80 THE DRAMA OF THE FORESTS 



Coming to an open space along the creek, the wise old Owl 

 concluded from the fox signs he had already seen, and from the 

 condition of the soil on a cut bank, that it was a desirable place 

 in which to set a steel trap for foxes. Laying aside his kit, 

 he put on his trapping mits, to prevent any trace of man-smell 

 being left about the trap, and with the aid of his trowel he 

 dug into the bank a horizontal hole about two feet deep and 

 about a foot in diameter. He wedged the chain-ring of the trap 

 over the small end of a five-foot pole to be used as a clog or 

 drag-anchor in case the fox tried to make away with the trap. 

 The pole was then buried at one side of the hole. Digging a 

 trench from the pole to the back of the hole, he carefully set 

 the trap, laid it in the trench near the back of the hole, so that 

 it rested about half an inch below the surface of the surround- 

 ing earth, covered it with thin layers of birch bark (sewed 

 together with watap — thin spruce roots) then, sifting earth over 

 it, covered all signs of both trap and chain, and finally, with a 

 crane's wing brushed the sand into natural form. Placing at 

 the back of the hole a duck's head that Ne-geek had shot for 

 the purpose, Oo-koo-hoo scattered a few feathers about. Some 

 of these, as well as the pan of the trap, had been previously 

 daubed with a most stinking concoction called "fox bait" — 

 hereafter called "mixed bait" to prevent confusing this with 

 other baits. 



It was composed of half a pound of soft grease, half an 

 ounce of aniseed, an eighth of an ounce of asafcetida, six to 

 ten rotten birds' eggs, and the glands taken from a female fox — 

 all thoroughly mixed in a jar and then buried underground to 

 rot it, as well as for safe keeping. The reason for such a con- 

 coction is that the cold in winter does not affect the stench of 

 asafcetida; aniseed forms a strong attraction for many kinds of 

 animals ; foxes are fond of eggs ; and no stronger lure exists for 

 an animal than the smell of the female gland. So powerful is 

 the fetor of this "mixed bait," and so delicious is the merest 



