"iliilii 
 
I 
 
\ 
 
THE COMPLETE HUNTERS'.TRAPPERS 
 AND CAMPERS' LIBRARY OF 
 VALUABLE INFORMATION 
 
 BY BUZZACOTT" 
 
 ^y'^^'-CtJ "H^t<A^ I CitW^^V*.'<-^1 
 
 COPYRIGHT. 1913. BY 
 
 McMAINS a MEYER 
 
 PUBLISHERS 
 MILWAUKEE. WIS. 
 

 '^ 
 
 r 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 
 Heading Page 
 
 Authors Introduction 15-16 
 
 Alarm or Danger Signals, 
 
 Signs, Etc 125-127 
 
 Alligator Game Trap. .. 313-315 
 Animals Gesture Language . 
 
 255-256 
 
 Advertisement, Price of this 
 
 Book 544 
 
 Boil Water or Cook in Blan- 
 ket, To 137 
 
 Blue Color of the Sky, The. 127 
 
 Blind, Building a 294-295 
 
 Bait the Fox Previous to Set- 
 ting the Trap, How to. 381-382 
 
 Beaver Skins 335 
 
 Beaver, The, 435-447 
 
 Beaver, Trapping the. .. 444-449 
 Bears, Habits and Peculi- 
 arities of 228-233 
 
 Bear, Hunting- and Trapping 
 
 the 235 
 
 Bear Skins 338 
 
 "Carpenter of the Woods" 
 
 The 493 
 
 Catch the Fisher, How to. . . 
 
 395-407 
 
 Catch the Mink, How "to. 469-470 
 Catching Fish, Scent Bait for 
 
 498 
 
 Camp Hygiene — Medicine, 
 
 Surgery 182-185 
 
 Cold Room, Sleeping- in a... 185 
 
 Coyotes, Trapping 350 
 
 Coyotes, Poisoning 350 
 
 Coyotes Dens, Locating 350 
 
 Correct Loads to Use, The. . 
 
 298-299 
 
 Deer Hunting 278-280 
 
 Direction, How to Find.... 130 
 Deductive Power of Odors . . . 
 
 261-263 
 
 Dressing and Tanning Skins 
 
 and Furs 328-333 
 
 Ducks Fast Flyers 293-294 
 
 Explorers, Hunters and Trap- 
 
 ers, To the 9 
 
 Elk, Normal Habits of 283 
 
 Ferret, The 460-463 
 
 First Lessons, The 25-36 
 
 Fish, To Catch 498 
 
 Fish, Chinese Art of Catch- 
 ing 498 
 
 Fi'ost Bite Remedy 200 
 
 Foxes. To Catch 497 
 
 Fox Skins, To Dress 335 
 
 Page. 
 
 Fox, Hunting and Trapping 
 The , 351-370 
 
 Farmer's Trap for Mink, 
 Weasel, Skunk, Etc 311 
 
 Fur, Hints in Trapping and 
 Selling 484-485 
 
 General Flies Good at any 
 Time 163-165 
 
 Good Animals and Bad Ones 
 225-227 
 
 Gun Barrels, Browning and 
 Bronzing Liquid for 499 
 
 Gun Barrels, Stain for Twist- 
 ed 499 
 
 The Best Ail-Around Gun. . . 
 138-139 
 
 Grader, The Work of the. . . . 
 485-487 
 
 Guides, Duties of 283-289 
 
 Good Bedding 71 
 
 Good Booklets for Sportsmen, 
 Campers, Shooters, Trap- 
 pers, Guides, Etc 303-305 
 
 Handle the Pelts, How to. . . 
 
 481-482 
 
 Hides, Coloring 333-335 
 
 Hints and Pointers to the 
 
 Trapper 327-328 
 
 How to Judge Why Prices 
 
 Fluctuate 482-484 
 
 Hints, Pointers, Kinks and 
 Snarls ( Invaluable Facts 
 
 and Information) 167-180 
 
 Hide.s, Taking Off the 325 
 
 Hunting the Moose 281-282 
 
 Hunt and Catch the Musk- 
 rat, How to 429-433 
 
 Hunting, Hints About 291 
 
 Injured in Camp, First Aid 
 to 187 
 
 Injured, First Aid to the — 
 General Instructions. . 188-198 
 
 Intelligence of Animals. .. 81-86 
 
 Language of Animals or the 
 Secret of Sign, The. .. 250-254 
 
 Leaving Their Sign or Mark. 
 109-112 
 
 Locating Signals and Signs. 
 119-122 
 
 Long and Sharp Sightedness.l38j 
 
 "Make Life Worth Living" . * 
 
 181-182 
 
 Marten, The 452-454 
 
 Marten, How to Catch the . . 
 Pine Marten, The 454-458 
 
 JAN 24 1914 
 
 CI,A363317 
 
CONTENTS— Continued. 
 
 Page 
 
 Mink, The 465-469 
 
 Mink, To Catch 498 
 
 Mink Skins 337 
 
 Mountain Travel, Additional 
 
 Hints 131-132 
 
 Muskrat. The 427-429 
 
 Muskrats "Without Traps, 
 
 How to Catch 433-434 
 
 Muskrat and the Parsnip, 
 
 The 491-492 
 
 Muskrat Skins 337 
 
 458-460 
 
 North, Finding the 130 
 
 Opossum, The 419-426 
 
 Other Baits 165-166 
 
 Outfit and Outfitting 47-68 
 
 Outfit ©r Clothing for One 
 
 Year 133 
 
 Otter Skins 335-337 
 
 Peculiar Traits of Animals. 
 
 112-118 
 
 Plaineraft, Woodcraft and 
 Mountain Travel (Hints to 
 
 Sportsmen) 133-137 
 
 Poultice, Charcoal 500 
 
 Poultice, Mustard 500 
 
 Poultice, Slippery Elm 500 
 
 Poultice, Starch 501 
 
 Poison Ivy and Sumacs 501 
 
 Poisons and Antidotes, Spe- 
 cial 188 
 
 Porcupine, The 450-452 
 
 Preparing Pelts, More About 
 338-339 
 
 Quail Trap 307 
 
 Raccoon, The 383-387 
 
 Raccoon, How to Catch the. 
 
 337_390 
 
 Raccoon ' Skins.". "."..".'.'.'.. 337-338 
 
 Rabbits, To Trap 309 
 
 Rates of Speed at Which 
 
 Birds Fly Per Hour 498 
 
 Ration Outfit for Two Men 
 
 for One Year 135-137 
 
 Reptiles in the United States, 
 
 Poisonous 503 
 
 Rattlesnakes, Dwarf 504 
 
 Rattlesnakes, Typical 504 
 
 Rattlesnake Poison Remedv.511 
 Rifle Shooting, Hints on. 299-302 
 Right and Wrong Equipment 
 
 19-24 
 
 Right Outfit, The 43-45 
 
 Rocky Mountain Travel. . .75-80 
 
 Page 
 Scent or Smell, Power of.S7-lU4 
 Scent and Sign, Power of . . . 
 
 104-105 
 
 Sense of Direction in Animal 
 
 Life 247-250 
 
 Serpents, List of North 
 
 American Poisonous 503 
 
 Setting Traps, Directions for 
 
 346-347 
 
 Sign Languages, Practical 
 
 Illustrations of 257-258 
 
 Sign Language, The Value of 
 
 Noticing 258-259 
 
 Calls 259-261 
 
 Shelter 69-70 
 
 Sign Language, Signals, Etc., 
 
 More About 122-125 
 
 Signals, Etc., Etc 107-108 
 
 Shooting on the Wing. . 281-293 
 Skins, Hints on the Value.. ISO 
 
 Skunk, The 410-414 
 
 Skunk, Trapping the. . . .414-418 
 Skunk Trap, The Deadly . 488-489 
 Sleeping Bag Ideal, The. . .73-75 
 Small Skins, Stretching and • 
 
 Curing 327 
 
 Smoke 'em Out and • Secure 
 
 Prime Fur 312 
 
 Snakes, Elapine 503 
 
 Snakes, Crotaline 504 
 
 Snakes, Classification of Our 
 
 Poisonous 504-505 
 
 Snakes, Coral, How to Tell 
 
 the 505 
 
 Snakes, the Poisonous Ap- 
 paratus of 506 
 
 Snakes, How to Distinguish 
 
 the Crotaline 506-507 
 
 Snake, The Moccasin and the" 
 
 Copperhead 507 
 
 Snakes in the Eastern States, 
 
 Poisonous 508 
 
 Snakes, Poisonous, Erroneous 
 
 Theories Concerning. . 508-509 
 Snake Bite, Treatment of . . . 
 
 509-511 
 
 Snake Bites, Poison Ivy, 
 
 Bites of Insects, Animals. 
 
 Fish. Etc. (Poison and 
 
 Their Antidotes) 199-200 
 
 Snares 307 
 
 Sportsmen and Trappers 
 
 Taxidermy or Backwoods 
 
 Taxidermy 316-324 
 
 Starting Out 17-18 
 
 Southern Travel. Hints for. 68-69 
 
 Squirrels. To Trap 307 
 
 Sunset Tints of the Sky.... 105 
 
CONTENTS— Continued. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Tracks and Trailing 263-278 
 
 Trap, Gopher 309-311 
 
 Tracking on Bare Ground.. 278 
 The Sense of Direction. 236-247 
 Tricks in Guiding and Scout- 
 ing, and How to Stalk 
 Game, Etc., Etc. (How to 
 
 Hide Yourself) 129-130 
 
 Trail and Bait Scents, Use 
 and Abuse of (Right and 
 
 AVrong Methods) 371-380 
 
 Tricks of the Trade 487 
 
 Trap — Sieve 307 
 
 Traps, Hawk and Owl 309 
 
 Trapping Water Animals . . . 
 
 489-491 
 
 Trapping in the Ozarks .... 
 
 494-495 
 
 Trapping in Illinois (Fur- 
 Bearing Animals that are 
 Caught East of the Missis- 
 sippi) 496-497 
 
 Trappers and Hunters Se- 
 crets 497 
 
 Tj-appers' Craft 223-225 
 
 Trout Flies for April, Suit- 
 able 159 
 
 Trout Flies for May 161 
 
 Trout Flies for June 161 
 
 Trout Flies for July 162 
 
 Trout Flies for August and 
 September 162-163 
 
 TRAPPERS CAMP KITCH- 
 EN AND COOKERY. .512-517 
 
 Genuine Montana Steak.. 512 
 Beef or Mutton Broth.... 5 12 
 Currv of Mutton or any 
 
 Meats 512 
 
 Svrian Stew 512-513 
 
 Meat and Potato Pie 513 
 
 Stewed Sheep's Hearts... 513 
 Brown Gravy for Roast 
 
 Meat 513 
 
 Currant Jelly Gravy 514 
 
 Mint Sauce and Mint Jelly.514 
 
 Tomato Rarebit 514 
 
 Green Corn, Tomato, and 
 
 Cheese 514-515 
 
 Macaroni and Cheese No. 
 
 1 515 
 
 Macaroni and Cheese No. 
 
 2 515 
 
 Macaroni with Cheese and 
 
 Tomato Sauce 515 
 
 Page* 
 
 Spaghetti or Italian Maca- 
 roni and Cheese. .. ,515-516 
 Self Raising Flour (to 
 
 make) 516 
 
 Filling for Pies 516 
 
 Pumpkin 516 
 
 Custard 516 
 
 Pointers 516-523 
 
 If Cooking is Too Salt... 5 16 
 
 To Preserve Bread 516 
 
 Baked Bread on Hot 
 
 Stones 516 
 
 Leavened Bread 517 
 
 What to Do With Stale 
 Bread, Broken Pieces, 
 
 Cracker Dust 
 
 Stale Loaves 
 
 Fried Egg Bread 517 
 
 Under the Hypodermic Sy- 
 ringe on an Exploring Voy- 
 age or Trip 201-205 
 
 Use of Strychnine for 
 Wolves, Directions for. 344-345 
 
 Use of Scents." 347-349 
 
 Weasels, Skunks, Badgers, 
 Marten, Etc., Etc 391-395 
 
 Weather Observations, or 
 Plow to Become Weather 
 Wise 140-157 
 
 (a) Upper Clouds (Average 
 Altitude a Little Over Six 
 Miles) 141 
 
 (b) Intermediate Clouds...l41 
 
 (c) Lower Clouds 142 
 
 (d) Clouds of Diurnal As- 
 cending Currents 142 
 
 (e) High Fogs 142 
 
 Weather Signs, Etc. ( Art 
 
 of Foretelling Weather 
 
 Changes) 143-144 
 
 Wind Force Table 144 
 
 Land and Sea Breezes. 145-146 
 AVeather Signs, What the 
 Bible Says About. ... 146-147 
 
 Lightning Signs 147 
 
 Winds of the Day 147 
 
 Plants Which are Weather 
 
 Prophets 149 
 
 Halos and Coronae 149 
 
 Still Other Weather Signs. . 
 
 151-152 
 
 Special Note 153 
 
 Fish Which Foretell Weath- 
 er Changes 153 
 
 Weather, Additional Useful 
 Hints on 155-157 
 
CONTENTS— Continued. 
 
 Page. 
 
 What to Do 213-220 
 
 Wild Duck, Habits of the . . . 
 
 297-298 
 
 What Medicine do We Need. 221 
 Wing Shooting-, Mistakes in. 295 
 Wolf, Hunting- and Trapping- 
 
 the 341-343 
 
 Wolves, Poisoning- 343-344 
 
 Wolves, Trapping- 345 
 
 Wolves, Traps for 345-346 
 
 Wolf Skins, Preservation of. 349 
 
 Page 
 
 Wolverine, The 407-409 
 
 Wolverine, The 471-479 
 
 Woods for Fuel 499-500 
 
 Wolverine, The Tale of a 
 
 (Poetry) 501-502 
 
 Woods, A Bit About 157-159 
 
 Woodcraft and Trappers 
 
 Kno-wledge 37-42 
 
 Word in Advance, A 11-14 
 
 Wounds, Gunshot, Rifle, Etc., 
 
 Treatment of 205-211 
 
 Contents — Ginseng and 
 
 Page. 
 
 Roots and Drugs, Wild and 
 Valuable 524-543 
 
 Gingseng 524-526 
 
 Gingseng, History and Value 
 of One of the Best Drugs 
 Ever Known 526-533 
 
 Goldenseal, About the Hab- 
 itat and Range of 533 
 
 Other Medicinal Plants. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Goldenseal, Descriptions of. . 
 535-546 
 
 Rhizome or Rootstock, De- 
 scription of the 536-537 
 
 Collection and Preparation 
 
 of the Root 537-538 
 
 Pressed Wild Dry Barks, 
 Flowers, Herbs, Leaves 
 and Roots, Value of.. 538-543 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Page. 
 
 A Prize Exhibit of Fine 
 Furs 334 
 
 A Secluded Nook 434 
 
 American Game Birds 296 
 
 ( Plover, AVoodcock, Mal- 
 lards, Wood Duck and 
 Grouse.) 
 
 American Wild Fowl and 
 
 Shooting 304 
 
 (Mallard, Teal and Can- 
 vas Back Duck ; Canada 
 Goose.) 
 
 American " and Canadian 
 Trappers' Badges and 
 Ring 511 
 
 A Good Place to Both Pick 
 Up and Lose a Trail 210 
 
 A Page of Specialties 214 
 
 A Study in Animal Life and 
 Ways 78 
 
 An Ideal Camping Spot..... 10 
 
 An Ideal Playground for the 
 Fur and Feathered Deni- 
 zens of the Woods and 
 Forest 364 
 
 Page 
 An Old and Successful Trap- 
 per and Guide (It's Ex- 
 perience That Counts at 
 
 the Game) 354 
 
 Animal Bait for Mink 348 
 
 Antlers and Horns of the 
 
 Elk (Showing Growth) ... 272 
 "An Exposition Exhibit of a 
 Portable Camp and Its 
 
 Equipment" 46 
 
 Anglers' and Fisherman's 
 
 Knots, Etc 150 
 
 Antlers and Scent Glands... 102 
 
 Brown Bear and Black Bear. 228 
 Brown Bear Trapped 230 
 
 Camp Cookery and Utensils. 66 
 Camp Tables — How to Make 
 
 Them 70 
 
 Camp Beds — How to Make 
 
 Them 72 
 
 Camp and Outdoor Lighting 
 
 Outfits 172 
 
 Camp Lights and Cooking 
 
 Outfits 178 
 
 (For Cooking and Lighting 
 inside a Tent.) 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS— Continued. 
 
 Page. 
 Caught This Pile of Birds. . .314 
 
 Civet Cat 413 
 
 Collection of Twelve Ginseng- 
 Roots 530 
 
 Ermine or White Weasel... 392 
 Experience is the Best 
 Teacher (His First Les- 
 son) 366 
 
 Favorite Traps and Their 
 Uses 422 
 
 Fine Furs, The Right and 
 Wrong Methods of Dress- 
 ing Them 332 
 
 Fisher Marten 395 
 
 Fisherman's and Angler's 
 Specialties 158 
 
 Ginseng 528 
 
 Ginseng Plants Coming Up. .531 
 Goldenseal (A Fruiting Plant 
 and a Fruiting Branch of 
 Goldenseal) 534 
 
 Hints About Hunting (Now, 
 Altogether, Incoming Shoot- 
 ing) 290 
 
 Hints and Pointers for 
 Hunters, Sportsmen, Etc.. 3 10 
 
 Hunters and Trappers Tak- 
 ing It Easy 160 
 
 Hints for Shot Gun Shooters.306 
 
 Ideal Field Glass — Day or 
 Night 93 
 
 In a Tight Place 234 
 
 In the Trappers' Absence 
 (Bears) 118 
 
 In the Trapper's Haunts. . . .370 
 
 Muskrat at Home 432 
 
 Nature Most Beautiful 324 
 
 Pelts .Always in Demand. . . .362 
 (Wild Cat, Lynx, Cross 
 and Grey Fox, Ringtail 
 Cat and Otter.) 
 
 Photo of the Author, Col. 
 Francis A. Buzzacott 8 
 
 Portable Fireless Camp 
 Cooker 44 
 
 Reliable Camp or Sports- 
 man's Specialties 54 
 
 Popular Revolver and Rifle 
 Cartridges 168 
 
 The Porcupine 452 
 
 Portable Boats, Canoes and 
 Skiffs 216 
 
 Page. 
 
 Portable, Canvas, Steel Boats, 
 Etc 222 
 
 Portable Houses, Barracks, 
 Cottages, Etc 82 
 
 Portable Specialties in Camp 
 Comforts 96 
 
 Raccoon 383 
 
 Rifle and Shot Gun Essen- 
 tials 164 
 
 Right and Wrong Ways of 
 Travel 276 
 
 Rope Bends, Hitches, Slip 
 Knots 154 
 
 Roots of Ginseng Showing 
 Ages 529 
 
 Rubber Specialties for Camp 
 Uses 186 
 
 Rubber Specialties for Camp 
 Uses 206 
 
 Sailors' Knots, Bends and 
 Hitches 148 
 
 "Shaw's Drowner" Readv for 
 Use 462 
 
 Scent Baits (Right and 
 Wrong Kinds) 372 
 
 Secrets of Trapping (Art of. 
 Etc.) 428 
 
 Sketches for Shot Gun Shoot- 
 
 etrs 292 
 
 (Sculling for Wild Fowl; 
 Duck Hunting from 
 Blinds Using Decoys.) 
 
 Sketches for Shot Gun Shoot- 
 ers 300 
 
 (Flight Shooting and Wild 
 Geese Shooting.) 
 
 34 Silver Foxes Valued at 
 $21,000 326 
 
 Silver Fox and Marten Pelts. 336 
 
 Skunk 410 
 
 Smoke 'Em Out and Secure 
 Prime Furs 312 
 
 Some Good Work with Bait 
 Scent 411 
 
 Sportsmen's and Hunters' 
 Handmade Knives and 
 Pocket Axes 62 
 
 Stalking Big Game (A Secret 
 of the Hunter's Success) . .128 
 
 Standard Types of Portable 
 Hunting and Fishing Ca- 
 noes 308 
 
 Suggestions in Camp Acces- 
 sories 64 
 
 Su.ccess at Last 284 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS— Continued. 
 
 Page- 
 
 Tent Pole Accessories, Hang- 
 ers, Etc 212 
 
 These Trappers Used Trail 
 and Bait Scent 350 
 
 Things That Can Be Made 
 in Camp 176 
 
 Tracks of Animals "Spoor- 
 ing" (A Study in Gaits 
 and Tracks) 266 
 
 Tracks of Animals (Close 
 Comparisons, Showing How 
 Mistakes are Made) ....'. .268 
 
 Tracks and Trailing (Iden- 
 tifying Sign or Trail) ... .264 
 
 Tracks and Trails (Close 
 Comparison Showing How 
 Mistakes are Made) 270 
 
 Traps for Water and Land 
 Animals 428 
 
 Trapp&rs' Huts (How to 
 Build) 490 
 
 "Twixt Woods' and Waters" 
 ( Where Prime Furs are 
 Found) 418 
 
 Teaching Its Young 352 
 
 The Alligator Game Trap... 3 15 
 The Alligator and Tree Trap 
 
 with Double Jaws 314 
 
 The Author's Pack Tent and 
 Bedding" Which Can Be 
 
 Carried in the Pack 470 
 
 The Author's Diamond Tro- 
 
 • phy 282 
 
 The Ail-Around Wall Tent 
 and Fly (Two Views).... 12 
 
 The Badger 391 
 
 The Beaver 449 
 
 The Beaver at Work. 435 
 
 The Correct AVay to Prepare 
 
 Pelts or Skins 480 
 
 The Sportsmen's Ideal Sleep- 
 ing Bag Outfit Complete. .106 
 The Hunters' and Trappers' 
 
 Headquarters 126 
 
 The Marten 453 
 
 The Mink .464 
 
 The Mink at Home in Win- 
 ter 466 
 
 The Muskrat 427 
 
 The New "Stop Thief" Wire 
 
 Trap 386 
 
 The New "Stop Thief" Wire 
 
 Trap 388 
 
 The Opossum 419 
 
 The Otter (Fish Catching) .. 420 
 
 The Rabbit 380 
 
 The Red Fox 351 
 
 Page. 
 The Trappers' Wagon Outfit. 4U9 
 The A^'armest Dugout Shanty 
 or Shack That Can Be 
 
 Easily Built 479 
 
 The A^'olverine 473 
 
 There's a Reason to It All.. 20 
 Things That Can Be Made 
 
 in Camp 58 
 
 Trap Set at Den of Skunks. .3S6 
 Trapping in the Polar Re- 
 gions 38 
 
 (The Author and Siberian 
 
 Trapper Avith Snow Ski) 
 The Master Trailer at Work. 352 
 Waterproof Ration or Grub 
 
 Box with Table Combined 44 
 The Trapper's Three Friends 48 
 Waterproof Match Box, 
 Compass, Skinning and 
 Cutting Knife, Steel and 
 Case. 
 Tlie All Around Camp Sleep- 
 ing Combination Outfit. ... 52 
 Trappers' or Hunters' Tool 
 
 Outfit 56 
 
 Types of Portable Hunters' 
 or Sportsmen's Camp 
 
 Stoves 60 
 
 Trappers' Favorite Rifies. . . 74 
 The Famous Winchester and 
 
 Savage Rifles 
 
 The New 5 -Shot Automatic 
 
 Shot Gun (12 Gauge) 76 
 
 (The Trap Gun — The Mes- 
 senger Gun.) 
 Trieder Binocular Telescopes 94 
 Types of Automatic ]\Iaga- 
 
 zine Pistols and Revolvers. 136 
 Types of High and Medium 
 
 Grade Shot Guns .- . 134 
 
 (Automatic Ejector Ham- 
 merless Shot Gun, Re- 
 peating Shot Gun. Ham- 
 merless Shot Gun and 
 Hammer Shot (3^un. ) 
 
 Water Canteens and Cooking 
 
 Outfits 50 
 
 Water Knots, Hitches, Etc. ..156 
 "Warner and Swasy Tele- 
 scopes (High Power Bi- 
 nocular) 92 
 
 Weather Observations (A 
 Study in Cloud Effects) . .140 
 
 Wolf 341 
 
 Wolves on the Trail of 
 Game 340 
 
To the E,XPLORE,RS, 
 
 HUNTILRS and 
 
 TRAPPERS 
 
 Those hardy and fearless pioneers of civili- 
 zation, who have passed on and on through 
 the wilderness, over plain and forest, open- 
 »ing and spreading civilization, establishing 
 new enterprizes; creating as a result a mighty 
 empire of freedom, patriotism and Christian- 
 ity; enabling us to enjoy the choicest gifts 
 of this God's country and nature's paradise, 
 and to the army of American sportsmen who 
 are thus permitted to enjoy sport, such as no 
 other country equals, without wantonly des- 
 troying what they can not use, merely to 
 satisfy a killing mania, and to those who 
 will upon reflection, act and aid in the pres- 
 ervation and propagation of life in our 
 forests and streams, this book is respect- 
 fully dedicated by the author. 
 
A WORD IN ADVANCE 
 
 In submitting this, my second volume, to the nature lov- 
 ing public, I wish to thank my many readers for the very 
 generous way they received my previous work. It is largely 
 due to this encouragement that I have labored, in this volume, 
 to further gain your approval, and deserve or merit your 
 patronage and support. 
 
 The large circulation of my first book also shows clearly 
 that facts minus sentim.ent, and truth without fiction, is as 
 interesting as the general plan of mixing both, for this is an 
 age when readers on such subjecte^ seem to desire to avoid 
 sentiment, and get down to bare facts instead, preferring the 
 "meat" of the nut only rather than the "shell" and all. 
 
 In these pages it is not my intention to attempt to 
 idealize wild animal life, or ascribe to them powers of rea- 
 soning, or perceptive intelligence akin to the human. Far 
 from it. 
 
 But it is my aim and desire to credit them with all the 
 intelligence that is due to wild animal life, in all the name 
 implies, and to herein treat upon subjects which is the result 
 of forty years' experience and observation amongst wild 
 animals as a hunter, trapper, guide and explorer. 
 
 In this work I have aimed to treat on subjects hitherto 
 untouched, except in a scientific wav. and while I am fully 
 
12 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 13 
 
 aware that of the countless volumes that have been written 
 on the subject by masters of the pen, there is still room in the 
 field for one at least from the hands of one of the rank 
 and file. 
 
 I am also aware that in this volume I upset many pet 
 theories of many writers on these subjects, and strange 
 though some of my statements may appear to be, I desire 
 the reader to remember that there is a generation almost 
 of experience and observation back of them all. 
 
 In my citation of the Scriptures, I also ask the reader 
 to overlook any digression from, subjects which may appear 
 to be at first "foreign" to the matter, and as you go along 
 the reason why will be made plainer to you later on. 
 
 I would also invite attention to the fact that it is wrong 
 in' my estimation to judge of the intelligence of wild animal 
 life by comparisons made from those animals who are in 
 captivity, because they are subject to unnatural and unex- 
 pected impulses, brought about by the strain of confinement, 
 which prompts them to become changed and prone to the 
 extremes of disposition. This also applies to animals born 
 or raised in captivity, for, as a rule, these are neither physi- 
 cally or mentally perfect, and, despite appearance, are ill- 
 natured and undeveloped, and liable to flighty, changeable 
 moods — nervous, fearful, mean and selfish, and with few ex- 
 ceptions, differ entirely from those creatures of the wild 
 woods and forest, who are free to exercise all their natural 
 powers, mental, physical and otherwise. These are depend- 
 ent on their resources, free from all restraints and far superior 
 in intelligences to those which in confinement are embittered 
 and enthralled. 
 
 Furthermore, I ask the reader to commence perusing 
 this volume, not in part, but as a whole, from the first to the 
 last page, for if this is not done you will fail to observe or 
 see the connecting parts, so essential to an understanding 
 of its peculiar scope or depth of the whole. 
 
 In conclusion I can only say that the writer lays no claim 
 to naturalistic or scientific tendencies, has .never even re- 
 ceived a complete common school education, but for forty 
 years has lived a life laid down in these chapters, and by 
 experience and enthusiasm for my subjects have compiled 
 this volume. 
 
14 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 To me it has been a life labor of love and hard work. 
 I have written as I would speak to you, and try to put my 
 personality and individuality in every page; no one has edited, 
 corrected, added to or deducted from a single line or chapter, 
 for I feel that to depart from this rule would be to lose the 
 individuality or personality I desire you to be the judge of. 
 
 As mentioned before, this is my second volume; the first, 
 the "Sportmen's Guide," received such a welcome at your 
 hands that I have been encouraged to still greater exertions 
 in my endeavors to serve and interest you further with a 
 still larger array of facts intended to instruct rather than to 
 entertain as before. 
 
 Faithfully and fraternally yours, 
 
 (The Colonel) FRANCIS H. BUZZACOTT, 
 
 Chicago, 111., 1913. 
 
 Member of: British South African Expedition, 1878-9; 
 Antarctic Expedition, 1879-81; Voyage to the Arctic, 
 1881-4; Service of the U. S. Government, 1885-93; 
 Spanish-American War Campaign, 1898; Wellman-Polar 
 Expedition, 1906; • National Rifle Association; League 
 of American Sportsmen; American and Canadian 
 Sportsmen Association; American Geographical So- 
 ciety; National Geographical Association; Association 
 for the Advancement of Science; American Institute 
 of Scientific Research. 
 
 ¥^ 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION 
 
 . Take the map of America today, place your finger on any 
 part of it — North, South, East or West — trace out Polar 
 Ocean, Hudson Bay or Alaskan regions, westward to the 
 Rockies, eastward to the Great Lakes, south to the Gulf of 
 ^Mexico, Central or South America, the Tropics, over clear 
 to Cape Horn, if you will, back to the Arctic ice fields 
 again. Ask who was the first men to "blaze a trail," "tote 
 a pack" into its forest or wilderness, cross morass, marsh 
 or swamp, force or shoot the treacherous rapid, portage its 
 winding waterways, pass over mountain chains, chasm, foot- 
 hills, plains, arid desert, barren or timber, and you'll find 
 that m the history of American progress, side by side, hand 
 in hand with pioneer craftsmen, the trapper has done his 
 part; comes in for his equal share of honor or fame. 
 
 When others pushed on beyond he alone penetrated the 
 remaining untraveled regions, faced unknown dangers and 
 "blazed a trail" that others or civilization could follow after. 
 The thud of his axe or dead fall, the swish of the snare, the 
 dripping gleam of the paddle, the click or snap of the trap, 
 the flash of the flint-musket or its echo told the story of 
 progress of his lone and lonesome tasks, while gleaming 
 knife thrust, fur piles, scalp belt and a few bleached bones 
 later told their silent tale of hunter and trapper being hunted 
 and trapped in turn. Mattered it not if a trail ended there, 
 others followed that way and pushed onward in advance of a 
 ■ mighty empire, which later followed in their wake. Un- 
 known dangers were bravely faced, as was bitter frost, numb- 
 ing cold, hunger, thirst or starvation even, a fortune lost 
 or won, or loved ones sacrificed deterred not his irresistible 
 progress onward; scant success, misery, dismal failure even 
 was part of the game to be played, and he won and lost in 
 turn. The yelp of the fox, the wail of the jackal or coyote, 
 the scream of the panther, wolverine, the snarl of the wolf, 
 the shriek of pain or the yell of triumph was all the sounds 
 he heard — trapper's music then, as now. Such was the men 
 and days of the past, and those who seek to be trappers to- 
 day must in a measure, at least, emulate their ways, and, 
 profiting by the experience of others, learn even to avoid 
 their failures — yet achieve their successes. Life is too short 
 
16 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 for universal personal experiment; the successful man of 
 today is the one who profits by the experience of others — 
 reaps a harvest or reward. 
 
 No man is a born woodsman or trapper. The choice of 
 either following calls for men with red blood in their veins 
 — men able to smile in the face of repeated failure, for 
 mortifying failures will creep in no matter how old or ex- 
 perienced one is at the game. Now the question hinges on 
 turning failure into success — trying over and over' again, if 
 needs be, with renewed interest; scheming, planning new 
 methods to suit today's conditions as you find them; adapt- 
 ing oneself to conditions and circumstances which are ever 
 varying and seldom the same, taking into account all the 
 little vexations and irregularities which creep into the game, 
 and with stubborn persistency striving to overcome them — 
 trying to do better, and with keen eyes, tireless feet, un- 
 flagging zeal, putting heart and mind into the work and realiz- 
 ing that no matter how experienced one may be there is al- 
 ways something more to learn. 
 
 There are so many movements in the checker-board life 
 of a trapper that it is impossible to make any one system to 
 cover the field. Animals are governed largely by the caprice 
 of the moment; so should the trapper ever adapt himself to 
 conditions as he finds them, which are seldom, if ever, the 
 same, and by energetic practice and perseverance meet 
 move with move, accepting and expecting defeat, discourage- 
 ment, losses, failures, yet playing the game to win. Do this 
 and failures will assure successes, for as in all other things 
 so is it in the trapper's field. One eventually must win, 
 that is if he puts his heart in the work, and first, last and all 
 the time adds to his storehouse of knowledge as to wild 
 animals' ways and how to circumvent them. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 17 
 
 ^'STARTING OUT" 
 
 To be a successful trapper or hunter depends neither on 
 the elaborateness of one's outfit, kit, size of the tote pack, 
 ability to juggle the irons or shoot so very straight. In- 
 deed, in these days, we must learn not from the catalogue 
 standpoint, but by profiting from the old and time-tried 
 experience of those who have graduated before us in the 
 knack of it all. 
 
 We have books and stories galore of the personal experi- 
 ence and reminiscences of the craft; hence, it shall not be 
 my purpose to, in this volume, interest or entertain my 
 readers on these lines; instead, to compile a work such as 
 will instruct and serve you, one which can be read with profit 
 before you take your trip to the woods, and which can be 
 read with equal advantage after you get there, no matter 
 whether your route lies through the forest or mountainways, 
 along the blazed trail, beaten path, plain, desert or along the 
 rippling waterways. Or if you are of the tribe who seek a 
 livelihood thus, or one who, for a well-earned recreation, 
 simply take to the tall timbers but once in a while. 
 
 Indeed, it shall be the purpose of this volume to aid the 
 reader by studying more the habits and peculiarities of the 
 game and haunts we seek, believing that were the trapper 
 or hunter of today to put more of such thought and care 
 to his store-house of knowledge success would come much 
 easier in many ways. Indeed, there is quite as much neces- 
 sity of information on these lines as there is in the way of 
 correct, right and light outfitting for such a trip. 
 
 It is such things as these that has contributed much 
 toward the success of most of our noted frontiersmen, trap- 
 pers, hunters, scoutJ, guides, etc., be they Indian, native or 
 white men, when out on their trips. All of them have 
 profited by a thorough knowledge of the habits and peculi- 
 arities of the game they seek, its location and the regions 
 they traverse. With them these essentials are the all-im- 
 portant, first, last — all the time, in fact; then why not with 
 us, too? The whole trouble is, we pay too much attention 
 to our outfit or kit and rely too much altogether on our 
 shooting irons. It would be much better to put more of 
 this time into studying "the ways of the animals instead. 
 For is it not essential? As it is, we are really handicapped 
 
18 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 by ourselves, going into the woods or haunts of the game 
 with too little knowledge of what to really do after we get 
 there. 
 
 These are the essentials to real success. Nine times 
 out of ten one can attribute failure to the dire lack of knowl- 
 edge of these things. 
 
