707 



bank, where Minks aic known \<v freqnent. The bait — 

 a. tish, fi'oji, bird or head of a chicken — is hnn<i about 

 eighteen inches above the trap. The bait should al- 

 ways be so pkiced that it cannot be reached from I he 

 bank or rock witliout tlie animal ste[is into the trap 

 to reach it. 



The trai> may also be placed on the land and cov- 

 ered with leaves, snow, moss, etc., but be careful that 

 the covering will not stoj) the jaws from closing prop- 

 erly, and hang the bait, which can be scented with 

 fish oil or a mixture of equal parts of peppermint, 

 sweet oil and honey. Traps can also be set in shallow 

 water, and a twig can be stuck in the water near the 

 trap from which the scented bait can be suspended. 

 A trap can be set at the foot of a tree, cc-vered. and 

 the prepared bait hung abo've it. The carcass of a 

 Muskrat, a favorite article of food, by the way, of the 

 Mink, a dead chicken, fish or chunk of fresh beef can 

 be fastened to a string and dragged along the ground 

 to your trap. When a Mink strikes the trail thus left 

 he will usually follow it until caught. This is a plan 

 often pursued by professional trappers who run a line 

 of traps along water courses. 



HOW TO TRAP AND KILL WEASEiLS.* 



For winter trapping, the most successful is the Newhouse 

 double-spring Fox trap. Make two holes in leaf of trap, get 

 any kind of a small bird (English Sparrow is best), tie string 

 around body of bird, under feathers of back and wings, and 

 tie fast under leaf of trap; set trap under rocks, in a bed of 

 dry ground, where snow or rain/ cannot reach it, and cover all 

 but leaf and bird with gravel. The Weasel will take hold of 



*The instructions concerning best methods of destroying Wea- 

 sels given here are those employed by Mr. Hugh Malloy, of 

 Freeland, Luzerne county. Pa., who is undoubtedly the most 

 successful hunter of these animals in the State. I have quoted 



Mr. Malloy's methods substantially as he sent them to me 



B. H. Warren. 



