82 THE IIUXTER AND TRAPPER. 



To catch tbis animal, you have only to be acquainted 

 with its hahits. lie follows streams of water, hunting ev- 

 ery nook and corner for something to eat. Place your 

 trap near the edge of the water, (so that it will be cover- 

 ed about an inch deep,) directly in front of a steep bank 

 or rock, or something on which you can hang your bait, 

 about eighteen inches above the level of the trap, which 

 must be so close to the shore that the mink cannot get to 

 the bait without ste23ping on it. The bait should be fresh 

 fish or frogs, or the head of some bird or fowl. He is 

 very fond of brains. 



Another plan is to set your trap on the land about two 

 feet from the shore, covering it v,dth a few leaves, moss, 

 grass, or loose dirt, or anything that mil not prevent the 

 jaws from closing. Hang the bait about eighteen inches 

 above it, and scent it with a mixture made of equal parts 

 of honey, sweet oil, and essence of peppermint. About a 

 teaspoonful of this on the bait will cause them to come 

 from a long distance. Some use wooden traps, with 

 which they are quite successful. 



The following is a good -plan : Set your traps about two 

 feet back from the water, and from forty to eighty rods 

 apart, up or down the stream. Then walk over the Ime, 

 drawing after you the carcass of a muskrat, or a roasted 

 crow, or almost any fresh meat ; and any mink that crosses 

 this line or trail will follow it to the trap. It is also a 

 good plan to set your trap where the mink must walk 

 over it to get at the bait. He is a great fellow to catch 



