in the lower one, so as to receive the one above it; the two being kept together by the third, which is placed horizontally, a notch having been cut in it exactly fitting the other two. On the

extreme end of this stick, which must be directed immediately under the stone, the bait is fixed, and, when touched, the three sticks instantly give way, and the stone falls flat on the victim, reducing him to the shape of a pancake. A small flat stone or piece of slate must be placed under the bottom stick, so as to prevent its sinking into the ground under the weight of the stone, as that might impede its direct and instantaneous fall. The lower stick may be about eight inches in length, the upper one six inches, and the horizontal one twelve. The step in the lower stick, on which the upper one rests, may be about three inches in length. If the horizontal stick be made to fit correctly it will not only hold the other two firmly together, but be disengaged the instant it is touched.

As this trap only costs the trouble of setting, it is the best that can be set for cats in the vicinity of cottages and all other places where a steel trap would be liable to be stolen. In large woods where traps are kept up permanently, wooden hutches, similar to those used by warreners for rabbits, are very serviceable; but these are expensive and require time and trouble to place them, but when once fixed may remain the year round. The best situa

tion for them is in an old, unfrequented road, in the centre of which they ought to be placed, with a hedge on either side about eighteen inches in height, carried to a distance of six or eight feet. These traps can be made by any village carpenter, from oaken or other slabs; the former are, however, the best, being more durable. The bait must be in the inside of the trap, hung up immediately over the drop or plate; so that the former cannot be reached without the latter being trod upon by the vermin; in which case the doors instantly fall, securing the enemy. The doors of the trap should not be raised above three inches; if higher, pheasants or hares may enter and be caught; and, in consequence of this liability, these traps must be constantly looked after, as it is not an uncommon trick on the part of poachers to visit them in the evening, set them higher, and come early in the morning and help themselves to any game which may be caught. The inside of the doors should be lined with tin, to prevent the vermin from biting their way out. There should be a small sliding door at the top of the trap, through which the bait may be introduced and fixed; it will also admit of your ascertaining the nature of the prisoner when the doors are down. If you have vermin dogs with you, you can open the doors, and allow them to settle the account; if you are without them, raise one of the doors about an inch, or rather

higher, as may be necessary, according to the size of the delinquent, who will immediately on seeing the light try to make his escape; which you will prevent by securing his neck with the door with one hand; a heavy stick in the other settles the

account.

Polecats and house cats are very tough, and "die hard," but are not so difficult to kill as badgers, these being very formidable antagonists to the best of dogs; nevertheless, there are dogs who will enter a badger's earth, draw and kill him single-handed, but not without suffering severely from the conflict, their bite being very sharp and incisive. When they once get their teeth well fixed they seldom relinquish their hold until death closes the scene. They are easily caught by setting a trap in their runs near their earth; but the trap must be double the size of an ordinary vermin trap, with additional strength of spring and of the chain by which it is fastened to the stake. The latter must be well driven into the ground, and ought to be about a foot or eighteen inches in length; if not made very secure, the badger will easily extract it, and escape with the trap into his earth, their strength, relatively to their size, being extraordinary.

When in quest of badgers, if yon cannot find. their earth, search for the place where they have recently been feeding; which you will easily dis

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cover by the upturned earth where there is cowdung, as they work there in quest of beetles, on which they chiefly subsist. They are not very destructive of game, except when they have young ones; and then they will take eggs, or any young game they may find; and being offenders to this extent are considered in the light of vermin by keepers, and treated accordingly. The trap for these animals must be set very carefully; every part of it, and all that appertains to it, must be well covered and concealed; otherwise they will discover and avoid it, being very cautious and distrustful. They seldom or ever come out of their earths the first night the trap is set; from which it may be inferred they are well aware of some one having approached their retreat, and are on that account fearful to venture out. Should you not take them on their leaving their earth, and you fancy anything has occurred to alarm them, you may then remove your traps, as they will not return to that earth again, but move off to some fresh abode.

Otters are also easily alarmed, and in the same manner, and move off immediately to some distant retreat. For them the same kind of trap must be set, and in the same cautious and particular manner; at the entrance of the earth is the best place; within it, if there be cattle feeding in the immediate vicinity of your operations.

Set two traps, if possible, as one may be avoided. Their places of resort are easily discovered by the quantity of work made near their earths, and by their well-beaten tracks to them. They are generally on the banks of rivers, on the sides of fresh or sea-water lochs, or on the sea coast where the coast is rocky. Their earths are mostly under large rocks or stones, or under the root of an old tree. They are not amphibious, as they cannot live under water, although they can dive very well, and remain below the surface a long time; but still they are obliged to come up at intervals for fresh air. Buffon says, they do not venture into the sea; but this is a great mistake, as I have frequently seen them swimming and diving in the sea in pursuit of fish, and I nearly caught one one night in a drag net, when trawling off the sea coast for salmon. I have also found numerous earths close by the sea, with wellbeaten tracks leading directly from them to the water's edge, and caught several at these places.

A farmer living on the same coast, on whose veracity I can depend, told me he once witnessed an interesting contest between an otter and a conger eel. He first perceived the otter, at about fifty yards' distance from the shore, arrive at the surface of the water, having fast hold of the eel; but he no sooner reached the surface, than the eel dragged him under the water again. The