 There is plenty of game of all kinds, and killing it is the 
 easiest task. The hard part of it is to know how, where, 
 when to locate it, and one cannot do this unless they 
 make a particular and thorough study of how to go about 
 it correctly; much as did those famous guides who have 
 gone before us, except perhaps that we, ourselves, must 
 modify their ways so as to suit our today's conditions and 
 needs. 
 
 True, we first took our lessons in all these things from 
 the Indian, past master of the art as he was then; but not 
 today, because the white men have profited by and improved 
 on his methods, even to putting into his hands the superior 
 weapons and knowledge how to reach and kill game. We 
 have gone ahead of him by leaps and bounds until, poor Lo, 
 his skill and knowledge is almost a thing of the past. Years 
 ago we marveled and wondered at his supremacy in the way 
 of woodcraft, art of trailing and a hundred other things, but 
 time has changed; we have advanced while the Indian has 
 not, until he is nothing more than history, almost. No Indian 
 ever lived could equal the all-around abilities or exploits of 
 such Americans as Carson, Boone, Crockett, Bridger, Lewis, 
 Clark, Houston and a hundred more that I could mention in 
 days gone by, and even today there are many white men who 
 can teach the Indian much that he never knew about even 
 his own trade, woodcraft, or the art of living off the re- 
 sources of the country that at one time was his own. Today 
 the white man, trapper and hunter both, will exist where 
 the Indian cannot, and even he himself acknowledges his 
 short-comings and the supremacy of the white man's ways. 
 
 Unfortunately, however, the new beginner, trapper, hunter, 
 etc., makes the serious mistake of not emulating the achieve- 
 ments or knowledge given out by these famous men, and 
 are ourselves to blame for much that contributes to our 
 failure in the hunt and our knowledge of woodcraft, and by 
 pen and picture, both, I intend to try to show you plainly 
 how, why and where we are at fault in many things at least. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 19 
 
 RIGHT AND WRONG EQUIPMENT 
 
 First of all, let us take the average hunter's garb — the 
 dress or clothing today. Could anything be more inappropri- 
 ate than the very rig which fashion has decreed the hunter 
 or sportsman should wear? Here we have gone too far 
 ahead for our own good, so much so that it greatly lessens 
 our chances for success, and adds no little to our failure. 
 From stem to stern, as the sailor says, or from the tip of our 
 head to the soles of our feet, are we ill-fitted and incumbered 
 with both clothing and equipment for the woods or the chase. 
 
 L will go even further and say we are ridiculously garbed 
 — so much so that even the hats, caps, clothing or boots such 
 as we wear and use not only retards and hinders our progress, 
 but lessens and diminishes our chances of success to a sur- 
 prising degree. Indeed, when one really does give due con- 
 sideration to these facts, all in all, it is enough to make one 
 wonder how in the world some men really do succeed now- 
 adays hunting. 
 
 Would it not be more fitting, wiser and better, were we 
 to garb or clothe ourselves appropriate to our surround- 
 ings, and liken much to nature when in the wilderness or 
 chase? As it is now, we rig ourselves in both clothing and 
 equipment which, while it may seem all right to us, through 
 our custom and ways of using it, is in itself enough to really 
 scare or frighten the wits out of any bird or animal that 
 crawls, creeps, walks, climbs, swims or observes us. • For 
 do we not sacrifice looks, everything, for comfort, while the 
 old experienced hunter sacrifices comfort for success, or at 
 least he leaves his comforts where he can avail himself of 
 them after success is assured. 
 
 It is the experienced hunter who strips for the chase, 
 who divests himself and person to every inappropriate gar- 
 ment or item inessential to the trip, no matter be he in the 
 Arctic regions, the tropics, the sunrise or the sunset country, 
 it is the same; he travels right, light and in exact accordance 
 with his requirements, season of the year, location, etc., first, 
 last, all the time considering the conditions necessary to pur- 
 suit of the game he is after and the regions he traverses. 
 On the other hand, the new beginner garbs himself fero- 
 
20 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 EXPERT HUNTERS AND THEIR WAYS. 
 
 There's a Reason to It All." 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 21 
 
 ciousiy almost, and adds to it equipment galore that is in 
 itself freakish and a burden in lots of ways. 
 
 Instead of a close-fitting hunting shirt or tunic, such as 
 takes on the natural color of the woods or surroundings, 
 he usually garbs himself in various colors and styles, canvas, 
 corduroy or cloth garments, that are positively discernible 
 and alike to nothing about him, so much so that he is a 
 movable, conspicuous, strange thing of life, that can be 
 almost instantly seen with somewhat scarecrow effect by any 
 critter that happens his way, or who gets within scent, eye or 
 ear-shot of him. Instead of a light, close-fitting head dress 
 approp^riate for the woods, he jabs on his head perhaps a 
 wide-brimmed felt hat of a color and shape that not only 
 enlarges his already big head, but which resembles nothing 
 in the world like any one thing to be found in the woods. 
 His outer garments show no more forethought, as they are 
 ofte-i made of a cloth or material that has yards of excess 
 stuff and ounces of weight that is superfluous and which rasps, 
 invites or betrays the scratch of every bush or scrubble he 
 comes in contact with, instead of being close-fitting or noise- 
 lesslike, not to mention its d,ecided off color. His feet and 
 ankles from the knee down is usually incased with a leather 
 boot or heavy covering that is about five times as thick 
 as needs be, and which alone betrays his nearness, strange- 
 ness and ponderous weight wherever he goes, in every step 
 h(^ takes. Indeed, he is neither silently or sensibly shod, nor 
 does he seem to give it even passing thought. Around his 
 waist, perhaps, is a belt full of brassy cartridges, or the 
 ever essential gleaming axe or knife, while a huge, shiny 
 buckle almost heliographs his proximity the distance of a 
 rifle shot away. In his hands or on his shoulders he car- 
 ries well in sight the almost polished blue steel barrelled 
 weapon, with its dark and shiny stock that front or rear 
 of him is to be observed, while perhaps on his shoulder he 
 carries, humped on his back, his pack sack of essentials, 
 jingle full of good things as he believes, but which adds to 
 his already scare-crow, monstrous appearance. In his mouth 
 the pipe, with its tobacco smoke curling and hovering above 
 him; his other hand swings time with his careless gait, and 
 he cares little or nothing for his towering height, breadth 
 or weight, as he strides along at perhaps a lively, five-mile 
 
22 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 clip, craning his neck and head so as to see over every noo 
 and cranny he can find in the distance beyond lumbering 
 along like a big moose, and making about as much uncon- 
 sciouslike racket as a whole family of bears would, trying 
 to be quiet, I will admit, but absolutely at a disadvantage; 
 perhaps, too, he has a guide or companion along, either or 
 both for that matter, contributing in no small way to the 
 breaking of that ever essential silence and stillness in the 
 woods necessary for success. 
 
 And now let us observe and follow the ways and teach- 
 ings of the experienced trapper or hunter as a comparison — 
 the man who makes it a business — trailer guide, Indian if 
 you will, no matter where is his field, north, south, east or 
 west, you will find him the same. To begin with, he is 
 rightly and lightly equipped, silently and smoothly shod, 
 appropriate to the work before him. Alatters it not if the 
 snow lies hard and crusty, deep or soft before or behind 
 him, or the leaves, branches or stubble dry or wet, overhead 
 or beneath him. From his knees down the close-fitting soft 
 breeches leg of buck or hairskin is formed animal-like and 
 fitting to the very smooth sole of his comfortable, even 
 homely, yet unpinched moccasin feet. From his waist or shirt 
 down he is clothed in a rough way, too, but with every 
 freedom of limbs; and yet there isn't a superfluous inch or 
 ounce to impede or betray his quietest passage or progress 
 through the thick brush, or over the barren if need be. 
 Even its dirty color harmonizes with his surroundings. His 
 garments may be patched and greasy, too, but even this is 
 better suited for his purpose than new, harsh and stiff. 
 He isn't on dress parade, and his "glad rags," if he possesses 
 any, he wears on his back, while even its old color, faded 
 maybe, likens to his surroundings. You will find, too, he 
 is not adverse to hiding his big head in a bunch of dry 
 grass, weeds, bush tops or a few tail-feathers when creep- 
 ing up closer to good game haunts, for he knows by experi- 
 ence that it wasn't all vanity, but a whole lot of common 
 sense about the old Indian tricks of disguising their ap- 
 proach toward game thus. He has learned, too, that hair, 
 fur and feathers Vv^on't scare when big hats, caps and white 
 strange faces will. He isn't a bit backward either about 
 stuffing his hat or cap out of the way, and Indian-like sneak- 
 
 n 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 23 
 
 ing or crawling, snake-fashion on his knees a hundred yards 
 or more for the chance to sight game, or twice that dis- 
 tance for a closer, better, surer shot. To him it is pleasure, 
 woodcraft, and he chuckles and is repaid when he chances to 
 seek, deceive or reassure the frightened quarry he seeks, 
 and prides himself on his ability to make good thus. 
 
 Neither does he load himself down with a 'belt full of 
 ammunition and fixing, or carry a tote-sack about with him 
 habitually. If he does, you will find it both "jingle and fool 
 proof," and rtiost likely hidden somewhere in the woods 
 about where he can lay his hands on it when needed. He 
 has learned, too, the natural noises or wood talk, and- loves 
 to imitate the cries of the animals, or the forest sounds, 
 as he strives to conceal his own noises. He studies the 
 ways of the critters he is after, and seeks its meat or pelts 
 in a business-like way — gets it and sport besides; not the 
 hide-and-seek work and play we indulge in, and honestly 
 he gets through life for a week in the woods with less 
 truck and fixings than lots of individuals who call them- 
 selves hunters take on any single day's trip. 
 
 Think it over, and at best we won't have to theorize 
 much as to the reason of it all. 
 
 Not only this, but as master of woodcraft, he stands 
 second to none, for like the Indian he, too, studied the ways 
 of the woods and life therein. To him this was his book 
 or catalogue — the birds and animals he is after his subjects, 
 as must you, too, who would follow his ways. He has 
 learned by patience and perception these instead of other 
 things, and realizes the value of silence, mimicry, and pays 
 heed to those things more than to his kit or camp. Should 
 perchance he miss his way or his cache or camp becomes 
 lost, "he isn't," and his fortitude and indifference to such 
 hardship is like his 'brevity of speech in such cases, sur- 
 prising at least. For he will then perform his journeys 
 ahead or 'back, without the aid of geography, compass or 
 astronomy, knowledge, better perhaps than most of us do 
 with all three; if there is such a thing as the "sense of 
 direction," he certainly shows the ear-marks of having it. 
 Yet, back of it all, hard common sense is the secret of even 
 this. 
 
 The compass he knows not perhaps, or to him, like many 
 
24 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 other hunters, it is but a puzzling doubt. The sunset, sun- 
 rise, its opposite directions, his memory and eyes point the 
 way to both his destination and back track, like the lark to 
 its nest, or the bee to its tree. 
 
 The clump of brushes, waterways, rocks, hills, barren, 
 valley or the big trees are his guiding landmarks that once 
 looked for and seen he seldom forgets. And if he has never 
 traveled certain routes, or in regions unknown to him, one 
 has but to point the direction correctly, and he will find it, 
 or return to his "cache" or starting point to try it all over 
 again. 
 
 If hunting, he is never more happy than when going 
 alone and light, because he is not handicapped by the other 
 fellows or their ways. He eats when he is hungry, and 
 not by clock time, and the fire he builds to cook his food 
 with, or the ashes he leaves, could be covered with the brim 
 of his hat. To him sand-hills, prairie, barren, mountain or 
 wilderness travel is the same. The simple kit his motto^ — 
 and he is not adverse to building shelter and making himself 
 comfortable when on the trail of game, racher than hiking 
 back to any distance for camp comforts, for he has learned 
 the art of partly gathering his sustenance, foods and medi- 
 cine from the wilderness, just as did the Indians or their 
 forefathers perhaps before them. For have they not profited 
 by the experiences of others and the lessons which were 
 taught in all these things, just as you can if you but will. 
 
 ■^'^rf*^ 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 25 
 
 THE FIRST LESSONS 
 
 And now for the first lessons: It is such men as these 
 that we are indebted to for much of the preliminary knowl- 
 edge which goes far toward later unfolding to us the many 
 secrets and mysteries of nature and the chase. In our travels 
 amidst the wilderness we soon learn that the owl has silent 
 wings that hardly rustle, and is thus seldom heard, and that 
 he often hoots only, that his ears and eyes may better locate 
 his thus scared or fleeing prey, and that these traits make 
 him the dreaded Ghost of the Woods. We learn, too, that 
 'birds even build and maintain decoy nests which they ar- 
 range in the open to deceive their enemies, while they hide 
 their own young with almost human intelligence elsewhere. 
 It does not take us long when we study such simple things 
 to find that while nature provides birds with wings, that 
 they must be taught, coaxed and driven to fly, as is the 
 animal to swim, climb or jump, and that the much talked of 
 instinct does not avail them in the ability to even find or 
 catch their food, or hide from the pursuit of their enemies; 
 that even the males of their own as well as other species are 
 constantly seeking to end their existence; that even the 
 mother kills her own offspring that appear deformed or can- 
 not learn correctly, or that becomes thus a burden; that even 
 birds and animals can at times partly conceal or withhold 
 their scent, by which their enemies are deceived or mis- 
 led; that there are many birds who cannot see straight, 
 and that the cute sideway glances we admire really often 
 mean that they are looking straight at you. And as we go 
 deeper into the study of woods life, we find even the much 
 thought and taught instinctive flights and migrations of birds 
 and animals are mostly but "follow the majorfty plan" — 
 and that birds and animals flock together at times only for 
 a given and express purpose, all acting under the leadership 
 and instructions of one who assumes and commands obedi- 
 ence by dint of superior knowledge, and upholds his or her 
 rights to the merited position by battle with whomsoever 
 of his host, flock or herd that opposes or challenges his 
 rights to the coveted honor; that they hear, see and speak 
 the silent languages that we can even learn to use, all of 
 
26 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 which can be used to further our success in the chase, as we 
 shall later see. 
 
 We know, too, of their abilities to communicate their 
 wants, dislikes and fears to each other, and we shall later 
 learn how they signal and use those signs; that they hold 
 these conferences and pass judgment for offenses upon each 
 other, to each other even. Nor have we far to look for 
 proof of all these things. Animal and bird life depend for 
 their existence, much as we do, not upon instinct alone, 
 but by experience, observation and the admirable, diligent 
 teachings of their parent species and kinds, of which we have 
 every proof, and by the fact that left to their own resources 
 the young bird, fish or animal, is the first to fall a victim 
 to its enemies; that certain of them prey on each other, 
 much as did the human savage race in days gone by, for 
 with them even it is the survival of the fittest and the pass- 
 ing of the weak and helpless even to Cannibalism, as we know. 
 
 We will learn, too, of the hairless, furless and 'bare- 
 skinned creatures, and to those of the many and varied 
 garbed, such as we are, and that even the baby beaver and 
 otter fears the waters it must exist in, and sometimes re- 
 quires its mother parent to use force to teach it the first 
 rudiments of swimming even, much as is the young eagle 
 taught to kill; that scent nor sight of man does not alarm 
 the little helpless creatures who have not yet been taught 
 these lessons; that curiosity is more instinctive in young 
 animal nature than fear, and that they did not always regard 
 man as an enemy, and it is but education in the knowledge of 
 man's killing power and habits that makes his approach to 
 them almost impossible, and that in regions where they have 
 not been hunted animals even suffer themselves to be ap- 
 proached and handled by men, and yet let them but receive 
 their lesson they will hide or flee from man who harmed 
 them not even. 
 
 Perhaps not one out of a dozen of the animals that we 
 see in the woods today has even been hunted or shot at 
 by man. But it has been taught that his is the danger scent 
 of all to be feared, and in obedience to its teachings or 
 inpulsive lessons, and the effect of intuitive habit, it regards 
 mankind as its greatest enemy of all things to avoid; and 
 if we will but ourselves take a few doses of reason and judg- 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 27 
 
 ment, we will soon learn to combat these things, and to use 
 or turn the knowledge thus gained to place them within our 
 power, or capture them. 
 
 We will find, too, that with animal life extreme watch- 
 fulness becomes a natural habit, and is not prompted by 
 habitual fear; that this intelligence is the result of observa- 
 tion, much as is ours. Hence, we must exert our superior 
 senses to overcome theirs, remindful of the fact that they 
 are not living the half-scared kind of life we think, but in- 
 stead, in a contented sort of way, despite the fact of their 
 being sought for and eaten by their enemies, hunting or 
 hunted as the case may be. To them it is survival of the 
 fittest, and there are unquestionably times when all animals 
 seem to be at peace with each other; again, when all seem 
 to be out, and the woods fairly alive with them hunting and 
 being hunted — all possessing and seeming to enjoy their 
 powers to in some way combat their enemies or capture 
 their prey, they seem to decide whether or not to risk a 
 combat or match themselves in fight or flight, as the case 
 may be, or to, by subtle expediences, avoid, elude or outclass 
 them. Here, then, is called in their ability to run, dodge, 
 jump, climb, hide or swim, or seek the most advantageous 
 shelter, where they are safe. We find proof of this in many 
 striking ways, which we can with good profit turn to our 
 account and their detriment; the tree climber always striking 
 for the nearest trees, the antelope or caribou to the open, the 
 moose and bear to the thicket, or water animal, like tht 
 otter, beaver, etc., to the nearest and deepest water, con- 
 ditions, of course, even governing these things. On the 
 other hand, assuming that the chances of the battle are un- 
 equal in any way, it results in the attempt to outgeneral 
 one another in a way, as I have before emphasized, either 
 by fight, flight, tr.ickery, or even the acknowledgment of de- 
 feat, and to trust whiningly to the mercy or possibility of 
 escape from its unrelenting foe. 
 
 Again, by the same token do they seem to realize when 
 capture means, death, as is evinced by the most frantic 
 struggle and effort to escape. And now comes the strangest 
 part of it all — so strange does it all seem that at first one is 
 inclined to doubt the truth of it, and yet, if we will only stop 
 to think, we will realize and give due credence to the fact 
 
38 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 nevertheless, that to the captured or beaten animal sub- 
 mission and even death comes much easier than we with our 
 tender thoughts imagine, for prior to the creature's death the 
 animail seems to lose the sense of pain, if not all feeling. 
 
 Not that it is without pain or even suffering, but that it 
 really is far less than our trained or over-sensitive nerves 
 suspect or think. Nor do we have to look far for every 
 proof or authority in these things. Take, for instance, our- 
 selves. Thousands of such incidents happen amongst us 
 in this world, when mortal and terrible, even fatal wounds 
 have been inflicted, where in the excitement or heat of pas- 
 sion, or even fear, without any pain whatsoever being experi- 
 enced. Not only this, but we have been known to feel no 
 effects and to remain even in ignorance of "what struck 
 us" until, perhaps, hours after others called attention to the 
 wounds, or we felt its effect from natural yet ignorant con- 
 sequences. But, then, this is but an incident, one out of a 
 hundred perhaps that we know of, where death seemingly 
 comes, devoid or robbed of all or most pain whatever. And 
 that this is all the more so in "wild animal life" I feel most 
 positive. 
 
 Ask any old trapper or hunter of experience and he 
 will tell you of a hundred more such instances of but little 
 sufferings from wild animal life thus, and that kind and 
 merciful nature seems to indicate and provide an almost 
 painless and submissive ending; that the shriek we some- 
 times hear, and attribute to pain, likens only to the cry of 
 fright or the signal that it realizes it is doomed. It might 
 be, too, that Providence suffers such an apparently violent 
 death, not unlike that of our own, in lots of cases, where 
 we pass away slowly but surely, even without suffering, 
 although perhaps but a while before existence and life was 
 by disease or accident rendered an unenduring torture. 
 
 Hence, let us but hope that nature is but kindly thus 
 to the creatures in the woods. This much we do know: God 
 in His infinite ways and goodness of heart has made proper 
 provision for all things of His creation, and of this we are 
 certain. 
 
 Again, too, we learn why nature has formed their animal 
 bodies of such peculiar shapes and variety of form, all with 
 a purpose as we find, be it of climbing, sneaking, running. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 29 
 
 crawling, swimming or amphibious kind, and the more we 
 study these things the more we marvel at how wonderfully 
 nature has fitly endowed them. 
 
 Even the seemingly ungainly moose or caribou, when we 
 have studied them, appearing ideal from the point of its 
 teeth to the tip of its tail, there is something to be learned, 
 inasmuch as they correspond exactly to their uses of these 
 things. Jaws for gnawing, cutting, tearing, holding, chew- 
 ing, sucking, snapping or crushing; even to the construc- 
 tion of feet or hoofs being most wonderfully correct, and in 
 accordance with its purpose, no two 'being alike perhaps, 
 and even the tails answering certain functions, as we shall 
 all learn later on. 
 
 The squirrel tail even gives us an instance of a three- 
 fold use in propulsion, support or balancing power, and in 
 its leaping, acting somewhat on the aeroplane principle, 
 which we are now aiming to attain, this applying mostly to 
 animals of a leaping, climbing nature, especially so in the 
 species which we find employ their fore paws for other 
 purposes at the same time, while in animals of an opposite 
 nature its functions and use grow less, as we shall later see. 
 
 Indeed, in every animal we find such differences. Take, 
 for instance, in the paws and claws — some are capable of 
 retraction, sharp cutting and having holding powers, others 
 for prolonged digging or powerful blows, as instanced in the 
 wolverine, badger and bear. Others are capable of con- 
 tinued flights, leaps, and of such form and shape as aids in 
 their progress through the dense thicket and deep under- 
 brush, over plain, barren or mountain cliff, while others 
 possess all these traits in combination. 
 
 We will learn, too, as we go along that the hard hoof of 
 the deer or antelope cracks and snaps the twig that lies in 
 his path, while that of the bear crushes and muffles the 
 sound, while the weasel glides over it noiselessly; that the 
 foot of the reindeer or caribou enables its free use and 
 serves as a snow shoe almost in the deep soft snows of the 
 valley, plain or barren, and yet gives forth a crackling, noisy 
 sound peculiar to their trotting pace. Examine the foot and 
 you will find it spreading or clover like, and expanding its 
 edge even sharp, so that it travels softly and easily over 
 the smooth and slippery ice, and at the same time enables 
 
30 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 him to dig deeply down for his moss and lichens or foods on 
 which he depends for his existence in the treeless wastes 
 or arctic barrens. 
 
 On the other hand you will find the hoof of the moose, 
 deer and antelope so blunt and thin, rendering travel thus 
 in the deep snows next to impossible, especially so if crusted. 
 Hence, do they hug the woods and feed, straddle or ride 
 down the bushes, smaller trees and twigs and maples, and 
 travel not so far, ofttimes necessitating "y^^ding" in the dis- 
 tricts which they traverse, not the yards that many of our 
 readers and writers infer, but twisted long trails and passage- 
 ways through the snow and trees that lead here and there for 
 miles, and which, to keep open, they even travel frequently 
 through the woods to keep thus so. 
 
 While the caribou roams as he pleases almost in low 
 barren tundra or morass, travels far and near as is his want, 
 feeding either on the deeply covered nourishing lichens or 
 on the tree mosses of the forest "windfalls." 
 
 Again, too, we cannot help but marvel at the process 
 of evolution in animals and habits. Take, for instance, the 
 otter, bear, fisher and the animals who have acquired the 
 habit of taking to the water, fishing and also climbing trees. 
 All bears love to fish. The polar bear lives thus, and even 
 outdoes the fish, walrus or seal in speed and fishing. Even 
 old "Eph," the grizzly king, who climbs not the trees, yet 
 is as good a fisherman as any, while the otter and fisher 
 does all three, and holds his own with the best of them, 
 and digs his hole in the ground besides. Even the Indian, 
 Lapplander and Newfoundland dog and others turn fisher- 
 man and hunter, and there is hardly a dog of the north but 
 turns out to be even excellent salmon fishers, and yet the 
 beaver, who inhabits the waters mostly, prefers the bark of 
 trees and woods for his food. Water is his home nearly, 
 5^et he builds houses that defy the elements, animals and man 
 almost to break open and enter, ahd who, unlike all other 
 animals, have strong family ties which bind even genera- 
 tions of them together in one large family, year after year, 
 even to enlarging their homes to accommodate the increase 
 and growth thereof, or moving, building even larger and more 
 commodious quarters if needs b^, much as we build larger 
 and more commodious houses to accommodate a growing 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 31 
 
 and congenial family, and who seem to grieve and mourn 
 the loss of a member or loved one even to the extent of 
 becoming outcasts and bachelors, seeking solitude and liv- 
 ing thus apart or forced away from others — a vast dis- 
 tinction between those animals whom, as I have mentioned be- 
 fore, drive out and desert their young or destroy them, 
 simply to get rid of them — in accordance with wild animal 
 ways. 
 
 Again, we will learn of the traits of these blood-sucking 
 vampires, of the weasel tribe, demons of the woods as they 
 are, tell of the martens, sables, and wolverines, ways, and 
 the power of the trapper which enables him to both lure 
 and deceive even the most blood thirsty of them; of their 
 remarkable sense of smell and their unconquerable desire 
 to kill, even after their unsatiable appetites are appeased; 
 even to the death-hold of the playful badger and the use 
 of its hair — all shall be taken up in turn, in an effort to 
 show that of life in the woods, indeed we have much yet 
 to learn. 
 
 As we go further along we find out and learn of the 
 reason why and when animals change their coats of hair 
 and fur, and how it takes on the more suitable colorings and 
 weights; as to how and why the antlered monarchs of the 
 forest lose and grow their successive horns; why even the 
 hairless species supplement their bodies more or less with 
 layers of warm fat or "blubber" as their seasons or sur- 
 roundings call for, especially in the case of all sea and 
 water fur-bearing animals, and show why seals of the fur 
 and hair variety seek the land and distant rookeries during 
 their breeding- seasons, there remaining at times for weeks 
 without water or food, bearing their young and guarded 
 and isolated by their mates, so much so that when they 
 take to the waters again they must often swallow stones 
 to ballast or balance their bodies for the swim again, strange 
 though it may seem. Again, too, how nearly all the different 
 water and land animals even secrete, retain and give off 
 their peculiar odors or scent, by which they are recognized, 
 repel, attract or arouse the passions of the opposite sex. 
 How generally these differ in each individual specie; show 
 you how they act where they are found; that their functions 
 and their uses may be noted with interest or used with profit 
 
32 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 and value — things generally known by all trappers, but by 
 few hunters, as a rule. Again, too, how this greasy and 
 oily substance can be located where it shall be found to 
 terminate from the gland to sac or bladder like a receptacle, 
 wherein it is made and stored as a product and made by the 
 yielded process of nature, and why it is especially strong 
 and active in the rutting or breeding season, morq than at 
 other times; hence, more valuable. 
 
 I shall show you that it is by these scent glands that they 
 recognize friends or enemies, even to the sexes without 
 seeing them, added to by powerful hearing and eyes that 
 particularly see motion. We shall learn, too, that nine out 
 of ten animals can be deceived or lur'ed by the hunter or 
 trapper, even when close to them, by remaining still and not 
 moving; that he even can attract, lure and deceive them with 
 the belief that we are of their kind, even to the mimicry 
 of their movements, sounds and smell, and that as long as 
 you remain still, they seem to be in doubt or uncertainty of 
 your actual identification, and if you watch them closely, 
 you will even see them search for you with their ears, and 
 lick their nostrils and take more frequent long sniffs to 
 make their scent more keen, thus showing that he trusts 
 not to the easily deceived eye, but to his other and better 
 powers. Failing in this, he will perhaps even challenge you 
 in a peculiar but certain way, rising on the hind feet sud- 
 denly to take a better view, or by a stamp of their fore and 
 hind feet or by a jump toward you, all with a view of 
 receiving an answer; that, too, even the Indian and old 
 hunters can answer this challenge, animal like, even to a 
 degree of reassurance, such as you never dreamed of, mim- 
 icing a friendly cry of its own or other harmless species, 
 even to the employment of a deceiving scent to aid in the 
 deception, for, mind you, man himself gives off a scent that 
 is fatal to success in the very near approach of game. 
 Especially so is this the case when his body 'becomes heated, 
 excited or perspiring, and if you have hunted or trapped 
 much, you can soon learn to distinguish the larger animals 
 yourself by this peculiar scent, especially so in certain 
 seasons and in the dense woods, when the leaves are moist 
 and the atmosphere damp and close. This is particularly 
 noticeable around dens, moose yards, runways or other 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 33 
 
 regular feeding or breeding grounds; then it is not only 
 perceptible, but at times objectionable almost — birds even 
 being included in this as well as many of the species, giving 
 off a stronger scent thus than others, rendering it an easy 
 matter for men experienced in such things to even identify 
 the animal to which it belongs. Nor is this trait confined 
 to life in the woods. Fishermen, even "whalers" of experi- 
 ence, smell fishable waters with a positive degree of cer- 
 tainty; in fact, there is hardly a cod or mackerel fisher but 
 can, by these means, locate and follow a shoal or school of 
 fish even at night, for they give off even a more perceptible 
 scent or smell than do the animals, just as does the pine, 
 cedan or other dense woods betray its proximity to the nose 
 of the experienced woodsman long before he reaches or 
 sees them. 
 
 Neither must we forget that there are birds who burrow 
 neath the ground or Arctic snows for their home, while 
 animals even nest in trees; that, too, birds build nests from 
 the down of their breast only, yet never nest in trees; that 
 there are birds that can fly, but cannot walk; even birds that 
 swim, yet cannot fly; others that "strut" and parade their 
 beauty, form partners and even dance to the music of their 
 own cackle and play games, such as even we. Perhaps, too, 
 among my readers, there are those who have not yet seen 
 or heard of the "White Flag" in the woods or chase, or 
 learned by experience the teachings and signals that its ever 
 silent movements give. If so, perhaps he has not yet learned 
 that even tails can talk, and if he has learned all this perhaps, 
 too, he -listened to the mournfu4 cry of the mother animal 
 seeking its lost one, or the plaintive cry of the young seek- 
 ing its parent, which he has gathered to his harvest or stock 
 of pelts by his skill as a trapper, or the distant shot of a wan- 
 dering one when hunting. If so, he will remember, for it is 
 one of those sounds or lessons of nature that once taught 
 is rarely forgotten, yet often practiced in the "Lure of the 
 Wild." 
 
 Nor have we forgotten the dissimilarity of animals, or the 
 peculiar or well known traits — the subtle craftiness of the 
 wily Fox, who in the unequal chase even leads us all astray; 
 of the animals of the Cat tribe, whose tail so plainly be- 
 speaks anger or fear, of the home-loving, almost human abili- 
 
34 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 ties of the Beaver, of the Prairie Dog, Owl and Rattle- 
 Snake, who while they prey on the young of each other, nev- 
 ertheless live in terms of toleration, if not intimacy, together 
 in their similar though strange underground homes. 
 
 We will see, too, the Otter slide the steep bank in playful 
 glee, or •the Bear and Coon drop from the high tree without 
 hurt or harm to themselves; learn how the Possum and 
 Fox both feign death and suffer even the test of torture and 
 time, and find out why there are hairless tails; that even 
 birds imprison their mates, and why and how it is done; that 
 there are even wild plants and flowers that trap, catch and 
 eat insects; that there are birds who can stand, run and 
 dance on the waters; that fish frozen for weeks can be 
 thawed out and live again. Learn, too, of the duration or 
 age of life in all birds and animals, and that all animals fear 
 both the storm, lightning and thunder, hole and den up be- 
 fore and during storms; that the hibernating habit is not 
 confined to the bear, and that they often do not hibernate 
 at all, and wh}^ Xot only this, but of their lethargy, medicine 
 and foods which enable them to hibernate, and the antidote 
 they seek when the long sleep is over for recuperation. 
 
 We will learn, too, that animals and birds are good weather 
 prophets, and are particularly busy and active at certain times, 
 and at others are not; that even we can learn much of unmis- 
 takable weather signs which will b& favorable or unfavorable 
 to the chase: that all animals stay holed or denned up, or 
 huddle together at frequent periods, and likewise that it is 
 useless to hunt for them at these times; that the very mark 
 on the trail of their feet shows plainly their actions, route, 
 size and even indicate to the speed at which they are actually 
 traveling; that even animals lose their control of action and 
 get rattled, much as does the hunter who experiences so- 
 called "Buck Fever," and that it is fright, not fascination or 
 charming, that enables the snake to secure its prey. 
 
 We will know, too, why animals become nocjiurnal in their 
 habits, roam around at night instead of day, and go particu- 
 larly into the details as to when is the best time and where 
 are the best places to locate and find each and every species. 
 We shall learn, too, of their sickness and disease and how 
 they search for the medicine plants and roots that we our- 
 selves use as drugs to combat their ills; learn even how they 
 
CO'MiPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 35 
 
 meet death with that same degree of equanimity as they 
 inflict it upon others; that kind and wise Nature teaches 
 even the animals to anticipate and prepare for death from old 
 age, robs it of its seeming terrors, and commands submis- 
 sion to its strange laws, many as they are, indeed. 
 
 In concluding the chapter and subject I can only say: Who 
 is there among us who have hunted much and heard not the 
 sudden long, low bellow of the Cow Moose? Or the unnat- 
 ural one made from the Birch Bark Cone, in the hands of the 
 experienced hunter or guide, which is sometimes answered 
 and followed ^by the Bull Moose in reply? If so, perhaps 
 he has heard the "Challenging Call" or the "Chug"; if so, 
 perhaps he has seen the ]\Ionarch of the Wilderness answer 
 and breast down or ride the young sapling of the Moosewood, 
 Birch, Willow or Maple Tree for its mate. 
 
 Perhaps, too, he has witnessed the rival struggle for the 
 favors and possession of the Forest Queen, and if so, maybe 
 you have been told of the once King of the Caribou or Moos- 
 herd who, though majestic, through old age has been cast 
 out and forced to roam in silence, forever and alone an out- 
 cast of his kin. And far and deep into the almost impene- 
 trable depths of the forest woods, once in a lifetime the old 
 hunters and trappers come across their "boneyards," where, 
 the mighty Monarchs of the Forest seek the same lasting 
 resting places of the Antlered Tribe that have passed away 
 in peace before them, and that these seemingly ghostly places 
 are or seem to be shunned by others unto the last of their 
 doughty race, even remembering his teachings or instincts 
 to the very end. 
 
 "For the Master of Destinies in ]\Iercies does mind 
 All of the creatures as well as mankind." 
 
 Again, too, why not make a study of everything that per- 
 tains to the woods and waters as well as life therein, and apply 
 the knowledge thus gained to our mutual advantage, when in 
 the chase or whilst living in the woods or forest, where we 
 sojourn, that we may reap the benefits thereof? Why not 
 learn of the varied and peculiar, or valuable properties of the 
 trees, woods, barks, plants and roots, of the formation of 
 hills, prairies, mountains, valleys plain barren or thickets, 
 wherein hides and lives the game we seek, and over or through 
 
36 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 which our route lies — all this that our skill in anything which 
 pertains to the chase or hunt may increase and lead to suc- 
 cess under every condition, whether it be that of living off 
 the resources of the country we are in ourselves or to in- 
 structing others as to similar requirements. To do this we 
 must unlearn much which civilization and progress has taught 
 us, and learn again that which our forefathers really knew 
 before us, but which in these days of advanced civilization 
 we have almost forgotten; not that it is essential, not that 
 such knowledge might be, but that it will at least add to our 
 success, whether it be for a week or a month, or in a single 
 day. 
 
