390 Practical Game Preserving. 



is to be spared, it will be necessary to carry it to some 

 more suitable place than the present one, and, in order to 

 do this, it is advisable to take steps to render this an easy 

 operation. The mouth may be securely coped if one be 

 sufficiently expert to accomplish it alone, but, failing this, 

 the fox must be tied up so as to render any attempt at 

 resistance futile. The best and surest way to attain this 

 is, first of all, securely to tie together the hind legs of the 

 animal with a piece of stout cord, which should be always 

 carried for this purpose, care being taken to do the tieing 

 strongly and safely, and, at the same time, without hurting 

 the fox. This satisfactorily done, bring the two hind legs 

 forward, and, having tied some string securely round the 

 loose leg of the capture, push this one between the two 

 hind legs below the fastening, and attach it carefully to 

 these latter. The three limbs may now, in order to make 

 security doubly secure, be all tied one to another. If one 

 be quite positive as to the safety of the tieing, the fourth 

 leg may be relieved of the trap, but, unless one be certain, 

 the wiser plan is to leave it on, as then, in the event of 

 the string slipping, one has something to depend on, 

 because a fox cannot run fast enough with a gin to get 

 away from a person chasing it. 



For our part, we always carry a light sack wherein to 

 transport any caught fox, as we consider it handiest ; it will 

 probably be found necessary to tie the fox's mouth up, if 

 it be not properly secured, otherwise it will defy all efforts 

 to get it into the sack. If the mouth be effectually bound, 

 the operation is sufficiently easy ; but if the uncommonly 

 active jaws be only temporarily secured, the best way is, 



