and other small animals with box-traps.
After he had mentioned it, I remembered that my father had, on one
occasion, caught a mink in a box trap, after it had been paying nightly
visits to our chicken coop for a week or more, killing a hen each night;
but for all of that I did not know that these traps could be used
successfully when trapping for profit. It was not very long after my
conversation with this trapper, that I had an opportunity of examining
one of these wooden traps and studying its construction. I will give
here a description of the trap used in that section:

A plain box, size 10 by 10 by 24 inches, is made of one-inch lumber,
hardwood preferred, and is left open on one end and the top (see A)
another part (B) the cover, is fitted in top and end, and hinged at back
by driving a nail in each side, being careful to get both nails same
distance from the end of board. This cover should work freely, and when
dropped down in place, should fill the opening neatly, leaving no cracks
for the captured animal to gnaw at.

[Illustration: Box Trap for Catching Animals Alive.]

Now nail two strips (CC) on opposite sides of the box and about three
inches from the mouth of the trap. These strips should extend about ten
inches above the top of the box, and should have the tops notched to
hold stick (D). Stick (E) is tied at one end to a nail driven in the end
of cover, and at the other end, is attached the trigger (F). One end of
this trigger fits into a notch cut into the end of the box, and the
other end fits into a similar notch cut in the bait-stick (G). The
bait-stick, as will be noticed in the drawing, is slipped through a hole
in the end of the box, just below the trigger notch, and is kept in
place by means of a nail driven through on the inside of the box. A
small trip board (H), rests under the bait-stick on the inside of the
trap. This trip board doubles the value of the trap, as by its use many
an animal which merely enters the trap to smell at the bait, will be
caught; which would not occur if the board were not used.

To complete the trap, a snap catch (I) is fastened to one side of the
trap in front of upright strip (C) and its purpose is to catch and hold
the cover when the trap is sprung. This snap is made of springy wood,
beveled on the top, and the falling cover presses it outward; but as
soon as the trap is fully closed, it springs back to the original
position holding the cover securely. In making