382 Practical Game Preserving. 



back of the bait, the space thus left should also be 

 furnished with a trap. The setting must be made as 

 before mentioned, with the greatest care and exactness 

 in copying the surrounding state of the ground. In such 

 instances, where the tilling is made on grass, it is not 

 at all a bad plan to deviate from the general way, and 

 cover the jaws of the gin with the square of turf which 

 can be neatly cut out from the place in which the jaws 

 lie when the trap is set. This does away with the 

 necessity of visiting the setting so often to replace the 

 old and dead grass used as covering, and consequently the 

 scent of having been at the place is less likely to be 

 noticed. Care must be observed to drive home the stakes 

 well, and, moreover, in a slanting direction, so that the 

 hold obtained is of the surest. We must mention that when 

 a fox is caught it does not pull at the stake, but executes a 

 series of powerful jumps straight up into the air, which 

 would, were the stake driven in in the usual manner, tend 

 to loosen it, and eventually release the fox. The angle at 

 which the stake is driven prevents this result from taking 

 place. 



Sometimes, when one is trapping for rabbits at burrows 

 situate towards the centre of the field, or at other likely 

 spots for capturing them, the rabbits caught will be ab- 

 stracted by a fox in no inconsiderable number, and although 

 the setting of gins, if done cleverly enough, will often cut 

 short the varmint's depredations, it more often occurs that 

 the fox proves itself far too wily, and not only steals the 

 rabbits as heretofore, but abstracts the baits set for itself. 

 To cope successfully with such daring customers, consider- 



