FOXES FOXHOUNDS & FOX-HUNTING 



earth. As is well known, foxes, like dogs, have 

 a habit of " leaving their cards " at certain spots, 

 and the trapper often takes advantage of these 

 places. Sometimes he sticks a post into the 

 ground on a mound near where he knows foxes 

 pass, and buries several traps, with their chains 

 tied together, round the post. Once in a trap, 

 Reynard in his struggles springs the others, and 

 is thus inextricably held. If a trap is pegged 

 down, a fox will gnaw off his foot, but if the trap 

 is attached to a light clog of wood, he will drag it 

 to a distance, leaving behind him a trail easy to 

 follow. 



In America, wolves are killed by putting 

 strychnine inside small balls of lard. These are 

 allowed to freeze solid, and are then scattered 

 about in open places, such as the frozen snow- 

 covered surface of a lake. Into each ball of lard, 

 a black feather is stuck, and when the wolves 

 see these feathers against the white background 

 they naturally investigate them, swallow the 

 lard, and the poison does the rest. Foxes are 

 also taken by this method. The Esquimaux 

 employ a similar method, but instead of poison 

 they place inside the balls of fat, a spring made ot 

 whalebone, held in restraint by a length of gut. 

 When the animal swallows the fat, the gut string 

 weakens, and allows the spring to fly open, the 

 poor victim dying a very painful death. 



American trappers use a variety of weird and 

 noxious smelling oils and scents for attracting 

 fur bearing animals. In the case of wolves and 

 foxes there is no better bait than a few drops of the 

 urine of the she-wolf or vixen, taken at the 

 mating season. This, sprinkled on the likely 

 " card leaving" places, round which are buried 



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