 And while speaking of this, let it be borne in mind that 
 such things are of value in a thousand other ways than to the 
 hunter or trapper alone. The Geologist, Ranchman, Farmer, 
 Builder, Homeseeker, Explorer or Traveler all benefit in very 
 many ways by such knowledge. Indeed, it is often such 
 information as leads up to a more definite way of determining' 
 the habits and peculiarities of the game we seek, and aids 
 to its pursuit and capture. By such knowledge we familiarize 
 ourselves with their failings and shortcomings, learn why they 
 seek certain locations, when they are to be found there, when 
 nor, and why. 
 
 :)S*''W' 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 37 
 
 WOODCRAFT AND TRAPPERS KNOWLEDGE 
 
 To follow them by track or trail to avoid their knowledge, 
 or to impose upon their ignorance and to match cunning 
 with skill and superior intelligence. Thus to do we learn 
 the rules of Wilderness, Mountains or Desert Travel, how to 
 prepare the hides or pelts of the animals we trap or kill for 
 the market, shelter, footwear or clothing, and its flesh for 
 food, for present, future or emergency uses, so that the jour- 
 neys through the forest can be made safely and easily. By 
 it we learn the use of barks, roots and plants of life and profit 
 thereby, whether it be under the burning sun or the tropical 
 wilderness, the lowlands of the temperate zone, or facing the 
 winters of blast in desolate regions amidst deep, soft or 
 frozen snow through which we must pass, depending for our 
 existence or in search of gain. 
 
 Here must the trapper find his way, his food, his drink, 
 and perhaps his coverings or shelter. He must trail or find 
 his game, kill and dress it, make his fires, fashion his weap- 
 ons or his clothes, and keep himself warm; to dress a 
 wound, cure the bite of a serpent or rabid animal, sting of 
 the insect, nurse or starve the fever or feed the cold. In the 
 treeless wastes he must learn to climb for water or dig for 
 his wood, thus reversing the useful customs with which he 
 is most familiar. Again, to build a snare, dead or pitfall 
 trap, when his weapons fail, to form the crude snow shoe 
 or ski — scale a mountain, climb a tree, or make a fording 
 across a treacherous stream, or improvise a sling-shot, bow 
 and arrow, to pack a ca3mse, build a raft, boat, skin or bark 
 canoe, shoot a rapid, climb a mountain or bridge a pass; he 
 will learn to mimic the hoot of the owl, the drumming of 
 the grouse, the cry of the eagle, call of the moose or elk, 
 howl of the wolf, coyote or the yelp of the fox, to trail them 
 from the sound, or by the track and sign, be it the fox, 
 beaver, lynx or bear. He learns, too, of the approaching 
 storm, the herald of the frost, sun dogs, or the token — halos — 
 of clearer weather; to locate the fixed and planetary stars, 
 to guide himself by, learn the time of day without a watch, 
 or to guide himself without a compass. Not that he is to 
 master all these things, but that should occasion arise he 
 can by his own abilities provide for his own and others' 
 
38 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 TRAPPING IN THE POLAR REGIONS 
 
 The Author and Siberian Trapper with Snow Ski. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE , 39 
 
 wants, in a way such as he gained his other knowledge from 
 books, school and study, and does one but bend his energies 
 in this direction, such knowledge he will find greatly to his 
 advantage in many crafts and stages of life, when the need 
 of such things arise. • 
 
 "For Nature unfolds its secrets bare. 
 And we profit by all we find written there." 
 
 Why not, then, commit to me<nory the signs and tokens 
 which lay and are to be found along our trail and route, 
 watch the tracks of the animals we seek, and trace them to 
 their lair or search for the shrubs and roots which form 
 their fcods? Why not know that the poplar and birch bark 
 of spruce gum will repair a boat or build one — that sedge 
 grass will yield twine that the woods of the forest will 
 build us shelter — that moss, mud or clay will clink its crevices 
 or plaster its cracks, or that bark and sods roof it well — 
 that bulbs, tuberous roots, bark of trees, mushrooms and even 
 leaves and plants increase our food supplies — of the fatty or 
 resinous woods that yield torch and light? 
 
 No man can ridicule such knowledge, lest some time in 
 life he may feel the efifects of his ignorance. Why not qualify 
 in these things as well as in the use of rifle or trap? Has 
 not such knowledge made American woodsmen famous, and 
 added chapters to our history and success, to which all the 
 world has listened, the age marveled at and profited by? 
 
 No man is a born woodsman. By his knowledge, though 
 he may acquire the title, and yet all can learn by observa- 
 tion, study, notice and memorize that which will often serve 
 and repay us in "tight places," and lead to the capture of 
 perhaps a dozen animals instead of one. 
 
 Is not trailing an important art? Without it he can 
 neither disguise his own "hoof marks" nor follow and locate 
 the quarry he seeks. He must learn to perceive and "read 
 signs'" for the correctness of his judgment depends on it. 
 "Sign is not trail," but trailing is the art of involving trail 
 from sign. By it he learns to read strange marks on the 
 snow or ground that to others would be lost, to tell what 
 made it, its age, size and the direction it goes. A meaning- 
 less mark is thus turned to his advantage and profit, and if 
 he lacks skill as a shot he makes up the deficiency and more 
 
40 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 by trailing, which to the trapper is now as essential as is the 
 hinds of the chase, for by these means does he at times in- 
 crease his catch sixfold, or supplement his knowledge, store 
 and provisions. 
 
 Let, tl>en, the reader study well these pages and chapters 
 of this volume, for in them there is much of the first rudi- 
 ments to knowledge of this kind. It is for you alone to 
 take up the subject you deem most fitting to your purposes, 
 and to learn by observation morie if you will, and if you 
 but set your mind upon the accomplishment of a given pur- 
 pose it will be found an easy task, especially so if you fol- 
 low up the information given you or suggested by these 
 pages, by personal experience along these lines, consider- 
 ing well the conditions which govern all things. 
 
 There is much yet to be learned, hence we must trust 
 not to hands and feet for this knowledge, but to the use 
 of our head and the exercise of common sense and superior 
 judgment necessary to do all things well. 
 
 True we cannot, need not, all be as well versed in the 
 art of Woodcraft as were those famous Frontiersmen and 
 Pioneers of Civilization such as we have mentioned, and yet 
 there is no earthly reason why we cannot be if we choose. 
 For have we not advanced and made possible the equal of 
 their achievements in a much easier way? Science and 
 experience has placed in our hands the more perfect weapon 
 and means — the match instead of the flint and steel, the 
 deadly cartridge in place of the powder and shot flask, and 
 the Binocular Field Glass soars the distance of a day in 
 advance, while civilization has made its stations and. ob- 
 jective points everywhere about us. Where for these men 
 there was little or nothing, today the unknown regions are 
 almost a thing of the past, and go where we will we find 
 civilization, and Man has gone before us, pointed out the 
 direction, made easy the way. 
 
 Today the Wilderness and Jungle have been shorn of 
 much of their mysteries, and we fear not to penetrate 
 through its depths to beyond. Go where we may — north, 
 south, east or west, we find civilization before and behind 
 us both. So much for progress. Hence it is obvious that 
 almost any man can master the art of modern "Woodcraft," 
 does he but learn the knack of adapting himself to the 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 41 
 
 conditions necessary to sustain life in his travels to and 
 through his route, until he reaches civilization beyond; 
 and to be ordinarily well versed, and but a fair trapper 
 or hunter even, he could exist safely and comfortably even 
 for years, did he but make up his mind and not lack in com- 
 mon sense, nerve, will-power and instruction necessary to 
 accomplish the end in view. 
 
 Such knowledge as this when committed to memory is 
 better than a "pack train of supplies," which in nine cases 
 out of ten only hampers and impedes one's progress. In- 
 deed, the fewer articles or things one can get along with 
 the better, and the more our knowledge grows concerning 
 such things the smaller does our "pack sack" or outfit be- 
 come. Indeed, -we are much better ofif when we practice 
 the art of traveling light and right. I care not where a man 
 is going, or for what purpose, the less he takes of the 101 
 "What Nots" on^ a trip, and the more he sticks to the 
 "Simple Outfit Plan" the better and greater will be his suc- 
 cess, provided, of course, he chooses the essentials, or has 
 knowledge to improve or use them. 
 
 The trouble is, in our ignorance we "tote along" too 
 many things that can be easily dispensed with to our detri- 
 ment. Hence, if we wish to live wisely and well, let us 
 leave frills and fixings .-behind, and draw from our store- 
 house of knowledge instead. In short, if we wish to accom- 
 plish something, make headway, so to speak. 
 
 Don't put your money and time in seeking catalogued 
 and elaborate kits, but in instruction as to how to get along 
 with less of the non-essential things. I care not where 
 the route of the trapper or hunter lies, there should be 
 nothing carried along but what can be easily packed on 
 his own back, as far as he alone is concerned; to litter 
 himself up with more, unless he was on an exploring trip, 
 would be a fallacy which could be likened only to a desire 
 to "rough it." No woodsman or trapper on earth indulges 
 in such foolishness; to him a pound of weight means a mile 
 of progress. 
 
 It is knowledge that points a way to the hidden spring, 
 creek or the moist ground 'by which he quenches his thirst, 
 fills his water bottle or canteen; he chooses foods of a 
 nutritious, simple variety, that will answer his simple needs; 
 
42 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 eats when he needs it, we, when the hour comes. How 
 much better off would we 'be if we emulated his plan? In- 
 stead, we load our packs and stomachs with indigestibles 
 that test our strength to carry, and valuable time to prepare. 
 He holds down to necessities, and his knowledge of woods 
 life and skill furnishes him with luxuries galore, that we in- 
 sist on toting along to our detriment. This is wrong; it 
 is the easy way that makes us happy and content, puts red 
 blood in our veins, makes the chase and trip so interesting, 
 success gratifying and easy. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 43 
 
 THE RIGHT OUTFIT 
 
 And now let me here explain what I consider the ideal 
 Light and Right Outfit for the Trapper or Hunter in the 
 woods. 
 
 First of all, this depends on conditions, season, location; 
 for it is apparent to the intelligent that one must outfit 
 according to the requirements and the needs of the regions 
 he is to traverse. It makes a deal of difference if his route 
 lies across a desert or plain, through the forest, mountains 
 or waterways. Supposing, for instance, it is for all three. 
 Then, indeed, can it be termed an "all-around outfit," de- 
 pendent then on the knowledge of the resources of the 
 country through which he must pass. Then does it call 
 for head work, and usually the more of this kind of thought 
 one bestows on such an outlt the less will his back and mind 
 suffer "toting" it about with him. 
 
 In its selection he must use good judgment. Cut out all 
 ideas, fads and trifles that savor of the "Might Come in 
 Handys," which in "number and variety" somehow creep 
 into the best of one's kit, despite the fact that we all preach 
 against it, much as does the drunkard preach against rum. 
 There is too much of this "cut and dried" sort of way o'f 
 going about things, and it is only when we get down to 
 "actual dead rock" that one realizes that things aren't put 
 just according to calculations; and about the time we get 
 down to that stage of the game where we have to hustle 
 for a while, depending on our skill and effort for an exist- 
 ence in the woods, do we fully realize our shortcomings, 
 and wake up to the fact that we are pitifully ignorant of 
 Animal and Forest Life or ways. It isn't the ability to 
 shoot straight — not by a long shot, nor to tote a heavy load 
 or travel distances, but to learn something of the science 
 and art of knowing where to find the "furs," and in finding 
 it where we know it to be; incidentally, using some of the 
 time usually spent in overhauling catalogues, or an effort 
 to post up more on the habits and movements of the ani- 
 mals we seek, and in familiarizing yourself into that loca- 
 tion. Even to the extent of spending a few moonlight 
 nights looking for them, watching their ways and profiting 
 thereby, and I doubt not that you will see things that will 
 
44 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Waterproof Ration or Grub Box and Table Combined — with 
 Contents as Shown. 
 
 Portable Fireless Camp Cooker 
 
CO'MfPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 45 
 
 give you more genuine pointers than all the yarns spun 
 around cabin tires put together*. Don't go at things half- 
 hearted. It is no use trying to cut down a tree by lopping 
 off branches first, not always getting down close to the 
 roots at the first crack, and instead of believing the fact 
 that animals are decreasing, hunting and trapping getting 
 harder and less paying, think up a bit on the pleasure and 
 freedom of it all, and the fact that it is up to you to get 
 busy and make good. Success isn't coming along; you go 
 after it and meet it half way; shipments and records prove 
 there was never a time in history when such catches were 
 made as there is today; conditions never were better for 
 a trapper or hunter's success. Think over these things a 
 bit, boys, then, get out, "hustle and make good," for it really, 
 after all, is up to you. 
 
46 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 4? 
 
 "OUTFIT AND OUTFITTING" 
 
 Waiving luxurious comforts, it is always desirable to 
 travel as light!}- as possible and as little encumbered, espe- 
 cially if the tramp be long" and continuous and not broken 
 by occasional te^iporary camps. Nevertheless, experience 
 teaches that the trouble of carrying an extra pair of walk- 
 ing-boots, or at least a pair of moccasins or easj^ shoes, is 
 well repaid. If your feet are blistered, coat the inside of 
 your socks (woolen are best), from the ankles downward, 
 with common yellow bar soap, repeating the application for 
 two*or three daj^s. by which time the feet will become hard- 
 ened. It acts equalh" well as a preventive. Never suffer 
 the shoes to dry after wetting, 'before they are thoroughly 
 oiled, soles as well as uppers, with castor oil. The least 
 inconvenient dress is a woolen overshirt with pockets, worn 
 as a blouse and fastened around the waist with a sash or 
 belt. TJie toe of a stocking fitted into the shirt makes a 
 good pocket, if you have none alread}-. A heavj- Hudson's 
 Bay or Canadian overcoat, with hood; serves as coat, blanket, 
 pillow and cap combined. Always carry plenty of twine 
 and large needles. If a piece of your clothing is torn oulf, 
 patch it with anj-thing available. The legs of a boot make 
 the best possible seat for a pair of trousers, and can be 
 as easily fitted as woolen stuff. If 3-our felt hat is too loose, 
 put a stick under the band and give it a half turn. If you 
 want a candle-stick make a loop of birch bark and slip the 
 ends into a split stick; then insert your tallow dip. If you 
 wish a torch, take sheets of birch bark and slip them in 
 the slit. A pine knot is better than either where no danger 
 is apprehended from fire. If 3-our matches are wet, and it 
 rains heavih- you can find bits of dr}'^ punk in the excre- 
 scences under the bark of birch and maple trees; flash 
 powder into lint or tow and then ignite the punk. Either 
 fire powder from your gun or use a flint and steel. If lost 
 in a hardwood forest and can find no water, one can generally 
 get sap enough for a drink by cutting a chip out of a maple 
 or birch, and making a spout to let it flow clean of the trunk. 
 Water can be obtained by digging a hole into marsh}^ spot 
 and filling it with grass. Then take a piece of elder, pipe- 
 
48 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 THE TRAPPERS THREE FRIENDS 
 
 Waterproof Match Box. 
 
 Compass. 
 
 Skinning and Cutting Knife, Steel and Case. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 49 
 
 stem, or any hollow tube and setting it perpendicularly upon 
 the grass, pack the earth around it. Then apply suction 
 with the lips and you will get water enough to assuage 
 thirst. (By the way, in a desert birds fly toward water in 
 the afternoon, and away from it in the morning.) Carry 
 your matches in a vulcanized rubber box to prevent wetting; 
 or a bottle will answer. There are a thousand little devices 
 and resorts which one learns by experience, and which oc- 
 cur to him naturally when required, but are difficult to 
 inventory for others' use. For provisions, one must be gov- 
 erned by circumstances. Tea, flour, ham, salt pork, soda 
 powders, salt and pepper in quantities required, are all that 
 are necessary. Never carry ground coffee, it is bulky and 
 will impregnate the other stuff with its aroma, especially 
 when wet. Buzzacott's condensed coffee takes no room, and 
 is a luxury indeed. But, if the sportsman insists upon 
 'Carrying ground coffee, he will find the grounds very use- 
 ful to keep fish fresh, taking out their entrails and gills, 
 and sprinkling the coffee grounds thickly into the belly and 
 mouth of the fish; the more grounds used to each fish the 
 better. 
 
 Desiccated food of all kinds is compact, and goes a great 
 way. Pickles and onions are a desirable addendum and an 
 excellent relish. We are writing for those who propose 
 "roughing it" in earnest. Of course, for ordinary camping 
 out one may add as many luxuries as he likes, and the 
 greatest of these is a camp kit of tin ware, containing knives, 
 forks, spoons, cups, plates, broiler, frying-pan, teapot, pep- 
 per and salt box, syrup and tea caddies, sufficient for five 
 or six persons, all fitting nicely together in a large water- 
 pail, the whole costing about twelve dollars and weighing 
 nine pounds. The old army knife-fork-and-spoon combined 
 is very convenient to carry. Always take blankets and 
 warm clothing when it is possible, and a change of under 
 and outer clothing. One's cast-off suits are the best, as they 
 can be thrown away in the end of the journey, leaving the 
 party less weight to carry home with them. An "aqua 
 scuten," a small waterproof cape that can be folded into a 
 small compass in the pocket, is sometimes a great com- 
 fort. Of miscellaneous articles for a party who intend to 
 remain much in camp, we enumerate the following: 
 
50 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 WATER CANTEENS AND COOKING OUTFITS 
 
 Canteen with Combination Cooking and Messing K'it. Plate, 
 Cooker, Knife, Fork, Spoon, Cup and Canteen Combined. 
 
COiMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 51 
 
 Rods, reels, lines, flies, bait hooks, trolling tackle, gaffs, 
 landing net, bait box, float. 
 
 Woolen and rubber overcoats, old shoes, rubber leggings, 
 extra boots, slippers, or moccasins. 
 
 Hatchet, knife, pistol and cartridges, screw-driver, awl, 
 pliers, gimlet, whetstone, twine, wire, rope, leather straps, 
 tacks, needles, pins, thread, wax, scissors, paper, pencil, 
 rubber. 
 
 Compass, matches, fuse, candles, spring balance, cork- 
 screw, pocket pistol, field-glass. 
 
 Soap, towels, comb, sponge, looking-glass, goggles, linen 
 and flannel rags and raw cotton, to be used for cuts, 
 wounds, cleaning guns, mending, etc. - 
 
 Pipes, tobacco, maps, diarrhoea mixture, cathartic pills, 
 salve, court-plaster, ammonia, sweet oil, and a mixture of 
 tar and oil as a preventive against flies and other insects. 
 
 One India-rubber bag to hold the "kit" is a desirable 
 addition to an outfit, as it makes a portable package and 
 keeps its contents always dry. 
 
 One thing which every hunter should appreciate is com- 
 fort in camp, and to be comfortable and happy should be 
 his main business. "Roughing it'' is not healthy on account 
 of poor food badly cooked, sleep taken on the bare ground, 
 unnecessary exposure and dirt. Every one should be care- 
 ful to provide an abundance of good food with proper 
 means for cooking and caring for it conveniently;, he 
 should camp in the best attainable place, considering al- 
 ways sanitary laws, just as potent by the way in camp as 
 anywhere else; and camp, too, in time to make himself 
 comfortable for the night, when it is daylight, and every- 
 thing is handy around. Camp "tricks" should be kept in 
 their places, not thrown helter-skelter, or left lying where 
 last used, the common opinion that order is opposed to 
 easy comfort and freedom from care, to the contrary not- 
 withstanding. 
 
 In sleeping, but little, if any, more bed clothing should 
 be used in camp than in a house; too much cover has 
 given many a city fellow a cold, and disgusted him with 
 sleeping out of doors. He thinks that as he has no roof 
 over his head he ought have a thousand blankets. In the 
 middle of the night he gets into a perspiration, kicks off 
 
The All Round Camp Sleeping Combi« 
 nation Outfit. 
 
 The Spcrtsmaas Mattress, Pillow, Bed, Blankets, Hammock, 
 Carry-All, Roll-Up all in one. 
 
 As a Bed. 
 
 Open Bhowing Blanket Folds, Pillow^ 
 Flap and Mattress. 
 
 As a Hanamock. Simple, Convenient and Safe. 
 
 As the Carry All, Weight in All 15 lbs. aU Rolled tJp, 
 
 52 
 
CO'MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 53 
 
 the cover, cools suddenly, and the next morning swears in 
 a hoarse whisper that sleeping out of doors is a humbug. 
 No more cover should be used than will keep the body at 
 a natural heat; anything more is bad, even if not enough to 
 cause perceptible perspiration. 
 
 In making up your party for a camp, it is of the first 
 importance to include only congenial minds and disposi- 
 tions. No matter how dear to you your friend is, or how 
 warm his affection may be for you, if your habits of 
 thought and body are not under control the little things 
 of camp life will be the fruitful causes of unhappiness and 
 discontent. The number of the party has, of course, to 
 be considered, and the style of camp life, whether you do 
 your own work or employ help. One man who shirks, and 
 "the best fellow in the world" is often the man, will inter- 
 fere sadly with your pleasure. Men incline in camp to 
 couples. Three can seldom agree long, for one is almost 
 of necessity "left out in the cold." 
 
 No party should attempt to camp out unless one at least 
 of their number is thoroughly conversant with woodcraft, 
 and able to devise and direct so as to secure the general 
 comfort under all changes of circumstances and vicissitudes 
 of weather. One great essential to thorough enjoyment 
 is an equitable division of labor, and a faithful observance 
 of the duties assigned to each member. This is especially 
 important where no servants are employed. Four persons 
 constitute a large enough party. One should be a ■ fair 
 cook; another should be able to keep the camp supplied 
 with wood and make a fire, which is a task by no means 
 easy; a third should be a fair shot and a good pot-fisher- 
 man, for a variety of food adds much to the charm of camp 
 life; and the fourth should he apt at building a shelter 
 and pitching a tent, and a good boatman withal. Thus 
 organized, a party is ready to start for the woods. 
 
 We cannot too earnestly urge the advantage of taking 
 the various kinds of condensed food which ingenuity has 
 devised, for they not only greatly reduce a load, but add 
 much to the ease and comfort of all, and materially lighten 
 the labors of the cook. "Buzzacott's" 'condensed milk, 
 coffee and sugar are a great acquisition. A single can of 
 coffee will serve a man for thirty days, and really needs 
 
R.eliable Camp or 
 Sportsmans Specialties 
 
 Closed. Opened. f" 
 
 Hunters' Axe Belt 
 and Sheath. 
 
 Sportsmen's Telescope and Case. 
 Very powerful. 
 
 Water Cooling- Canteen. 
 
 Fish Knife. 
 
 Camp Filter. 
 Iqt. a minute. 
 
 Hunting Knife. 
 
 Pack Harness 
 
 Folding Pocket Hunting Kni*e 
 
 54 
 
CO'MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 35 
 
 neither milk n-or sugar. Put a part of a teaspoonful in 
 hot water, stir it, and your beverage is ready for use. The 
 beef will make a variety of soups, if used according to 
 directions, and the milk is useful in compounding various 
 dishes. The self-leavening fiour is another indispensable. 
 It has only to be mixed with cold water or milk, requires 
 no salt, and with slight change in preparation will produce 
 bread, biscuit, cakes, etc., in a very few minutes. The 
 bones and small pieces of meat left after cutting up veni- 
 son, when boiled to a jelly in the camp kettle, strained, 
 and put away cold, form the ingredients of a very nourish- 
 ing soup which can be prepared in a few minutes at any 
 time by adding a sufficient quantity of hot water. With a 
 little potato and onion chopped fine, red pepper, salt, and 
 flour, or dried tomatoes, it can be made really delicious. 
 
 To carry the camp stuff most easily, back-loads should 
 be so made up that the softest parts should rest upon the 
 shoulders and neck, and when adjusted and supported by 
 a strap that passes across the forehead, boxes and cum- 
 brous articles may be packed on top; by this method fifty 
 pounds may be carried with comparative ease. Fishing 
 rods, paddles, axes, etc., should be tied together in bundles 
 in two places at least, and when shouldered, boots, kettles, 
 and the like, may be slung over their upper ends. Where 
 a canoe or boat is to be carried, lash the paddles lengthwise 
 one foot apart across the bars or thwarts amidships, turn 
 the canoe upside-down, rest one end upon a convenient 
 projecting branch of a tree at such a height that you can 
 easily pass under, and then thrusting in your head so that 
 the paddles will rest upon the shoulders, raise and balance 
 it, and proceed on the journey. If the canoe is too heavy 
 for one person, it should be shouldered by two men, one 
 at each end, and carried right side up. There is a knack 
 in walking, too, which should be acquired, namely: always 
 run your eye along the trail at least a rod in advance, so 
 that you may not only see soft places, rocks, roots, and 
 other obstructions, but calculate to a nicety just where 
 your steps are to be made. This practice will prevent 
 stumbling; it also enables one to discern a blind trail easily, 
 and teaches him to observe any strange signs which might 
 otherwise pass unnoticed. If you are thirsty 'by the way- 
 
56 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 TRAPPERS OR HUNTERS TOOL OUTFIT 
 
 With These Essential Tools a Log Hut, a Cabin for Winter 
 
 Uses is Assured. 
 
CO'MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 57 
 
 side, and have no cup handy, bend up a portion of the 
 brim of your felt hat so as to form a cup, and drink out 
 of that. It is better than lying flat on the stomach to drink 
 from a pool or spring, whereby there is real danger of 
 swallowing living creatures that may possibly cause serious 
 difficulty afterwards. A cup may be instantly fashioned 
 by cutting a slit longitudinally in a piece of clean bark; 
 and lapping the divided parts, one over the other, hold them 
 between the thumb and fingers. 
 
 Camp sites should be selected for access to wood and 
 water — wood first; but there are many other considerations 
 to take into account, such as shelter, immunity from in- 
 sects, or proximity to game. A high open knoll away from 
 water is preferable, in fly time, to a location on a river 
 bottom. Sandy 'beaches or gravelly points are liable to 
 swarm with midges or punkies, and the thicket woods with 
 mosquitoes. Points where a breeze draws up or down a 
 stream are the most desirable. Black flies do not molest 
 between sunset and sunrise. The camp site being chosen, 
 the first duties are to fix the shelter, cut wood, and get 
 the kettle boiling. A letter A tent is the greatest luxury 
 in camping, but in fair weather a tilt or half tent of can- 
 vas or blankets, or a "rough slant" of bark or boughs laid 
 on poles supported by crotches, are comfortable enough 
 when a good fire is kept up. Or, for the matter of a night, 
 a screen of spruce boughs to windward, or the canoe turned 
 over to protect the chest and shoulders, is a good make- 
 shift. The lee of a protecting ledge, with a bush screen, 
 is a dry and comfortable camp. A permanent shanty is 
 made with sides four logs high and a peaked roof of poles 
 covered with bark or split shingles four feet long, with a 
 hole at the top for smoke. In this way also a conical wig- 
 wam can be constructed, Indian fashion. Make the bed 
 of evergreen boughs — balsam and hemlock are the softest 
 — 'place them in layers with the butts all one way, and shingle 
 the butts of the first row with the tops of the second, and 
 so on successively. Fires are made in various ways. For 
 a good cooking fire, a back should be made three logs high, 
 supported against upright stakes driven into the ground; 
 two logs at right angles, or two stones placed in front' 
 to lay fuel on, will raise the latter from the ground sufii- 
 
58 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 THINGS THAT CAN BE MADE IN CAMP 
 
 \ 
 
 Hammock Fly Net. 
 
 Grub Box from a Kerosene Can, 
 Fly Proof. 
 
 ^^ 
 
 Ant-proof Ration Box of Green Bark. 
 
 Live Fish Box. 
 
 Camp Table With 
 Understorage Chamber. 
 
COlMPLETE trappers guide 59 
 
 ciently for a good draft. Another mode is to lay two eight- 
 inch logs or skids, say two feet apart and parallel, filling 
 in the space with small fuel. The Indian fashion is to lay 
 the sticks in a circle, -with the butts in the center, resting 
 on one another, making a conical pile. A tree should be 
 felled, the trunk cut into logs, and the branches being 
 chopped up for fuel. In almost all woods are logs, some 
 time cut and seasoned, that furnish dry fuel and kindlings. 
 To peel bark, girdle the tree at intervals of two or more 
 feet and split the sections with an axe longitudinally. In 
 fly time, when the air is still, make the camp fire so that 
 'the smoke will 'blow into the tent or shanty, in order to 
 drive out the flies; but at all times, and especially at night, 
 guard against changes of wind and flying sparks. 
 
 To Make Fire from Dry Wood Without Matches. — Get 
 a round spindle of dry hard wood, oak for example, about 
 a foot long and a quarter of an inch in diameter; polish it 
 smooth, and round ofT one end. Then get a dry piece of 
 some soft pithy wood, elder will do; if over half an inch 
 in diameter split it; if less, shave the wood on one side 
 down to the pith, making a flat surface; make a small bow 
 of any springy wood or root, string it; buckskin is the best 
 string; get your kindling wood all ready for your fire, to- 
 gether with some small dry splinters, grass or leaves, or 
 punk is best of all; hold the soft wood, flat side up, firmly 
 between your knees; take a turn with your bow string 
 about the middle of the hard wood spindle; set the round- 
 est end of the spindle in a little trench you will make in 
 the soft wood or pith; press down with any flat piece of 
 wood held in the left hand, on the other end of the 
 spindle; work the bow back and forth, and the spindle will 
 revolve rapidly. In a little while the dust worn from the 
 soft wood will fill the little trench, smoke, and take fire. 
 If punk is used, this spark will ignite it by bringing them 
 in contact; if grass, as soon as the spark is well developed 
 envelope it in dry grass and wave rapidly back and forth 
 until the fire is well set or breaks into flame. An Indian 
 expert in this method will get fire in about ..a minute, more 
 or less, as his material happens to be in condition, and will 
 make it nearly as soon using both hands, in place of the 
 bow to revolve the spindle. 
 
Types of Portable Hunters' or Sportsmen's Camp Stoves. 
 
 2- Single Burner Oil Stove. 
 
 4— Folding Camp Stove 
 Open. 
 
 2— Portable 2 Burner 
 Wickless Oil Stove. 
 
 3— Sinele Burner with 
 3-HoleTop. 
 
 .»y ft''-' 
 
 Camp Stove (Not Folding) 
 
 Closed- 
 
 6— Another Folding Stove. 
 
 7/.-MalleabIe Carapers Range, 
 and Tent Heater 
 
 8— Camp Outfits and Mess Kit (Unpackfld.) 
 
 <9-0utfit Packed.^ 
 60 
 
CO'M'PLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 61 
 
 To clean greasy plates with moss and scour them with 
 sand. To clean knives and forks, simply thrust them two or 
 three times into the ground. At night, tuck your trousers into 
 your woolen socks, and tie them at the ankles. Never sleep 
 with boots on. Use moccasins if you have them. Keep 
 your feet to the fire, but don't let them burn. See that 
 there is a sufficient supply of fuel for the night, and learn 
 to wake at proper intervals to replenish the fire. Early 
 mornings are always cold at any season of the year. A 
 compound of tar and sweet oil applied to the face and 
 hands is the best protection against knats and flies. Buck- 
 skin gloves may be worn without discomfort at night. 
 Wheni an A tent is used, a cord drawn through the apex 
 with its ends stretched to convenient trees, supports it 
 better than two crotches and a ridge-pole, and will prevent 
 its being blown down by a gust of wind. The sides should 
 bt drawn down tight and fastened to the ground. Never 
 sit up after .nine o'clock at night, and rise at daylight in 
 the morning. Never omit a good wash, at least of the face 
 and hands. 
 
 Every hunter should know the edible roots, berries, and 
 salad plants of the country he hunts in. The number, espe- 
 cially of edible and wholesome "weeds" which can be 
 boiled as greens, is astonishing. He should also know the 
 herbs from which to make teas for sickness, and poultices 
 and dressings for wounds and bruises. None of the ills 
 which' a hunter as such is heir to are beyond the reach of 
 nature's remedies. If he don't know the medicines of the 
 field and forest he should take to camp a few of the sim- 
 plest of the apothecary's sort. 
 
 One great point gained in learning woodcraft is to ac- 
 quire a habit of close and continued observation. All dense 
 woods look so much alike that the novice without a guide 
 is almost hopeless. In traveling it is important to turn 
 frequently and survey the ground behind, especially if one 
 intends to retrace his steps. A locality looks entirely dif- 
 ferent from different points of observation. Hence it is 
 always prudent to blaze the route by occasionally scoring a 
 tree or breaking the top of a bush or limb. Where small 
 spruces are frequent, the broken tops of these are most 
 easily seen. In passing through alder brush, cut them well 
 
Sportsmen's & Hunters' Handmade Knives & Pocket Axes. 
 
 Folding Safety Pocket Knife Closed. 
 
 Pocket Tool Knife. 
 
 Folding Safety Pocket Knife Open. 
 
 No Better Articles Can be JbMade— At Any Price. 
 
 62 
 
COlMPLETE trappers guide 63 
 
 down toward the buts with a hatchet, remembering to bend 
 them well over with the left hand, and giving a smart clip 
 on the bend. A greenhorn will be surprised to see how 
 easy it is to cut brush in this way, and how much hacking 
 is required to cut even the smallest sapling in any .other 
 way. Alder brush makes a good "blaze," as the under sides 
 of the leaves are much lighter than the upper, and show 
 distinctly. In following a blind trail, the eye should al- 
 ways run casually in advance. If it is cast down directly 
 in front, the sign is lost; but if raised, the trail can usually 
 be traced quite distinctly. In all cases where a man dis- 
 covers himself lost, he should stop short -and carefully con- 
 sider the situation — the position of the sun, direction of 
 the wind, character of adjacent prominent objects, etc., and 
 then retrace his steps as nearly as possible. It is senseless 
 to plunge headlong into trackless uncertainty, when it may 
 be quite possible to go back on one's own track to the 
 point started from, which, though a loss of time in reaching 
 a desired destination, is better than a loss of way and an 
 Involuntary bivouac in the woods. The writer remembers 
 having once tracked back through a laurel brake with such 
 nicety of calculation as to pick up a handkerchief which 
 had been pulled out of his pocket, and was clinging to a 
 bush. As a general thing, a man does not go far ofif his 
 course before he discovers his mistake. A quarter of a 
 mile in a jungle or a strange forest seems a great distance. 
 It is not impracticable either, when one is in doubt to climb 
 a tall tree and take a survey from the top. Caribou hunt- 
 ers often adopt this practice when looking for barrens 
 where game are likely to be found. Rivers and streams are 
 certain highways to deliverance provided a person has pre- 
 viously some idea of the general lay of the land. 
 
 One never should be without a compass; though in 
 some persons animal magnetism is so strong that they 
 determine the cardinal points instinctively. Indeed, there 
 are individuals who cannot sleep with their heads to the 
 south but instantly detect a bed so placed. Backwoods- 
 men acquire by practice and careful observation a certain 
 craft in reading signs which is alm^ost infallible. As a rule, 
 but not always, moss grows more densely on the north 
 side of trees, nature providing against the cold that comes 
 
St&^estions in Camp A.ccessories 
 
 Hunting- Boot. 
 
 Moose Hide 
 
 Moccassin 
 
 Shoe. 
 
 The ArmyBoot. 
 
 Mosquito Hat and 
 
 Netting-. 
 Folding Pocket size. 
 
