[Old Professer]

Did you ever try to climb up the slippery side of a can with your toenails?

[yarddog]

The can was actually horizontal. The quail could have walked out of the box just as easily as they walked in but for some reason they would not.

That might be the reason Daddy always made the trap with spaces so they could see out. My guess is they found themselves trapped and would look out through the slats trying to see a way out. They never would look at the hole they had walked in through. Also once they got started walking into the tunnel they probably would not turn around until they had walked into the box.