so THE nUNTEIl AND TRAPPEK. 



that have trout and chub in them. Tlicy go into big riv- 

 ers, too, and they may he found in winter near quick wa- 

 ter, where they will have holes through the ice at which 

 they come up and feed. If the water is not more than a 

 foot deep, fasten a big stone to your trap and set it down 

 on the bottom, being careful to leave room for them to 

 pass to and fro, between the ice and the trap ; otherwise 

 they will spring it with the belly and not get caught. It 

 must be at least a foot deep from the ice to the trap to al- 

 low them to get caught, and if the water is from three to 

 six feet deep, bait the trap with a little trout, or dace, or 

 sucker, fastened into the pan lengthwise of the trap. Then 

 sink the traj:), right side up, directly under the hole, and 

 you v/ill catch him by the nose, if the trap is smart enough. 

 There are various other ways to outgeneral this sly, cun- 

 ning animal. One of these is after this fashion. Go to 

 the place where he burrows in the bank, making a hole 

 under water ; set your trap directly in the mouth of the 

 hole, and when he goes in or out, you will catch him. 

 Another way is to find some bushy point under cedars or 

 other thick trees, where the bank rises directly up from 

 the water; there make a slide in the fall of the-year, that 

 will look as though a log had been drawn endwise down 

 into the water. Choose a handy place to set your trap, 

 where the water is shoal at the edge and deepens rapidly. 

 Sprinkle sweet oil or other musk about the slide. In 

 early spring set your trap as directed above, and you will 

 catch the first otter that comes alone. 



