mine. Of course, if these freak foxes 

 were oftener caught, their fur would be 

 less valuable. 



The fact that, notwithstanding the 

 number of trout eaters, including our- 

 selves, who lived or roamed in our val- 

 ley, there were still many trout in the 

 streams, was to our minds conclusive 

 proof that there were no otter in the 

 neighborhood. An otter will clean the 

 trout out of a brook in a few days. He 

 will eat many and leave the rest dead on 

 the bank, then move to another fishing 

 place, ten or fifteen miles away. But 

 there is no proof that an otter might not 

 wander through this valley some time in 

 the winter when the traps are set. The 

 otter is a great traveler; also, in a fur 

 store he is an aristocrat. 



The varying hares, white rabbits, or 

 snow-shoe rabbits, as they are variously 

 designated, were plentiful in and near 

 Muskrat City. They were often seen in 

 the early dusk of evening, seldom in mid- 

 day. They, in common with many small 



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