NOTES ON TKAPPING AND WOOD-CEAFT. 



BY "F. R." 



[THE following article was written by a practical trapper, in response 

 to an invitation from Mr. Newhouse, and partly as a criticism on our first 

 edition of the " Guide." As his suggestions are the result of actual expe- 

 rience, they will be found interesting to the trapper, whether strictly fol- 

 lowed or not. EDITORS.] 



IT would be a great advantage to young and inexperienced 

 trappers if they could have descriptions and engravings of the 

 foot-prints or tracks of animals. Even those skilled in the 

 trapper's art are at times deceived and led off on some " wild- 

 goose chase " for want of such information. As an instance, 

 I will relate the following story : Once, when a boy, hunting 

 in a well-settled region in the State of New York, I discerned 

 otter signs. The otters appeared to have no regular abiding- 

 place, but wandered at will, up and down the stream, a dis- 

 tance of some four or five miles, between two lakes. There 

 were five or six of them, and so " shy " and wary were they, 

 that they defied all attempts to trap them. Having at length 

 discovered that they lurked near a certain " deep hole " in the 

 creek, early dawn found me near the spot, with my gun well 

 charged with- buckshot, and accompanied by my two dogs, 

 with whose assistance I expected to get the otter out of the 

 water, when I killed him. There was a piece of swamp which 

 I had to cross, in order to reach my post of observation. This 

 swamp lay so open to the creek that I crawled across it on my 

 knees, to escape, if possible, the notice of the otter, should any 

 be lurking near, dragging myself along through the deep and 

 fresh fallen snow, each leg as it trailed making a deep gouge, 

 and both forming two long, parallel gutters. In each of these 



