A spring snare, called kok-o’-lang, is employed by the Igorot in catching both wild cocks and hens.  It is set in their narrow runways in the heavy undergrowth.  It consists of two short uprights driven into the ground one on either side of the path.  These are bound together at the tops with two crosspieces.  Near the lower ends of these uprights is a loose crosspiece, the trigger, which the fowl in passing knocks down, thus freeing the short upright, marked C, in fig. 1.  When this is freed the loop, E, at once tightens around the victim, as the cord is drawn taut by the releasing of the spring —­ a shrub bent over and secured by the upper end of the cord.  This spring is not shown in the drawing.

FIGURE 1

Fig. 1. —­ Spring snare, Kok-o’-lang. (A,
Kok-o’-lang; B, I-pit’ C,
Ting’-a; D, Chug-shi’; E,
Lo-fid’.)

Bontoc has two or three quadrupeds which it names “cats.”  One of these is a true cat, called in’-yao.  It is domesticated by the Ilokano in Bontoc and becomes a good mouser.[23] The kok-o’-lang is used to catch this cat.  Pl.  XLVI shows with what success this spring snare may be employed.  The cat shown was caught in the night while trying to enter a chicken coop.  He was a wild in’-yao, was beautifully striped like the American “tiger cat,” and measured 35 inches from tip to tip.  The in’-yao is plentiful in the mountains, and is greatly relished by the Igorot, though Bontoc has no professional cat hunters and probably not a dozen of the animals are captured annually.

The Igorot claim to have two other “cats,” one called “co’-lang,” as large as in’-yao, with large legs and very large feet.  A Spaniard living near Sagada says this animal eats his coffee berries.  The other so-called “cat” is named “si’-le” by the Igorot.  It is said to be a long-tailed, dark-colored animal, smaller than the in’-yao.  It is claimed that this si’-le is both carnivorous and frugivorous.  These two animals are trapped at times, and when caught are eaten.

During the year the boys catch numbers of small birds, all of which are eaten.  Probably not over 200 are captured, however, during a year.

The ling-an’, a spring snare, is the most used for catching birds.  I saw one of them catch four shrikes, called ta’-la, in a single afternoon, and a fifth one was caught early the next morning.  Pl.  XLVII shows the ling-an’ as it is set, and also shows ta’-la as he is caught.

The kok-o’-lang is also employed successfully for such birds as run on the ground, especially those which run in paths.  The si-sim’ is another spring snare set on the open ground.  Food is scattered about leading to it, and is placed abundantly in an inclosure, the entrance to which is through the fatal noose which tightens when the bird perches on the trigger at the opening to the inclosure.