The Fool's Cap Trap
Categories: TRAPS FOR FEATHERED GAME.Of all oddities of the trap kind, there is, perhaps, no one more
novel and comical than the Fool's Cap crow-trap, which forms
the subject of our present illustration. Crows are by no means
easy of capture in any form of trap, and they are generally as
coy and as shrewd in their approach to a trap as they are bold in
their familiarity and disrespect for the sombre scarecrows in the
com field. But this simple device will
and shrewdest crow, and make a perfect fool of him, for it is
hard to imagine a more ridiculous sight than is furnished by the
strange antics and evolutions of a crow thus embarrassed with his
head imbedded in a cap which he finds impossible to remove, and
which he in vain endeavors to shake off by all sorts of gymnastic
performance. The secret of the little contrivance is easily told.
The cap consists of a little cone of stiff paper, about three or
four inches in diameter at the opening. This is imbedded in the
ground, up to its edge, and a few grains of corn are dropped into
it. The inside edge of the opening is then smeared with bird-lime,
a substance of which we shall speak hereafter.
The crow, on endeavoring to reach the corn, sinks his bill so deep
in the cone as to bring the gummy substance in contact with the
feathers of his head and neck, to which it adheres in spite of
all possible efforts on the part of the bird to throw it off.
The cones may be made of a brownish-colored paper if they are to
be placed in the earth, but of white paper when inserted in the
snow. It is an excellent plan to insert a few of these cones in
the fresh corn hills at planting season, as the crows are always on
the watch at this time, and will be sure to partake of the tempting
morsels, not dreaming of the result. The writer has often heard
of this ingenious device, and has read of its being successfully
employed in many instances, but he has never yet had an opportunity
of testing it himself. He will leave it for his readers to experiment
upon for themselves.
More
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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 leng... The Mink
This animal, as will be seen by our illustration, has a long, slender body, something like the weasel, to which scientific family it belongs. It inhabits the greater part of North America, and is also found abundantly in Northern Europe. The color o... The Mole
Of all the mammalia the Mole is entitled to take the first place in the list of burrowers. This extraordinary creature does not merely dig tunnels in the ground and sit at the end of them, as is the case with many animals, but it forms a complicated... The Mole Trap
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We have already given so much space to the hunting of the deer that we shall be obliged to cut short our remarks on the Moose, particularly as it is a representative of the same family. This animal is the largest of the Deer tribe, being seven or ei... The Muskrat
The muskrat, or musquash, is very much like a beaver on a small scale, and is so well-known throughout the United States that a detailed description or illustration will hardly be necessary. Reduce the size of the beaver to one foot in length, and a... The Net Trap
The lion and tiger are often taken in a net, which is secured to a frame work and suspended over a tempting bait. When the latter is touched the net falls, and the victim becomes entangled in the meshes and is securely caught. So far as we know, thi... The Old-fashioned Springle
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The fur of this animal is of such exquisite softness and beauty as to be in great demand for commercial purposes, bringing a very high price in the fur market. The otter cannot be said to be a common animal, although it is found throughout the... The Pendent Box Trap
This invention is original with the author of this work, and when properly made and set will prove an excellent device for the capture of small birds. The general appearance of the trap, as set, is clearly shown in our illustration. A thin wooden... The Pine Marten
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This odd invention will be found to work capitally as a game trap, and the only extra requisite necessary consists of a slab or light board about seven inches wide, and a foot in length. Having selected the spot for the trap, proceed to cut a sti... The Poacher's' Snare
Our next example represents one of the oldest and best snares in existence,--simple in construction, and almost infallible in its operations. It is the one in most common use among the poachers of England, hence its name. The pieces are three in num... The Portable Snare
This is simply a modification of the snare just described, but possesses decided advantages over it in many respects. In the first place, it requires little or no protection in the shape of an enclosure. It can be set in trees or in swamps, or in sh... The Prong Horn Antelope
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