 The Puttee 
 Leggings. 
 
 Campers 
 
 Leggings. 
 
 Tan. 
 
 Folding Toilet 
 Case. 
 
 Pocket Medicine Case and 
 Medicines. 
 
 Camper's Ditty Bag, 
 
 The Canvas Bedding Roll«up. 
 
 64 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 65 
 
 from that quarter. But a more reliable sign is the limbs 
 of trees, which grow longest on 'the south side, those on 
 the north side being exposed to the wintry blasts which 
 twist, scathe and stunt them. A laurel swamp is the worst 
 conceivable place in which to get lost. The tendency to 
 travel in circles is well known. It is a physiological freak 
 not easily explained. In an article on this subject which 
 we clipped from the Scientific American fifteen years ago, 
 the writer, who is a Texan, says: 
 
 "Bewikiered persons frequently travel in a perfect circle, 
 sometimes keeping the same track, until they have made 
 half a dozen equal rounds; at other times making the circle 
 larger 'or smaller each time. It is not, by any means, al- 
 ways the case, when a person is lost; but it is so frequent 
 that it is within the experience of every one who has been 
 much in the woods. In calm and cloudy weather in a coun- 
 try of much sameness of appearance the best woodsmen 
 get so bewildered as to "take the circles." Persons not ac- 
 customed to the woods will sometimes do so, when the sun 
 is shining and a steady breeze blowing. On the level or 
 gulf prairies of this country on a calm, foggy morning, no 
 man can travel without a road. It is an incident of every 
 day occurrence in the spring and fall seasons, that men are 
 thus becalmed on the prairie as effectually as men are at 
 sea; nor will a compass mend the matter, for it cannot 
 be carried steadil}^ enough to keep its meridian, and the 
 course it points cannot be kept for fifty yards; if a nian 
 attempts it he will make a circle and come back to the 
 place he started from. The circle will be large or small 
 generally in proportion to the density of the fog — some- 
 times only a hundred yards in diameter; at other times a 
 mile, but seldom more. The circles thus made are perfect. 
 This kind of wandering seems to arise from an attempt to 
 go a straight course when there is nothing to guide the 
 senses, or when the usual guides of sun, wind, or the gen- 
 eral contour of the country are disregarded. It rarely be- 
 falls children, who do not attempt to get on a course, but 
 only run. from one visible point to another equally per- 
 ceptible. 
 
 "Many apparently trivial traits in the disposition of ani- 
 mals, which are of great use to woodsmen, are omitted in 
 
66 COMPLi:i<TE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 CAMP COOKERY AND UTENSILS 
 
 ()y'-;^s^^\x 
 
 3, 4, 5 and 6 — The Buzzacott Patent Camp Outfit. 
 The Kind that Never Fails. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 67 
 
 books of natural history; chiefly from ignorance no doubt. 
 One of these is the disposition of the horse, when fright- 
 ened, to run against the wind, if any is blowing. Thou- 
 sands of horses which would be otherwise irrecoverably 
 lost annually on this frontier are recovered by observing 
 this simple rule. in pursuit. All animals have similar inex- 
 plicable traits in their disposition; and men are no excep- 
 tion to the rule. White men, when they are scared, will 
 retreat in the same direction in which they came. The In- 
 dians know this, and lay their plans accordingly; and many 
 a gallant company has been cut to pieces simply from ig- 
 norance of this fact. But those who understand these mat- 
 ters, when they find it necessary to make a hasty retreat, 
 always' do so in a straight line, and in a direction different 
 from the one in which they came. 
 
 "We frequently see notices in northern papers of chil- 
 dren being lost. Such things rarely occur on this fron- 
 tier; though children often wander, and there are but 'few 
 neighbors to help search for them. Perhaps the cause of 
 humanity might be subserved by publishing a few rules to 
 be observed in such searches. Any child will make a track 
 or trail plain enough to be followed by the eye over any 
 ground, unless there be much passing of men or animals 
 to spoil the trail; and it can be followed by almost any 
 person of good sight, although he may not, have had any 
 previous experience. Go to the place where the child was 
 last seen and look for the trail, glancing along the ground 
 with a sharp scanning look; when it is found, a faint kind 
 of a line will be seen, which may be followed at a fast 
 walk until a well-defined track occurs. If the trailer stops 
 to look for a track he will probably lose the trail, and must 
 go b^ck and take it up again with the same scanning glance 
 along the ground. The trails which hunters and Indians 
 follow skillfully is not so much composed of tracks or foot- 
 prints as of indescribable little signs, such as leaves and 
 blades of grass bent or turned, twigs broken, and other 
 things so small and faint that they cannot be shown to any 
 one, yet which, when all put together, make a kind of line 
 along the ground, which line can be seen by a rapid glanc- 
 ing look, but which will disappear when looked at steadily. 
 The trail of a human being is more easily followed than 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 that of any other creature, because there is a kind of pur- 
 pose in it different from the trail of irrational animals. A 
 child will change its course around every clump of bushes, 
 and go nearly straight when the ground is open. If it is 
 scared and running, it will run from the wind, if much is 
 blowing, and from any voice it hears; in such cases, there- 
 fore, it is not good poilc}^ to call much upon the lost child's 
 name." 
 
 Hints for Southern Travel 
 
 In preparing for a winter's campaign in the south, one 
 should take with him, if practicable, a tent and small boat. 
 If they can be carried. A shotgun, rifle, ammunition, and 
 fishing tackle should be taken from the north. The tent 
 should be as light as possible and so constructed that all 
 the room can be utilized. The boat should be small, flat- 
 bottomed and light. Gun and rifle should be breech-load- 
 ing, thus securing safety and despatch in loading. Revol- 
 vers and big bowie knives are superfluous. Everybody 
 takes them, and everybody finds them in the way. Wear 
 old clothes; half the pleasure in camping out is to be able 
 to rough it. Don't put on fancy costumes, expecting to 
 "make a spread," as no one will appreciate the effort or 
 efifect. Wear woolen clothing at all times. For the feet, 
 take good stout shoes, lacing up tightly about the ankle. 
 A pair of tight (not tight fitting) boots may be very good 
 for a short, wet walk, but for an all day's tramp through 
 swamp and pine woods shoes are far superior. Two pairs 
 good woolen, and one rubber blanket. For sleeping in 
 camp in this animated land of fleas, spiders and creeping 
 things so unfortunately taken into the ark, a hammock 
 should be used; one arranged (as it may easily be) with a 
 light canvas roof, with sides of netting. Two or three 
 rafter-shaped triangles hung on a line will spread such a 
 shelter, and in a canvas hammock under it, one can rest 
 free from the companionship of the guides and dogs, and 
 without vivid ideas of snakes and centipedes. High boots 
 will be some defense, 'but keep away from the vicinity of 
 domestic animals, and sleep not in any of the "cracker" 
 houses, but camp in remote pine woods and keep the dogs 
 away from the tent. Such forest is comparatively free from 
 
 I 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 69 
 
 mosquitoes, and in mid-winter the sand flies are not very 
 annoymg. A mosquito bar is indispensable, as many nights 
 the tormentmg msects call their own. 
 
 Shelter 
 
 In camp we are supposed, a greater portion of the time, 
 
 to enjoy all of the hygienic effects of out-door life- still 
 
 It IS quite necessary that we provide ourselves with pro- 
 tection sufficient to shield us from sudden atmospheric 
 changes and inclement weather. 
 
 The common army -tent is well adapted to this pur- 
 pose, and may be sufficiently long to accommodate two four 
 or six men. 
 
 In selecting a location to pitch the tent, when possible, 
 an open space should be found, where there are no trees 
 or bushes within a few rods. In the dense woods, beneath 
 large trees, the ground is much more damp, and the atmos- 
 phere contains more moisture than it does in the parks or 
 open spaces. A tent standing beneath a large pine tree will, 
 in a few days, become saturated with moisture, and the 
 bedding will show unpleasant symptoms of dampness and 
 mould. Have the tent placed on dry ground, in an open 
 space, and surrounded with a ditch four or five inches 
 deep. The tent may be used to sleep in when the weather 
 IS bad, but if fine take to the open— instead of the cover. 
 
 Accustom yourself to sleeping in the open air, then when 
 It gets 'bitter cold, shelter of a tent or cabin will find vou 
 hardened and fit. I have known men to sleep out in 'the 
 open nearly all winter; don't forget the fact. Men were 
 campers before they were house-dwellers; but, hemmed in 
 by brick, stone or wooden walls for generations past, their 
 hand has forgotten its cunning in the matter of out-door 
 home-making. Now, when they would dwell in tents, in 
 brush houses or the open even for a time, they must unlearn 
 that which their fathers have taught them and learn that 
 which their forefathers knew. They must learn to deny 
 themselves many of the luxuries of so-called civilized life, 
 and to enjoy in their stead simpler conveniences and com- 
 
70 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 forts, such as may be easily transported, or may be gleaned 
 from the wilderness wherein the camp is to be pitched. 
 
 Even in the polar regions or extreme northern Spitzbergen 
 I have slept without a tent, using only a hooded sleeping 
 bag — reserving the tent for storms and- driving snow, or 
 when storm-bound — that's the time tents are a necessity and 
 a blessing, but when one has plenty of sleeping equipment 
 I say take to the open and stay there all you can. 
 
 CAMP TABLES— HOW TO MAKE THEM 
 
 Boards, Boxes. Canvas and Wood. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 71 
 
 GOOD BEDDING 
 
 Too much care can not be given to the subject of bed- 
 ding. It is the most important part of a camp outfit; and 
 yet there are hundreds of sportsmen who do not appreciate 
 this fact. Besides, they like to affect the ways of the native, 
 and show their companions that they can rough it in true 
 aboriginal style. - This is all well enough in spirit, and, if 
 you go into the woods or mountains on a long jaunt, you 
 will have plenty of opportunities to show your mettle in 
 more worthy and less injurious ways than by sleeping on 
 the hard ground with insufficient bedding. 
 
 As I have before had occasion to say, I would rather 
 get into a good, warm, dry, soft bed at night, without my 
 supper, than sit at a feast, and then sleep on the hard ground, 
 without covering enough to keep me warm. After a hard 
 day's work, tramping, rowing, or whatever it may be, a 
 good bed is absolutely necessary to prepare one for the 
 labor and fatigue of the following day. Any able-bodied 
 man may endure a few nights of cold, comfortless sleep, 
 but it will tell on him sooner or later; while, if he sleep 
 soundly, and eat heartily, he may endure an incredible 
 amount of labor, and hardship of other kinds. You may 
 tramp all day with your feet wet, all your clothing wet, 
 if need be, without injury to yourself, but be sure you crawl 
 into a good, warm, soft, dry bed at night. Your old-timer, 
 white or red, who takes one blanket, his rifle, a bag of 
 crackers, and a little salt, goes into the woods or moun- 
 tains and subsists for days, weeks, or months on nature's 
 resources, is proverbially a short-lived man. He looks and 
 feels older than he is; his age is racked with rheumatic 
 pains, and he dies twenty years sooner than he would have 
 done had he taken care of himself. 
 
 Blankets are the staple article of camp-bedding, and you 
 should never go into camp with less than two pairs of 
 good heavy ones to each man, no matter where you go or 
 at what time of year. If you go late in the fall, take three 
 pairs; if in the winter, increase the number to four, or 
 take a sleeping bag. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 CAMP BEDS— HOW TO MAKE THEM 
 
 ,4.r . ::^:l!!!L.4/..^.^.HMiM 
 
 Simple Devices Made m Camp. 
 
CO'MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 73 
 
 The Sleeping Bag Ideal 
 
 But the boss camp-bed for all times and all climes, after 
 all tramps and all climbs, especially if you are to sleep 
 alone, is a sleeping bag. I have used one of these for 
 many years, in all my outings, and have learned to prize 
 it so highly that I would as soon think of going to the 
 north woods without my rifle or rod as without my sleep- 
 ing bag. 
 
 If the country on the coast be visited the "bag" should 
 be made of thin cotton or lawn, to keep out the "sand 
 flies," insects so small as hardly to be discernible, but 
 with a bite like the burn of a hot iron. It would be well 
 to ta^e a little salve and thin plaster for cuts and bruises. 
 In the line of medicine one can take a whole apothecary's 
 shop, if so disposed, but, excepting a little whiskey and 
 quinine, the former for snake bites, which hardly ever oc- 
 cur, and the latter for imaginary fever, no medicine will be 
 needed. For light at night, a lantern and candles v/ill be 
 sufficient, though kerosene, where little transportation is 
 to be made, is preferable. The keen bracing air gives more 
 pungency to a haunch of venison or brace of quail than all 
 the sauces piquante ever concocted. A bunch of Spanish 
 inoss is infinitely superior to a napkin, and the clear waters 
 of some spring to the finger-bowl. And here a word as to 
 water. 
 
 Nearly all water is impregnated more or less with lime 
 or some mineral or salt that gives it a "flat" taste to the 
 uninitiated, and a drink of raw, unadulterated water is not 
 always acceptable. Some people ''qualif}^" it — indeed the 
 majority of settlers "qualify" it so much that the original 
 taste of the aqua is lost in that of the qualifier. That is 
 all — a word to the wise. We advise a plain mode of liv- 
 ing. Take hard bread, "self-raising flour," pork, salt, pota- 
 toes, 'brown sugar, rice or hominy. "Buzzacott's" condensed 
 milk and coffee, a little jelly, butter, pepper and mustard. 
 Fish and game birds may 'be on the bill, of fare every day, 
 but again they may not. No one should start down the 
 river depenidng upon a supply, as the game is regulated 
 and controlled by a multitude of laws that the visitor 
 knows nothing about. Preserved fruits, meats, etc., are not 
 
C/5 
 
 w 
 •J 
 
 H 
 I— ( 
 
 O 
 > 
 
 < 
 
 w 
 
 a. 
 < 
 
CO-MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 75 
 
 necessary, though sometimes found acceptable— they don't 
 stay in camp long. Regarding cooking utensils, if cooking 
 is to be done in the usual way, over an open fire, there 
 should be a "bake-kettle" or oven, a foot in diameter; frying- 
 pan, same dimensions, with a long handle; tin plates, platecl 
 knives and forks, pint tea-cups, iron or tin spoons, and 
 butcher knife. A regular camp kit is preferable, however. 
 If a stove is preferred, go to the tinsmith's and have him 
 make a sheet-iron box two feet long, one broad, open at 
 one end. The door a sheet of iron, to slide in a groove, 
 perpendicularly, acting as draught regulator. The legs 
 should be flat, fastened to the box by hinges, shutting under 
 it when packed. The pipe small and in joints, to be'^packed 
 in the stove. A piece of tin should be taken to fasten to 
 the tent to run the pipe through. With such a stove, well 
 supplied with "light wood" or pitch pine, a fire can be sus- 
 tained that will vacate the tent in short measure. 
 
 Rocky Mountain Travel 
 
 Special preparation is required for travel in the Rocky 
 Mountains. Before entering the mountains one should pre- 
 pare himself and party for the country they are about to 
 visit, for if their outfit is not carefully selected what might 
 have been a summer's pleasure will very likely be one of 
 toil and regret. Take nothing but what is absolutely needed, 
 and what is taken let it be as light as possible, as every extra 
 pound lacerates the back of the pack mule. Use medium 
 sized animals for packing, as they will carry as heavy a 
 pack as a larger animal in rough places, and are more to 
 be relied upon where there are steep ascents to 'be made 
 or fallen timber to be crossed. Two hundred pounds is 
 enough for a single pack mule to carry at once, but some 
 persons will overload their animals to save buying an extra 
 mule, and will not see their folly until they have lost some 
 of their best animals by rolling down hillsides against the 
 rocks, or by having them "snagged" in fallen timber. 
 When returning at the end of the season, if the animals' 
 backs are sound and good from the effects of light loading, 
 they will comrnand a good price, a«nd are easily disposed 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 
 c 
 
 o 
 
 O 
 
 US 
 
 18 
 
 o 
 
 < 
 
 o 
 
COMiPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 77 
 
 of; but if, on the contrary, their backs are covered with 
 sores, they will only bring one-half their original value, so 
 men may easily see the economy of having- a sufficient num- 
 ber of animals to carry their luggage. 
 
 For riding animals use mules for the mountains and 
 horses for the "plains." A good mule will follow a trail and 
 take its rider into camp the darkest night that ever was. 
 Should you get strayed away from camp and not be able 
 to find your way back again, drop the bridle rein on the horn 
 of your saddle and trust to the instinct of your mule, and 
 if it is not very hungry, after wandering about a short time, 
 It will take' a direct course for camp, although the rider 
 may think camp is in an opposite direction from the one 
 where the mule is taking him. The common Indian. pony or 
 broncho is the best horse to use on the plains, as 'they are 
 tough, quick and thoroughly acclimated to cold weather and 
 the poor feed that is to be had in most places. Select an 
 easy saddle with a good California tree, a light pair of 
 spurs, and a broad hair Cincho bridle with a light curb bit, 
 a good saddle blanket, a small pair of saddle bags, and your 
 riding outfit is complete, unless 3^ou ride a mule, and in 
 such a case a good strong broad crouper is necessary, so it 
 will not cut the tail of your riding animal. When traveling 
 do not hurry your horse, or do not allow him to become 
 lazy; keep him at a steady gait, and if necessary, he will 
 accomplish a long distance daily; but should you become 
 impatient and lope him nearly all day, he will become poor, 
 stubborn and lazy. Use the Spanish aparejo instead of the 
 pack saddle, as it is easier packed and more comfortable 
 for the animal wearing it. Select heavy lash ropes, or they 
 will stretch, and the animals will have to be repacked a 
 dozen times a day, particularly after a rain, when the ropes 
 have been wet and are gradually drying by the heat of 
 the sun. Have a long "lariat" for each animal, for in 
 some places in a timbered country it will be necessary to 
 picket them over night, for if they were turned loose they 
 would stray through the woods in search of better feed, 
 and it would .be a severe task to collect them together 
 again. Put a cow bell on the neck of the gentlest mare, 
 and the whole herd will become attached to the animal 
 wearing the bell; and when traveling let the "Bell mare" 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 A Study in Animal Life and Ways. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 79 
 
 take the lead, and the other animals will follovv- in single 
 file where it would be impossible to drive them. The 
 cooking utensils should be several camp kettles made of 
 copper and lined with- tin (made to fit in each other so 
 they may be more easily packed), a small Dutch oven, 
 spade, axe, hatchet, coffee mill, knives, forks, spoons, tin 
 plates and cups, a bread pan, frying pan, gridiron, whet- 
 stone, and two small iron bars to lay over the fire to set 
 kettles on when cooking. 
 
 The bedding for each person should consist of four Cali- 
 fornia blankets, a small pillow, a rubber poncho, buffalo 
 robe, and half a wagon cover of canvas to cover the whole 
 bed end protect it from the rains. If tents are used, the 
 small dog tent is the best, and will be found very useful as 
 a wrapper to roll the bedding in for packing. For hunting 
 large game, select either Winchester, Savage or Remington 
 rifle or equal. There should always be one good double- 
 barreled shotgun in a party for the smaller game, and thus 
 provided for, there is always an abundance of fresh meat 
 to be had, which is a great addition and saving to the table. 
 When a party is preparing to camp out it is a good plan 
 to establish a depot camp for a few days near some town 
 (where there is good water and wood), while fitting out, 
 and become accustomed to camp life before striking out 
 for the more wild portions of the country. The expe- 
 rience thus gained proves a good guide for future opera- 
 tions. When starting out for a distant point, do not travel 
 too far the first few days, but make short marches until the 
 animals' backs become hardened to the arrapahoe. Do not 
 allow the arrapahoe or pack to become loose, but have them 
 as tight as two men can draw them. A mule may grunt a 
 little about being laced so tightly, but it is much better 
 for them than to have a pack rocking from side to side, 
 backward and forward, thus bruising the mule's back, and 
 ending in sores and a worthless animal. In the saddle 
 bags always carry a pound or two of good, solid, square 
 crackers, "hard tack,"' if need be. soda crackers, if obtain- 
 able at the last little village through which he passes, and 
 in his coat pocket, securely wrapped, an ounce of salt and 
 a half ounce of ground pepper. Properly packed, the crack- 
 ers need take but little room, and the man is to be pitied, 
 
80 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 no matter how fashionable his stomach, who cannot, after 
 a good day's ride, make a satisfactory, and certainly diges- 
 tible, supper off the crackers crumbed in the good sweet- 
 milk he is sure to find at any settler's ca'bin, especially 
 when duly seasoned with the salt and pepper he carries 
 with him. Persons of limited or no experience in the West 
 may smile at the suggestion that salt and pepper be carried 
 along; but the writer has found many families, rich in 
 acres and herds, who were "just out of salt," and to whom 
 pepper had been so long absent that it was a cool friend. 
 And many a palatable supper and breakfast has he made off 
 crackers and milk with pepper in it, duly salted, when, had 
 want of foresight confined him to the "corn dodger," made 
 all too "short" with lard, and the bacon swimming in its 
 native grease, which served the more rugged stomach of 
 his host, he would but weakly have bestridden his mustang 
 for the next day's ride. 
 
 Guard against the "mountain fever," which is a severe 
 cold peculiar tc the Rocky Mountains, caused by exposure 
 and over-exertion. Its symptoms are flushes, fever, cold in 
 the head, headaches and general debility. It reduces a cast- 
 iron mountain man to a weak and helpless infant in a few 
 days. It in no respect resembles the fever and ague or 
 the fever prevalent to the Southern States. 
 
 To prevent snow-blindness, smear the nose and the parts 
 of the face around the eyes with damp gunpowder. Those 
 who travel to the mountains by railroad should get a can- 
 teen at Omaha and fill it with milk, and suspend it on the 
 outside of the car window >by means of a stick (laid cross- 
 wise) and a string. It will keep sweet until you wish to 
 replenish. By this means you avoid the alkali water which 
 is injurious, especially to childern. Hang your lunch basket 
 in the same way, and you can keep roast turkey, chicken, 
 game, meat, etc., the entire distance. You want two or 
 more coffee cups with handles, as you do not always feel, 
 like eating breakfast at the stations, and ten cents worth of 
 coffee procured at the counter will suffice in aiding the lunch 
 basket. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 81 
 
 INTELLIGENCE OF ANIMALS 
 
 Another thing I desire to call attention to is the fact 
 that the intelligence of Wild Animals is, in many instances, 
 of much deeper extent than we actually realize. And from 
 a Wild Animal standpoint their powers of discernment and 
 discrimination are far greater than ordinarily we imagine 
 or infer them to be, simply because we don't understand 
 them or their ways as we should, or as they do ours. Take 
 the dog or cat as an instance; I will put it to you this 
 way. I claim that they can even feel or perceive knowl- 
 edge of your absence, or presence within or about their 
 viciiiity when you are not actually seen by them, and that 
 they can' even, by familiarity with certain of your habits, 
 anticipate the time of your departure or arrival home, in a 
 way, especially if your habits are regular, for then do they 
 anticipate not only your actions but your intent as well, 
 and in your conversation with others in their presence they 
 can tell whether or not they are talked about, whether your 
 remarks are made in jest or earnest, and capable of judg- 
 ing even if you're angry or good-natured; whether you 
 mean what you say or not, and other things of a surprising 
 nature; in fact, I want to give you a few startling inci- 
 dences in support of these claims before going further. 
 
 The reader will notice, as a rule, that in starting out 
 on these subjects I prefer to give you a few facts as to 
 domestic animals, dogs, cats, etc., simply because you are 
 more familiar with these kind than with the Wild Animals, 
 of which I shall later more fully speak. Were I to jump 
 right in and mention incidents in connection with unfa- 
 miliar Wild Animal life you would be prone to doubt the 
 truth of my story, and before I am through with this sub- 
 ject I believe I shall have convinced you that in a matter 
 of intelligence and reasoning powers, in their own way, 
 Wild Animal life simply have the domestic kind "skinned 
 a mile." 
 
 But to return to our subject; how many of you are 
 
 there who possess an intelligent dog or cat, and who have 
 
 noticed that ofttimes when you call them to you that they 
 
 fail to respond, yet showed every evidence of hearing and 
 
 'understanding you both; perhaps looking at you, even wag- 
 
Portable Houses^ BarracRs» 
 Cottages* £^tc. 
 
 Portable Hunters Cabfn 
 
 Complete 
 
 Put up in 15 Minutes 
 
 Complete Summer 
 
 Cottage, 
 
 Sportsmens Club 
 
 Headquarters 
 
 Family Resort. 
 
 Put up in Three 
 
 Hours Time 
 
 :^^-J^-- 
 
 A Complete 
 8 Room House. 
 
 Hunters' Cabin Packed, 
 
 Portable 
 
 Automobiles 
 Houses 
 
 Put up without a 
 tool other than a ;. 
 pocket screwdriver 
 r:ad wrench. 
 
, COiMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE . 83 
 
 ging the tail in a listless-like manner, but yet not heeding 
 your call in any way. The dog, for instance, sometimes 
 when lying down and is called will deliberately look at you 
 and yawn, and flop his tail on the floor or ground where he 
 lays, but yet not move to obey your call, although he 
 certainly heard and understood you both. The cat, at times, 
 will look at a person the same way, and seemingly refuse 
 to respond; nearly every owner of such pets have noticed 
 such things perhaps time and time again, but who are there 
 who can explain why these things sometimes often occur, 
 while at other times they respond like a flash? Lots of 
 people, when they observe these things, think that they are 
 acting fool-like, and don't know, but you make a great 
 mistake when you attribute to them ignorance of this kind. 
 Perhaps you never thought of this before, that I am going 
 to tell you now, and it may surprise you or seem almost 
 incredible to learn that the animal, be it dog or cat, hon- 
 estly was able to judge of the genuineness of your call, and 
 its intent, as it applied to them; that is, to say they knew 
 whether they were honestly wanted or not. Suppose, for 
 instance, you call your cat or dog to pet it, or simply for 
 it to go out when it really did not want to, and it was 
 coiled up comfortably on the mat or rug for a nap, or you 
 called it even to give it some food when it wasn't hungry; 
 the chances are ten to one, while it heard the call, it would 
 refuse to answer, although it would show every evidence 
 that it understood or recognized what the call meant. You 
 might be in the next room — still it would refuse to answer 
 for the same reason exactly. 
 
 The reason of this is largely because your want does not 
 coincide with those of the animal's; if it did the chances 
 are it would respond like a flash the moment the call was 
 given, and if others prevented it from coming to you, even 
 it would struggle in order to obey the call. Why is it thus? 
 Simply because the animal has intelligence enough to dis- 
 criminate between your actual calls and decipher the meaning 
 ones from the other kind; or, in other words, it can tell 
 by the sound and depth of your intent or true meaning 
 whether it was a call which meant advantage or the pos- 
 sibility of favor, or receiving something from you. 
 
 You might, for instance, try and call it for ten minutes. 
 
84 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 and it failed to respond, and even if you pretend to want 
 to give it something by handing it "nothing," as the saying 
 is, it could judge by the sound the true extent of its mean- 
 ing; in short, it seems to recognize your want, and that 
 when it applies to yourself and don't benefit them they are 
 apt to fail to respond. 
 
 While, on the other hand, if your want is earnest or 
 genuine, or bespeaks something for them, which they de- 
 sire, like a flash they wo'-ld come to 3^ou in the nine cases 
 out of ten mentioned. 
 
 So much for their powers of discrimination as to the 
 deliberate meaning and intent, as the lawyer says, and so 
 much for the further discriminating intelligence of ani- 
 mals, I say. 
 
 Now, how many of you are there who will agree with 
 me that an intelligent dog (there are other kinds, of course) 
 recognizes whether his master or mistress is in good or 
 bad humor, angry, cross, vexed, ill-natured or happy and 
 good-natured like? If the former, sometimes they will 
 avoid you, or approach you sympathetic like, as if to con- 
 dole with you; if the latter, he will act as if he would 
 like to share your company or good nature. And right 
 here I want to be understood as one who claims that in- 
 telligent dogs honestly recognize and anticipate your moods 
 and feelings, and are ready to either avoid you or share 
 them with j^ou, as the case may be, and that they can hon- 
 estly discriminate between the good, bad and indifferent 
 in these things. 
 
 Neither will I rest here, for I want to say further, that 
 your dog can even recognize the foot-fall or steps of its 
 master from its missus, just as it can recognize the foot- 
 fall step of an old friend or family acquaintance from a 
 stranger by the sound alone, and that it's a dumb dog that 
 cannot discriminate between these things long before he 
 has seen the person even, so acute is their hearing and 
 their powers of observation or recognition of sound. 
 
 I will go even further than this, and say that your 
 dog is a good judge of human nature, in a measure, perhaps, 
 that you had never thought of before. It has often been 
 said that children somehow are great judges of this, and 
 that they show certain antipathy to certain people, whose 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 85 
 
 inner disposition are ill-natured, or cruel like. And yet 
 who show no external signs of such disposition, and it has 
 often been remarked as instinctive that they shrink from 
 such persons, while on the other hand people of pleasant, 
 kind disposition they are only too prone to make friendly 
 with, child-like, too, and that sometimes we note that this 
 certain antipathy is very marked and ominous, yet often 
 will be found like the child's judgment, correct in the end. 
 Hence, I say, beware of the friend whom your children or 
 your intelligent dog don't seem to take to, for, as you term 
 it, some "unaccountable reason." In two cases out of 
 three you can rely on the meaning being nearer and deeper 
 than you have before accredited to them. 
 
 It is indeed a true saying that mankind is often found 
 in company that his dog disdains or refuses to become 
 party to, and in many cases you will find their judgment 
 equal, if not better, than your own. 
 
 Let a man be lost in the woods, plain, mountain or wilds; 
 if he has an intelligent, dog, pony, horse or mule and will 
 only trust to the better intelligence of the critter, under 
 the circumstances, he can be pretty sure it will lead him 
 out to safety again. I've done it perhaps a dozen times, 
 and could cite a hundred other instances were it neces- 
 sary, but is it? The whole trouble is we are so put up 
 or stuck-up as to our own boasted intelligence and ability 
 that we do not stop to think or allow to animals what is 
 really due to them, as far as their intelligence or judg- 
 ment goes. We are wrong to judge their standard by 
 ours, because there is an abyss or chasm or difference be- 
 tween it. There is no comparison — no indeed; but in our 
 own selfish bigotted way we are prone to belittle the real 
 intelligence of animals, because it is different from ours, 
 and so little understood by us. Some time we will learn 
 and perceive more of their way, understandings and intelli- 
 gences, and see things their way; then it will appear much 
 different to us than now. 
 
 Unfortunately, we have been too much occupied with 
 our own knowledge to pay such attention to theirs as we 
 ought, but the time is coming when we will understand 
 them, perhaps equally as well as they understand us now. 
 That's why I write this volume, as I may be able in a 
 
86 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 way, at least, to educate my readers up to what the true 
 standard of animal intelligence means, for we have much 
 to learn from them, and their ways, as they have learned 
 from us. 
 
 We have not yet awakened to many startling facts 
 as to the powers, scope,' depth or value of such things, 
 because we have been too much engrossed with our own 
 observations and intent to take the time to fathom theirs, 
 and I have yet some surprises in store for you, as I go 
 along. 
 
 While writing of these things, I will also call atten- 
 tion to the fact that animals generally are the reverse 
 of mankind, look backward instead of forward, or to the past 
 instead of the future life. Their like is made up of memory 
 of the past, instead . of coming events; with them it is a 
 case of way-back, yesterday and today, rather than tomor- 
 row or years hence, as with us. Their mind and memory 
 is all associated with past events — the happenings of long 
 ago is avoided today with them, while past things, places 
 and events are remembered that in us would be long for- 
 gotten. 
 
CO'MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 87 
 
 POWER OF SCENT OR SMELL 
 
 ^ Again, they seldom forget what we are always apt to. 
 Take their sense of smell, sight and hearing; by these very 
 powers do they perceive differences, recognize and memorize 
 things that seem increditable to us, or are in a way lost, 
 as far as we are^concerned, and leaving out the question 
 of sight entirely, on which we depend, in their own ele- 
 ments, they have us decidedly at a disadvantage as far as 
 perceptive intelligence is concerned. 
 
 Take, for instance, an intelligent animal of any kind; 
 I venture the assertion that either might be coiled up, 
 resting or sleeping, apparently oblivious to everything, . yet 
 the fact is, despite appearances to the contrary, they are 
 aware of everything going on in the vicinity where they 
 belong. With eyes shut, or with one open, they can tell 
 by the sound who goes and comes, be it friend or stranger; 
 if it is an intelligent dog, your habits and customs are 
 memorized far better than you can even think or surmise, 
 and if your habits are in any way regular, you would, if 
 the matter was brought fully to your attention, be amazed 
 at their powers of conception and anticipation of them; 
 even the butcher or grocery wagon driving up to the 
 house is recognized, looked, waited and expected, just as 
 do you anticipate such occurrences. The child going to the 
 store, and the package which comes to the house, arouses 
 their interest, on certain occasions, with marked intelli- 
 gence, if you will only stop to think over it. Plenty of 
 times your dog or cat will run to the door to meet a 
 grocery or butcher boy in a friendly \ya)'' of anticipation 
 and delight, but whoever heard or saw a cat or a dog run 
 to meet a strange peddler, except to greet him with the other 
 kind of a reception. 
 
 An intelligent dog will smell a tramp before he opens 
 the gate, and will rush at him with open mouth perhaps, but 
 a strange child or little girl he will often welcome with a 
 wag or whine of pleasure. Why all this? If it is not 
 because of past memory and associated ideas of such things 
 and occurrences. A strange child or baby might pull or 
 cufT a vicious cur or bull-dog to its little heart's content, 
 and in two cases out of three be suffered to go on with- 
 
88 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 out a growl even, or the dog would retire out of reach 
 and room, but let a strange boy or man try the same game 
 and he will be apt to lose a mouthful of flesh; memory, 
 association of past ideas again, which is forever uppermost 
 in animal intelligence. 
 
 Let the .master of a good hunting dog dress up to the 
 business event and his dog will be foun^ to watch him in- 
 differently, but let him, on the other hand, bring down his 
 hunting togs or kit and see the difference, for the hitherto 
 mentioned indifferent brute, as we term it, becomes an 
 animated bunch of anticipated nervous delight; so much 
 for memories and ideas of the past again. 
 
 On the other hand, take out a good dog for his daily 
 walk, hunt or exercise, and watch closely his actions; at 
 every turn of the road he will be found anticipating which 
 way you will turn or travel, all the time really trying to 
 fathom reason, anticipate or study out your ultimate destina- 
 tion, if in the least doubtful; if not doubtful, he will take 
 you there, for once he seems to know or identify where 
 you are going he will often bark as though to tell you to 
 your face, "I know," -"I know," "come on," "1 know." 
 
 Again, who are there of you who have noticed how even 
 dogs will try to deliberately coax their masters, or those 
 who accompany them, to go certain ways, barking and leap- 
 ing up trying to coax you to go another direction, or way to 
 which you are going, as if to say, "please come this way, 
 it's so much better." Indeed, if some hunters would only 
 follow their dogs, instead of forcing the dog to follow them 
 when in the game fields, there would be less long tramps 
 and light bags as a result. No wonder they look up at us 
 reproachful like, disappointed at our acts, or discouraged 
 even; indeed, I have more than once observed the crest 
 fallen, sulky mood, as much as to say in dog language, 
 "it's no use trying, I just can't make you understand." 
 
