THE SNOW-WALKERS. 



63 



surface. Emboldened by success, like other mortals, 

 he presently digs freely among the ashes, and, finding 

 a fresh supply of the delectable morsels every night, is 

 soon thrown off his guard, and his suspicions quite 

 lulled. After a week of baiting in this manner, and 

 on the eve of a light fall of snow, the trapper carefully 

 conceals his trap in the bed, first smoking it thoroughly 

 with hemlock boughs to kill or neutralize all smell of 

 the iron. If the weather favors and the proper pre- 

 cautions have been taken, he may succeed, though the 

 chances are still greatly against him. 



Reynard is usually caught very lightly, seldom more 

 than the ends of his toes being between the jaws. He 

 sometimes works so cautiously as to spring the trap 

 without injury even to his toes ; or may remove the 

 cheese night after night without even springing it. I 

 knew an old trapper who, on finding himself outwitted 

 in this manner, tied a bit of cheese to the pan, and 

 next morning had poor Reynard by the jaw. The 

 trap is not fastened, but only encumbered with a clog, 

 and is all the more sure in its hold by yielding to every 

 effort of the animal to extricate himself. 



When Reynard sees his captor approaching, he 

 would fain drop into a mouse-hole to render himself 

 invisible. He crouches to the ground and remains 

 perfectly motionless until he perceives himself dis- 

 covered, when he makes one desperate and final effort 

 to escape, but ceases all struggling as you come up, 

 and behaves in a manner that stamps him a very 



