1897 Valentine Nebraska April 20 Started out to find woodrats. Hunted nearly all day but did not find any very encouraging signs Found a few old nests. My chest not having arrived I could not set any steel traps. Set some clothes and pemmery traps in Nicotus hmmdays in the late afternoon and caught five in a bout an hour. They were large light colored animals with rather short tails. April 21 Got a few more Microtus including another species, and a Peromyscus. Set some steel traps in the most promising places Scoured. found Mr. Neotomas Killed a fox squirrel in the valley of a small stream north of the town where I am trapping for the rats Saw a small bunch of Zwail a prize or two rest of the town.