 Indeed, the owner of a good hunting dog, on such 
 trips, can well afford to test and rely on his animal's superior 
 judgment in lots of ways in preference to his own. Years 
 of hunting and trapping experiences has proven these facts, 
 time and time again, only to be too true. It is poor policy 
 to "heel back" a good experienced dog; downright foolish- 
 ness I call it; by far the best plan would be to trust to 
 
CO'MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 89 
 
 their judgment, tinder many circumstances, if not all. In- 
 asmuch as we in the face of all evidence admit it, cannot 
 deny that animals are generally capable of exercising what 
 we would term "reasonable judgment." 
 
 These long drawn out articles on the lack of intelligence 
 of the wild animal species, which certain writers seem to 
 harp on, in my opinion shows a decided lack of common 
 sense on their part, and certainly indicates that their knowl- 
 edge has been drawn from observations of either wild ani- 
 mals in captivity, the domestic ones, or those so-called "wild 
 ones" which, for generations past, has perhaps hugged the 
 borders of civilization and become more or less adapted to 
 the xhanged conditions of the environment which surround 
 them, or their haunts, rather than those of the true wild 
 animals 'which inhabit still further remote or distant dis- 
 tricts, and who vary in difference as to animal life, much 
 as a savage does to the semi-civilized race. 
 
 Indeed, some of their theories prove unnaturalistic 
 tendencies, rather than otherwise, and as the reader will 
 follow me through this work he will find where in many 
 instances do I, a plain hunter and trapper, upset many of 
 their favorite ideas; whether correctly or not, I leave to the 
 reader or observer, who must bear in mind that my remarks 
 apply mostly to animals in their wildest state. Such as I 
 have hunted and trapped, snared, shot and dead-failed for 
 forty years past, as well as those observed by my father 
 and fore-fathers before me, not one of us ever having trade 
 or profession or calling in other lines. 
 
 Of an observing nature, we have, as a rule, always tried 
 to verif}^ things before making decisions, and to consult 
 others with whom we have been intimate and who have had 
 experience in such things. Again, I have largely drawn from 
 observations with Indians and natives of the tribes I have 
 lived amongst, be they Alaskan, Canadian, American or 
 Esquimaux, and while it is true that many of these have 
 peculiar ideas (erroneous ones), superstitions and beliefs, 
 ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous, yet in no in- 
 stance do I give their theories without verification, and 
 while in a few cases I might interpret them incorrectly, yet 
 in the majorit}'" you will find I am right, and you may rest 
 assured that in no case do I aim to exaggerate or give 
 opinions as facts. 
 
90 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 The whole trouble is too many seem to think that ani' 
 mals generally, or the habits of a few as iioted, are the 
 habits of all. Nothing is more inaccurate, even of those of 
 the same specie differ largely in their ways, habits and 
 peculiarities, according to conditions. One will do such a 
 thing this way, and the next fellow differently; as I said 
 before, conditions always governing. Let me give you a 
 few instances of this. Take, for instance, the weasel family; 
 they do not always kill anything of life peculiar to them, 
 which they find about them — not by a long shot; there are 
 times when they will and won't. I have seen them go into 
 burroughs and rob them of tid-bits, but never touch the 
 occupants, or chase them even when they ran out. I have 
 seen them rout out birds from their nests, and only disturb 
 eggs, and at other times pass up game that they could easily 
 have captured and killed, had they so desired. They have 
 their robbing expeditions, as well as their killing ones, 
 and are not living and constantly practicing extermination, 
 such as we are made loth to believe, especially so when 
 in their own territory. True, there are times when they go 
 outside the certain territorial limits, such as their own, when 
 they indulge in this killing mania for a while, especially in 
 seasons of scarcity or want (winter time). In a way, too, 
 their lives and ways are dissimilar; they have their varied 
 likes and dislikes in all things, as well as their peculiar 
 methods of approach to any quarry that they seek. Take, 
 for instance, any of the weasel family; if you watch them 
 closely on their hunting trips we will see quite a difference 
 in their methods. One using tactics decidedly different than 
 the other; on the whole, however, we can observe that at 
 first sight of an animal they seem to be particularly observ- 
 ant as to whether or not the creature is one whom they 
 have met before, and peculiar as it seems, also to learn if it 
 is a male or a female, and if the former, they get busy after 
 the meat without any preliminaries; but if in the latter 
 case it is a female, they will often lay close and watch her 
 for a long time, and follow her, seemingly in the hopes of 
 discovering her covert, lair, nest or den, for reasons that 
 are obvious, of course. 
 
 In the same way, when hunting birds in the nesting time, 
 they will watch old birds deliberately — females especially. 
 
CO'MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 91 
 
 in the hopes of locating the family nest, trailing after them, 
 watching them carefully, seeming to give far more thought 
 to remaining unobserved and following, rather than in clos- 
 ing in or attempting to attack. 
 
 The same rule applies to other animals of a carnivorous 
 nature; they seem to first seek out or identify the sex and 
 kind of the animal observed, in a way. When this is first 
 settled, they follow or attack, seemingly according to set 
 plans, and rarely in the haphazard catch-as-catch-can fashion 
 that a great many people seem to think. 
 
 In fact, I have observed the times and in season, when 
 hunting in pairs, that neither will attack the female, both 
 seeming to unite in driving her ofif or in confusing her, 
 separating her from her young, or from her mate, as much 
 as possible, and if, as stated, two of them are together in 
 the attacking party, they act as if it were deliberately 
 planned, premeditated and carried out accordingly. 
 
 In their likes and dislikes of certain kind of food, they 
 are dissimilar — one preferring flesh to fowl, or vice versa — 
 some tackling anything, and others seem to be epicurean 
 or dainty in their tastes; still more who show a preference 
 to a putrid carcass, and another refusing such a feed, and 
 right here I wish to say that, as a rule, the stench of such 
 foods seems not to be objectionable to all animal life, as 
 it is with us. This I attribute largely to the fact that while 
 the smell is a putrid one, yet it is natural, and they actually 
 seem to be more disgusted with any odor which comes 
 to them which is strange or foreign, or unnatural like. We 
 observe the same thing in savages and Indians — putrid or 
 partially rotten meat does not offend delicacy of either taste 
 or smell — it comes natural like, because they're used to it, 
 and of the fresher and sweeter meats they get tired of and 
 welcome the change. Now, on the other hand, anything 
 strange, as, for instance, some of our savory dishes seems 
 to have not only a disgusting smell, but taste as well, 
 simply because it is something new, and tastes foreign to 
 them and smells unnatural. 
 
 This is largely responsible for the fact which we see of 
 Indians choosing some of these vile feasts, such as the 
 paunch of the reindeer, dog meat and insects, such as the 
 locust, which appears so objectionable to us; and I venture 
 
92 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 to say that if we lived as do they, with little or no variety 
 in their foods, that any change almost would be hailed with 
 satisfaction. Take, for instance, in the polar regions, one 
 of the chief delicacies there is the green undigested food 
 found in the stomach of the reindeer. This, taken with 
 certain portions of the flesh, is regarded as tid-bits, and with 
 seal or bear's blubber or fat is prepared into a stew and 
 eaten with %. relish or gusto akin to no other dish in the 
 Esquimaux dietary. The reason is plain and simple. It is 
 their only possibility of getting any green stufi', as a relief 
 from the monotonous fish diet or that of flesh, which be- 
 comes tiresome in time, naturally, and the polar regions 
 
 Warner and Swasy Telescopes. High Power Binocular. 
 
 being devoid of vegetation, especially in the winter time, it 
 is easy to see that such vegetation, strong and obnoxious 
 though it may seem to us, is hailed very much in the 'way 
 that we like our mess of spring or winter greens. If I may 
 cite such as a comparison. We observe the same thing 
 in animal life. We see birds, for instance, who pick out 
 the eyes and softer portions of a body or carcass which they 
 find; still more who first seek to glut themselves upon the 
 entrails, tongue, heart and liver; others who prefer the more 
 solid or tender flesh, each nevertheless exercising a choice of 
 parts peculiar to them. We see the same thing when their 
 dietary consists largely of fish; some of them eating the 
 heads and shoulders, others the entrails, and in a majority 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 93 
 
 of cases all of them leaving the tail, as if that part was 
 useless. Again some preferring the head, and leaving other 
 portions of the body untouched. Again, v^e notice some 
 who vary their diet largely, consuming berries, mice, frogs, 
 fish, insects, eggs and green foods, and showing decided 
 preference of one over the other, in season and out. And, 
 again, those who want meat straight and more of it, re- 
 fusing other varieties. All in all, then, it is wrong for us 
 to judge one by the other, for there is a large difference 
 
 Ideal Field Glass Day or Night. 
 
 between them, and to judge one by the same standard as 
 another, even of the same species, is a serious error. 
 
 I am well aware that some writers attribute the habits 
 of one as similar to anbther, just as they do deny to them 
 ordinary sense, reasoning powers, fore or after thought, 
 and on the next page of their writings cite an instance of 
 extraordinary intelligence that completely upsets and at vari- 
 ance with their former remarks or statements. One will 
 argue that a certain specie will climb a tree — still another 
 
94 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 that it does not, forgetting absolutely that conditions, habit 
 and environment plays an important part in all these things. 
 
 One will say that the beaver, for instance, shows an 
 intelligence akin to the human, in cutting down trees, build- 
 ing dams, houses and overflows: the other quotes it simply 
 as an act of an automatom and not intelligence, and still 
 more who claim that despite all facts claimed for it the 
 beavers have not even got sense enough to cut down trees 
 so that they will always fall the right way. 
 
 Could anything be more absurd? True, perhaps, the 
 tree cut down did fall the wrong way, away from the stream, 
 instead of across it, for instance, or perhaps fell against 
 another tree instead of falling free and clear; even admitting 
 
 One-half Actual Size 
 Trieder Binocular Telescopes, 
 all this, it is certainly' not proof of lack of beaver intelli- 
 gence (while it may be of human kind). 
 
 In this case that beaver intelligence was limited to cut- 
 ting the tree down in the surest, quickest, easiest and safest 
 way. Why should it reason as to the best way for it to 
 fall, any more than it should that its lumber had a market 
 value? We surely should not expect that it had human 
 intelligence, and call it "foolish" because it had not, for, 
 come to think of it, I have seen city educated folk, with 
 a sharp axe even, use decidedh^ less or worse head work 
 cutting down a sapling than did that very beaver in cutting 
 
CO'MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 95 
 
 down a tree. Hence, I say that the one who likens animal 
 sense, or intelligence, to that of the human kind is but a 
 FOOL. Right here I wish to say the beavers as a rule in 
 their work are guided largely by circumstances; their cut- 
 ting of trees is confined to the easiest, quickest way; time 
 is no factor in their life as with us, and accomplishment of 
 their objects is always what is aimed at. 
 
 It is poor logic to assume that because animal man has 
 involved dire faculties and attributes and progresses that 
 our four-footed creatures are dumb and lack ordinary intelli- 
 gence. No indeed, each has its limitations, and sphere, and 
 for every unintelligent act that can be traced to animal life 
 I w-ill show you equal ignorance in mankind, as to our 
 knowledge of their ways. 
 
 I know and realize, perhaps, that I am treading on "the 
 corns" of some noted naturalist's pet subjects and theories, 
 but I'll pit my old moccasin flat feet against their hard, 
 shod ideas, any old time it becomes actually necessary. 
 
 In the preceding chapters I have here and there through- 
 out the thread of my discourse mentioned many of the 
 peculiar traits of wild animal and savage life, of both the 
 higher and lower scale, and in this one I intend to dwell 
 further on these subjects and present some remarkably 
 astonishing facts as to the "w^ys of wild life and its 
 creatures" that have never before been in print that my 
 readers may better judge of how ignorantly we Jiave judged 
 these creatures of God's creation, who, as we know, were 
 placed onto earth even before mankind, and who dwell with 
 us now. 
 
 In our reference to these wild creatures we are prone to 
 speak of them as dumb, ignorant brutes, and to judge them 
 from our standard of intelligence. And did we but know it 
 would be interesting could we but learn or know what these 
 wild creatures think of us, and our ways. And to further 
 enlighten you on some of these subjects is the object of this 
 chapter. 
 
 To begin with I shall treat on the. hidden subjects con- 
 cerning the mysterious sign languages of both animal and 
 savage life. There are peculiar, astounding similarities exist- 
 ing between human and wild an;mal life by which those in 
 the wild regions find their way or provide for their wants. 
 
96 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 97 
 
 When we come to the social animals or birds who are 
 included in this class, we observe that even these are more 
 or less quiet, according to their mode of existence, life or 
 haunts; those of solitary habit, such as owls, hawks, eagles, 
 etc., and even the species they prey upon, both resorting to 
 silence; the one lest it alarm its prey, the other lest it be 
 observed by its enemy. 
 
 Neither must we infer that sounds by social animals or 
 birds are or form a part of any language; no indeed, far from 
 it, for while such sounds may be even identified as expres- 
 sions of joy, pain, anger, fear, sign or signal, yet it is not 
 language any more than is the sound of the distant wood- 
 ma^j's axe, or the whistle of the locomotive, such as we 
 hear in the forest woods. True, we identify the sound 
 and know its meaning, but we cannot term it language, far 
 from it. Indeed, in all animal life, sound is only used on rare 
 occasions, and in seasonable time, and is to be avoided 
 rather than practiced by them. 
 
 Even the sounds noisy birds produce can be traced or 
 likened to expressions of joy, peace, love, passion, fear, 
 happiness, pleasure, anger or song — acquired by habit and 
 imitation, and employed for certain purposes and times. 
 For their song is hushed when it becomes necessary to 
 communicate with each other individually, while many of 
 the cries that we hear are but expressions of anger, attract- 
 ing or warning calls, as the case may be. 
 
 In their flights or migrations, too, cries are used largely 
 even by animals, as well as birds, especially when they 
 travel by herd, pack or otherwise; the reason why is plain 
 — they are moving, the rustle of countless wings, the tramp 
 of multitudinous, feet, makes sound or sign necessary, such 
 as will sufifice their actual wants, but no more. And the 
 bleating calf, noisy cub or lusty young is punished when it 
 indulges in too much exercise of its lung or vocal power. 
 
 By signs and signals, movements of head, body, tail, 
 limbs, even eyes, hair, ears, etc., they communicate with 
 each other, not by sound as has been said, but a universal 
 language of sign — sign language much as is used or has been 
 used from the days of primitive man and savage down to 
 the native Indian of today. 
 
 For I would have you understand that the art of the 
 
98 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 speaking language, or that of vocal sound, has largely been 
 acquired by habit, knowledge and education, even in man- 
 kind; thus has sound usurped the place of sign, which has 
 become almost obsolete by reason thereby, even unto the 
 savage, primitive or civilized races. Not so with animal life 
 — theirs is still a language of sign, not sound; the latter 
 being more or less acquired by habit, observation, selection, 
 imitation in the various species, as we shall see. 
 
 Peculiarly enough I would invite the reader's attention 
 to another thing of importance in explanation of my observa- 
 tion on these lines, i. e., that while nature blessed the human 
 race with a facial and voice difference by which we recog- 
 nize each other individually, it is not so in bird, animal, 
 insect or fish life; with them each of the varied species 
 look alike almost, and as they possess neither facial or voice 
 difference, they must look elsewhere for other senses to 
 take their place. 
 
 This, I claim, is accomplished by their possessing and 
 recognizing the difference of odor or scent, which each of the 
 species possesses, and which differs slightly in each, as 
 facial difference does in us. Thus, by sight, do they first 
 recognize or seek to recognize each other. But confirmed 
 by smell, as we confirm more by seeing than hearing. 
 
 I can perhaps make this still plainer to the reader, for 
 unfortunately while I have learned much of the ways of the 
 woods and forest folk and nature, I have yet much to learn 
 in letters. Still I feign would have you understand plainly, 
 all things of which I write, be it this or other subjects, and 
 in putting these things to you, will attempt to do so just 
 as though we were talking together. 
 
 Take, for instance, the recognition of our friends; ordi- 
 narily it is by sight, yet how often has even sight proved 
 misleading, for when we spoke to them we found it was 
 someone else, and again, in the case of old friends whom we 
 had not seen for many years, and who by this reason it was 
 difficult to recognize, owing to changed appearance at first 
 sight, did not the familiarity of voice aid us in recognition? 
 In other words, we verified sight by sound or voice, and by 
 these means, both, did we confirm the recognition. 
 
 Now, on the other hand, take the animal, bird or insect, 
 each of its own kind, when in the wild state or element. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 99 
 
 looks alike almost; their facial or other differences vary but 
 little and are similar or alike to a great extent. Here is 
 where they differ from us. Now, as they have no voice or 
 language, as we would term it, it is obvious to the intelli- 
 gent that while they can in • their way recognize by sight 
 alone, all those that they habitually come in contact with 
 in their daily life, yet they must bring other senses or means 
 to their aid, when recognition becomes difficult by pro- 
 longed absence or change. 
 
 For ample evidence of the truth is this, one has only 
 to observe closely any of the animal, bird or insect life 
 about us, and to listen or hearken not for inaudible or audible 
 sounds, but to read and anticipate sign, to decipher, act, move- 
 ment, expression, read thought and the secret is ours. A 
 task perhaps beyond human nature now, for we have gone 
 too far the other way, yet in my forty years of experience 
 with nature and animal life, I have learned many things, 
 which, for the first time, has ever been explained or put 
 into printed form, as now. 
 
 As for proof, it will not be wanting before I have done; 
 not that I shall seek to confuse by citing voluminous in- 
 stances or anecdotes, but by confining myself to a few 
 truths only, and on every hand will I prove to yqu or give 
 you evidence to verify my statements that animal life learn 
 from us by sight and sign more than sound. Your own dog 
 and cat prove it, for is not every act you see that of sign 
 among themselves — they only look to us for sound, and 
 when we try to talk to them and they interpret it the act is 
 simply mute evidence of our ignorance of their ways, and 
 highly creditable to their understanding or intelligence. 
 
 Again we note the sounds as used by wild animal life, 
 even these are but calls or signals — no more. Indeed, their 
 very safety in the wild state depends largely on keeping 
 quiet in all the name implies, and the more solitary the 
 species as a rule the less noise and sound do we hear from 
 them. 
 
 Thus when memory of place, thing and time is forgotten, 
 animal life recognizes and confirms recognition by its sense of 
 smell or scent; so does the ant, the insect, the bird, the beast 
 or the fish distinguish its friends from the strangers who are 
 
100 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 placed or come within their midst, because their power of 
 scent is a sense that is even greater than sight in a way. 
 
 On the contrary, in our case, sight is our principal sense 
 — hearing and smelling powers being poorly developed in 
 comparison to animal life, despite the voluminous theories to 
 the contrary, and this is largely owing to our limited use of 
 same. With an animal it is different — its very existence de- 
 pends upon the acuteness of both hearing and smelling, and 
 so perfect have these sense become that in comparison to 
 them their sight may well be considered feeble. 
 
 Scientists and naturalists, however, have given out theory 
 after theory that animal and bird languages are those of 
 sounds — supposedly inaudible in a way, and all sorts of ex- 
 planations have been given as to the way they communicate 
 to each other. Some have said that they have used a secret 
 code of signals, which were as complexing and mysterious 
 as they were varied, and that they even doubted that anyone 
 would ever be able to interpret them. 
 
 In our case, we use language, because voice and hearing 
 is our next best sense to sight, but when it comes to animal, 
 bird or insect life who have no language or voice, they of 
 all must depend on their next best sense, which is scent. 
 Hence, when sight fails to recognize and distinguish, it is 
 invariably that the final test of scent is made, to dispel any 
 doubts which may arise in their mind, as to final recogni- 
 tion. 
 
 Thus it is by these means, that the mother finally recog- 
 nizes and distinguishes its young from others of its kind. 
 First by sight, which it confirms or proves by smell, by the 
 same token does it distinguish friends from strangers, ene- 
 mies from friends, acquaintances from relations, or assist 
 memory to remember, so to speak. This memory, sight 
 and scent being to animal life, what sight, voice, sound or 
 remembrance is to us. * * * Reader, have I yet suc- 
 ceeded in making these facts plain? 
 
 If not, we will shortly enter into a discussion as to how 
 these wild creatures really communicate, fraternalize, signal 
 and leave messages to, for, and from each other in a 
 way that will surprise you. For example: Even the Indians 
 or savage, the African of the tropics, the Esquimaux of the 
 Polar regions, all of whom I have hunted and lived with in 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 101 
 
 my time, recognize the value of silence and sign, for like 
 us even they have profited by experience and observation, 
 and have observed the ways of wild animal life, just as can 
 you and I, if we but will. For I would have you understand 
 that the art of the speaking language, or that of vocal sound, 
 has largely been acquired by habit, knowledge and educa- 
 tion, even in mankind; thus has sound usurped the place of 
 sign, which has become almost obsolete by reason thereby. 
 Even unto the savage primitive or civilized races, but not so 
 with animal life — theirs is still a language of sign, not sound; 
 the latter being more or less acquired by habit, observation, 
 selection, imitation in the various species as we shall see. 
 
 In my life, I have seen many strange and seemingly im- 
 possible things of nature and animal life explained, which 
 v/ere I to include them in this chapter, would perhaps fall 
 short of proving my theories. By reason of the reader's 
 unfamiliarity with the subjects, I would quote. Hence, I 
 must seek another outlet for such information, as will be 
 noted later, and confine myself now to instances of animal 
 life of which we both more or less are acquainted. Hence, 
 I will put it this way. If I were to cite this instance and 
 attribute it to a wolf, wolverine, panther, wild cat. coyote, 
 or fox, the reader would by reason of his unfamiliarity of 
 such wild animals, doubt the truth of my statements, so I 
 will use for my subject, instead, the Dog or the Cat, and 
 explain to you one of the mysteries and secrets of their 
 lives, which perhaps for the first time has ever put into print. 
 Yet, it will serve as an admirable instance to explain to 
 you, one of the mysterious ways by which you can prove 
 much of the animal language, signs and signals, and I ask 
 the reader at the same time, to follow me carefully in what 
 is to come, and try to read between the lines of my argu- 
 ment. 
 
 Who is there, who has not noticed that dogs as they go 
 about in their daily life, invariably travel nose to the ground, 
 and seem continually to be searching for something always 
 (with nose and eyes); how many are there who know the 
 real object of his search; I say real object, because there 
 are many theories — so very many, that they confuse rather 
 than explain. So for the first time in your life perhaps, I 
 will make things plain as to this trait even. 
 
102 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 ANTLERS AND SCENT GLANDS 
 
 J^ I Antlers of the Stag, from the Serond to the Setcnth Year. ' %''^\ ' *^ t 
 
 I 
 
 The White Parts Show Location of Scent Glands, 
 
COiM'PLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 103 
 
 Take for instance, a pet animal that cries to have a door 
 opened to go out or in; the same cry is used either way — 
 it does not ask to go out or in, neither does it in animal 
 language say "open the door;" its cry is simply an act to 
 attract attention, and the cry is varied only by the intensity 
 of desire to indicate its want. Observe it closely, and by 
 sign does it betray its eagerness and expectation, for its 
 appealing look, movement, plainly evinces and enables one 
 to anticipate its wants, if they will. That is the real lan- 
 guage I fain would have you know. 
 
 Again, take the animal who paws and scratches the door, 
 or the dog who whines, scratches and barks when shut up 
 alone; why does he continue this — simplj^ to invite or attract 
 attention to his wants from the outside. The attention of 
 man whose ways he tries to imitate; were it but a wild or 
 savage animal, its noise would be less, or none at all, it 
 would simply scratch patiently, persistently, gnaw its way 
 out silently, from the weaker spot in its cage, and never 
 give up, even after it learned the impossibility of its plan. 
 If there was more than one of them, never a sound would 
 be heard, but that they would deliberately consult, con- 
 verse, reason and act, in concert with each other, as to how, 
 when and the best way to get out by sign and movement — 
 who can deny? 
 
 And this is but a single instance, but by a thousand others 
 could I cite and prove that by sign, movement, ex,pression 
 and act, birds, animals, insects, all thus communicate their 
 wants, be they giants of the forest, mites of the earth, air 
 or water — all their silent testimony to the truth of the old 
 saying — 
 
 "Actions speak louder than words." 
 
 Elsewhere in this volume I have explained in a measure 
 briefly, how wild animals, birds, and insect life, even fish, 
 recognize each other, and verify sight or sound by scent, 
 more than sight, sound or language. And forty years experi- 
 ence with silent nature, has proven to me that this rule 
 applies to all, from the smallest living breathing mite or 
 thing of life, to the largest of its kind. 
 
 Another peculiar fact is this: that while they all recog- 
 nize by sight or sign, yet they verify these senses by scent 
 or smell, and that while we can impose upon the eye or 
 
104 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 mind, we cannot on memory or smell, except in a limited 
 way. 
 
 Now take dogs for instance. If you watch them as thej' 
 go along, you will notice that they approach certain objects, 
 such as a tree stump, log or mound (corner or lamp-post, 
 telegraph pole, curbing, fence, post, or brick-wall, if you 
 will), you will invariably see them stop, smell or scent it 
 carefully; then mark it or "urinate" thereon; perhaps once 
 or twice, go through certain peculiar motions, and pass 
 on again to other certain spots, locations or places, and 
 repeat the performance. Now how many of you are there 
 who really know what all this means; never in your time 
 of life perhaps have you had this explained, so reserve your 
 decision until you hear what I have to say on these hitherto 
 unknown subjects. 
 
 That dog was simply confirming what I have tried to make 
 plain to you all, i. e. — that it was using sign language and 
 confirming sight, or memory by smell or by his own token 
 leaving sign for information of others of his kind. 
 
 It was one of his tribal signal stations, and by the recent 
 signs of others of his kind left there, he was able to judge 
 who left them, and not only this, but how long, since, and 
 what direction the maker of the recent sign was traveling 
 from that particular spot. Not only this, but he recognized 
 and identified who made them, even — whether it was a friend, 
 acquaintance, stranger or enemy, as I intend to prove to you 
 now. 
 
 POWER OF SCENT AND SIGN 
 
 If you observe the animals closely, you will see that by 
 sign do they show certain recognition or indifference; at 
 other times, more than passing interest. Either way this 
 was caused by recognition, that the sign thereon was left 
 by a friend, acquaintance, stranger, or perhaps enemy. If 
 you have, or will watch them closely, you will note how 
 deliberately, oi eagerly they then smell the ground, and fol- 
 low on a ways searching the ground for more sign, as if 
 they meant to follow in the direction of the trail of the 
 animal who visited the place, or who evidently preceded 
 them. They will do this for a while, perhaps on each oc- 
 
COlAI-PLETE trappers guide 105 
 
 casion, sometimes showing extreme eagerness as remarked 
 before, and at other times contempt. The reason of it all, 
 is because he has recognized by scent that the animal who 
 made the sign he had smejled, was known to him, and the 
 truth is, he fain would meet him, follow on and renew that> 
 acquaintance; you can tell this by his apparent friendly way, 
 for at times, he wall wag his tail, and show positive evi- 
 dence of delight' or anticipation, as he recognizes who vis- 
 ited that particular spot. 
 
 Now, on the other hand, perhaps it was treated with in- 
 difference; if so, it was an old sign or visit beyond rec- 
 ognition by scent, hence \vas covered up by his later sign 
 or mark, or again you might have noticed he showed actual 
 contempt, mingled with low growls, instead of a whine of 
 pleasure, then you may be sure that the sign was recog- 
 nized as that of a stranger or enemy who dared leave mark 
 of visit on his station or beat; perhaps one with whom he 
 had an old grudge to settle. If so, you will notice, he will 
 twice leave his sign, or turn around and deliberately scratch 
 dirt at it, and with a hoarse deep meaning growl, leave 
 plainly his sign as a mark of contempt or defiance to further 
 emphasize his insulting remarks or meaning as to his visit 
 or presence there. 
 
 Or, I will put it to you this way. Supposing by the sign 
 on that place he recognized his old chum, "Spot" (excuse 
 the phrase), he acts as much as to say — between sniffs, 
 "Hello Spot's" sniff, sniff, "I'd awfully much like to see 
 you again" — sniff, sniff — "let's see" — sniff, sniff — "which way 
 have you gone" — sniff, sniff — "it's too bad I did not smell or 
 scent your sign before it's a day or so old" — sniff, sniff — 
 "well it is no use following you. now, I'll have to trust seeing 
 you again some time elsewhere and will leave my sign or 
 scent to tell 3'ou I've been here just the same." 
 
 Sunset Tints of the Sky — The colors most commonly seen 
 at sunset are yellow, orange and red. The rays of the setting 
 sun are dispersed, during their passage through the clouds, 
 or accumulations of vapor at the horizon, and only the 
 colors that are least turned out of their course, viz., the yel- 
 low, orange and red, pass through and light up the western 
 sky. 
 
The Sportsman's Ideal Sleeping Bag 
 Outfit Complete. 
 
 Wind, Weather, Water, Cold and Snow Proof. 
 
 Used as a Mild Weather Qutfit. 
 
 Dry Enough for Rainy Weather, 
 
 No Tent Needed Even in Mid-Winter. "Warm Enough for Winter Use, 
 
 ^11 
 
 Eead7 to Roll Up, 
 
 Boiled Up. 
 
 106 
 
CO'M'PLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 107 
 
 SIGNALS, ETC., ETC. 
 
 Or perhaps it might be like this — sniff. "Hello, here's 
 Spot's sign," sniff, "why he was only here a few minutes 
 ago," sniff — "let's see, which way did he go," sniff, and nose 
 to the ground for more sign, he's off in the direction Spot 
 went, in an effort to overtake him, trailing him out, using 
 scent to overtake him — this by the power of scent alone. 
 
 Still again, it might be a stranger who dared pollute the 
 station with his sign, or be "Towser," his avowed enemy, 
 or the "Bully" of the territory, whom he is anxious to meet 
 and have it out with in another good old-fashioned scrap 
 or chaw. Either way, you can see how by act or deed he 
 expresses his contempt, silent or otherwise, and with his 
 meaning by his scratches, which makes the dirt fiy between 
 signs or growls, something in this fashion. Brr-row, brr- 
 row, "dog gone your old hide, Towser" (or stranger); "if 
 I catch you around my stamping ground, I'll chew the life 
 out of you." Brr-row, brr-row, and the dirt sure flies at 
 every scratch, as if to emphasize his meaning and to leave a 
 further warning to others who pass that way. 
 
 These are only a few instances of the ability of animals 
 to recognize or verify sign by scent, which as I have said 
 before, all belongs to the language and ways of wild ani- 
 mal life. Bear in mind, please, that I have only cited here 
 an instance of the dog, so as to make things plain to you; 
 later on, I shall tell you of the varied ways of the different 
 wild animals, which will interest you still more and shed 
 more "Light On Dark Places." 
 
 That animals generally who dwell in certain districts 
 or communities maintain these certain signal stations, I 
 know. Forty years experience has proven this beyond doubt. 
 They all hold in a way, and maintain their community, or 
 district rights; post their signs thus, to let each other know 
 when trespassing or on strange, unfamiliar territory, so as 
 to let each other know of their certain whereabouts, or to 
 find their own way back again, mind you, by the further 
 exercise of this astounding power of scent alone. 
 
 Further than this too, I desire to impress on the reader 
 this fact, that not only are there "signs of urine" so recog- 
 nized, but even manure voidings; scratchings. Even hoof, 
 
108 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 foot, paws, tracks, are equally so identified as to whether or 
 not they belong to acquaintance or stranger. 
 
 In wild animal life, this serves various purposes — to in- 
 form each other of their movements and locations, visits, 
 and to also identify things that have been observed, or places 
 visited by them, and any old experienced trapper or hunter, 
 who has made a business of observing these things, will 
 tell you, that when they bury or hide their foods, they leave 
 these signs there, to mark, identify, and claim them as their 
 own, and if there is more than one, each will leave its sign 
 in turn — one after the other. 
 
CO'MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 109 
 
 LEAVING THEIR SIGN OR MARK 
 
 Perhaps too, reader, you have noticed that even dogs, 
 certain of them, usei different places, as their signal sta- 
 tion; for instance, when they "urinate" and leave these signs, 
 that if you watch them closely, you will observe certain dif- 
 ference as to their locations. For instance, one set will take 
 a street-corner, another clique will use the house-corner, 
 another the fence, still others a tree, lamp-post or telegraph 
 pole, others the street curbing; now all these are varied and 
 known stations — like a post-ofifice, where they receive and 
 distribute messages, and in "dogdom," they're only using a 
 habit which has been inherited and brought down from the 
 wild species of their kind. 
 
 Now if you were a savage Indian, old woodsman or trap- 
 per, if you should when going into the woods, observe here 
 a rock, stump, or deadfall, there a bush, cliff, hill or mound — 
 you would use these things as your signs or landmarks; thus, 
 you can see that the animals follow the old woodman's plan, 
 who blazes his way by cutting with an axe the 'bark of cer- 
 tain trees along his route, or in breaking or bending over, 
 branch-clippings, so as to indicate his route, either for the 
 purpose of linding his way back again, or to inform his 
 friends of the direction he has taken, in different paths, 
 through the forest. Now, as animals can neither blaze their 
 trees or bend back bushes as does the woodsman, it is 
 obvious that they must have recourse to other things; hence, 
 you can better understand why they leave their different 
 signs as I have before explained, each and every one of 
 which has its peculiar significant (I may say) fraternal 
 meaning. 
 
 Not that I would have you think each of the species of 
 wild animals do the same thing; take wild cats, panthers, 
 mountain lions, fox, wolf, coyote, muskrat, mink, beaver, 
 wolverine, weasel, hedge-hog, each have their own peculiar 
 methods and stations; some purring like a cat, rub its fur 
 against a rock, bush or tree; others will claw a tree, sharpen 
 their claws; still more roll or scratch the dirt; even moose, 
 elk, caribou, reindeer, bears, even polar bears, musk-ox, all 
 have their peculiar signs and leave them wherever they go; 
 even the grizzly bear reaching up and leaving their signs 
 
no. COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 (claw marks)' well up on the stumps of trees, growths, all 
 of which is mentioned in their respective chapters, as we 
 shall see as we go along. 
 
 Another important meaning to this act of urinating or 
 watering frequently here and there, as is the case with many 
 wild animals (like the dog) is this: That by it he is enabled 
 to travel to strange and far distances,- and by the use of 
 these marks and signs smtU his way back again to where he 
 started from. And, further, that even with lack of these 
 signs so keen and acute are the powers of scent in animal 
 life generally that they can actually smell and remember the 
 directive points they travel or are carried over without such 
 signs, only it is a more difficult matter. By this I mean that 
 they can identify a district by its scent or smell, and so 
 memorize it as to find their way back to that very district 
 if needs be. 
 
 As to community and district, even certain property rights, 
 we can observe and repeatedly trace evidence of this in 
 wild animal life, be they social or solitary. To them the 
 district or locality which they exist in for generations is as 
 our home and neighborhood to us. Every rock, hill, ravine, 
 log or peculiar stump within their territory is noted and 
 memorized just as are the important street corners to us. 
 They travel in paths and by-ways, as periodically and regu- 
 larly as we do travel the streets, and so closely do they 
 observe the peculiar differences of things that no unusual 
 looking object escapes their diligent notice, exactly as does 
 a savage or Indian his way by sight alone. 
 
