IN THE CATSKILLS 



more than the ends of his toes being between the 

 jaws. He sometimes works so cautiously as to 

 spring the trap without injury even to his toes, or 

 may remove the cheese night after night without 

 even springing it. I knew an old trapper who, on 

 finding himself outwitted in this manner, tied a bit 

 of cheese to the pan, and next morning had poor 

 Reynard by the jaw. The trap is not fastened, but 

 only encumbered with a clog, and is all the more 

 sure in its hold by yielding to every effort of the 

 animal to extricate himself. 



When Reynard sees his captor approaching, he 

 would fain drop into a mouse-hole to render himself 

 invisible. He crouches to the ground and remains 

 perfectly motionless until he perceives himself dis- 

 covered, when he makes one desperate and final 

 effort to escape, but ceases all struggling as you 

 come up, and behaves in a manner that stamps him 

 a very timid warrior, cowering to the earth with 

 a mingled look of shame, guilt, and abject fear. A 

 young farmer told me of tracing one with his trap 

 to the border of a wood, where he discovered the 

 cunning rogue trying to hide by embracing a small 

 tree. Most animals, when taken in a trap, show 

 fight; but Reynard has more faith in the nimble- 

 ness of his feet than in the terror of his teeth. 



Entering the woods, the number and variety of 

 the tracks contrast strongly with the rigid, frozen 

 aspect of things. Warm jets of life still shoot and 

 14 



