32 BULLETIN 301, 17. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



be driven from its den. When the fox is inside and the door securely 

 closed, an ounce or two of chloroform or carbon bisulphide is poured 

 through a hole in one of the upper corners into a wide, shallow dish, 

 as a tin pie plate, fixed just below in such a manner that the fox can 

 neither get into it nor upset it. The hole through which the pouring 

 is done should be corked at once and every part of the box made 

 practically air-tight. The smaller and tighter the compartment the 

 less will be the quantity of anesthetic required. The box should not 

 be opened within half an hour. 



In removing a fox's pelt a slit is made in the skin with a sharp- 

 pointed knife, beginning on the bottom of one hind foot and extend- 

 ing up the back of the leg to the vent and thence down the other 

 hind leg to the foot. The entire body is removed through this 

 opening, using the knife to separate the skin when necessary, and 

 proceeding down over the head to the lips, where the final cuts are 

 made. The tail bone must be carefully withdrawn, preferably by 

 using as a vise two firmly held sticks (or a split stick), through 

 which the bone is passed. To facilitate this it is usually desirable 



Fig. 22.— Diagram for stretching board for casing skins. The wedge makes it adjustable in width 

 and facilitates removal from a skin. 



to slit the tail on the underside. Thus the skin is turned completely 



inside out. It is then carefully fleshed — that is, all the fat and bits 



of flesh adhering to it are removed. 



To dry the skin, it is first drawn, flesh side out, over a stretching 



board, like the one illustrated by figure 22, and hung by the nose in a 



cool, dry place. Within a day or two, while the legs are still pliable 



enough to be turned, the board is withdrawn and the pelt reversed, 



after which the drying is continued. Pelts should not be exposed to 



sunshine, as it fades them and, through its action on fat, makes them 



brittle. 



LEGAL ASPECTS. 



Popular opinion regarding the economic importance of wild foxes 

 varies in different regions. As a rule they are unmentioned in game 

 laws. In Rhode Island, where poultry raising is a prominent indus- 

 try, foxes are considered a nuisance and a bounty of $3 each is offered 

 for their scalps. Connecticut has recently repealed a similar law. 

 In certain localities in the Middle Atlantic States the animals are 

 esteemed for the sport they afford in the chase, and on this account 



