Science: Electronic Piper

For $35-a-month rent, the Electronic Trap Co. of Rochester, N. Y. offers a highly scientific rat eradicator. Taking advantage of the fact that rats fear blind alleys and new paths, the electronic rat trap is a floorless, open-ended box placed over a favorite rat run. The rat, seeing nothing suspicious, thinks he can scoot straight through. But the instant he is inside the trap — bang! An electronic eye slams down two doors, one in front and one behind him.

Seeking escape by the only likely-looking “exit,” he pops through a little side door. An electric shock tickles his feet. He bolts up a ramp to a death chamber where electric contacts finish him off and dump his body into a wire basket. Meanwhile, the trap resets itself for another victim. The whole cycle takes about three minutes.

The invention looks like a Rube Gold berg contraption, somewhat streamlined. But apparently it works, often catching as many as 24 rats a night. The manufacturer claims that he has paying customers for all the traps he can make.