 Indeed, wild animals thoroughly familiarize themselves 
 with all who live within their districts, and can practically 
 recognize these places by sight and scent, just as we do our 
 neighbors or districts, even though they may not be on 
 "speaking terms" with them. They have their friends and 
 acquaintances, their cliques and clans, and as a rule confine 
 their rovings to their own well known districts, beyond 
 whose certain limits they seldom pass, except in the seasons 
 of migration, love or festivity, for the reason that they 
 understand fully w^ell that they will be regarded as tres- 
 passers by those animals on whose property or territory they 
 pass through, at these times, and be treated accordingly. 
 
 Further, I wish you to know that there are certain dis- 
 
CO'MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 111 
 
 tricts which belong to certain individuals and are so recog- 
 nized. Not only this, but that they even recognize, dis- 
 tinguish and punish trespassers or strangers who encroach 
 on these territories. And, further, that they recognize or 
 distinguish these trespassers or strangers, even when they 
 don't see them, by means of their track, trail or footprints, 
 no two of which are exactly alike. 
 
 I know I will be laughed at by many when I say that 
 animals even recognize and respect certain conditions of 
 plant and animal life both, and maintain reserves both for 
 game and food, or territory that is used on only certain 
 occasions. Not only this, but that they refuse to eat certain 
 plants, berries and bushes that have not fully matured, pass- 
 ing them by as though to say, "a little later you will be in 
 better condition for my wait, now." 
 
 The same rule to animals who are flesh-eaters; they oft- 
 times will refuse to molest a female who is bearing young, 
 acting when they discover these facts as though ashamed 
 and seeming to say or reason, "well, later on I'll have a 
 feed of your young ones instead of you now." Many a 
 time I have seen evidence of this, and have even known 
 weasels and minks to only take a part of a family of young, 
 without molesting the old or the others, as if they believed 
 in practicing some sort of economy, alike to leaving food for 
 another day. 
 
 True, at times they exterminate whole families and show 
 signs of blood-thirstiness more than hunger, but putting 
 this and that together I believe that in such cases they are 
 hunting off of their own territory, trespassing or poacher 
 like, or else have harbored a grudge up against that particu- 
 lar kind. 
 
 Right here I want to be understood as one who denies 
 that animals are generally exterminators of such species 
 which they regard as legitimate prey; far from it; they use 
 at times as much sense and reason as do we, and far more 
 in many things. Again, too, I have noted that there seems 
 to be a good deal of enmity existing between certain animals, 
 and that in these cases, when they meet, there is pretty 
 sure to be a war of extermination waged between them, 
 whether hungry or not, as if to settle old grudges, differ- 
 ences or feuds that seem to be remembered by them. In 
 
112 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 short, there seems to be a spirit of memory or resentment 
 which influences them largely in these acts. 
 
 I also wish to say at the same time that even among their 
 natural prey there are some that do not molest even these 
 kind, as though there was a certain friendship or mutual 
 understanding which existed between them. 
 
 Also that there are times when they will deliberately 
 catch a victim and allow him to escape, not by accident as 
 we would term it, but as though they reasoned and said. 
 "Well, I'll let you go this time, but look out for me the next 
 — you see I can catch you," or in this wise, "I'll reserve you 
 for a feed later on, when I'm more hungry than I am now." 
 The idea which seems to be general that animals catch and 
 kill whenever they can, or when opportunity presents itself, 
 is altogether a wrong one. 
 
 I know personalh' many instances where they have not 
 only suffered their game to go unmolested, but have actual- 
 ly driven them away, as much as to say, "Get out of here"; 
 even chased them a few rods for "practice" and then have 
 turned and lain down again apparently indifferent, and yet 
 pleased with what v/as a plain case of a "don't need" or 
 "care for you" feeling. I am positive that these rules apply 
 at times to all wild animals, fish, bird or insect life. And 
 as I have repeatedly stated, there are times, unquestionably, 
 when all seem to be more or less at peace with each other. 
 
 Of one thing you may be certain, their intelligences 
 suffice to enable them to reason out that a war of extermina- 
 tion WDuld be fatal to their future existence, and over forty 
 years' observations of such things has proven to me that 
 wild animals are not the fools to indulge in this, but that 
 they reason out and use judgment in such things, more 
 than we. And I am positive that they also exercise thought 
 and judgment as to those they kill, whether it be male or 
 female, young of tender age, old and infirm, with reference 
 to seasons of scarcity or plenty. 
 
 Peculiar Traits 
 
 I have known foxes to den for years, and to avoid 
 molesting certain rabbits and burrows that existed close 
 to them, and I have every reason to believe that they actu- 
 ally lived on what we would call "distant terms," and in 
 
CO'MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 113 
 
 certain seasons, winter, for instance, I think it not unlikely 
 that there was a tax regularly imposed by that fox family 
 on his rabbit-ship. Further than this, I will cite an instance 
 of the eagle who periodically imposes a tax on the fish- 
 hawk or king fisher who operates in his, the eagle's domain, 
 and who once in a while only steals the captured fish from 
 his hawk-ship as a sort of a rental for operating on his ter- 
 ritory. And the more I have seen of such things, the more 
 I am convinced that the eagle reasons out that he is seek- 
 ing a sort of a rental from a worthy tenant who is useful, 
 and that did he continually steal his prey, Mr. King Fisher 
 or Fish-Hawk would for reasons thereby leave for other 
 territory; hence, the two get along on a sort of live and let 
 live basis, or pay-rent-once-in-a-while style. 
 
 When we see such things ourselves we are prone to 
 jump at the conclusion, for instance, that it is a fight be- 
 tween hawk and eagle, but when one sees them as often as 
 I have he knows different. True, at times, the hawk con- 
 tests this tax-like imposition, but I can only liken it to 
 ""can't" or "won't pay if I can help it" plan. 
 
 In this the reader must bear in mind I refer to animal 
 or bird life which exist in certain territorial districts, where 
 each gets more or less acquainted with the others of its own 
 or other kinds inhabiting the same regions as they. When, 
 however, the}^ are migrating, or on territory distant from 
 their own, they act much as thieves, robbers, trespassers and 
 tramps do, and the best wins. Thus, when a strange bird 
 or animal is found encroaching on another's territory, they 
 seem to act the part as though they knew it, for it is then 
 that their savage fights and combinations against each other 
 seem to take place. 
 
 I will put it to you in another way. Take, for instance, 
 a bird or squirrel who nests in a certain tree — that tree per- 
 haps has been its home for generations past, or rather the 
 home of its family, which has been handed down from one 
 to the other, generation to generation, and it recognizes it 
 and considers it as its own property. They do this just as 
 much as we do our home and location, and they will in- 
 variably dispute its possession by others who seek to dis- 
 place them or usurp from them with all the power they 
 
114- COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 possess, and they yield only to superiority or mastership. 
 In other words, they must be driven away, or forced out. 
 
 I don't care what the species, whether it is bird, animal, 
 insect or fish, it is the same; they have their favorite spots 
 and haunts, and will contest to the limit possession by 
 strangers or others not to their liking. On the other hand, 
 many times they seem to live close to and in harmony 
 with enemies of their kind — seeming to tolerate them just 
 as though they had a pre-arranged sort of understanding, 
 that each could do so with certain impunity, depending on 
 minding their own business, and keeping off each other's 
 rights, or territory. Remember, I do not wish my readers 
 to infer that they live on any terms of "friendship" or 
 intimacy — far from it, but that they do live on terms of 
 toleration I am positive. 
 
 Perhaps the plainest instance or evidence of this we 
 have in the prairie dog, owl and rattle-snake, with which 
 nearly everybody is to a certain extent familiar. Hence, I 
 will cite these as an instance, and will quote what an old 
 Indian chief told me some years ago, when I was employed 
 by the now famous 101 Ranch, Miller Bros., of Oklahoma. 
 The story was, in fact, verified by five years' service in that 
 territory, when I was employed by the United States Gov- 
 ernment there, 1885 to 1890, as is mentioned in my record. 
 
 To give you the Indian's words literally would be im- 
 possible, as I made no note "of it at the time, yet my under- 
 standing of his ideas was like this: 
 
 Him dog no like snake, no like owl; bye-bye too much 
 young dog. Owl eat 'em young one, bye-bye too much owl, 
 snake eat 'em egg, bye-bye too much snake, old owl eat 
 'em young snake, sometime owl he fly away, someone else 
 catch him; long time snake, owl, prairie-dog be all same — 
 no get more. No like each other. 
 
 Thus we perceive tolerance and mutual good to each 
 other — a sort of promise, or compromise, as if to keep down 
 any surplus or over-population of a limited district as it 
 were. Another instance, if not absolute proof, of the reason- 
 ing power of animal life. Be it as it may, it can be likened 
 much to the animal or savage-like habits of man. where 
 they even have been known to kill and eat their own oflf- 
 
 I 
 
COaiPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 115 
 
 spring, even their parents, relatives, when they became too 
 numerous, or so old as to become a burden. 
 
 Neither have we to cite primitive man or savages for 
 evidence of these or similar things, for, strange to say, 
 deny it who can, there are even amongst civilized or edu- 
 cated beings those who make away with their young or 
 murder them for similar reasons today, and who desert or 
 drive out their parents even, much as do the wild animals; 
 hence, the one great stain or blot against animal life or their 
 intelligences is even found in the human being as well. 
 
 Neither will I rest yet. For while I could give innu- 
 merable other instances, I deem it unnecessary, except to 
 mention as a comparison the habits of fish, who show all 
 siirilar traits, in respect to this or their property rights, 
 for, as is well known, nearly every species show preference 
 to certain locations, districts and places, and nearly every 
 fisherman or angler will tell you of the "big fellows" who 
 monopolize the best locations year after year, and who de- 
 fend and- resist with all their powers intrusion of certain 
 others, yet seem to tolerate at times those whom we re- 
 gard as their enemies even, apparently for the good it does, 
 for they seem to know that it serves as a lure, or to deceive, 
 attract or decoy others to that vicinity, in order that they 
 may prey upon them. 
 
 Again, wolves will often make a surround of certain game 
 which is feeding and await them at a certain or particular 
 location to which the game is known to pass or repass, and 
 will content themselves with obtaining a few stragglers 
 once in a while, unperceived, instead of going in and stam- 
 peding the herd, or in taking what we would call "pot 
 luck." All of this I regard as true evidence of the reason- 
 ing power and intelligence of animal life, exactly adapted to 
 circumstances or conditions which exist at the time. 
 
 While writing of this, it brings to my mind another 
 peculiar trait of animal life which we perceive is somewhat 
 similar to that of the savage kind, and which is brought to 
 me forcibly by my polar and Indian experiences, i. e., the 
 similarity of savage mankind to wild animal life under cer- 
 tain conditions, social and solitary. We speak of mankind 
 as a social animal, who lives in large communities and is not 
 
116 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 solitary. Now let us see how far this goes. I claim animal 
 life is not as solitary as we assume, and I have in a way 
 explained how animals who really do live in communities 
 recognize and tolerate those that exist in the same territory 
 with them. Later I shall show you how, in certain seasons, 
 they often get together in seasons of peace and plenty, 
 and seem to live in harmony with each other during that 
 time. I have also tried to point out how they have their 
 certain districts, property and ownership rights, love of home 
 and haunts and a dislike or suspicion- of all strangers not 
 known or familiar to them, and, further, how for genera- 
 tions they live in the one district in preference to others; 
 how they are regarded and treated as strangers and enemies 
 when they go beyond these limits, and how, at certain times, 
 they form little cliques, clans and bands and co-operate with 
 each other and try to prove how, in all animal life, this is 
 in a way as described. 
 
 Now let me take you back to savage life. We find 
 similar traits with those that live in large communities, 
 socially, and with others who live in small families for gen- 
 erations together — in a way live exactly as animals do. 
 They have their certain limited territory and property rights, 
 and regard as trespassers, strangers and enemies any who 
 encroach upon their own hunting territory. We see the 
 stronger imposing upon the weaker, even to eating each 
 other — cannibalism, as we know it. Some living in large 
 communities as in Africa, others in small families of a few 
 generations or families only, as in the polar regions. Some 
 live abject, solitary lives, driven out by their own, just as 
 do wild animals, tribes, a few miles from each other; often 
 wage desperate war with another, life enemies so to speak; 
 others a family or so living apart, solitary, secluded, and 
 having few things in common with each other; the bulk 
 of the work falling on the females, just as it does in bird 
 and animal life; we note that animal females become soli- 
 tary to give birth to their young, retiring from the male, 
 and hiding to produce their offspring, even driving away 
 the males. Squaws retire alone, allowing no males to ap- 
 proach them at these times, and the Indian bucks evince no 
 interest or desire to. In many other ways and habits they 
 resemble the animal to a large extent. 
 
CO'MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 117 
 
 Again we speak of birds and animals who only flock 
 together at certain seasons of the year to migrate; we find 
 this same thing with the human race, especially amongst 
 the Indians or savages, who go north, south, east and west, 
 migrate immense distances in seasons, just as do the ani- 
 mals and birds, and who vary their habits,- life and diet, 
 just as they do with seasonable change, and no more variety. 
 They have their caste, distinction, likes and dislikes, good, 
 bad and indifferent standards, just as do we; they tolerate 
 certain enemies, and discriminate to their tastes as we do 
 ours. They recognize superior qualities, differences in intel- 
 ligence, and distinguish between those of the inferior grades 
 or species as well. They can tell stranger from acquaint- 
 ance, relatives from friends; think, reason, plan, converse 
 with each other by means of a sign language without the 
 use of words. 
 
 True, civilization and education has made the vast dif- 
 ference between us and the savage, but from the wild 
 animal and the savage there is but little difference in lots 
 of ways. Indeed, when one comes to think of it, of the 
 two contact with civilization and education has degenerated 
 the savage, but the wild animal, when left to its own re- 
 sources, seems to improve. 
 
 It has also been argued pro and con for generations that 
 while animals, birds, etc., etc., have their mating, courtship 
 and breeding seasons, mankind has not. Now, is this true? 
 If we go back to the savage or primitive life, even Indian, 
 we find they have their seasons of mating, courtship, love 
 and breeding, too, and that it is generally in the seasons 
 of plenty food, spring and fall, just as are the animals, and 
 that their periods of courtship, mating and marriage are 
 mostly in the spring and fall again, and births in season also. 
 Now, strange though it may seem, although civilization and 
 habit has changed much of this with us, I believe records 
 will still show the preponderance of evidencie as to a 
 natural, seasonable time for these things. But when we 
 come to the wild savage or Indian life, we find it all the 
 more rigidly adhered to; their seasons of courtship, mating 
 and breeding are in a comparative way almost exactly 
 influenced by the same adaptable period of time and food, 
 as is with but few exceptions all animal creation. 
 
118 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Indeed, the more closer we get to nature we find certain 
 similarities existing or traceable to that of animal life, 
 but it has been made so vastly different because the hand 
 and ways of man made it so. This is not true with wild 
 animal, bird or insect life, which is swayed and influenced 
 by nature only, and although we are loth to believe many 
 things that are true, we are also prone to ridicule the truth. 
 Yet we cannot deny that nature is at least natural, rather 
 than unnatural as we are in many things. 
 
 In the Trappers Absence, 
 
COlMPLETE trappers guide 119 
 
 LOCATING SIGNALS AND SIGNS 
 
 We see the same in almost every animal that lives; 
 each species in its own peculiar way having its own special 
 signs, so plainly depicted at time that we ourselves can dis- 
 tinguish and recognize them at a glance. Nor have we yet 
 entered into argument as to the many varied and distinct 
 sounds which all go to make up, an endless chain or sign 
 language, so complete and perfect for the animals which 
 use them that there is positively no necessity for more, 
 much less any other kind, which would really be, if it existed, 
 a curse rather than a blessing. 
 
 Even with us, we seldom have to be told what approaches 
 us; our ears tell the story before our eyes verify it, and 
 even we, in many instances, can frequently tell what it is by 
 the sound alone, in the distance, whether it be coming our 
 way or going from us, whether it be animal, bird, man or 
 reptile, almost. Not only that, but we can recognize by 
 the foot-steps alone in many cases what the individual is. 
 or who makes them. The buzzing sound of blow-fly, mos- 
 quito, wasp, hornet or bee — even the common fly can be dis- 
 tinguished or recognized by its sound, small as it is, even 
 before the eyes have seen it. Now, if we were people of 
 the wilderness, it would not be difficult to recognize how 
 one would soon be able to tell by the rustle of the wing, 
 or the sound of any animal's approach exactly who and 
 what made it before our eyes sought out the object, or 
 before our nose or scent, poor as it is, even played the 
 part of recognition, so acute in animal life. We would not 
 have to be told what it was, nor to tell others, for in an 
 easier, safer, quicker, better way, this information would 
 be imparted by sign and sound alone. 
 
 As it is with animals, so is it with savavge or Indian, 
 all of whom go by sign, mark the way they travel, and 
 these signs we will note are as ingenious and plain as they 
 are simple and effective. You will also observe that each 
 tribe has its peculiar stations or locations to these signs, 
 which are left and made that others may seek out and 
 read them for their indications as plainly as we could read 
 messages. 
 
120 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Eike the animals, these stations are usually known as 
 those most frequented by the tribal members of their kind. 
 They may be, for instance, in the bends of rivers or creeks, 
 midst clumps of certain trees, or close to certain rocky forma- 
 tions, near hills, ravines, or along certain trials. Never- 
 theless, they are signal stations reserved for their signs, 
 just as among animal life, as I have described. 
 
 Even in savage or Indian life they use similar signs. It 
 may be a simple pile of dirt, sand, sticks, stones or marks, 
 a piece of skin, hairs, a bone, or an object in a certain 
 forked branch of a tree, and my experience with Indians 
 has taught me many of the meanings of these signs. For 
 instance, a pile of sand in a certain spot meant that Sand- 
 Creek was the object point of their travel. Again, a piece 
 of buffalo skin or hair in the forks of a certain tree would 
 mean that Buffalo Forks was their destination; a piece of 
 wolf skin in the bend of the creek or river would mean 
 Wolf Creek. Again, the ashes of a camp fire, kindled from 
 willow or other woods, would ofttimes signify where the 
 remainder of the camping party was to be found by the 
 kind of wood that was used in the fire. Even a few 
 stones sought out in certain places told by their number 
 the story of days and doings that to those initiated in the 
 meanings of these signs meant what a letter of words or 
 a written dispatch would mean to us. 
 
 Thus does even the Indian silently choose, maintain and 
 mark by signs certain places known only to his tribe, and 
 by the same token is it that animals also travel, and similar 
 strange places or objects become their tribal stations, or 
 sign posts likewise, all of which serve to indicate their 
 whereabouts, route or direction which they take, that others 
 of their tribe or clan may follow on or themselves return, 
 and the few simple meaningless marks or scratches that we 
 see near a certain log, tree, stump or dead log tells a story 
 to them as though it were written in our way, on pages 
 of paper, for as ours is a language of words, theirs is of 
 marks and signs, well known and recognized by those of 
 their own species and clan. 
 
 Again, not only do animals leave their marks, urinations 
 or droppings, signs as described, but the}^ have it under- 
 
COiM'PLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 121 
 
 stood amongst themselves as to where and how to leave 
 them. One set selecting certain trees, as, for instance, 
 pine or spruce, others oak, hackberry, willow or cotton- 
 wood; others mounds or bushes, and not trees; and still 
 inore, logs, stumps or rocks, and neither trees, mounds or 
 bushes; in other words, I will say, in brief, that there are 
 certain agreed signal stations as varied as is their methods 
 of making signs, for they not only have different and dis- 
 tinct places to leave these signs, but in many different ways 
 as well. 
 
 Again, some wild animals roll on the ground, others 
 scratch logs, ground surfaces, rub certain trees, stumps or 
 rocks with their bodies, leave their water (urinations), scent 
 or manure, and by a hundred ways or means vary these 
 signs, and mark the places where they leave them thus. 
 The reasons are obvious; animal intelligence has learned 
 by experience that it must of necessity hold and maintain 
 distinctive marks of recognition in their signs even; that 
 is why each species or clan and tribe seems to have its 
 peculiar differences, both as to the manner of leaving them 
 and place. Hence, the wild animal we see taking a good 
 roll, scratching up the dirt with four legs, clawing or scratch- 
 ing the trees, rubbing his body against rocks, bushes, trees 
 or stumps, or voiding against them, is really doing some- 
 thing else besides easing nature as we imagine. 
 
 Surely it will be unnecessary for me to specify either 
 the place or ways, or cite instances as to them, for have 
 I not already told my readers that these vary and are in 
 accordance with their selection, which varies, too; and it is 
 beyond my power to fathom their secrets, except in a limited 
 way. We can, however, take, for instance, the deer, moose, 
 caribou, elk and reindeer. Each of them rub their bodies 
 against certain trees; pine-martens will use the branches; 
 musk-rats, beavers, mink, otters, will rub or use roots or 
 stumps; lynx, wild cats, wolverines, bears will scratch or 
 claw trees, often reaching up as far as they are able, while 
 wolves, foxes, coyotes will water against stumps, mounds, 
 rocks, bushes or trees. 
 
 Now, if we take into consideration these things, we 
 will find that even the hunter, trader and trapper have fol- 
 
122 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 lowed the way of leaving their signs or marks in a some- 
 what similar way. The woodsman, for instance, blazes 
 or marks with his axe trees in the dense forest through 
 which he passes, so as to mark or indicate the way or route 
 he has traveled through the thick forest ways or virgin 
 dense brush or timber through which he forces or finds his 
 way. At other times he bends over backward or forward 
 certain small bushes or branches for the same purpose, or 
 if in the mountain, turns over stones or groups them to- 
 gether here and there in likely spots, and so on ad infinitum. 
 Yet these are all signs which serve a similar purpose, as 
 animal signs, exactly. 
 
 The wild animal, as it travels to distant places, waters 
 or voids on these prominent spots, and by such sign and 
 scent is he able to remember them, and to return by them, 
 just as is the woodsman able to return by the blazed route 
 he has made, or in the mountains with his stone signs or 
 marks. Equally, too, those who recognize or know these 
 certain signs or their location are enabled to follow them 
 or to read their various interpretations or meanings, and 
 by the same token, in a limited way, do animals follow and 
 read their signs. 
 
 MORE ABOUT SIGN LANGUAGE, SIGNALS 
 
 ETC. 
 
 Men versed in Indian and savage lore know well that 
 Indian tribes each have their stations, signs and meanings, 
 in exactly similar lines— one tribal nation differing from 
 the other only by its distinct peculiarity. With one tribe 
 it might be a stick in a notch of a tree, • or stuck up in 
 the earth, close to a certain well knowfi ground — a few 
 stones, piece of bark, burned wood, like a camp fire— the 
 hundred apparently meaningless marks constitute signs that 
 represent a veritable language, so to speak. Reader, have I 
 yet made things plain to you? 
 
 As additional evidence of the knowledge thus gained 
 that the powers of scent and the recognition of sign with 
 animal life, it will doubtless surprise many of my readers 
 to learn that wild animals generally possess their own 
 
CO'MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 123 
 
 conceptions even, or knowledge as to kind of track, trail, 
 sign or scent made or left at these places, who made them, 
 and when, whether a few hours or a day old, or more, and 
 the direction which was traveled therefrom to a degree that 
 is astonishing to us, and that by these means can they in- 
 variably follow, locate or overtake those they desire to 
 meet, or to avoid those they do not, equally as well. 
 
 Also, that they possess the power of withholding their 
 scent to a certain degree, should it become necessary to 
 confuse or mislead their enemies or kind. Very often we 
 will notice an animal continually searching or trying to 
 scent another who, for some reason of antipathy or dis- 
 like,* refuses to become party to the identification, apparent- 
 ly aiming to confuse or render the knowledge difficult to 
 gain if only for a while. This is done by partially, or 
 wholly, withholding the breath, and is prolonged or influ- 
 enced largely by the animal's condition, as, for instance, 
 whether winded by running or not. It really seems to de- 
 pend on the animal's lung or will-power. Again, too, it is 
 possible for animals who conceal themselves, who lie still 
 or doubled up, to withhold their scent from those who are 
 coming their way. 
 
 By the same token, too, can they emit or increase their 
 scent, as well as withhold it, as circumstances require; in 
 some cases you can see evidence of this, dropping the tail, 
 contracting its body, the holding of its breath, and, finally, 
 by snorts or gasps, when it exhausts or expands its lungs 
 again — an act, by the way, that even Indians or Esquimaux 
 follow when in close proximity to gain time, in order to les- 
 sen his chances of being observed by the animals' sense of 
 smell. Again, we note that when they leave their dens 
 or burrows animals invariably smell or scent around them, 
 and do the same thing prior to re-entering them after an 
 absence; this is to ascertain if there are any signs which 
 indicate that someone has visited there while they are away. 
 
 Again, we can note that when approaching a carcass, 
 for instance, a dead bird, fish or object, that they rely 
 largely on scent and sign to inform them whether or not 
 it has been visited, killed or marked by another animal, 
 and if so, it will often be left untouched, especially be it 
 
L24 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 marked by any of the signs I have described before, which 
 would, in a way, distinguish it as the property of the ani- 
 mal who marked or claimed it. Not that it is left always 
 so, by any means; this depending largely on whose sign 
 it was, for I have seen time and time again where the 
 finder has settled down indifferently to a feast after smell- 
 ing and nosing around it, as much as to say, "Well, I don't 
 care for him — he knows me." On the other hand, I have 
 observed that where the finder has, after a few sniffs, at 
 times found out who it belonged to, that he has often 
 scurried away, tail between his legs, without touching it, 
 as much as to indicate that it belonged to a particular 
 enemy of his, and to reason out that if caught around there 
 he might get into serious trouble. And I believe this has 
 'been often verified by the fact that when particularly hungry 
 and feasting on such remains, they seemed to be in a state 
 of agitation and fear, that they would be detected in the act. 
 
 Again, we find evidence of the powers of withholding 
 or increasing the scent when animals are pursued in the 
 thicket or close timbers, for they will periodically emit or 
 retard their scent, alternately, giving a strong scent as they 
 enter thick brush, and then doubling and retarding or with- 
 holding it in an effort to confuse or throw the enemy oif 
 their track, and by such means gain advantage of delay 
 by the act. This, however, becomes a difficult matter when 
 the pursued or tired animal becomes winded, and in such 
 cases they will invariably seek to hide and rest, seeming 
 to know their failing, and to recognize that when first 
 heated or run much the scent is all the more evident, or 
 beyoHd their feeble efforts to withhold. And it is a fact, 
 too, that when extreme exhaustion results that even this 
 scent seems to be exhausted or lessened to an equal degree, 
 and if the chase is thus long continued they becomg so 
 that they can neither see, hear, smell or proceed further, 
 so completely fagged out do they become. Their eyes 
 become glary, the body weak, steps staggering, until they 
 sink to the ground, helpless, and seeming to give up the 
 unequal contest without further effort. 
 
 By this time I believe the reader is satisfied that sign, 
 scent and sound constitutes the language of all animal life; 
 
 II 
 
COlM'PLETE trappers guide 125 
 
 that act, movement, expression, smell, anticipation and recog- 
 nition in a thousand different ways all prove the existence 
 of a universal sign language among the species, much of 
 which can even be interpreted and understood by species 
 other than its kind. 
 
 ALARM OR DANGER SIGNALS, SIGNS, ETC. 
 
 The flap of the beaver's tail in the water, and the noise 
 it makes, is just as complete a signal of alarm or danger 
 as would be our words or call. The movement of the ants' 
 antennae, head or body expresses by sign a language suited 
 to its every purpose, and it verities doubtful recognitions 
 by smell or scent, just as we do by voice or vocal differ- 
 ences, as explained. The sound of the rattle-snake's button 
 indicates its fears and wants, just as does the tail of the 
 beaver, while the movement of the tail of the squirrel, deer, 
 rabbit or hare flashes its signals in its flights that answers 
 its every purpose, exactly as sound would, for it is all sign. 
 
 The chirp of the bird, the movement of its head, body, 
 wings or tail, its cries of alarm, strangeness of flight and 
 actions, all mean language and sign. 
 
 The stamp of the foot of the elk, antelope or moose 
 is as plain a challenge as words could be; the movements 
 of fish from minnow to whale, and the sound of these 
 movements in the waters, be it pool or ocean, is as plain 
 a sign as is the thud of the woodsman's axe, falling tree, 
 or pistol shot, to us, who recognize the sound and know 
 what it means. The drumming of the grouse by its wings, 
 the hammer-like noise of the woodpecker from the hol- 
 low-wood of a dead tree, is a love or mate call, that to its 
 partner is like the call of the distant cow-moose to the 
 bull, for they are sounds made necessary by distance, where 
 sign would be unavailing. Yet all these sounds are signs 
 just the same, as is the whine or bark of the wolf or coy- 
 ote, the yelp of the fox, the mew of the wild or domestic 
 cat, or the bark of the dog, for are they not all signs to 
 attract attention, betray its distant wants or fears, or as a 
 call to its kind? 
 
126 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
COiMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 127 
 
 The hoarse bark of the seal or walrus, the "flukes" of 
 the sperm — right or bowhead monstrous whale — are all 
 signs and signals that have their meaning and effect. I 
 have hunted each in turn, and know whereof I speak. 
 
 The sound of the woodpecker's drumming, the croak of 
 the bull-frog, the chirp of the squirrel or prairie dog, are 
 sounds and signs, but not language, for when they really 
 communicate to each other, not distant away, there are 
 none or but few sounds, all signs instead. The scream of 
 the panther, wolverine, mountain cat or lynx in the dense 
 woods are but distant calls and expression likewise, for 
 they do not indulge in them ordinarily when together. 
 
 Another thing I desire to call attention to is the fact 
 that the intelligence of wild animals is, in many instances, 
 of much deeper extent than we actually realize. And from 
 a wild animal standpoint their powers of discernment and 
 discrimination are far greater than ordinarily we imagine 
 or infer them to be, simply because we don't understand 
 them or their ways, as we should, or as they do ours. 
 
 Take the dog or cat, as an instance; I will put it to you 
 this way. I claim that they can even feel or perceive 
 knowledge of your absence or presence, within or about 
 their vicinity, when you are not actually seen by them, 
 and that they can even, by familiarity with certain of your 
 habits, anticipate the time of your departure or arrival 
 home, especially if your habits are regular, for then do 
 they anticipate not only your actions, but your intent as 
 well, and in your conversation with others in their pres- 
 ence they can tell whether or not they • are talked about, 
 whether your remarks are made in jest or earnest, and are 
 capable of judging even if you're angry or good-natured; 
 whether you mean what you say or not, and other things 
 of a surprising nature. 
 
 The Blue Color of the Sky is believed to be caused by the 
 reflection of the smaller waves of light, viz., the indigo and 
 blue, from very minute particles scattered throughout the 
 sky. The diffusion through the air of small opaque particles 
 of any substance capable of reflecting light will impart to 
 it a bluish tint. 
 
128 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 « 
 
 STALKING BIG GAME 
 
 A Secret of the Hunter's Success 
 
COiMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 129 
 
 TRICKS IN GUIDING AND SCOUTING AND 
 HOW TO STALK GAME, ETC., ETC. 
 
 How to Hide Yourself 
 
 When you want to observe wild animals you have to 
 stalk them, that is, to creep up to them without their see- 
 ing or smelling you. 
 
 A hunter when he is stalking wild animals keeps himself 
 entirely hidden, scouts and hunters stalking game always 
 carry out two important things when they don't want to 
 be se'en. 
 
 One is — they take care that the ground behind them, or 
 trees, or buildings, etc., are of the same color as their clothes. 
 
 And the other is — if an enemy or a deer is seen looking 
 for them, they remain perfectly still, without moving so 
 long as he is there. 
 
 If wearing dark clothes get among dark bushes, shadows 
 of trees or rocks, shade of dark ground. If light clothing, 
 choose the ground beyond the shade or shadows. Keep 
 perfectly still, and creep or crawl when every opportunity 
 affords; watch and wait for your chance to sneak up a 
 few yards or so at a time. If you can get closer by a cir- 
 cuitous route take it — if the wind is not in your way; only 
 never show yourself on the sky line. If you are observed 
 don't move or blink — keep still, and you will reassure them. 
 To dodge or disappear would be suspicious. If they are 
 watching you remain quiet, and they will think your head, 
 or body part is a stump or rock. In peering over a hill 
 or rock raise your head inch by inch; lower it the same way. 
 Never raise or lower k suddenly. 
 
 When hiding behind a big stone or mound, etc., they 
 don't look over the top, but round the side of it. 
 
 When stalking one should wear moccasins and walk 
 lightly on the ball of the foot, keeping the heels off the 
 ground, so as to be shod with silence. In looking over an 
 object remember any quick or sudden movement of the head 
 on the skyline would be very liable to attract attention, 
 even at a considerable distance. 
 
L30 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 At night keep as much as possible in low ground, 
 ditches, etc., so that you are down in the dark, so that any- 
 thing that comes near will be visible to you outlined against 
 the stars on higher ground. 
 
 Remember always that to stalk a wild animal you must 
 keep down wind of him, even if the wind is so slight as to 
 be merel}^ a faint stir. 
 
 Before starting to stalk you should be sure which way 
 the wind is blowing, and work up against it. To find this 
 out you should wet your thumb all around with your tongue, 
 and then hold it up and see which side feels coldest, or you 
 can throw some light dust, or dry grass or leaves in the 
 air and see which way they drift. 
 
 Take your time; never hurry or get excited. The game 
 will not leave unless you scare or drive them off. If they 
 observe j^ou at all you will have to be mighty careful and 
 make a direct change of direction from some other vantage 
 point. If they run don't follow them, it's useless and only 
 drives them out of that territory or vicinity, as once scared 
 they travel miles to some cover and hide, and are wary 
 for days after. Better postpone the effort or seek others. 
 
 How to Find Direction 
 
 If you have not a compass the sun will tell you by day 
 where the north is, and the moon and the stars by night. 
 
 At six o'clock in the morning the sun is due east, at nine 
 o'clock he is southeast, at noon he is south, at three o'clock 
 in the afternoon he is southwest, and at six o'clock he is 
 due west. In winter he will have set long befo^re six 
 o'clock but he will not have reached due west when he is set. 
 
 Finding the North 
 
 To find the south at any time of day by the sun — hold 
 your watch flat, face upwards, so that the sun shines on it. 
 Turn it round till the hour hand points at the sun. Then, 
 without moving the watch, lay the edge of a piece of paper 
 or a pencil across the face of the watch so that it rests 
 on the center of the dial and points out half-way between the 
 figure XII and the hour hand. The line given by that 
 pencil will be the true south and north line. 
 
COiM'PLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 131 
 
 Additional Hints on Mountain Travel. 
 
 In order to successfully travel the mountains, it is neces- 
 sary to understand their complete "make up" and to know 
 how to skillfully follow the divide. When the divide 
 separates the waters of two streams not unitin^:? with each 
 other it is known as a principal divide, and always affords 
 the best route of travel. 
 
 The sides of canyons and ravines are frequently so pre- 
 cipitous that it is neither advisable nor possible to cross 
 them; and although it is sometimes easy traveling along 
 the^bottoms (the level land enclosed between the sides), 
 when iTot too narrow and rocky, the best route will, con- 
 sidering all things, be found along the divides. Such a route 
 is frequently long and crooked, but it is a good one. 
 
 Suppose it be required to pass from stream to stream, 
 parallel to it, but separated from it by very high and broken 
 mountains. 
 
