they may never before have been met. In 

 the woods his food is similar to that of 

 the marten, although he cannot climb a 

 tree to capture his prey. The fox spe- 

 cializes on partridge and other birds that 

 nest on the ground. 



About a trap, the fox is very foxy. 

 Tracks in the snow show when he has 

 visited one, and he will usually succeed in 

 springing a trap without getting caught 

 in it. No matter how carefully it may be 

 concealed, he can, and often does, pull the 

 trap out, tip it over, spring it from the 

 under side, then take out the bait. Every 

 trapper has his pet method of circum- 

 venting this foxy trick. The favorite 

 systems include the use of a second un- 

 baited trap, which the fox is expected to 

 step on while he is playing with the baited 

 trap. 



The dream and hope of the lifetime of 

 every trapper is to some day catch a 

 freak, black or silver grey fox ; the skin 

 of which commands a fabulous price. 

 Such a catch would be like finding a gold 



42 



