Dead Fall and "Twitchup" as Wolf Traps.--Directions for Skinning the Wolf and Stretching the Pelt.--THE PUMA.--Its Scientific
Classification.--Its Life and Habits.--Its Wonderful Agility.--Its Skill as an Angler.--Its Stealth.--Various Traps Used in the Capture of the Puma.--The Gun Trap.--The Bow Trap.--The Dead Fall.--Trap for Taking the Animal Alive.--Log Coop Trap.--The Pit Fall.--Bait for the Puma.--The Steel Trap.--Common Mode of Setting.--Selection of Locality for Trapping.-- How to Skin the Puma.--Directions for Stretching the Pelt.--THE CANADA LYNX.--Description of the Animal.--Its Life and Habits.--Its Food.--Its Peculiar Appearance when Running.--Easily Killed.--The Dead Fall as a Lynx Trap.--Peculiar Manner of Construction for the Purpose.--The Gun Trap.--The Bow Trap.--The Twitchup.--Young of the Lynx.--Value of its Fur.--The Steel Trap.--Various Methods of Setting.--Directions for Skinning the Animal and Stretching the Pelt.--THE WILD CAT.--Its Resemblance to the Domestic Species.--Its Strange Appetite.--Its Home.--Number of Young.--Haunts of the Wild Cat.--Its Nocturnal Marauding expeditions.--Its Lack of Cunning.--How to Trap the Wild Cat.--An Entire Colony Captured.--Ferocity of the Wild Cat.--The Twitchup.--Its Common Use in the Capture of the Wild Cat.--Other Successful Traps.--Various Baits for the Wild Cat.--Directions for Skinning the Animal, and Stretching the Pelt.--THE BEAR.--The Various American Species.--The
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Grizzly.--Its Enormous Size and Power.--Its Terrible Fury.--Description of the Animal.--Food of the Grizzly.--The Black Bear or Musquaw.--Its General Description.--Bear Hunting.--Danger of the Sport.--Food of the Bear.--Its Fondness for Pigs.--Hon-ey Its Special Delight.--The Cubs.--The Flesh of the Bear as Food.--"Bears' Grease."--Hibernation of the Bear.--Traps for the Bear.--The Dead Page vii Fall.--Pitfall.--Giant Coop.--Gun Trap.--The Steel Trap.--The Clog and Grappling-Iron.--Their Advantages.--How to Trap the Bear.--Various Methods of Adjusting Traps.--Natural Advantages.--Honey as Bait.--Other Baits.--Scent Baits.--Skinning the Bear.--Directions for Stretching the Pelt.--THE RACCOON.--Classification--Cunning and Stealth of the Animal.--Characteristic Features.--The "Coon Chase."--How the Raccoon is Hunted.--The "Tree'd Coon."--Var-ied Accomplishments of the Raccoon.--Its Home and Family.--The "Coon" as a Pet.--Its Cunning Ways.--Its Extensive Bill of Fare.--Life and Habits of the Raccoon.--Remarkable Imprint of its Paw.--Season for Trapping the Coon.--How to Trap the Coon.--Various Modes of Setting the Trap.--Use of the "medicines" or "Scent Baits."--Other Traps for the Animal.--Directions for Removing the Skin, and Stretching the Pelt.--THE BADGER.--Its Peculiar Markings.--Use of the Hair.--Nest of the Badger.--Number of Young.--Food of the Animal.--Its Remarkable Fondness for Honey.--Its Cunning.--Remarkable Instincts.--Its Shrewdness.--How to Trap the Badger.--Various Baits.--Use of "Medicine."--Capture of the Animal by Flooding its Burrow.--How to Skin the Badger.--Directions for Stretching the Pelt.--THE BEAVER.--Description of the Animal.--Its Nature and Habits.--The Beaver Village.--The "Lodges," or Beaver Houses.--Remarkable Construction of the Huts.--The Dam of the Beaver.--Wonderful Skill shown in its Construction.--Nocturnal Habits of the Beaver.--Remarkable Engineering Instincts of the Animal.--How the Beaver Cuts Timber.--How the Dam is Constructed.--The Formation of "Reefs."--The Tail of the Beaver as a Means of Transportation.--Subterranean Passage to the Huts.--How Beavers are Hunted.--Young of the Beaver.--How to Trap the Beaver.--The Necessary Precautions.--Castoreum or Bark Stone.--Its Great Value in the Capture of the Beaver.--Various Methods of Setting the Trap.--How to Apply the Castoreum.--Use of the Sliding Pole.--Food of the Beaver.--Directions for Skinning the Animal and Stretching the Pelt.--THE MUSKRAT.--General Description of the Animal.--Its Beaver-like Huts.--Its Nocturnal Habits.--Its Food.--The Flesh of the Muskrat as an Article of Diet.--Description of the Hut.--Extensive Family of
