92 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 
and, while large numbers of animals visit the cage in the morning after an 
evening’s trapping, continuous operation of the trap over too long a period 
will cause the foxes to abandon their trips to the cage for food. Such a prac- 
tice forces the foxes to search for food elsewhere and also prevents any record 
being made of those animals, either for their pelts or as breeders. The more 
timid foxes may be seen to wander about the trap for long periods before enter- 
ing, and each time the trap is sprung these animals are frightened off. The 
writer believes that the trap should be left open to the foxes at least two full 
nights in seven, and if all-night trapping is practiced the feeding nights should 
be increased to three in each week. These precautions are not so necessary if 
the beaches are unfrozen. 
The actual trapping of the foxes may be begun as early as 4.30 p. m. and 
continued as late as seems desirable. A responsible native, with an assistant, 
takes up his position in the trapping room opposite the small window and opens 
the sliding door by means of a rope. The opening of the door by the trapper 
exposes the food for the first time on any trapping night, so that no foxes will 
have previously satisfied their hunger. The trapper maintains a constant watch 
of the trap, and when several foxes are in the cage he lowers the door and 
imprisons them, This moment for dropping the door must be properly judged. 
There should be no foxes so near the door that they will be in danger of injury 
when it drops; the door should not be closed in the face of animals too near the 
trap, as they would only be unnecessarily frightened thereby ; on stormy nights 
the door may be so carefully closed that even the foxes within the trap are not 
aware of the change. Only responsible natives should ever be left in charge 
of the trap rope; such men understand the foxes and do the work well. 
After closing the trap the operator sends his assistant into the cage and the 
foxes are driven through the open doors ‘‘G” and “J” into the retaining room 
“©,” where they are held until a sufficient number has been caught to war- 
rant further attention. After closing the doors to the retaining and trapping 
rooms the cage door is raised and the operation is repeated. 
Handling of animals.—it is not advisable to hold more than 20 foxes in the 
retaining room at one time, as the animals have a tendency to clamber about 
and will pile up and become overheated, particularly in mild weather. On 
the opening night of the season the foxes can be caught almost as rapidly as 
the skins can be handled, the trap taking as high as 10 or 12 in a single 
operation. Later in the season the more timid foxes appear and only 2 or 3 
are taken at intervals of an hour or more. 
When a suitable number of foxes has been caught, the skinners and other 
men take up their places in the large room ‘“D” and the work begins. Two 
or three men, armed with forked sticks, are sent into the retaining room, 
where they catch the foxes by pressing them down to the floor until a proper 
hold has been secured with the hands; the animal is grasped about the neck 
from behind. This work must be done with as much care as is consistent 
with a fair degree of speed, as some of the animals are to be reserved as 
future breeders and must not be injured by unnecessarily rough handling. 
If any marked breeders are found, they are liberated through the door “I” 
and the exit ‘ K.”’ 
After catching the fox the native passes it through the opening in the 
special door “L,” whereupon a man on the opposite side takes it from him, 
holding the animal in the same manner. Another man examines the fox and 
ealls out its sex that it may be written down by the agent. The latter then 
examines the teeth by pushing back the lips or opening the jaws with a 
soft gag. 
The weigher now places the fox’s tail in the loop of a broad strap attached 
to a spring balance and the head of the fox is then carefully lowered so that 
the animal hangs to the scale by its tail. The fox must not be dropped into 
a hanging position, as the sudden snap might injure the bone or cartilage of 
the tail. The weight is then called out and the agent makes note of it; he 
then notifies the weigher whether the fox is to be killed or released. If to be 
released, the animal is marked and dropped through the door “I” and makes 
its escape through the exit “K.” If to be killed, it is passed to another man 
(the fox is still held by the tail) who strikes it a smart blow on the head 
with a light club. After the fox has been stunned in this manner, its neck 
is broken by manipulation. The skinner waits a few moments to make certain 
that the animal is dead, after which he removes the pelt while the body is 
yet warm. 
