experienced before him.  There are instances on record where this knowing creature has sprung the trap by dropping a stick upon the pan, afterwards removing the suspended bait to enjoy it at his leisure.  His movements are as lithe and subtile as those of a snake, and when “cornered” there is no telling what caper that cunning instinct and subtlety of body will not lead him to perform.  When pursued by hounds he has been known to lead them a long chase at full speed up to the crest of a hill:  here he leaps a shrub, swiftly as an arrow, and landing on the ground on the opposite declivity quickly returns beneath the brushwood and crouches down closely upon the ground.  Presently the hounds come along in full cry, and blazing scent they dart over the shrub in full pursuit, dash down the hillside, never stopping until at the bottom of the hill they find they are off the trail.  As soon as the hounds are passed, sly Reynard cautiously takes to his legs:  creeping adroitly back over the brow of the hill, he runs for a considerable distance on his back trail, and at last, after taking a series of long jumps therefrom returns to his covert at leisure.  Page after page might be filled to the glory of this creature’s cunning, but enough has been said to give the young trapper an insight into the character of the animal he hopes to victimize, and prepare him for a trial of skill which, without this knowledge, would be a most one-sided affair.

We would not advise our young amateur to calculate very confidently on securing a fox at the first attempt, but we can truthfully vouch that if the creature can be caught at all, it can be done by following the directions we now give.

One of the most essential things in the trapping of this, as well as nearly all animals, is that the trap should be perfectly clean and free from rust.  The steel trap No.2, page 141 is the best for animals of the size of the Fox.  The trap should be washed in weak lye, being afterwards well greased and finally smoked over burning hen’s feathers.

[Page 156] All this and even more precaution is necessary.  No matter how strongly scented the trap may be, with the smoke, or other substances, a mere touch of the bare hand will leave a human scent which the fox perceives as soon as the other, and this is enough to deaden his enthusiasm over the most tempting bait.

On this account, it is necessary always to handle the trap with buckskin gloves, never allowing the bare hand to come in contact with it, on any account, after once prepared for setting.

Before arranging the trap for its work, it is necessary to construct what is called a “bed.”  There are several methods of doing this; but from all we can learn from the most experienced trappers, the following is the most successful.  The bed should be made on flat ground, using any of the following substances:  Buckwheat chaff, which is the best, oat, wheat, or hay chaff, or in lieu of these, moss