TRAPPING. 77 



in taking the mink. The trap should always be fastened to the 

 spring pole. Unless the animal is lifted from the ground, he is 

 nearly sure to gnaw off his leg or the pole. An old hunter gives 

 the following instructions: "For capturing the fisher, we always 

 draw a trail composed of oil of anise, assafoetida, and the musk 

 of the musk-rat, mixed with fish oil, and placed in a deer-skin 

 bag, about the sizo of a mitten, pierced full of holes with a small 

 awl. If drawn along the line of traps, the scent is sure to attract 

 the fisher's ctfee&tion, and when an animal once finds it, he will fol- 

 low the tail till he comes to the trap. Mink are sometimes 

 caught along trails of this kind, and it is a good plan to set a trap 

 for wolves on the liiie s as they are likely to be attracted and to 

 follow it. In setting the trap, we either place it in a hollow log, 

 or build a strong house and place the trap at the entrance. In the 

 latter case the bait should be placed about two feet back from the 

 door. The trap should be covered with finely powdered rotten 

 wood. A spring pole should be used, as all animals of the canine 

 family will follow the trail and rob the traps. Deer meat, musk-rat 

 meat, or fish, make good bait for the fisher, marten, mink or wolf. 



THE BEAVER. These animals are now becoming very scarce. 

 The clearing up and cultivation of the soil has driven nearly all 

 of them from the country When a beaver pond has been found, 

 the principal object is to take each beaver in it alone and drown it 

 as soon as possible. If the remaining beavers get a knowledge of 

 the capture of one of their family, they will all remove away. The 

 trap should be set near the shore, about three inches under wa- 

 ter. Carefully hide it by a covering of some soft substance that 

 will not interfere with its springing. Use for bait a small portion 

 of beaver castor, a milky secretion found in glands near the test- 

 icles of the male beaver, leave it on the bank near the trap and 

 carefully remove all trace of foot-prints by drenching the tracks 

 with water. 



BABBITS. The steel trap is simply buried in the run, and 

 leaves, grass, or earth strewed over its surface so as not to give an 

 appearance of an unusual character. Bait with a piece of apple. 

 Precaution should, however, be taken to tie the trap to a bough or 

 peg in the ground, by a piece of strong string, otherwise the rab- 

 bit will carry away the trap. Wire snares are also very effective 

 traps. They are made of fine copper wire, and being inexpen- 

 sive, a number of them may be set where rabbits abound. The 



