they will easily give way at a slight pressure.
One edge of the opening should now be closely built up with stakes
firmly inserted into the ground, and so constructed as to form a
small pen in the middle, in which to secure the bait, generally
a live turkey, goose, or other fowl. The other three sides should
also be hedged in by a single row of upright stakes three or four
feet in height, and a few inches apart in order that the hungry
puma may whet his appetite by glimpses between them.

They should be firmly imbedded in the earth directly at the edge
of the pit, and as far as possible trimmed of their branches on the
inside. There will thus be a small patch of solid ground for the
feet of the fowl, which should be tied by the leg in the enclosure.
Our trap is now set, and if there is a puma in the neighborhood he
will be sure to pay it a call and probably a _visit_.

Spying his game, he uses every effort to reach it through the
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crevices between the stakes. The cries of the frightened fowl arouse
and stimulate his appetite, and at last exasperated by his futile
efforts to seize his victim, he springs over the fence of stakes
and is lodged in the depths of the pit.

The puma is very agile of movement, and unless the pit is at least
twelve feet in depth there is danger of his springing out. Any
projecting branch on the inside of the stakes affords a grasp for
his ready paw, and any such branch, if within the reach of his
leap, is sure to effect his escape. For this reason it is advisable
to trim smoothly all the projections and leave no stub or knot
hole by which he could gain the slightest hold. The construction
of a pit-fall is a rather difficult operation on account of the
digging which it necessitates. On this account it is not so much
used as many other traps which are not only equally effective but
much more easily constructed. The following is an example:--

THE LOG COOP TRAP.

This is commonly set for bears, although a deer or a puma becomes
its frequent tenant. As its name implies it consists of a coop of
logs, arranged after the principle of the Coop Trap described on
page 67. The logs should be about eight feet in length, notched
at the ends as described for the Log Cabin, page (244). Lay two
of the logs parallel about seven feet apart. Across their ends in
the notches, lay two others and continue building up in "cob-house"
fashion until the height of about six feet is reached. The corners