A Chapter Dedicated to Pestered Housekeepers.—­The Domestic Cat as a Household Trap.—­The Rat.—­Its Proverbial Shrewdness and Cunning.—­The barrel trap.—­Its unlimited Capabilities of Capture—­Other Advantages.—­“Baiting” for Rats.—­A Second Form of Barrel Trap.—­Various other Devices adapted to the capture of the Rat.—­The Steel Trap.—­Hints on Setting.—­Necessary Precautions.—­The box dead fall.—­The board flap.—­The box pit fall.—­Animals for which it may be set.—­Its Extensive Capabilities of Capture.—­Its Self-Setting Qualities.—­The principle Utilized for the Capture of the Muskrat.—­The cage trap.—­The jar trap.—­A Preserve Jar Converted into a Mouse Trap.—­Its Complete Success.—­Bowl traps.—­Two Methods.—­Fly paper.—­Recipe for Making.—­Fly trap.

BOOK VI.

Steel traps and the art of trapping.

General Remarks.—­Advantages of the Steel Trap.—­Its extensive use in the business of Trapping.—­Hints on the Selection of Traps.—­Requisites of A good steel trap.—­The Newhouse Trap.—­Various sizes.—­Rat Trap.—­Muskrat Trap.—­Mink Trap.—­Fox Trap.—­Otter Trap.—­Beaver Trap.—­“Great Bear Tamer.”—­SSmall Bear Trap.—­Hints on baiting the steel trap.—­The Staked Pen.—­Old Method of Baiting.—­Its Objections.—­Advantages of the New Method.—­The spring pole.—­Its Service to the Trapper.—­The sliding pole.—­Advantages of its Use in the Capture of Aquatic Animals.—­The clog.—­Objections against Securing the Steel Trap to a Stake.—­Method of Attaching the Clog.—­The grappling iron.—­The season for trapping.—­Best condition for Furs.—­The art of trapping.—­Antiquity of the Sport.—­Necessary Qualifications for Successful Trapping.—­The Study of Natural History a source of pleasure and profit.—­The Professional Trapper’s most serious [Page vi] Obstacles.—­Marvellous Cunning of many Animals.—­Necessity of the Study of their Habits.—­“Practical Natural History.”—­Trapping Without Bait.—­Run-ways or By-paths.—­How Utilized by the Trapper.—­How Detected.—­Favorable Localities for the Setting of the Steel Trap.—­Natural Advantages.—­Entrapping animals through their Sense of Smell.—­Remarkable Power of Scent Baits.—­Their great value in the Capture of the Beaver.—­Caution in Handling the Steel Trap.—­Effect of the Touch of the Hand.—­Buckskin Gloves a Necessary Requisite.—­Medicines, or scent baits.—­Their Great Importance in the Art of Trapping.—­Castoreum or barkstone.—­How Obtained.—­Castoreum Composition.—­Recipe for Making.—­How