 To accomplish this most expeditioush', follow up the 
 stream to where we will suppose a tributary of the stream 
 puts in. Now if there be a good route, apparently, over the 
 divide a'bove this tributary, turn to the right and follow it, 
 until the principal divide is reached. The route, if prac- 
 ticable, may be taken along the bottom, should water be 
 desirable, as far as necessary and then the divide may be 
 taken. Having reached the principal divide, pass over it 
 and descend by any suitable and practical divide as lead- 
 ing from the principal divide, to the other stream. It 
 will be found that all the divides lead to the principal di- 
 vide, and hence there will be no doubt as to finding the 
 principal divide; but it will often require good judgment in 
 selecting the most practicable divide leading to it. It will 
 be still more difficult to select the practicable divide in 
 descending, as all appear more or less practicable from the 
 summit. The innumerable cul de sacs, met with in descend- 
 ing, can only be avoided by exercising great caution. In 
 every case the divide selected should separate tributary 
 ravines of two important tributaries of the stream. In a 
 great many cases these ravines overlap each other and render 
 the route very sinuous. 
 
132 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 It is recommended to follow game trails, when dis- 
 covered, in passing from one stream to another. They 
 usually follow the most direct and practicable route over 
 a fair divide. When arriving at the steep edge of a ridge, 
 and where difficulty in finding a good trail is anticipated, 
 it is a safe rule to descend first, on foot, and seek a trail 
 for the command or train as you climb back again. It is 
 much easier to make this selection while ascending than 
 while descending; for when at the bottom of a hill, its 
 bluffs and precipices face you, so that they may be readily 
 avoided, but when at the top of the hill these parts are 
 overlooked and not seen, until closely approached. 
 
 The investigation of ravines is the exact reverse of that 
 of the divides; but localities are much more readily lost when 
 the ravines proceed thence in various directions. On cross- 
 ing a divide and coming upon a system of ravines leading 
 to a different principal ravine, the traveler should make very 
 sure of his course and frequently take the bearings of the 
 most prominent landmarks. 
 
 
 
 ^i 
 
CO^M'PLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 133 
 
 PLAINSCRAFT, WOODCRAFT AND MOUN- 
 TAIN TRAVEL 
 
 Hints to Sportsmen 
 
 The sportsman can, if need be, in stress of accident or 
 misfortune, forego nearly every appliance of civilization, and 
 having learned the ways of the savages, live and enjoy life 
 as the savages do. The skins of animals he slays, or the 
 bark of the birch or the hemlock will make him a shanty; 
 pieces of fresh peeled bark supply him with cups and plates 
 which need no washing after use, as they are thrown away. 
 Cedar roots and tough long grasses supply twine and rope, 
 a spindle of hard dry wood rapidly revolved with the hands 
 upon a piece of soft pithy wood, or with an ordinary bow 
 with a single turn of the string around the spindle, will 
 obtain a fire; he can bake his fish and bread in the ashes 
 and broil his meat on a stick; and provided he has only 
 sufficiently warm clothing, a trusty gun, a hatchet, knife, 
 matches and compass, he has the measure of his necessi- 
 ties full. 
 
 OUTFIT OF CLOTHING FOR ONE YEAR 
 
 3 pairs heavy wool blankets '. $20.50 
 
 2 pairs pack straps, $3 ; 1 hand ax, $1 4.00 
 
 2 pairs three-quarter size boots, leather soles, $6 12.00 
 
 2 pairs high top lace shoes 7.50 
 
 4 pairs German socks, 75c 3.0O 
 
 2 pairs lumberman's rubbers 3.00 
 
 2 pairs suspenders 75 
 
 4 suits heavy wool underwear 12.00 
 
 4 dark blue flannel overshirts 8.00 
 
 4 pairs Mackinaw pants 11.00 
 
 2 Mackinaw coats 6.00 
 
 2 blanket coats 800 
 
 12 pairs socks, wool •• • • 4.50 
 
 6 pairs wool mittens 3.00 
 
 A few yards mosquito netting and towels l.OO 
 
 1 buckskin pouches 5.00 
 
 1 magnet, 50 cents ; 2 pairs goggles, 50 cents 1.00 
 
Types of High and Mediuin Grade Shot 
 
 Guiis. 
 
 Automatic Ejector— "Hammerless" Shot Gun. 
 
 The Repeating Shot Gun. 
 
 High Grade "Hammerless" Shot Gun, 
 
 Medium Grade "Hammer" Shot Gun. 
 
 134 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 135 
 
 2 pairs snow glasses 1.00 
 
 1 dozen bandana handkerchiefs 1.00 
 
 1 lot spoons, knives and forks 1.35 
 
 1 butcher knife 75 
 
 4 oil blankets 6.00 
 
 1 lot buckets, pans, cooking utensils, etc 3.35 
 
 1 41 Colt's revolver and ammunition 15.00 
 
 1 Winchester rifle and ammunition 18.00 
 
 2 fur caps 2.50 
 
 1 Short Gun and Ammunition 15.00 
 
 1 Tent, 10 or 12 oz. Duck 18.00 
 
 2 Canteens and Slings 3.00 
 
 1 First Aid Pack and Medicine 2.00 
 
 1 assortment traps 20.00 
 
 (Various sizes and grades.) 
 
 2 Skinning and Fleshing Knives 1.50 
 
 1 Repair Kit and Contents .^ 3.00 
 
 Ration Outfit for Two Men for One Year 
 
 (With costs approximated.) 
 
 4 barrels best flour, at $6. . . $24.00 
 
 200 pounds granulated sugar, at 6 cents 12.00 
 
 200 pounds navy beans, at 4 cents 8.00 
 
 100 pounds of corn meal 2.75 
 
 250 pounds of breakfast bacon, at 12^ cents 31.25 
 
 75 pounds of island rice, 6 cents. 4.50 
 
 2 cases condensed milk 17.50 
 
 20 pounds salt 35 
 
 25 pounds best j\Iocha and Java coffee 8.75 
 
 10 pounds best tea 4.50 
 
 8 pounds soda 70 
 
 20 pounds baking powder 9.20 
 
 25 pounds dried apricots 2.50 
 
 25 pounds dried peaches 2.50 
 
 25 pounds dried apples 2.25 
 
 2 boxes candles 5.00 
 
 1 box pepper, 25 cents ; soap $1 1.25 
 
 3 boxes yeast, 25 cents; one-half tin matches, 50c 75 
 
 1 Yukon stove complete 6.00 
 
Types of Automatic Magazine PistcAs 
 and R-evolvers. 
 
 The Luger Automatic Magazine 
 Pisto I. 30 Calibre— 8 Shot. Range 
 over 500 yards. 
 
 The Colt Automatic Magazine 
 Pistol. 38 Calibre— 7 Shot. 
 
 Smith & Wesson's 
 
 Revolver. 
 
 New Departure Hammer 
 
 less, Double Action. 
 5 Shot; 32 or 38 calibre. 
 3, 4, 5 or 6 inch barrel. 
 
 WHh S4fety Attachment. 
 
 Colts' New Army Revolver. 
 6 Shot— 38 or 41 Calibre 
 
 Smith & Wesson's 
 Revolver. 
 Hinge Pattern, 
 
 Double Action 
 5 Shot;. 32 or 38 calibrci 
 
 AMtmutic E^ctw. 
 
 136 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 137 
 
 1 double-bladed ax complete 1.50 
 
 13 oil sacks, 50's and lOO's (rations) 7.55 
 
 1 coffee mill, 35 cents 35 
 
 12 pounds condensend onions 5.00 
 
 10 pounds evaporated spuds 2.50 
 
 40 pounds rope 5.00 
 
 Toilet soap 50 
 
 6 tin plates, 50 cents ; 3 granite cups, 50 cents 1.00 
 
 1 coffee pot, 40 cents ; whetstone, 20 cents 60 
 
 Awls, shoe thread, wax, bristles, etc 1.00 
 
 2 Fry pans, $1 ; fish Ime and hooks, 50 cents 1.50 
 
 6 assorted files, 60 cents ; oil blacking, 50 cents 1.10 
 
 1 package chocolate 30 
 
 2 miner's candlesticks 1.00 
 
 24 pounds raisins, 10 cents 2.40 
 
 TO BOIL WATER OR COOK IN A BLANKET 
 
 Take a rubber Poncho blanket, or even a woolen one, 
 and fold it into several thicknesses; dig a small hole in the 
 ground and set your blanket in the space dug, depressing the 
 center so as to fill the hole. Lay a few stones on the edges 
 to hold the corners of the blanket in position. Heat some 
 smooth round stones — large ones — and when all ready fill 
 your blanket lined hole with water and drop in hot stones 
 until the water and contents is boiling. The writer has 
 cooked venison, meat, fish and chowder excellently by this 
 plan when without utensils, and many a time used this de- 
 vice for washing dirty clothes. Several thicknesses of good 
 woolen blanket will hold water like a tub. If in a birch bark 
 country, large sheets of birch bark wnll answer the purpose 
 admirably if the hole in the ground is lined with them in 
 successive layers. One needs simply to tax his ingenuity 
 to make a very successful lining for the pit or hole in the 
 ground. The Esquimaux, Indians and the Laplanders of 
 northern Norway, from whom the author learned this trick, 
 use a reindeer hide and cook excellently large quantities of 
 meats thus — the hairy side of the animal skin being, of course, 
 at the bottom. It is a very simple, crude trick, but its 
 effectiveness is remarkable. Indians also use this device 
 whenever they tan hides or skins, using the larger hide as the 
 vessel. 
 
138 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 LONG AND SHARP SIGHTEDNESS 
 
 The man who can walk about the lawn or in the park and 
 pick up four-leaf clovers has an eye that is worth big money to 
 him. He can easily be trained to see things that the ordinary 
 man will miss, or have to look a long time to find. 
 
 Some men who go hunting can see a squirrel in an oak or 
 hickory tree with apparent ease, while others will go strolling 
 about the timber and never see the game at all. It is the same 
 way in the open field. The rabbit can be found sitting by some 
 while others will almost run over the creature before they are 
 detected. 
 
 This ability is a gift. This is not only a gift developed by 
 some and undeveloped by others as a result of their surround- 
 ings, but it measures the exact amount of intelligent effort they 
 have expended in attaining this ability, also their preservance 
 in this line of endeavor. 
 
 Hence to obtain this gift one must train the eye to search- 
 ing for small game — such as squirrels and a day in the woods 
 without any weapons ofttimes repays one who will devote 
 time and attention to familiarizing himself with the habits and 
 peculiarities and knack of sighting game under the very condi- 
 tions of their daily existence. 
 
 The Best All-round Gun 
 
 Apropos of arms, I have repeatedly said, here and elsewhere, 
 that in my opinion the handiest and most serviceable gun for 
 all-round work is a 12-gauge of high grade, and not heavier 
 than seven and one-half pounds. I have been pretty sharply 
 criticised for this, especially 'tother side the salt bath — but that 
 doesn't matter. Your British sporting editor is a good fellow, 
 and conscientious withal, and he knows a lot about British af- 
 fairs, and occasionally, quite a lot about American affairs. I 
 am a great admirer of the tj'pical British sportsman, and would 
 welcome ten thousand of him this side. I respect his gameness, 
 honesty, and skill ; but at the same time I do not overlook the 
 fact that there are plenty of excellent judges of American affairs 
 within range of this burg. I favor the 12-gauge for all-round 
 work here, not because it's the only size I have used and know 
 anything about, but for several other reasons, one of which is 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 139 
 
 a very fair knowledge of 14's, 16's, and 20's. Any well-informed 
 sportsman knows that good small guns are hard shooters and 
 easy to handle, but that is not the all-important point in a coun- 
 try where the great majority of sportsmen pin faith to one good 
 all-round gun and seek their sport, it may be, hundreds of miles 
 from a dealer \Vho handles shells smaller than 12's. Not long 
 ago a pair of us went into Pennsylvania — an easy stage from 
 New York — for a day with quail and grouse. We reached our 
 destination, a small village, shortly after sunrise, and, unfortu- 
 nately, the shells were left in the car. The one local shopkeeper 
 had sold out, and at that moment was fuming over delayed 
 supplies. For a bit it looked like a wasted trip, but the guide 
 trotted away, and in fifteen minutes returned with plenty of 
 shells, which he had borrowed from some of his acquaintances. 
 Outside of a sample on a card in the shop, there wasn't a shell 
 smaller than a twelve within a radius of twenty-five miles. A 
 lost package would have meant the ruination of a hard-earned 
 holiday for the man using a smaller gun. So far as I can see, 
 the sole advantage of the smaller gun lies in a trifling re« 
 duction of weight in arm and shells. 
 
 ^r-^^Sj^-J*. 
 
 w 
 
L40 
 
 WEATHER OBSERVATIONS 
 
 Or How to Become Weather Wise. 
 
 MApt-i- TAIL 
 
 CIRRUS 
 
 £7000 tm fa eoo^ 
 
 CIRRO-STRATUS 
 
 I CiRRO-CUMliLUJ) 
 
 r Airo-cyTt^uiyi 
 
 ALTO STRATUS 
 
 STRATO-CijMULic 
 
 CUMULUS 
 
 CI/MUiJO NIMBUS 
 
 NIMBUS 
 
 STRATUS 
 
 ..,--500 ft 
 
 rFiuaRM 
 
 2 
 
 /-I JLJ 
 
 A Study in Cloud Effects 
 
CO*MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 141 
 
 The following indications of the character of approach- 
 ing weather changes are afforded by local observations of the 
 wind and the barometer: 
 
 When the wind sets in from points between south and 
 southwest and the barometer falls steadily, a storm is ap- 
 proaching from the west or northwest, and its center will 
 pass near or to the north of the observer within twelve or 
 twenty-four hours, with winds shifting to northwest by way 
 of southwest and west. When the wind sets in from points 
 between east and northeast, and the barometer falls steadily, 
 a storm is approaching from the south or southwest, and its 
 center will pass near or to the south or east of the observer 
 within twelve to twenty-four hours, with winds shifting to 
 northwest by way of north. The rapidity of the storm's 
 approach and its intensity will be indicated by the rate and 
 amount of the fall in the barometer. 
 
 A. Upper Clouds, Average Altitude a Little Over 
 
 Six Miles 
 
 Cirrus (Ci.). — Detached feathery clouds usually white, 
 often arranged in belts with an effect of perspective, con- 
 verging toward one or two points on the horizon. The Ci. 
 and Cu. often take part in forming such belts. 
 
 Cirro-stratus (Ci.-s.). — A fine whitish sheet, sometimes 
 completely covering the sky, sometimes appearing like a 
 tangled web. Often produces halos around the sun and moon. 
 
 B. Intermediate Clouds 
 
 Cirro-cumulus (Ci.-cu.). — Small globular masses, arranged 
 in groups or often in lines — "mackerel sky." Average alti- 
 tude, 4 to 6 miles. 
 
 Alto-cumulus (A.-cu.). — Dense globular masses of white 
 or grayish cloud, arranged so closely in groups or lines that 
 their edges meet. They often pass into S.-cu. at the center 
 and at the edges into Ci.-cu. Average altitude, l^S to 2 miles. 
 
 Alto-stratus. — A thick sheet of bluish or grayish cloud, 
 exhibiting a bright patch near the sun or moon. It does not 
 cause halos, but som.etimes gives rise to coronae. Altitude, 
 3 to 3^ miles. 
 
142 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 C. Lower Clouds 
 
 Strato-cumulus (S.-cu.)- — Large masses or balls of dark 
 cloud, seen oftenest in winter, frequently covering the whole 
 sky and giving it a wavy appearance. Blue sky can often be 
 seen through breaks in the cloud. It can be distinguished 
 from nimbus by its globular appearance and from the fact 
 that it does not bring rain. Altitude, 9,400 to 7,800 feet. 
 
 Nimbus (N.) Rain Cloud. — A thick layer of dark clouds, 
 shapeless and with ragged edges, from which rain or snow 
 falls. Through openings in these clouds cirro-stratus or 
 alto-stratus can usually be seen above. When broken into 
 shreds, it is called fracto-nimbus; scud, by sailors. 
 
 D. Clouds of Diurnal Ascending Currents 
 
 Cumulus (Cu.) Wool-pack Clouds. — Thick clouds, with 
 dome-shaped upper surfaces, which show protuberances, and 
 horizontal bases. These clouds appear to be formed by a 
 diurnal ascensional movement which is almost always ap- 
 parent. When the cloud is opposite the sun, the surfaces 
 seen by the observer are brighter than the margins of the 
 protuberances. When the light falls from the side, these 
 clouds give deep shadows, but if on the same side of the 
 sun, they seem dark, with bright edges. Altitude, about 
 1 mile. 
 
 Cumulo-nimbus (Cu.-n.) Thunder Cloud, Shower Cloud. — 
 Heavy masses of cloud, rising like turrets, anvils, or moun- 
 tains, generally surrounded at the top by a sheet of fibrous 
 appearance — "false cirrus" — and with a mass similar to nim- 
 bus underneath. From the base usually falls local rain or 
 snow, sometimes hail or sleet. Altitude (of upper part), 6 
 to 10 miles. 
 
 E. High Fogs 
 
 Stratus (S.). — A horizontal sheet of lifted fog. When 
 broken into irregular shreds 'by the wind, it is sometimes 
 called fracto-stratus. Altitude, less than Y^ mile. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 143 
 
 WEATHER SIGNS, ETC. 
 
 ART OF FORETELLING WEATHER CHANGES 
 
 Guides, scouts, etc., should bear in mind that, while Gen- 
 eral Weather Conditions can be foretold, no hard and fast 
 rules can be laid down for any particular locality. For in- 
 stance, one might say there is every prospect of a storm 
 approaching, and yet it may not affect the particular locality 
 you are apt to be in. It might pass within a radius of a few 
 miles from where you are, and while there was every visible 
 indication that it would strike or afifect your locality — there 
 is nothing certain about it — the same rule applies in an 
 opposite sense, as frequently a region that has every indica- 
 tion of being immune, or out of the path of the storm, by 
 some change \vhich it is impossible to correctly foretell, be- 
 comes affected or perhaps the center of change. That is why 
 the experts of the Weather Bureau often fail (or are sup- 
 posed to fail) in their predictions. Hence, in this chapter 
 I shall dwell upon the subject in general and give the reader 
 a host of well known signs from which one can gather a 
 lot of unusual important ones, viz: 
 
 Rain before wind — is the sign of a storm behind. 
 
 Wind— Rain — indicates fine weather to follow. 
 
 Slow, drizzling rains — last long; sudden showers are short. 
 
 Morning thunder — betokens strong winds. 
 
 Noon thunder — indicates rain storms. 
 
 Evening thunder — ^precedes a tempest change. 
 
 (By these signs one can anticipate fairly.) 
 
 Much thunder, much rain; little thunder, little rain; no 
 thunder, but gradual assembling of rain clouds, sign of much 
 wet weather to come. 
 
 When 'mules or horses frequently bray, snort or sneeze, 
 you may expect weather changes. 
 
 When bats are astir early or late fine weather is indicated. 
 
 When bulls lead the cows to pasture and are restless to 
 get out, look for rain. If the cows lead, moderate sign. 
 When they snifif the air, crowd together, expect a storm. 
 
 When goats, sheep or cows reluctantly leave the pasture 
 expect rain. 
 
 Cattle — sheep — eat greedily before a storm; sparingly be- 
 
144 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 fore a thaw. Feed up hill in wet weather, down hill in dry- 
 weather. 
 
 Observe which way a hedgehog builds a nest — if it faces 
 North, South, East or West. 
 
 For the winds will blow, and the storms do go 
 The contrary way, I'll have you know. 
 
 Pigs squealing, running about with hay or straw in their 
 mouth, foretells storm, rain or change. 
 
 When ducks and chickens are restless, pick and prune at 
 their feathers, look out for rain. 
 
 When fowls roll in dirt or sand, rain at hand. 
 
 When roosters crow as they go to bed, change of weather. 
 
 When birds fly high and sing long, sign of fair weather. 
 
 There is a greater tendency to rain when the moon is in 
 the quarter after full moon, especially with the moon in 
 Perigee. 
 
 Northerly winds are prevalent in the last quarter. 
 
 Southerly winds are prevalent in the first quarter. 
 
 When the Rain precedes the Wind, 
 
 Topsail sheets and the Helm mind: 
 
 But when the Wind precedes the Rain, 
 Hoist your Topsails up again. 
 
 •• Mountain winds blow up mountain during the day, and 
 down at night. 
 
 WIND FORCE TABLE 
 
 Calm to 1 mile per hour 
 
 Light air 2 to 3 miles' per hour 
 
 Light breeze 8 to 10 miles per hour 
 
 Gentle breeze 10 to 15 miles per hour 
 
 Moderate breeze 15 to 20 miles per hour 
 
 Fresh breeze 20 to 25 miles per hour 
 
 Strong breeze 25 to 30 miles per hour 
 
 Gale 30 to 40 miles per hour 
 
 Storm 50 to 60 miles per hour 
 
 Hurricane 60 to 90 miles per hour 
 
COlMPLETE trappers guide 145 
 
 LAND AND SEA BREEZES 
 
 As a rule wind blows from sea to land at day, and from 
 land to sea at night. 
 
 INDIAN MOONS. The Indian recognizes each lunar 
 change as follows: 
 
 January, Winter Moon; February, Windy Moon; March, 
 Waking Moon; April, Wet Moon; May, Mulberry Moon, 
 Medicine Moon; June, Blackberry Moon; July, Little Ripe 
 Moon; August, Plenty Ripe Moon; September, Chestnut 
 Small Moon; October, Big Nut Moon; November, Falling 
 Leaf Moon; December, Cold Moon. 
 
 They also refer to them as Storm Moons, Moults or 
 Shedding Moon, Fish Moon, Egg and Bird Moon, Medicine 
 Moon, etc., etc. 
 
 When poplar, cottonwood, maple and willow leaves show 
 their under sides, rain will follow. , 
 
 If on the trees the leaves still hold, 
 The coming winter will be cold. 
 
 For early blossoms bear little fruit; late blossoms plenty. 
 
 Plenty acorns or berries, plenty winter. 
 
 Trembling aspen leaves in calm weather, change is coming. 
 
 Scales of Pine Cones open in dry weather, close in wet. 
 
 Corn or Indian Fodder, when dry and crisp, dry weather. 
 When damp and limp, look for rain. 
 
 Corn Husks, thick or thin, betoken cold accordingly. 
 
 Dandelion Blossoms close before a storm or change. 
 
 Corns, old wounds or sores itch before rain. 
 
 Rheumatic pains increase or decrease likewise. 
 
 Nervous, irritable persons, are likewise affected by changes. 
 
 Salt and soap dishes sweat before rain. 
 
 Fires burn bright or dull, according to the weather. 
 
 Smells are more offensive before rain; less afterward. 
 
 When pigs and critters play in mud there is no fear of 
 a flood. 
 
 Rooks tremble at approach of rain or change. 
 
 Crows, ravens, jack-daws calling late indicate storms; 
 calling early, fair weather. 
 
 When Plover pipe and shrill and fly high, good weather. 
 
 When woodpeckers get busy, expect rain. 
 
L46 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 If owls hoot at night, good weather to come. 
 When robins rest high and call, good sign; if silent and 
 restless and rest low, bad weather is to come. 
 
 When the smoke of the camp-fire hangs low and does not 
 ascend, expect rain or sudden change. 
 
 When the smoke ascends straight up, fine weather. 
 
 When animals venture not to roam. 
 But hug the spots about their home, 
 . 'Tis a sign that weather changes are near; 
 But when they travel, and to distance go — 
 They know 'twon't neither rain nor snow. 
 
 WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT WEATHER SIGNS 
 
 "When ye see the south wind blow, ye say there will be 
 heat; and it cometh to pass." — St. Luke 12:55. 
 
 "When ye see a cloud rise up from the west, straitway 
 ye say there cometh a shower, and so it is." — St. Luke 12:54. 
 
 "When it is evening ye say it will be fair weather, for 
 the sky is red; and in the morning it will be foul weather, 
 for the sky is red and lowering." — St. Matthew 16:2-3. 
 
 In Job 37:27-35, we are told of the signs by spreading of 
 the clouds, as laid down in this Book, and of the fact that 
 cattle judge by the vapor, air or noise of approaching storms. 
 
 Pale evening sunset indicates rain. 
 
 When birds fly low, look out for wind or rain. 
 
 When birds fly high it is a sign of fair weather; when in- 
 sects bevy abroad and fly high also. 
 
 When snipe drum and strut, dry air, good weather. 
 
 When starlings and crows gather together, wet weather. 
 
 When swallows fly low and near the water, rain. 
 
 When swans or geese fly against the wind, strong winds 
 from the direction they fly. 
 
 Wild geese or swans going to water, fine weather. 
 Unusual silence before thunder or rain mieans a storm. 
 Thunder in the morning, wind; at noon, rain; at evening, 
 tempest changes. After much thunder expect much rain. 
 
COlMPLETE trappers guide 147 
 
 Comb clouds, in the form of hen-scratches or mares-tails, 
 indicate strong winds. 
 
 Salmon or fish-like clouds, ark shape, — in east or west — 
 strong winds. North or south, fine and moderate. 
 
 Look for changes in the weather at changes of the moon. 
 
 When birds they play in flocks together, good weather. 
 
 Magpies, one alone, weather's bad; two together, weather's 
 ^ood. 
 
 Owls scream in bad weather or at night; change. 
 
 LIGHTNING SIGNS. With north wind, west rain. 
 North and southwest, wind and rain; otherwise fair. 
 
 WINDS OF THE DAY— wrestle and fight longer and 
 stronger than those of the night. 
 
 Rain before wind, indicates bad weather; wind before rain, 
 fair weather. 
 
 West winds are favorable to wet weather or showers. 
 
 East winds, cold and wet together. 
 
 South winds, bring heat and thunderstorms. 
 
 But North winds blow them back again. 
 
 Northwest winds, bring the finest weather. 
 
 But when the winds are in the east, it's fine for neither 
 man nor beast. 
 
 Mackerel sky, neither wet nor dry; changeable. 
 
 Low clouds indicate rain; high clouds, moderate winds. 
 
 No clouds, fair weather; all clouds, storm or change. 
 
 When birds fly high, fine weather sends insects out; and 
 they rarely fly high except in light weather. 
 
 Clear signs at sunrise or sunset — clear day, or vice versa. 
 
 Rain before seven, quits before eleven. 
 
 When atmosphere is clear and unclouded, when distant 
 objects seem near, skies cloudless, stars very bright watch 
 out for changes; especially when owls hoot, crows caw, birds 
 and insects fly low, flies and ants bestir themselves to hunt 
 food — expect rain. 
 
 Changes in the weather at mid-day are usually of duration. 
 
 Sudden changes of temperature, change of the weather. 
 
 As one reads faces, so can weather signs be read by their 
 signs. 
 
Sailors' Knots, Bends and Hitches 
 
 SAFETY LINK 
 
 The tying of knots is ac- v. 
 complished by practice, " ^^ 
 not explanations :: '.: 
 
 Knots and Hitches for the Angler's Practice 
 
 148 
 
CO>MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 149 
 
 PLANTS WHICH ARE WEATHER PROPHETS 
 
 Clover and chickweed expand their petals or leaves before 
 fine weather, and close them before bad weather. 
 
 If the down on coltsfoot, dandelion, thistle, etc., flies ofi 
 in the wind expect rain; if on the dandelion it closes up, 
 rain also. 
 
 Marigolds close up before a storm; flowers and blossoms 
 generally so. 
 
 Many oak acorns, long hard winter; otherwise accordingly. 
 
 Onion skins, thick and rough, hard winter; thin, mild. 
 
 Pimpernel flowers, close, sign of rain. 
 
 Sow thistles, open at night, rain next day. 
 
 Fuller thistle (Teazle) closes before a rain. 
 
 Wood sorrel contracts its leaves, rain is near. 
 
 Thistledown, cotton-wood down — whisking about — windy 
 weather to come. 
 
 Endive plants open petals at 8:00 a. m., close at 4:00 p. m. 
 
 Goats Beard opens at sunrise, closes at noon. 
 
 Four o'Clocks, open 4:00 p. m. to 4:00 a. m. 
 
 Halos and Coronas are rings of prismatic colors surround- 
 ing the sun and moon. 
 
 Halos are caused by the presence in the air of small crys- 
 tals of ice or snow. Parhelia, or mock suns, and Paraselenae, 
 or mock moons, are frequently seen where the complicated 
 circles of halos intersect each other. Here bright spots occur, 
 which somewhat resemble suns and moons. Coronae are simi- 
 lar circles, seen most frequently around the moon. They 
 are caused by the presence of a small quantity of condensed 
 vapor in the air. They generally indicate changes in the 
 weather. 
 
Anglers* and Fishermen's Knots, etc. 
 
 / 
 
 The Jam knot 
 
 TO MAKE SINGLE EVE KNOT 
 
 DOUBLE E:yEKNOT 
 
 Square knot 
 
 The Jam hitch 
 
 The Tillei' hitch 
 
 BOWLINE KNOT 
 
 SAFETY LINK 
 
 SAFETY FIGURE OF EIGHT DOUBLE 5HEET BENO 
 
 150 
 
CO'MTLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 151 
 
 _STILL OTHER WEATHER SIGNS 
 
 Dew is only deposited in comparatively clear and calm 
 nights; fair weather — not in cloudy or windy weather. When 
 temperature is below 32, dew freezes and frost is produced. 
 
 Currents of air are often mistaken for light winds; at 
 those times the wind proper is in the opposite direction of 
 fhese currents of air. Hence, observe this fact. 
 
 Winds in open country or plains are fairly steady and re- 
 liable. As one approaches hills, valleys, woods, currents of 
 air are often mistaken for winds; hence, are deceiving. 
 
 Changeable winds indicate and precede weather changes. 
 
 A halo around the moon indicates wet weather to come, 
 and the smaller or larger circles indicate its nearness. 
 
 When smoke hangs over in a pall and does not ascend, 
 it signifies weather changes. Straight ascent, clear, fine 
 weather. 
 
 Morning dew and fog means fine weather to come. 
 
 Northwest winds precede fine, steady weather or winds. 
 
 Clouds moving in different directions indicate thunder 
 and rain. 
 
 Lightning in the east, sun will be red; in the west, 
 showers; south rains, north winds. 
 
 When moon's face pale or red it be, for wind and water 
 sure look ye. 
 
 If its crescent is turned to hold water, dry 'twill be. 
 
 If the reverse, wet we'll see. 
 
 If the sun precedes its rays, 'tis a sign of pleasant days. 
 
 But if the ray precede the sun, then look out for change 
 to come. 
 
 Moon circles near, a storm or change to fear. 
 
 Circles more, change galore. 
 
 A toad or frog in a glass jar is a good weather barometer. 
 
 Put a few stones in center of bottle, so that he can climb 
 up or down. In fine weather he will come ashore; in bad 
 weather or rain, take to water again. 
 
 When bees to distance wing their flight. 
 Days are warm and skies are bright. 
 But when flight ends and they stay to home, 
 Their own good sense forbids them roam. 
 
152 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 When ants their holes rebuild and strengthen, 
 Rain will be sprinkled or its fall be lengthened. 
 When they search for food — work early and late, 
 'Twill storm and rain as sure as fate. 
 When they scatter abroad — 'tis a promise fair, 
 And they leave their holes open and go off by pair. 
 But when they're all coming, and none do depart, 
 Why, they close up their holes, bless their wise little 
 hearts. 
 
 Hornets, bees, wasps, nesting in exposed places, fair, dry 
 weather; in sheltered places, moderate; on high banks, wet; 
 on low banks, dry. 
 
 When bees stay home, rain is near; when they all leave, 
 expect tine weather. (Bees are seldom caught in a shower.) 
 
 When flies and gnats cling to the ceiling or disappear, look 
 for a rain. Spiders go into sheltered spots and waterproof 
 their nests. 
 
 Spiders work hard before winds or storms. If thej' build 
 short, strong webs, it indicates rain and wind. If long webs 
 and frail ones, fair weather. It is a sure sign of fair weather 
 when they spin long new threads or webs. 
 
 If they work, in wet weather, it will soon be dry again, 
 and the prospect for immediate change is sure. 
 
 Insect swarms bode good, fine weather. 
 
 Fireflies flit, beetles travel together. 
 
 The locusts' and crickets' voices are heard. 
 
 The midges and punkies play tag for the birds. 
 
 But when skeeters and flies begin to bother and bite, 
 
 Seek warmth and shelter, swarm around lamps and light, 
 
 A change in the weather will come very soon. 
 
 Just as sure as the changes are seen in the moon. 
 
 Fine Weather Signs: Wind Signs: 
 
 Red sunset. Hard edge clouds. 
 
 Early fog or dewr Rolled or jagged clouds. 
 
 High, soft clouds. Rapid moving clouds. 
 Blue, clear sky. 
 
COiMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 153 
 
 Rain Signs: 
 
 Red sunrise. Clouds from the west. 
 
 Pale yellow sunset. Moving, gathering clouds. 
 
 SPECIAL NOTE 
 
 The reader must always bear in mind that ofttimes a few 
 miles away it might be raining hard and where you are the 
 weather is fine. 
 
 To foretell weather in any restricted or small location is 
 a difficult matter. These signs are general and not local. 
 
 FISH WHICH FORETELL WEATHER 
 CHANGES 
 
 FISH are unusually active, rise, play and bite well before 
 a rain. 
 
 If they play in rough water, sign of calm to come. 
 
 FROGS croak much before a rain; when they spawn in 
 deep water, implies drought; in shallow edges, wet summer. 
 
 When Glow-worms show their lamp, the air and weather 
 always damp. 
 
 Toads and snakes are always active before a rain; so are 
 worms. 
 
 When trout or bass refuse a fly, be sure a rain or storm 
 is nigh. 
 
 Bass leave shoal water before a rain. 
 
 Eels are lively before a rain. 
 
 The old time Leech Barometer was considered infallible. 
 By placing a common leech in a bottle half filled with water 
 his movements or actions indicated every change, as follows: 
 
 In bottle neck, out of water, rain; coiled up, tempest; con- 
 tinued movement, thunder and lightning; slow movement, 
 cold; coming out of water, change; moving all about, strong 
 wind; coiled upon bottom, fine weather. 
 
Rope Bends, Hitches, Slip Knots. 
 
 ^^@b 
 
 =^ss^ 
 
 Take a cord 
 
 and tie them 
 
 Useful knots and 
 bends — simple 
 rope hitches. 
 
 The study of these 
 knots and 
 hitches is time 
 profitably 
 spent. 
 
CO>M'PLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 155 
 
 Additional Useful Hints 
 
 The following information will be found to be of the ut- 
 most practical value, on occasion: 
 
 Weather Indications — The color of the sky at particular 
 times affords good guidance. Not only does a very rosy 
 sunset presage good weather, and a ruddy sunrise bad 
 weather, but there are other tints which speak with equal 
 clearness and accuracy. A bright yellow sky in the even- 
 ing indicates wind; a pale yellow, wdt; a neutral grey color 
 constitutes a favorable sign in the evening, and an un- 
 favorable one in the morning. The clouds are again full 
 of meaning in themselves. If their forms are soft, un- 
 defined and feathery, the weather will be fine; if their edges 
 are hard, sharp and definite, it will be foul. Generally speak- 
 ing, any deep, unusual hues betoken wind or rain; while the 
 more quiet and delicate tints bespeak fair weather. These 
 are simple maxims, and yet the British Board of Trade has 
 thought fit to publish them for the use of seafaring men. 
 
