every purpose.  The upright props which support the platform should be cut of thin wood.  Let one be an inch and a half long and half an inch wide, the other being an inch in length.  Each should have one end whittled to a point, which will admit of its being inserted in a gimlet hole in the bottom of the trap.  These gimlet holes should be made at least half an inch in depth.  Make the first at about an inch or so from the back of the trap.  Into this insert the shorter pieces, broadside front.  Lay the pivot brad of the platform on the top of this piece and insert over it a small wire staple, as seen at (a).  Elevate the platform evenly and determine the spot for the other gimlet hole, which should be directly beneath the point of the filed brad.  Be sure that it is in the middle of the board, so that the platform may set squarely, and be perfectly parallel with the sides.  Insert the remaining prop in its place, and the platform is complete.  The overhanging spindle now requires a little attention.  This should be whittled off on each side, bringing it to a point at the tip.  On each side of the spindle a long plug should then be driven into the back piece, as our illustration shows.  These should be far enough apart to allow the spindle to pass easily between them.  The setting of the trap is plainly shown [Page 88] in our engraving.  The spindle being lowered between the plugs is caught finely on the tip of the catch-piece.  The blunt point at the opposite end of the platform should have a slight hollow made for it in the prop against which it presses.  If the platform be now strewn with bait, the little machine is ready.  It is certainly very simple and will be found very effective.

THE BOX OWL TRAP.

The use of a box trap for the capture of an owl is certainly an odd idea, but we nevertheless illustrate a contrivance which has been successfully used for that purpose.

The box in this case should be of the proportions shown in our engraving, and well ventilated with holes, as indicated. (This ventilation is, by-the-way, a good feature to introduce in all traps.) Having made or selected a suitable box—­say, fourteen or more inches wide, provided with a cover, working on a hinge—­proceed to fasten on the outside of the lid a loop of stiff wire, bent in the shape shown at (e).  This may be fastened to the cover by means of small staples, or even tacks, and should project over the edge about two inches.  When this is done, the lid should be raised to the angle shown in our illustration, and the spot where the end of the wire loop touches the back of the box should be marked and a slit cut through the wood at this place, large enough for the angle of the loop to pass through.  Two elastics should now be fastened to the inside of the box, being secured to the bottom at the side, and the other to the edge of the cover, as seen in the illustration.  They should be sufficiently