224 THe Aroostook Woops. 

the bait. This is the length of the house floor, bed piece 
added, and is a green stick the size of your finger flattened a 
trifle upon the two sides. The riser, a small piece from off 
the same stick, not over three and a half inches long, flattened 
a trifle, completes the different pieces. Being now ready to 
set the trap, we lift up the fall piece with the weight of logs 
upon it with our left arm placed under it close beside the trap, 
lay the baited end of the spindle (or bait stick) far back in 
the narrow part of the V shaped house, the outer end resting 
upon the bed piece (or choker). Upon this outer end of the 
bait stick (with the right hand) now place one end of the 
rizer, and holding it straight up, ease down the long fall piece 
and weight of logs carefully upon its upper end and the 
trap is set. Now cover the top of the house with a thick 
bunch of fir boughs laid on bottom side up; over these a piece 
of bark to keep out the wet, all slanting backwards; an old 
junk upon the bark to keep it in place, and a stick placed for 
the game to climb up, and it is finished. 
Fisher, Pekan, Black Cat and Peconk. By these names he 
is known and spoken of. The Pekan is not as numerous as 
we could wish, though their cry is frequently heard at even- 
ing over the ridges. The spruce knolls and dark spruce 
growth, and along the top of the ridges are the haunts of the 
fisher, and at such places along the line a trap is placed par- 
ticularly for him. If a dead fall, it must be built solid and 
with a good weight of logs to hold him, as he soon learns to 
travel along the line, stealing the baits and tearing down the 
sable traps without getting pinched enough to mind it. But 
coming to the trap set purposely for him, with thick splits 
driven solid in the stump, sufficient weight upon the down 
fall, a beautiful bait to his fancy, he at last reaches in, giving 
