SLYER THAN A FOX. 65 



thought, successful in capturing foxes. I dressed in black 

 clothes from head to foot, and blackened my face and 

 hands. There was nothing to be seen about me but black. 

 When I took my position one morning among the black- 

 ened stumps and trunks of a burned wood-lot, I looked 

 enough like them to deceive the sharpest eye. "With my 

 gun ready I stood motionless. 



10. " Presently I saw a fox trotting along in the oppo- 

 site direction, and I started after it, keeping my eyes fast- 

 ened upon it. When I saw the leg twitch I became mo- 

 tionless. When the fox took his look backward, I was as 

 good a burned tree as there was in the lot. The fox saw 

 nothing to cause him any fear, and on he went. Before 

 he gave the warning twitch again I was a great deal closer 

 to him than I was before. My ruse was still undiscovered 

 by him, and the third time he kicked his hind-leg he 

 never looked back, for I was within easy gun-shot and 

 saved him the trouble. My new style of hunting foxes 

 succeeded so well, and it required such a nice eye and 

 such careful calculation, that it became my favorite sport 

 and afforded me a great deal of amusement. 



11. " As to trapping foxes, a little common sense used 

 in a simple manner was the entire secret of my great suc- 

 cess. It was the usual custom in setting a fox-trap to 

 place the bait on the trap. A fox is always suspicious. 

 When he sees a piece of meat or a dead bird, chicken, or 

 whatever it may be, lying near or in the barn-yard, or 

 wherever the trap may be set, he does not make a dash for 

 it at once* He feels that there is something wrong ; yet his 

 curiosity and his desire for the tempting morsel will lead 

 him to investigate the matter. Many and many a sly old 

 fox has conquered his appetite and his curiosity on close 

 inspection of a bait of this kind, and placed as much dis- 

 tance as he could between himself and the dangerous 



