ts in suspending the bait by a stick in such a position
that the fox will be obliged to step upon the trap in order to
reach it. The bed should be baited in this way several times before
the trap is set. This method is very commonly employed.

Another still, is to bury the dead body of a rabbit or bird in
loose earth, covering the whole with chaff. Sprinkle a few drops
of Musk, or Oil of Amber over the bed. After the fox has taken
the bait, the place should be rebaited and the trap inserted in
the mound and covered with the chaff, being scented as before.

Some trappers employ the following method with good results: The
trap is set, in a spring or at the edge of a small shallow brook
and attached by a chain to a stake in the bank, the chain being
under water. There should be only about an inch and a half of water
over the trap, and its distance from the shore should be about
a foot and a half, or even less. In order to induce the fox to
place his foot in the trap it is necessary to cut a sod of grass,
just the size of the inside of the jaws of the trap, and place it
over the pan, so that it will project above the water and offer
a tempting foot rest for the animal while he reaches for the bait
which rests in the water just beyond. To accomplish this device
without springing the trap by the weight of the sod, it is necessary
to brace up the pan from beneath with a small perpendicular stick,
sufficiently to neutralize the pressure from above. The bait may
be a dead rabbit or bird thrown on the water outside of the trap
and about a foot from it, being secured by a string and peg. If
the fox spies the bait he will be almost sure to step upon the
sod to reach it, and thus get caught.

If none of these methods are successful, the young trapper may at
least content himself with the idea that the particular fox he is
after is an _old fellow_ and is "not to be caught with chaff" or
any thing else,--for if these devices will not secure him _nothing_
will. If he is a young and comparatively unsophisticated specimen,
he will fall an easy victim to any of the foregoing stratagems.

Although steel traps are generally used in the capture of foxes,
a cleverly constructed and baited dead-fall such as is described
on page 113 will often do capital service in that direction. By
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arranging and baiting the trap as therein described, even a fox
is _likely to become_ its prey.

To skin the fox the pelt should be first ripped