DISEASES AND ENEMIES. 57 



become unusually destructive to their brethren. Like the 

 '' rogue-elephants," and the "man-eaters," among the lions, 

 they become morose and sullen, live apart from the rest, 

 and make war upon everything around. When you find 

 one of this kind, spear him at once, as there is no cure, 

 and he will invariably destroy more than he is worth. It 

 may be w^orth while to mention here how one Trout eats 

 another : An old Trout will catch another, in some cases 

 one-half of its own size, by the middle, and with its strong 

 jaws hold it fast and swim around with it, while the pri- 

 soner worries and struggles to get free. This performance 

 lasts until the victim gets loose or is exhausted. I have 

 seen one carry another round in its mouth, for half a day. 

 If the little fellow gets free, it is usually only to die a lin- 

 gering death ; for the breaking of the skin is fatal. When 

 it is exhausted, the old rogue, dropping his victim, which 

 until this time he has held by the middle, seizes it again 

 by the head, and slowly swallows it whole ; the operation 

 sometimes taking several hours, and while in progress 

 making the fish look as if it had no head, but only a tail 

 at each end. 



In some localities mink are very destructive. These 

 animals are particularly to be dreaded because they do 

 not only take what fish they want to eat and then leave, 

 but will take out fifty or one hundred before they stop, and 

 having found a well stocked pond, they will resort to it 

 again and again. The best way to trap them is as follows : 

 Make a box eighteen inches long by six inches broad and 

 deep, leaving one end open, set a common game trap (such 

 as used for catching muskrats) in the open end of the box 

 in such a position that when the jaws are closed they will 

 be in a line with the length of the trap. If it is set cross- 

 ways it will be apt to throw the mink out instead of catch- 

 ing it. Put the bait in the further end of the box — a piece 

 of meat or a dead fish will answer for bait — set the trap and 



