March, 1919 
FOREST AND STREAM 
127 
thrill of a trip among the islands on 
our west coast, and many times a hunt 
in the Big Cypress and Everglades. I 
returned only two weeks ago from a 
trip to the Big Cypress where we got 
plenty of deer and turkey and I enclose 
a small print of a nine-point buck we 
were able to bring home intact, my lit- 
tle son, Leslie Jr., is holding him by 
the horns. 
Florida abounds with fresh water lakes 
filled with black bass, and I would in- 
vite the readers of Forest and Stream 
to come here for a winter puting. 
L. B. Anderson, Florida. 
A RABBIT SKIN BLANKET 
To the Editor of Forest and Stream : 
1 WOULD like to have some further 
information about making rabbit skin 
blankets and as you published a short 
article about them some months ago, I 
am in hopes you can give it. Recently 
I wrote to another mag- 
azine, but the only informa- 
tion they could give was 
practically the same that 
was published in Forest 
AND Stream some months 
ago. I would like to know 
several things about the 
blankets and they are these : 
1. Are they made from a 
certain kind of a rabbit or 
are they made from any 
kind of rabbit skins? 
2. Will you describe how 
they are made in such a 
way that any one reading 
the article can make one 
himself? 
3. Where can one buy 
these blankets or quilts and 
what is the best size? 
“An Old Friend.” 
Rabbit skin blankets are 
made from the skin of the 
snowshoe rabbit. The pelt ^ 
is tanned — some prospectors 
only rub alum on them — and then 
trimmed to the shape of a square. It 
takes about 200 hides to make a good 
size blanket. These hides are then 
sewed together, generally by the squaws 
who live near the Hudson Bay stations, 
into rectangular shape, about seven feet 
long by six wide. Two Hudson Bay 
Company’s four-point wool blankets are 
then placed one upon each side of the 
rabbit skin and stretched while the rabbit 
skin is allowed to remain as loose as 
possible. The edge is strongly sewn all 
around. This is said to make the warm- 
est bed a man can get. This is the white- 
man’s method of making the blanket. 
The redskin prefers to cut his rabbit 
skin in a long strip commencing at the 
edge (after trinvming legs, heat, etc.) 
and cutting in a circle to the center. 
Strips are cut about an inch in width, 
then the squaw stretches it from tree to 
tree until diry. When several are pre- 
pared they are sewn together end on end 
like old fashioned carpet rags, until a 
sufficient length is obtained, when the 
squaw proceeds to weave them into a 
blanket, somewhat like a basket weave. 
A variation of this method is a sort of 
knitting stitch in which the strip is 
threaded by thumb and finger through 
the preceding row of loops. 
The redskin cuts his blankets about 
four feet square and stretches them 
same as the other way when sewing to- 
gether. We do not see how he manages 
to keep warm in his little blanket; per- 
haps he wants an extra light pack and 
so will forego a little warmth. A blanket 
built the first way will weigh about 25 
pounds and makes a nice pack for a 
good-sized dog on a hunting or prospect- 
ing trip. The Indian method makes a 
much lighter blanket, but it is much less 
durable. 
We doubt if one could purchase such a 
blanket, although it might be done 
through one of the Hudson Bay Com- 
pany’s posts. It is likely that any kind 
of rabbit skin would make a good blanket. 
It might be worth trying if one could 
get enough skins. [Editors.] 
thicken it somewhat and prevent its 
speedy evaporation. Glycerine is a 
heavy liquid and absorbs water upon 
exposure and thus prevents the mixture 
from evaporating. To keep it from 
spoiling, preserve it with some bichloride 
of mercury, dissolve in a little warm 
water. Allow this dope to stand a few 
days, shake it up and scatter a few 
drops on weeds or ground some 8 of 10 
inches back of the place you select for 
your trap. A number 4 newhouse is 
about right size for this varmint. Con- 
ceal your trap very well — if possible 
near a cougar trail. Don’t forget to 
smear some of the mixture on your 
gloves or shoes to conceal the human 
odor. 
If you want a very speedy and effec- 
tive method of removing cougar in dou- 
ble quick time, by all means use dogs. 
For dogs, a pack of 6 foxhounds and 3 
full-blood Airedales makes an ideal com- 
bination for this sport. 
The Airedale is the scrap- 
piest thing on four legs and 
proves a dangerous foe. 
L. S. R. 
nine-point buck from the Florida Big Cypress 
TRAPPING COUGARS 
To the Editor of Forest and Stream: 
A LLOW me to present my wishes for 
■CA a happy and prosperous New Year, 
with success to Forest and Stream. 
Mr. C. E. Cherry, of: Arizona, desires 
some information on mountain lion trap- 
ping. I enclose herewith a few “secrets” 
of my beloved granddaddy, who was a 
hunter and trapper of no mean ability. 
He saw service with the Hudson Bay 
Company and was a government trapper 
in the Yellowstone National Park where 
these critters are a real menace to game. 
In the first place, Mr. Cougar (or 
mountain lion), as he is usually called, 
is an extremely wary critter and a great 
rambler. If you have caught one cougar 
proceed as follows: Remove the whole 
anal part of the animal, or better still 
(if you know some anatomy) and know 
where to find the gall and anal glands 
— remove these and mix with the ani- 
mal’s urine. By the way, these glands 
lie on either side of the vent and look 
like small pieces of bluish fat. Place 
this concoction in a bottle and use one^- 
quarter the amount of glycerine to 
To the Editor of 
Forest and Stream: 
I N your January number 
Mr. Cherry of Arizona 
wants information about 
trapping lions that are get- 
ting the deer. My method 
of trapping these varmints 
is as follows: 
I take a trail to center 
of a thicket, there I hang 
a freshly killed rabbit about 
five inches from the ground 
and directly over the trail. 
I run my knife through the 
rabbit’s lungs and pull down 
to make blood flow. Now I 
set two No. 4% traps in 
trail, about ten feet apart, 
on either side of rabbit, and 
bed them down. Brush out all sign. 
Mr. Lion is not a bit afraid of human 
scent. A sbt of this kind is nearly al- 
ways sure to catch him. If he does not 
step on pan coming over, do not be un- 
easy, because he is sure to back up a 
few feet and crouch. You will get him 
sure this move. 
I hope this will help to end Mr. Cher- 
ry’s troubles. 
R. J. L., Iowa. 
To the Editor of Forest and Stream : 
Why do rabbits have such a large bunch 
of white fur at the end of their tails which 
makes such a conspicuous mark for the 
hunter and dog? I think Nature designed 
it purely as a protection for the young. 
When the mother and young are feeding 
and she hears or sees danger approaching 
she stamps the ground with her feet and 
runs to the safest place she knows. The 
young immediately' follow her white flag 
through the darkest of places. I have 
often seen the flash of her white tail on 
real dark nights and I have no doubt the 
little rabbits have no difficulty in follow- 
ing her to places of safety 
T. C. Homiller, Washington, D. C. 
