GROWING THE LARGE TROUT. 229 



or a dead fish will answer for bait), set the trap, and 

 cover it over with a large leaf. Now there is only one 

 way for the mink to get at the bait, which is by walk- 

 ing over the trap." You will be very likely to catch 

 the mink in this way, though you will probably get a 

 few house cats first. When minks begin to infest 

 your waters, you will see the advantage of plank ponds 

 over earth ponds ; for in plank ponds the minks can- 

 not hide permanently, but must come and go every 

 time they make a meal off the fish. On the contrary, 

 in the earth ponds they will find some old muskrat- 

 hole or other place where they will probably take 

 up winter quarters ; and when the ground is frozen 

 solid for a foot or two below the surface it will be 

 found very hard to dislodge them. It is almost im- 

 possible to trap them then, for two reasons. In the 

 first place, as they have a subterranean passage to 

 their daily food they seldom appear above ground, 

 where they can be caught or shot ; and, secondly, hav- 

 ing plenty of the food which they like best, namely, 

 live trout, you have nothing better to tempt them into. 

 a trap with. Your only chance is this. Place a dry 

 plank on the north side of the pond, so that one end 

 rests in the water and the other slants some ways up 

 the bank. Put a steel trap on the plank, near the 

 lower end, and fasten it so that the mink, if caught, 

 will throw it into the water. Minks like to sun them- 

 selves in the winter, and though your intrenched ene- 

 my will not be baited into a trap, he will sometimes 

 step into one in trying to get to a dry spot in the sun. 

 If minks are so troublesome as to warrant the outlay. 



