366 
the aid of a tree. Our way back to camp 
was then comparatively easy. 
Soon after we reached camp, Neet and 
Roll came in, sore in body and heart. After 
leaving us they had started a large buck 
and given him several bullets. He dropped 
and rolled into a clump of brush. It took 
them some time to reach the place where 
he fell, and the deer could not be found. 
After hunting the ground far and near they 
were obliged to give up. 
L. O. Newcomer, Glendora, California. 

MUSKRAT TRAPPING, 
Notwithstanding the fact that trapping 
is considered a cruel sport and all trappers 
in Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales are held 
in contempt, there is a branch of the craft 
which probably affords more enjoyment to 
boys who live in the country than any other 
amusement they could choose, and at the 
same time it brings in a good supply of 
pocket money, This is muskrat trapping, 
which is the least cruel sport of the kind, 
as in 9 cases out of Io the victim is drowned 
soon after being caught, by jumping into 
the deep water and being pulled under by 
the weight of the trap. 
The outfit should consist of Io to 15 sin- 
gle spring steel traps, a good jackknife, a 
pair of rubber boots, and, if the trapper be 
of sufficient years, a shot gun; for although 
the little denizens of the marshes and 
streams are generally out during the night, 
they are also often seen in the day time. 
If one can not have the use of a boat, one 
may be successful by following the small 
brooks and when~-a narrow place is found 
building a dam with sticks or rocks, leav- 
ing a space in the middle at the surface of 
the water just wide enough for the musk- 
rat to go through, and step in the trap, 
which should be about half an inch below 
the surface. 
It often happens that nests on the out- 
skirts of ponds can be reached by land, and 
as the ponds are usually surrounded by 
paths, the occupants can easily be caught. 
The most successful method, however, is 
using a boat in some small fresh water 
pond and its inlets, where the so-called 
“haul-ups” can be reached, as well as the 
greater number of the nests, which are often 
surrounded entirely by water. A haul- -up 
is simply, as the name implies, a tangle of 
weeds and grasses hauled together and 
matted down, so that the rat can crawl up 
on it. A haul- -up, therefore, makes an ex- 
cellent place to put a trap, while good luck 
nearly always results from setting on a 
good new nest. 
Many use bait of some sort, either ap- 
ple or any garden vegetable, putting it on 
the end of a stick over the trencher of the 
trap. 
H. L. Bailey, Byfield, “Mass. 
' game. 
RECREATION. 
WHAT BECAME OF THE FOX? 
The following incident of a fox hunt was 
told me by an old friend, and owing to its 
myterious ending, may be of interest to 
many, especially those acquainted with the 
tricks and turns of Reynard. 
“While spending the Christmas holidays, 
in 187—, with an uncle, who lived on the 
old homestead, some miles from New 
Haven, Conn., my attention was attracted 
one morning by the baying of 3 hounds, on 
the trail of a fox. Knowing the lay of the 
country and the course usually taken by 
foxes in that vicinity, I called the hired 
man, and securing our guns, we hurried 
to a neighboring hill, taking positions be- 
hind an old stone fence. We were not kept 
long in suspense, for the fox came over the 
fence about 30 yards from us. 
“T gave him a charge of B B’s which 
dropped him in his tracks, apparently dead. 
I hurried toward him, at the same time try- 
ing to remove the empty shell which had 
stuck in the chamber of the gun. 
“To my surprise, before I reached the 
fox or could reload, he got up and lit out 
as though nothing had happened. The fact 
that I was directly between the fox and 
Sam prevented him from getting a shot. In 
the meantime, the dogs came up, and see- 
ing strangers, turned back. We followed 
the track of the fox and every jump was 
plainly marked by a small stream of blood 
on the snow, from either side. 
“After some 300 yards the bleeding 
stopped, but the trail still led us into the 
woods and to a small opening, in the middle 
of which it abruptly ended. An hour's care- 
ful search, beginning in a small circle, and 
continued in larger ones, failed to bring 
to light the faintest sign of fox or track. 
“While we were not called liars outright, 
our story caused no end of discussion 
through those winter evenings around the 
big stove in the village store, and I have 
never been able to explain satisfactorily to 
myself or others what became of the fox. 
Can anyone explain the mystery?” 
S. W. Stanley, Weiner, Ark. 
Possibly the holes made by the shot re- 
leased his wings and he flew away.—EbITor. 

NEW BRUNSWICK GUIDES’ ASSOCIATION. 
The annual meeting of the New Bruns- 
wick Guides’ Association was held at Fred- 
ericton, March 2d. The retiring president, 
George E. Armstrong, occupied the chair, 
The attendance was large and the proceed- 
ings most harmonious. The president re- 
ported that about 500 non-resident sports- 
men had visited the Province last season, 
and few were unsuccessful in securing 
There were also an unusually large 
number of canoeing and fishing parties, and 
they had invariably returned home well 
