, to the moors, or stay at home and attend to his rat-traps; and we believe the moors only carried the day, by the recollection that he might enjoy the pleasure of his traps on his return.

We have found that from three to half a dozen traps are as many as most cases require. In justice to the author, we shall quote his own description of the manner of baiting them.

"In preparing and setting the traps, the following instructions must be most closely followed, as the most trifling deviation will often destroy all chance of success. Be provided with as many ordinary trusses of sweet clean straw as you have traps, and take from each truss a small bundle, about as much as, when compressed in the hand, will be an inch in diameter. Then take a small vial bottle, the neck of which is about one-third of an inch wide, and which contains half an ounce of oil of caraways, invert the bottle upon the palms of your hand, and then return it to its former position, letting no more of its contents escape than that which has adhered to the hand, while the bottle has been inverted. Rub your hands then well together, and draw the straw through them, bending it so as to render it soft and flexible. Let it then be placed lengthways in the trap and laid smoothly and evenly, to cover the bridge, and every part of the floor of the trap regularly. Then take five half-pints of good pale malt, ground for brewing (if it be discoloured in drying, as the malt of the metropolis usually is, it will not do), place it in a large basin, invert the vial of the oil of caraways upon the palm of the hand, and take from it the quantity which adheres, as already directed, rub the hands together, so as to spread the oil of caraways regularly over them. Then take up successive portions of the malt in each hand, and subsequently with both hands, rubbing it between them, that every part of it may be equally scented. Much accuracy is here necessary; for if the quantity of the oil of caraways be too great, the rats will not touch the malt till the scent is partly gone off. The proportion of the oil of caraways to the malt appears to be about one to nine thousand.

"Let about half a pint of the malt be thrown into each trap by the hand of the person who has prepared it, scattering it rather regularly over every part of the floor. Place the traps then in the situations where they are to remain (close to a wall will generally be the most eligible), and secure the doors from falling by placing the pin just at the height they are to stand. When the traps are set (Fig. 2. a) divide each truss of straw into half a dozen parcels, and put a band round each; place two or three of these at each end of every trap (Fig. 1. F) and sprinkle a few loose straws over each, so as in some degree to conceal the traps from the eyes of the rats. If the room contain any furniture, or trunk of any kind, let the traps be set behind it, if it stand near the holes by which the rats enter; or move the furniture that it may partially conceal the traps, not so much, however, but that the person who attends to them, may be able to see whether they have struck or not, without approaching very close to them. The morning is the most eligible time for this part of the process; and wherever the doors of the rooms in which the traps are set can, with convenience, be kept locked, it should be done.

"The following morning the traps may be looked at, and if the rats be in any degree numerous, the whole of the malt will generally be eaten, and the scented straw be entirely taken away. These must then be prepared as before, and replaced according to the preceding directions, and the traps and trusses of straw must be left as exactly as possible in the order they were at first, for the rats are suspicious of the least innovation.

"If the malt be not eaten on the morning after the traps are baited, nor the straw removed, let every thing remain untouched; for rats are often in the habit of changing their quarters for a short time, and returning again. They are also driven away by a pole-cat, and still oftener by the larger weasel, or stoat, being excessively afraid of this fierce and daring little animal, to which slaughter is amusement, and which rarely feeds upon the carcasses of the animals it deprives of life. Let the traps, therefore, retain their places; and if the rats have not permanently left the vicinity, (they sometimes migrate sud

denly in large bodies), sufficient evidence of their having visited the traps will soon be obtained."

It is absolutely requisite to keep the floor of the trap constantly covered with the perfumed straw, in which the rats appear to take much pleasure; and, in fact, from this pleasure in a great degree the operator must expect to derive his means of deceiving these sagacious animals into the foolhardiness which enables him to capture them; and he cannot spend too much time or exertion in depriving them of their wariness. This is only accomplished by making the traps and the straw always retain a uniform appearance, by never touching the traps, or any of their accessories, except with a scented hand; and allowing them plenty of time in rioting in the free use of the bait while the traps are fixed, in no case less than three days, and in some cases more where the rats have been much harassed.

When the rats are caught, " to take the rats from the traps, a long and rather a slender bag, made of some thin material, which will admit a moderate quantity of light, must be provided; and into this the rats will be easily driven from the traps, by introducing a slender stick through the wire grate at one end of the trap, and raising the door at the other end, to which the bag is applied. During this or any other operation, the hand must not on any account be introduced into the traps, unless it be previously scented, or no farther success must be expected; even the part of the little stick which is introduced through the grate of the door ought never to be touched with an unprepared hand.

"Should the trap contain more than one rat (and it will often contain five or six, or more), and all do not enter the bag at once, it will be necessary to let down the door, and drive those that have come into the bag to the end of it, and then prevent their return, by tying a string round the bag near to the end to which they have been driven. The remainder may then be made to enter the other division of the bag, and may afterwards be admitted to their former companions; and if the string be replaced, leaving the rats confined sufficient space, all that are taken out at the same time from five or six traps may be secured in the same bag. Particular care must be taken not