Figure 293.—Pig trap (mallei pua' a):

Two upright stakes (i) are driven into the ground a little distance apart, and a horizontal bar (2) tied to them. A lower bar (3) is placed against the back of the uprights but left free. To the back of the crossbar and some distance away in the middle line, a stout pliant sapling is firmly implanted in the ground in a slanting direction towards the bar. It is so arranged that when bent down the end will be directly above the middle of the crossbar. To the end of the spring sapling is tied a sennit three-ply braid rope (4) with a large running noose. The spring is pulled down to get the right tension and a tie stick (5) tied at its middle to the rope at a point below the crossbar. The tie is formed with the same knot as in the rat trap. The rope (4) is pulled down and one end of the tie stick (5) placed behind the crossbar (2). The lower bar (3) which will be termed the trigger bar is raised from the ground a few inches and the other end of the stick placed behind it. The upward pull of the spring on the rope is checked by the tie stick which is braced by the two crossbars. The rope being in front of the upper bar, the lower end of the tie stick exerts a forward pressure against the trigger bar which keeps it in position against the back of the uprights. A number of bars (6) are now placed in front of the crossbars with one end resting on the trigger bar and the other on the ground. The noose (7) is opened out and spread over the slanting bars (6). The trap is now set. The trap is either made over the track used by pigs or some fence made at the sides with a blind enclosure in which page 526a bait is set. To reach the bait the pig must pass over the oblique rods supporting the open noose. When the pig's weight comes on one of the oblique bars, it presses down the trigger bar (3) to below the lower end of the tie stick (5). Immediately the tie stick is released, the spring flies up and the pig is caught by the running noose.