the MuskRat.--Its Home.--How the MuskRat swims beneath Unbroken Ice.--How it is Killed by being Driven Away from its Breath.--Spearing the MuskRat.--Construction of the Spear.--How to Trap the MuskRat.--Use of the Sliding Pole.--Various Modes of Setting Trap.--The Spring Pole.--Scent Baits.--Various Devices for Capturing the MuskRat.--The Barrel-Trap.--Remarkable Success of the Trap.--The Trail.--Skinning the MuskRat.--How to Stretch the Pelt.--THE OTTER.--Description of the Animal.--Beauty of its Fur.--How the "Otter Fur" of Fashion is Prepared.--Food of the Otter.--Its Natural Endowments for Swimming.--Habitation of the Otter.--Its Nest and Young.--The Track or "Seal" of the animal.--How the Otter is Hunted.--Its Fierceness when Attacked.--The Otter as a Pet.--Fishing for its Master.--The Otter "Slide."--How Utilized by the Trapper.--Playfulness of the Otter.--How the Animal is Trapped.--Various Modes of Setting Trap.--The Sliding Pole.--The Spring Pole.--Scent Baits.--How Applied.--Necessary Precautions.--How to Skin the Otter.--Directions for Stretching the Pelt.--THE MINK.--Its Form and Color.--Value of the Fur.--Habits of the Animal.--Its Diet.--Its Perpetual Greed.--Ease with which it may be Trapped.--Habitation of the Mink.--Its Nest and Young.--How to Trap the Mink.--Various Methods of Setting the Trap.-- Baits.--The Sliding Pole.--"Medicine."--The Runways of the Mink.--How Utilized in Trapping.--The Trail.--Various Traps Used in the Capture of the Mink.--How to Skin the Animal.--THE PINE MARTEN.--Description of the Animal.--Its Natural Characteristics.--Its Nocturnal Habits.--Its Wonderful Stealth and Activity.--Its "Bill of Fare."--Its Strange mode of Seizing Prey.--The Marten as a Pet.--Its Agreeable Odor.--Various Traps Used in the Capture of the Marten.--Baits for the Marten.--
The Steel Trap.--Several Modes of Setting.--Directions for Skinning the Animal.--THE FISHER.--Its Form and Color.--Its Habitation and Young.--How the Animal is Trapped.--Various Methods.--The Spring Pole.--Baits for the Fisher.--Principal Devices Used in its Capture.--The Skin.--How Page viii Removed and Stretched.--THE SKUNK.--Its Fetid Stench.--Origin of the Odor.--Its Effect on Man and Beast.--"Premonitory Symptoms" of Attack.--Acrid Qualities of the Secretion.--Its Terrible Effect on the Eyes.--Interesting Adventure with a Skunk.--"Appearances are often Deceitful."--The Skunk as a Pet.--Color of the Animal.--Habits of the Animal.--Its Food.--Its Young.--"Alaska Sable."--How to Trap the Skunk.--Various Traps Used.--The Steel Trap.--Different Modes of Setting.--Baits.--The Dead Fall.--Modifications in its Construction.--The Twitchup.--Its Peculiar Advantages for the Capture of the Skunk.--Chloride of Lime as Antidote.--Method of Eradicating the Odor from the Clothing.--Directions for Removing and Stretching the Skin.--THE WOLVERINE.--Its Desperate Fierceness and voracity.--Its General Characteristics.--Its Form and Color.--Food of the Wolverine.--Its Trap-Robbing Propensities.--How to Trap the Wolverine.--Baits.--Use of the "Medicine."--The Gun Trap and Dead Fall.--The Steel Trap.--Various Modes of Setting.--Home and Young of the Animal.--How the Skin should be Removed and Stretched.--THE OPOSSUM.--Description of the Animal.-- Its Nature and Habits.--Its Home.--Remarkable Mode of Carrying its Young.--Nocturnal Habits of the Animal.--Its Food.--Its Especial Fondness for Persimmons.--Its Remarkable Tenacity as a Climber.--"Playing Possum."--How the Opossum is Hunted.-- How Trapped.--Various Devices Used in its Capture.--Scent Baits.--How the Skin is Removed and Stretched.--THE RABBIT.-- Wide-spread Distribution of the Various Species.--Their Remarkable Powers of Speed.--Nest of the Rabbit.--Its Prolific Offspring.--Food of the Rabbit.--Its Enemies.--Various Devices Used in Trapping the Animal.--Necessary Precautions in Skinning the Rabbit.--THE WOODCHUCK.--Description of the Animal.--Its Habits.--Its Burrows.--Its Food.--Toughness of the Skin.--Its Use.--Nest of the Animal.--The Woodchuck as Food.--How the Animal is Trapped.--The Steel Trap.--The Spring Pole.--The Twitchup.--How the Woodchuck is "Drowned Out."--The Turtle as a Ferret.--Smoking the Burrows.--Directions for Skinning the Animal.--THE GOPHER.--Its Burrows.--Its Food.--Remarkable Cheek Pouches of the Animal.--Their Use.--
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How to Trap the Animal.--How the Skin is Removed.--THE MOLE.--Its Varied Accomplishments.--Its Remarkable Dwellings.--Complicated Structure of the Habitation.--The Fury and Voracity of the Mole.--Peculiarities of Its Fur.--A Waistcoat of Mole Skins.--Odor of the Mole.--Mole Traps.--Various Species of the Mole.--The Mole of the Cape of Good Hope.--Marvellous Beauty of Its Fur.--SQUIRRELS.--Their General Peculiarities of Form and Habit.--Their Food.--Their Provident Instincts.--"Nutting" in Midwinter.--The Nest of the Squirrel.--Burrowing Squirrels.--The Various American Species.--The Grey Squirrel.--The Chipmunk.--The Chickaree.--The Flying Squirrel, &c.--How Squirrels are Trapped.--Various Traps Used in their Capture.--Removal of Skin.--THE DEER.--Difficulty of Hunting the Animal in Dry Seasons.--Various American Species of the Deer.--How the Deer is Trapped.--Peculiar Construction of the Trap.--Scent Bait for the Deer.--Various Methods of Setting the Trap.--Violence of the Deer when Trapped.--The Clog.--Dead Falls.--Food of the Deer.--Deer "Yards."--Natural Enemies of the Deer.--How