of the Mackenzie River District. 19 



and is used only by natives who have not steel traps or 

 gins. An enclosure of twigs is made and the bait laid in 

 the centre and a snare set in the entrance with a road fenced in 

 like manner leading to it. The principle of construction is the 

 same as in lynx-snaring, and alike in every respect excepting 

 that the enclosure is larger. Foxes are sometimes found hung in 

 snares set for rabbits. 



5. By hook and line. This cannot be exactly considered a le- 

 gitimate method of entrapping foxes, though I have seen one killed 

 by it. An Indian at our establishment was visiting and arranging 

 his lines for- catching Loche {Gadus lota), when he observed a 

 fox at a short distance from him regarding his operations ; he 

 immediately flung the baited hook towards it, and concealed him- 

 self behind a block of ice. Reynard approached, smelt rather sus- 

 piciously at the bait and at length swallowed it, whereupon the 

 Indian without giving the animal time to cut the line, hauled in 

 and killed it. 



6. By hunting. This method is practised in the fall before 

 there is enough snow to set the traps. The hunter conceals him- 

 self close to the fox's hole, and shoots him as he passes to it. 



8. By icC'traps. This is a tolerably successful way, more so 

 than by wooden traps. A block of ice of considerable weight is 

 tilted on end at an angle of about 45°, a piece of stick supports' 

 this, placed well under the block, the lower end resting on the 

 bait. The animal in his efforts to obtain the bait drags the stick off 

 the perpendicular when the ice falls on him and kills him, This 

 method is much used by the Yellow Knives to trap white foxes. 



9. By poison. For this purpose strychnia is used. I have 

 tried aconitine, atropine, and corrosive sublimate without suc- 

 cess. The two former may not have been pure enough, though 

 I obtained them from the first chemical works in Eno;land and at 

 a very high price. The only poison that I have found strong is 

 strychnia. One or two grains of this are mixed with a little tal- 

 low, forming a small ball, and covered with a coating of grease 

 outside to prevent the animal from tasting it. A quantity of 

 pounded dried meat and morsels are strewn about so that the ani- 

 mal after swallowing the poison may be detained a sufficient time 

 for it to operate. The distances which animals go before they 

 die vary greatly ; in* some instances they fall directly, in others 

 they run several miles with the same dose, and arranged in like 



