prung 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 settin