 In Kentucky and elsewhere much reliance is placed upon 
 the "goose bone." It has been handed down among the 
 early traditions of the state, and may be called the Ken- 
 tucky weather prophet. It is to be found in nearly ever> 
 Kentucky country home, and in many parts of the state the 
 farmers consult it, and prepare for handling their crops 
 in accordance with its readings. The prophecy of the goose 
 bone does not extend beyond the year in which the goose 
 was hatched and the prediction is for the three winter months 
 only. Take the breast bone of a last spring's goose and 
 divide it into three equal parts, and the different divisions 
 will represent December, January and February. The breast 
 bone of a goose is translucent, and if clear when held up 
 to the light, the weather will be mild and pleasant; but if 
 covered with cloud-like blots, it will be gloomy and cold; 
 the heavier the blots the colder will be the weather. 
 
 A Good Barometer — Take a common glass pickle bottle, 
 wide-mouthed; fill it within three inches of the top with 
 water, then take a common Florence oil flask, removing the 
 straw covering and cleansing the flask thoroughly, plunge 
 the neck cf the flask as far as it will go into the bottle, and 
 the barometer is complete. In fine weather the water will 
 
Water Knots, Hitches, etc.. 
 
 No I. — Double Fisherman's Knot. 
 
 Easily tied and 
 untied 
 
 Quick, effective, 
 simple 
 
 No.2.— Single Water Knot, 
 
 No. 3.— Double Water Knot. 
 
 Diamond Hitch 
 
 No. 4.— Another Jam Hitch. 
 
 ^ 
 
 DPOPPERj. Knots 
 
 156 
 
CO-M'PLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 157 
 
 rise in the neck of the flask even higher t-han the mouth of 
 the pickle bottle, and in wet, windy weather, it will fall with- 
 in an inch of the flask. Before a heavy gale of wind, the 
 water has been seen to leave the flask altogether at least eight 
 hours before the gale came to its height. 
 
 "A BIT ABOUT WOODS" 
 
 Rock Maple 
 
 No praise is too high for the excellent tree. As fuel, the 
 rock maple is the best wood available in large quantities at the 
 present moment in the northeastern states. From this tree is 
 derived the sap which when boiled becomes syrup or maple 
 sugar. The tree may be tapped for many consecutive years 
 without injury, and a good maple sugar grove is by no means 
 the least valuable asset of a farmer. The sap only flows in 
 early spring when warm days and frosty nights are the rule, 
 and the first sap is much richer in sugar than the last. The 
 Indian always makes his paddle of rock maple when he can get 
 it, for no wood equals it for that purpose. Axe-handles of rock 
 maple are preferred by the lumberman for heavy chopping to 
 those of ash, though they are not superior to hickory, when the 
 latter can be obtained. 
 
 White Maple 
 
 Although closely related to rock maple, this is a m.uch in- 
 ferior wood. The sap is not so sweet as that of the rock maple, 
 the wood is softer and the tree smaller. It may be used as a 
 fire-wood with fairly satisfactory results. 
 
 Red Maple 
 
 Practically similar to the white maple, and the description of 
 the former will apply to it. 
 
 Fir 
 
 The fir of balsam is of little use as a wood, though its 
 boughs make the best bed a tired backwoodsman can find. For 
 this purpose the feathery foliage is plucked from the bough and 
 placed in layers with the concave side downward and the butts 
 toward the sleeper's feet. The wood is weak and treacherous. 
 
F«siiermen's and^ Angler's Specialties* 
 
 Nets, Baskets, Waders, Capes, Fish Bags, Ertc. 
 
 158 
 
COiMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 159 
 
 breaking suddenly without warning, and the fir makes a poor 
 fire even when dried. 
 
 Willow 
 
 In the more southern regions of the North the willow is not 
 thought much of, but in Alaska and in the country of the "little 
 sticks," that is to say, where the forest begins to thin out on 
 account of the severity of the climate of the extreme North, the 
 willow is an extremely valuable wood. It makes a fierce fire, 
 burning with a clear bright flame, but owing to the small size 
 of the sticks, the fire needs feeding continuously. In the North- 
 west the Indians make their snowshoe frames of willow when 
 they can get nothing better, leaving the wood in its natural 
 round state. 
 
 Suitable Trout Flies for April 
 
 Black Gnat, or Midge, No. 13 — Body and feet, black; 
 wings, subhyaline. 
 
 Dark Claret Gnat, No. 13 — Body, dark claret; feet, black; 
 wings, subhyaline. 
 
 Bright Claret Gnat, No. 13 — Body, bright claret, mixed 
 with red fox face; feet, ginger; wings of one sex, hyaline, 
 the other, ocherous. 
 
 Grey Gnat, No. 13 — Body, dark fox, mixed with dark 
 claret; feet, grey; wings, hyaline. 
 
 Dark Fox, No. 10 or 11 — Body and feet, dark fox, mixed 
 with lemon colored mohair; v/ings, subhyaline; tail, three 
 fibres of dark grey hackle. 
 
 Poor Man's Fly, Nos. 9 and 10 — Body and feet, hare's 
 ear and* yellow mixed; wings, slightly mottled grey; tail, 
 the mottle of the wood duck. 
 
 Olive Gnat, No. 13 — Body, dark olive, mixed with bright 
 claret; feet, ginger: wings, hyaline. 
 
 Red Fox, Nos. 10 and 11 — Body, fox cub face, mixed with 
 yellow; feet, red (chicken red); wings, pale grey or sub- 
 hyaline: tail, mottled feather wood duck. 
 
 Bright Fox, Nos. 10 and 11 — Body and feet, brightest part 
 of the fox, mixed with yellow; wings, brightest hyaline; 
 tail, pale yellow. 
 
 Black Hackled Fly, Nos. 6 and 8 — Body, orange, ribbed 
 with gold tinsel; hackle black wings; tail, of the American 
 partridge. 
 
160 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 161 
 
 Trout Flies for May 
 
 Black May, No. 10 — Body, black; feet, black; wings, 
 hyaline. 
 
 Cow Dung, Nos. 10 and 11 — Body and feet, brownish yel- 
 low; wings, yellow-grey. 
 
 Great Dun, Nos. 9 and 8 — Body, purple brown; feet, grey 
 brown; wings, dark grey hyaline; set«, dark brown an- 
 nulated with grey. 
 
 Red Spinner, Nos. 10 and 9 — Body, bright claret, ribbed 
 with gold tinsel; feet, brick color; wings, grey hyaline; setae, 
 pale brick color. 
 
 Yellow May, No. 10 — Body and feet, pale yellow; wings, 
 pale yellow, mottled with brown; setae, yellow. 
 
 Coachman — Body, peacock herl; feet, dark red hackle; 
 wings, white. 
 
 King of the Water — Same as queen of the water, with 
 scarlet body instead of orange. 
 
 Gold Spinner — Body, orange, ribbed with gold tinsel; 
 feet, pale red hackle; wings, bright grey. 
 
 Captain — Body, posterior half, peacock herl, anterior half, 
 grey; white feet; red hackle; wings, grey; setae, scarlet, 
 green and wood duck feathers mixed. 
 
 Soldier — Body, crimson; feet, red hackle; wings, grey. 
 
 Kingdom — Body, white, ringed with green; feet, peacock 
 herl, and red hackle; wings, grey, mottled wnth brown. 
 
 Black Palmer, Brown Palmer, Red Palmer and Grey Pal- 
 mer, are made respectively of the different colored hackles 
 that distinguish them. 
 
 Trout Flies for June 
 
 Hawthorn, No. 11 — Body, shining black; feet and head, 
 black; wings, bright hyaline. 
 
 Shoemaker, No. 10 — Body, ringed alternately with light 
 grey and salmon; feet, dark ginger; wings, the mottled grey 
 of the mallard, and the mottled of the woodcock mixed; 
 setae, mottled woodcock. 
 
 Black June, No. 10 — Body, peacock's herl; feet and wings, 
 black. 
 
 Dark Stone, Nos. 8 and 9 — Body, dark brown; feet, yel- 
 low brown; wings, luteous. 
 
162 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Governor, No. 10 — Body, peacock's herl; feet, dark red 
 hackle; wings made of the darkest part of the bittern's wing, 
 or brown hen. 
 
 Green Drake, No. 7 — Body, white posterior, half ribbed 
 with black, green-yellow mottled with brown; setae, dark 
 brown. 
 
 Brown Drake, No. 7 — Body, feet and wings, a golden yel- 
 low brown; setae, dark brown. 
 
 Raven, No. 11 — Body, feet and wings, black. 
 
 Wren Fly, No. 9 — Body, clay-yellow; feet, made from the 
 scapular feathers of the English wren or quail; wings and 
 setae, mottled widgeon. 
 
 Trout Flies for July 
 
 Little Egg, No. 12 — Body and feet of orange and yellow, 
 mohair and hare's ear mixed; wings, bright hyaline, slightly 
 mottled; setx, same as wings. 
 
 Lightning Bug, No. 10 — BaJy of equal parts, of dark 
 brown, and black mixed, tipped with yellow; feet, of feathers 
 from the English grouse; wings, double, the inner wing 
 black, the outer wing a yellow brown. 
 
 General Hooker, No. 9 — Body made of bright yellow and 
 green, ringed alternately; feet, red hackle; wings, of the tail 
 feathers of the ruffed grouse. 
 
 Little Claret, No. 11 — Body and feet, dark claret mohair, 
 slightly tinged with blue; wings, of the bittern or brown 
 hen; setae, dark brown. 
 
 Claret Fly, No. 9 — Body, dark claret; feet, black; wings 
 of the brown hen. 
 
 Fetid Green, No. 10 — Body, feet and wings, a pale blue 
 green. 
 
 Trout Flies for August and September 
 
 Grey Cofin, Nos. 10 and 11 — Body, silver-grey mohair, 
 tipped with orange silk; feet, light grey hackle wound over 
 peacock's herl; wings and setae, hyaline. 
 
 Brown Cofin, Nos. 10 and 11 — Bod)^ grey and bright 
 
COiM'PLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 163 
 
 claret mohair mixed; feet, dark grey hackle wound over 
 peacock's herl; wings and seta^, grey hyaline. 
 
 The Gnats, named for April. 
 
 Quaker, Nos, 7 and 8; for evening and moonlight — Body, 
 grey wound with honey-yellow hackles; wings, made of 
 feather from an oriole's wing. 
 
 White Moth, Nos. 6 and 7; for dark nights — Body, feet 
 and wings, pure white. 
 
 The Stone Flies continue on the water until the close of 
 the season. 
 
 At this season use the small flies for day fishing, and 
 the large flies for evening and night. 
 
 General Flies Good at Any Time. 
 
 Ibis, No. 8 — A hackle fl}^ ribbed with silver tinsel; body, 
 hackle, wings and tail, scarlet. 
 
 Peacock Palmer, No. 8 — Body, peacock herls; hackle, 
 black, and red mixed. 
 
 Grey Palmer, No. 8— Body, peacock herl; dark grey 
 hackle. 
 
 Professor, Nos. 8 and 9 — Body, bright yellow; feet, golden 
 brown; wings, wood duck and mallard, dyed yellow, mixed; 
 tail, scarlet ibis. 
 
 Queen of the Water, Nos. 8 and 9 — A hackled fly; body, 
 orange, ribbed with gold tinsel; hackle, chicken red: wings, 
 bright mottle of the mallard. 
 
 Grizzly King, No. 8 and 9 — A hackle fly; body, greent 
 hackle, dark grey; tail, scarlet ibis; wings, mottled feather 
 of the pin-tail. 
 
 Besides the above, the following are favorite flies: 
 
 Abbey, — Golden pheasant and red tail, brown hackle, 
 dark grey wing. 
 
 March Brown — Brown body, ribbed with yellow silk, 
 brown hackle, turkey wing. 
 
 Brown Hen — Peacock body, brown hackle, wild turkey 
 wing. 
 
 Silver Black — Black hackle, light black body, ribbed with 
 silver tinsel, dark wing. 
 
164 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 RIFLE AND SHOTGUN ESSENTIALS 
 
 Pocket Rifle Cleaner. 
 
 Auxiliary Cartridge Holder. 
 
 See That Point. 
 
 
 ;j-^^MBlgES^eEiPECBEI> 
 
 Sol .1 
 
 ,' GARRISON PATENT ) 
 
 ZMS^A.cor 
 
 iA<m^>jm.iM.JA.l..U.*M.l 
 
 Combined Shotgun and Rifle Rod. 
 
CO^M'PLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 165 
 
 Oak — Orange body, ribbed with black silk, brown hackle, 
 turkey wing. 
 
 Blue Mole — Dark grey body, grey hackle, slate-colored 
 wing. 
 
 Silver Grey — Silver body, grey hackle, grey wing. 
 
 Orange Black — Orange body, black hackle, dark wing. 
 
 May — Yellow body, yellow hackle, yellow wing. 
 
 Red Ant — Brown body, brown hackle, light wing. 
 
 Montreal — Red body, red hackle, grey wing. 
 Blue Professor — Red tail, blue body, brown hackle, grey 
 wing. 
 
 Cinnamon — Light brown body, brown hackle, brown wing. 
 
 Alder — Claret body, black hackle, slate-colored wing. 
 
 Blue Bottle — Blue body, black hackle, slate-colored wing. 
 
 AUerton — Body, yellow, ribbed with gold; hackle, blue 
 and yellow; tail of wood duck feather. 
 
 Also the Blue Dun, Pale Green Dun, yellow spinner, jenny 
 spinner, yellow sally, and, it is said, eight hundred pattern;S 
 in all. The above will suffice for an assortment; the less 
 used the better, in our opinion. 
 
 Other Baits 
 
 Helgramite or Dobson — What are known as Helgramites 
 in the south and Dobsons in the north are the fully grown 
 larvae and pupae of several aquatic species in the family 
 Sialina. Their feeding ground is chiefly in sluggish rivers. 
 They are rare in mountain streams or head springs. They 
 will be found in the shallow parts of the stream, under stones 
 or submerged driftwood, or buried in the soft mud along its 
 banks. 
 
 Fish Roe — Tie a quantity, the bulk of a marble, in a bit 
 of mosquito netting, or secure it to the hook with woolen 
 threads. It can be preserved for a year in equal parts of 
 salt and saltpetre. Cork tight in a bottle, and keep in a 
 cool place. Fresh roe is the best. 
 
 Frogs — Izaak Walton says: "Put your hook through the 
 mouth, and out of his gills, and then with a fine needle and 
 silk sew the upper part of his leg, with only one stitch, to the 
 
166 COiMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 arming wire of the hook, and in so doing use him as 
 though you loved him." 
 
 To Scour Angle Worms — Place them in sand, and they 
 will clean themselves of earth, and become fresh and red. 
 Raw beef is a good substitute, when worms cannot 'be got. 
 
 To Keep Dead Minnows Fresh — Pack in wet sawdust and 
 salt or brine, adding a little saltpetre. Coarse straw damp- 
 ened is also a good packing. 
 
 Live Minnows — Have made a large bucket, holding say 
 four gallons, with inside bucket small enough to have plenty 
 of play and thoroughly perforated. Place a large piece of 
 ice on top of the inside bucket every ten or fifteen minutes, 
 churn the inside bucket up and down to aerate the water. 
 If the inside bucket is oval on the bottom, it is much better 
 than if it has a flat bottom, as the car or boat will keep 
 the bucket in motion. In this bucket minnows have been 
 transported two hundred miles. 
 
 To Keep Shrimp — Put them clean and solid into a box or 
 basket, the latter preferred, and place it on the ice in a 
 refrigerator. We have tried covering with seaweed, mixing 
 with sawdust, meal, etc., but for a handy home method noth- 
 ing works better for keeping shrimp alive twenty-four hours 
 — a week in fact — than the ice chest. If you are going to 
 carry them some distance before using, it is well to pack 
 the box or basket in ice. If you are located near the water, 
 the best way of all is to have a tight covered basket or a 
 box, full of small holes, so as to allow a free circulation oi 
 water, and with the live shrimp therein, anchor it ofif shore. 
 The Guilford Club, during the smelting season, have always 
 adopted the latter method at Black Rock with perfect suc- 
 cess, with the simple difference that the shrimp basket was 
 secured inside a large floating lobster car, and they never 
 were troubled with dead bait, but always found them alive 
 and kicking when wanted. 
 
 Artificial Angle Worms — A St. Louis firm has patented 
 an imitation earth-worm, made of India rubber or other 
 flexible material, to be substituted for the live angle worm. 
 It exactly resembles the natural squirmer in color, and cer- 
 tainly possesses the advantages of cleanliness for use. It 
 cannot be taken off the hook by nibbles, and needs no 
 preparatory "scouring." 
 
COiM'PLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 167 
 
 HINTS, POINTERS, KINKS AND SNARLS 
 Invaluable Facts and Information 
 
 Swimming of a Horse — When swimming a horse never 
 touch the bridle, as a horse is easily drowned when checkea 
 up or otherwise interfered with about the head. Sit well 
 back and guide the horse with the hand, gently slapping him 
 on eil!^er side as required; thus a horse will swim a mile or 
 more with a full-grown man on his back, and suffer but 
 little. Or, better still, throw yourself from the horse on 
 the down stream side, and with the right hand grasping the 
 mane at the withers, aid the progress of the horse with the 
 other and feet as in swimming. 
 
 To Subdue a Horse — Take a cor4 about the size of a 
 common bed-cord, put it in the mouth of the horse like a 
 bit, and tie it tightly on the animal's head, pass his left ear 
 under the string, not painfully tight, but tight enough to 
 keep the ear down and the cord in its place. This done, 
 pat the horse gently on the side of the head and command 
 him to follow. He will be found perfectly subdued and 
 obedient, the more submissive if he has not been habitually 
 treated cruelly or outrageously. This plan is practiced in 
 Mexico and South America. 
 
 To Tell a Horse's Age — The colt is born with twelve 
 grinders; when four front teeth have made their appearance, 
 the colt is twelve days old, and when the next four come 
 forth, it is four weeks old. When the corner teeth appear, 
 the colt is eight months old; when the latter have attained 
 to the height of the front teeth, it is one year old. The two- 
 year-old colt has the kernel (the substance in the middle of 
 the tooth's crown) ground out in all the front teeth. In the 
 third year the middle front teeth are 'being shifted, and when 
 three years old these are substituted by the horse teeth. 
 The next four teeth are shifted in the fourth year, and the 
 corner teeth in the fifth. At six years the kernel is worn 
 out of the lower middle front teeth, and the bridle teeth 
 have not attained to their full growth. At seven years, a 
 hook has been formed in the corner teeth of the upper jaw, 
 the kernel of the next at the middle is worn out, and the 
 bridle teeth begin to wear off. At eight years the kernel is 
 
Popular Revolver and Rifle Cartridges 
 
 R€2 V 
 
 , SHORT.?' 
 
 HBziaNGi 
 
 See also about Rifles elsewhere* 
 
 168 
 
COiMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 169 
 
 worn out of the lower front teeth, and begins to decrease 
 in the middle upper front. In the ninth year the kernel has 
 wholly disappeared from the upper middle front teeth; the 
 hook on the corner has increased in size, and the bridle 
 teeth lose their points. In the tenth year, the kernel is worn 
 out of the teeth next to the middle front of the upper jaw, 
 and in the eleventh year the kernel has entirely vanished 
 froni the corner teeth of the same jaw. At twelve years 
 old, the crown of all the front teeth in the lower jaw has 
 become triangular, and the bridle teeth are much worn 
 down. As the horse advances in age the gums shrink away 
 from the teeth, which consequently receive a long narrow 
 appearance, and the kernels become darkish points. Grey 
 increases in the forehead and over the eyes, and the chin 
 assumes the form of an angle. 
 
 Sheddin.g Mane — The shedding of hair from a horse's mane 
 and tail can be prevented by washing the parts affected a 
 few times in carbolic soapsuds. Or a wash made of lard oil 
 one pint and aqua ammonia one gill, well mixed and rubbed 
 in, will prevent the falling of the hair. 
 
 Saddle Marks — White marks caused by the friction of the 
 saddle may sometimes be removed from a horse by applying, 
 morning and night, an ointment made of lard and tincture 
 of cantharides or Spanish fly, made in the proportion of a 
 few drops of the latter to an ounce of the former. 
 
 Ticks on Horses — Any kind of oil will make the tick let 
 go of its own accord, if well rubbed into the hair of the ani- 
 mal. The theory is that the oil fills the pores of the skin 
 and deprives the tick of air to breathe. 
 
 Fleas and Vermin — Nothing better to keep them off than 
 Persian insect powder (pyrethrum roseum) recommended by 
 British Medical Gazette and for sale at druggists' and rat 
 poison stores. A solution can also be made. 
 
 New Food for Horses — This is composed of two quarts 
 of oats, one of bran and half a pint of flax seed. The oats 
 are first placed in the stable bucket, over which is placed the 
 linseed; add boiling water, then the bran, covering the mix- 
 ture with an old rug and allowing it thus to rest for five 
 hours; then stir the mass well up. The bran absorbs while 
 retaining the vapor, and the linseed binds the oats and bran 
 together; a greater quantity of flax seed would make the 
 
170 COiMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE ' 
 
 preparation too oily and less relished. One feed per day is 
 sufficient; it is easily digested, and is especially adapted to 
 young animals. 
 
 To Extricate a Mired Animal — The usual method is to 
 fasten a rope around the animal's horns or neck, and while 
 this is pulled by some of the assistants, others place rails 
 beneath the body of the animal for the purpose of lifting it 
 out of the hole. This plan is sometimes effective, but it often 
 is not, and at best it is a slow, clumsy and laborious method. 
 The materials needed for the method here referred to are 
 all that are required for a much better one. This is very 
 simple, and two men can operate it, and at a pinch, even 
 one man may succeed with it. A strong stake or an iron 
 bar is driven into the solid ground at a distance of twenty- 
 five feet or more from the mired animal. Two short rails, 
 about nine feet long, are tied together near the ends, so that 
 they can be spread apart in the form of a pair of shears, 
 for hoisting. A long rope is fastened around the horns or 
 neck of the animal, with such a knot that the loop cannot 
 be drawn tight enough to do any injury. The rope is cast 
 over the ends of the rails as they are set up upon the edge 
 of the solid ground, and carried to the stake or crow-bar 
 be3^ond. The end of the rope is fastened to a stout hand- 
 spike, leaving about a foot of the end of it free. This end 
 is laid against the bar or stake, and the other end is moved 
 around it so that the rope is wound upon it, drawing it up 
 and with it drawing the animal out of the mire. The rope 
 being held up to the tied rails, tends to lift the animal and 
 make its extrication very easy. — American Agriculturist. 
 
 Rawhide Straps and Halters — Take the skin of cow, calf, 
 colt, horse or other animal, cut it into narrow strips, and 
 shave off the hair with a sharp knife before the kitchen fire, 
 or in your workshop on stormy days and evenings. You 
 may make them soft by rubbing. A rawhide halter strap 
 an inch wide will hold a horse better and last longer than an 
 inch rope. It is stronger than hoop-iron and more durable, 
 and may be used to hoop dry casks and boxes, and for hinges. 
 Try it on a broken thill, or any wood work that has been 
 split. Put it on wet and nail fast. Thin skins make the best 
 to use it in its natural state. For other purposes it may 'be 
 dressed. 
 
COiM'PLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 171 
 
 Rawhide Lariat or Lasso — Take a green bull hide, lay it 
 flat on a smooth floor, cut off the legs and irregular pieces 
 with a sharp knife until you 'bring it to an oblong or oval 
 shape, then commence at the outer edge and cut a strip an 
 inch wide or more, following the circular form until you have 
 secured the required length, which should be fifty feet, then 
 wind it on two posts, trees, or stakes, drawing it as tight as 
 pos'sible so as to stretch it. Then roll it foot by foot be- 
 tween two small boards and make it pliable, and then boil it 
 in oil to keep it so, otherwise it will become very hard and 
 dry when it gets wet. Then make a slip-noose at the end, 
 and your lariat is complete. To ensure a good, free run- 
 ing noose, bend the end on over an eye Or iron ring three- 
 fourths of an inch in diameter. A lariat made of strips of 
 buckskin braided and oiled it very serviceable. 
 
 To Tote, Pack or Carry a Deer — 1. In dragging the car- 
 cass of a deer to camp, never draw it by the hind legs. This 
 is against the grain of the hair making the load heavy and 
 damaging the meat. If a sapling is handy, sling the deer to 
 it with its feet tied in pairs, and the nose secured to the pole, 
 so that it will not swing and sling blood all over. 
 
 2. Cut off the deer's head, skin his legs down to his knees 
 and hams, cut off the feet and shin-'bones, tie the skin of 
 each fore-leg to that of a hind-leg on the opposite side, put 
 your arms through, and pack him knapsack-fashion. 
 
 3. First, see that the deer is well bled; next, cut entirely 
 around the arms, working your knife carefully well inward 
 until the intestines are clear of all connection with the flesh 
 through the hams. Cut slits in the hind legs for the gam- 
 brel; then cut three poles about twelve feet long and four 
 inches in diameter at large end, leaving a crotch at the end 
 of two, and an inch or so of a small limb about a foot from 
 the top end of the third; thrust the end up to limb through 
 the cut in the legs, and place the foot of this pole against 
 some firm object to keep it from slipping back, and then place 
 the crotched end of the two poles over the leg, and under 
 the pole at the gambrel, setting the poles so that you can 
 lift on the bottom of each toward the center, crowding 
 downward on the foot of each pole till your deer swings 
 clear of the ground. Commence at a point on the belly 
 about eight inches below where the hams press together; 
 
"Camp and Outdoor Lighting Outfits." 
 
 The Colt 
 \ \ Acetylene 
 Tent Pole 
 Gas Lighting 
 and Cooking 
 Outfit 
 
 KAUTNm 
 rdLDiN&; 
 
 •TdRCHa 
 
 PATENT 
 
 OPENED 
 
 FOLDED 
 
 A Portable Gasoline Camp Lighting Outfit, 
 which folds up to a space 3x8x10 inches. Burns 
 6 to 8 hours. For inside or outside uses. 
 Swivel jointed pipe bends to any desired angle. 
 
 172 
 
CO)MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 173 
 
 cut only through the skin downward through the brisket 
 and neck to under jaw, also from the hock of each fore- 
 leg on the inside to the brisket, meeting the downward cut; 
 skin the fore-legs, neck and body to the fifth rib, but no 
 farther, and then open and take out intestines, cutting brisket 
 well open to allow all to fall out clear from body, and then 
 divide the body at the fifth rib, detaching the fore-quarters 
 entirely; cut the large strips of meat from the shoulder 
 blcfdes, ri'bs and back of the fore-quarters, discarding the 
 remainder. You have now hanging the hind-quarters with 
 the skin attached; tie the skin closely with a cord just where 
 it leaves the meat, and sto waway the pieces from the fore- 
 quarters on the inside the ribs of the hind-quarters. Now, 
 if weather permits, leave hanging till the blood drains out 
 and body is cold, and as much longer as may be convenient, 
 only taking the precaution to hang over the whole a few 
 branches of some evergreen to keep off the storms. Provide 
 yourself with a packing strap and bag, take down the quar- 
 ters, pull the neck end of skin back between the legs, draw 
 down the tail and with a cord tie together, while the skin 
 from the fore-legs should be brought around the body and 
 tied at the small of the back, unjoint the legs just below the 
 gam'brel and you have a compact, clean bundle that in- 
 cludes nearly all there is of value, and in such shape that 
 the meat is entirely covered with the skin, and with a pack- 
 ing strap can be carried quite handily. If found too heavy 
 with the meat inside, put this in your packing bag and 
 make another journey. The hind-quarters are now in shape 
 to stand quite a change in weather, and can be transported 
 without injury, while the choice pieces of the fore-quarters 
 not used in camp can be stowed away inside and kept clean 
 and palatable. A deer cannot be nicely dressed without 
 being hung up a sufficient time to allow the blood to drain 
 out and with the three poles mentioned a man that can 
 carry seventy-five pounds can raise three hundred, although 
 with a very large animal it may be necessary to use two 
 sets of the poles with the crotches, the first set shorter, to 
 get the body partly up before setting those long enough for 
 the last raise. 
 
 To Waterproof Ten.ts and Garments — Dissolve paraffin© 
 in naphtha or benzine, and soak thoroughly. 
 
174 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 2. Take half a pound of sugar or sugar of lead and half 
 a pound of powdered alum, dissolve them in a bucket of" 
 rain water and pour off into another vessel and steep your 
 tent in it, letting it -soak thoroughly. If the quantity is not 
 sufficient increase in same proportion. Hang the article 
 up to dry, but do not wring it. 
 
 Waterproof for Boots — Six ounces mutton suet, six 
 ounces beeswax, four ounces rosin, and a pint of linseed 
 oil; melt the three first ingredients together and add the last. 
 Apply on uppers and soles of boots. 
 
 2. Six parts tallow, two parts beeswax, one part rosin, 
 one pint castor oil and two parts caoutchouc. When melted 
 together, apply as warm as the leather will permit, with a 
 brush. 
 
 3. Nantucket fishermen, when they want to make their 
 boots waterproof, just pour half a gallon of boiled linseed 
 oil into them, and let it stay there for a week. 
 
 4. Take one-half pound of shoemaker's dubbing, one- 
 half linseed oil, one-half pint strong solution of' India rub- 
 ber. Dissolve the whole with a gentle heat (it is very in- 
 flammable), and apply with an ordinary blacking brush. One 
 application will insure dry feet for several months. 
 
 5. ]\Ielt together one pound tallow, half an ounce neats- 
 foot oil, one ounce rosin, one-half ounce lamp-black, a table- 
 spOonful of linseed oil. Should b? rubbed in repeatedly, the 
 boots or other articles to be warmed. It is said to bef 
 perfectly waterproof and not injurious to the leather. 
 
 6. In a pint of best winter-strained lard oil, dissolve a 
 piece of paraffine the size of a hickory nut, aiding the solu- 
 tion with a gentle heat, say 100 or 140 degrees Fahrenheit. 
 The readiest way to get pure paraffine is to take a piece 
 of paraffine candle. Rub this solution on your boots about 
 once a month; they can.be blackened in the meantime. If 
 the oil should make the leather too stiff, decrease the pro- 
 portion of paraffine, and vice versa. 
 
 7. Take neatsfoot oil, one and one-half pints; beeswax, 
 one ounce; spirits of turpentine, four ounces; and stir until 
 cold. Spread and rub this composition over the leather 
 while it is damp; leather will absorb oil and grease better 
 when damp than when dry. For the soles, take pine tar 
 and rub it in before the fire until the soles will absorb no 
 
CO>MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 175 
 
 more. Three or four applications will be needed. Th,e 
 durability of the soles will be much increased. 
 
 8. Take one pint of drying oil, two ounces of yellow 
 wax, two ounces spirits of turpentine, and one ounce of 
 Burgundy pitch — the hard materials melted over a slow fire, 
 and the others added and well mixed. Rub this mixture 
 on the boots at a distance from the fire, repeatedly, until 
 the leather is saturated. Common black pitch was found 
 equal to the Burgundy, and rather better. It is probable 
 that other variations might be made without detriment, pro- 
 vided a proper consistency is maintained in the mixture of 
 the oils, wax and pitch. The boots do better to dry three 
 or four weeks after being treated with the composition, 
 than to use them while it is fresh. 
 
 9. Take a quarter of a pound of beef and mutton suet, 
 a teaspoonful of lard, half pint of neatsfoot oil, one ounce 
 of beeswax, half an ounce of Burgundy pitch, and a half 
 ounce of turp'entine. Melt up the suet, the lard, the pitcli 
 and the beeswax in a pot, stir in the oil, and when off the 
 fire, and cooling a little, put in the turpentine. If you 
 want to be elegant, add a half box of blacking to give it a 
 color. Warm the compound and paint the boots, upper and 
 soles. It makes a boot quite water tight, and salt water 
 cannot phase it. 
 
 10. India rubber cut fine, one ounce put in a pint of 
 petroleum (raw) or Seneca oil. Let stand a week, and then 
 apply with brush until the leather is saturated. 
 
 Rubber Cement — One-half pound bi-sulphate of carbon; 
 three handsful of gutta percha; put in a wide-mouthed bot- 
 tle; shake frequently; at the end of two weeks strain through 
 a cloth, return to bottle and cork tightly, for reasons that 
 ' will be obvious. To apply, first dry the article, then smear 
 the cement on and allow it to evaporate, before bringing 
 edges together. After it has become light-colored in spots, 
 warm and bring edges perfectly together; stand away for 
 awhile and the job is complete, 
 
 3. Four ounces of pure India rubber, one-eighth of an 
 ounce powdered asphaltum, put together in a tin can, then 
 add about six times the quantity of benzine, 'let it stand 
 three or four days, then take a stick and work it over, then 
 add benzine and stir it well until you have, it about the con- 
 
176 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Things that Can Be Made in Camp. 
 
 W" ,1,1! 
 Vise Made from Sapling, 
 
 How Made. 
 
 Permanent Game Rack 
 
 Temporary Game Rack 
 
 Gun, Rifle and Rod Rack. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 177 
 
 sistency of honey; then it is ready for use. It should be 
 covered as tight as possible while dissolving, and afterward. 
 To use it, scrape the polish from the rubber, then apply the 
 cement to the place to be mended, and also to a piece of 
 rubber to be used as a patch. Dry half an hour, and apply 
 another coat, then, after another half hour, press the patch 
 into the place over the break. Like all other preparations 
 containing benzine, it must be kept away from fires, as it 
 is as explosive as burning fluid. 
 
 3. Cut virgin or native India rubber with a wet knife 
 into the thinnest possible slices, and with shears divide these 
 into threads as fine as fine yarn. Put a small quantity of 
 the shreds (say one-tenth or less of the capacity of the 
 bottle) into a wide-mouthed bottle, and fill it three-quarters 
 full of benzine of good quality, perfectly free from oil. 
 The rubber will swell up almost immediately, and in a 
 few days, especially if often shaken, assumes the consistency 
 of honey. If it inclines to remain in undissolved masses, 
 more benzine must be added; but if too thin and watery, 
 it needs more rubber. A piece of solid rubber the size of 
 a walnut will make a pint of the cement. This cement dries 
 in a few minutes, and by using three coats in the usual 
 manner, will unite leather straps, patches, rubber soles, 
 backs of boots, etc., with exceeding firmness. The India 
 rubber, unvulcanized, can be obtained at most large stores 
 where rubber goods are sold, and at some drug stores. 
 
 To Cook Mushrooms — Peel both tops and stems, put in 
 a stew-pan, with an ounce of butter and a pinch or two of 
 salt to each pound, and serve up hot. This will answer 
 to eat with fish, flesh and fowl. To fry them — peel, dip in 
 egg and roll in cracker dust, season, and fry with oysters. 
 
 To Roast a Wild Turkey^Having picked and cleaned a 
 turkey, put up two short forked stakes pretty close to the 
 fire; cut a thin straight stick with which split the turkey; 
 lay the ends of the stick in the crotches of the uprights, 
 turn the bird slowly before the fire. A pan should be placed 
 underneath to catch the gravy and dripping, with which 
 baste the turkey from time to time. Make the basting of a 
 little butter or lard, flour, salt and water. 
 
 To Bake Small Birds — Quail, woodcock, pigeon, snipe, 
 prairie fowl, etc., should be neithfer picked nor drawn. 
 
178 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 CAMP LIKES AND COOKING OUTFIT 
 
 For Cooking- and Lighting Inside a Tent 
 
COiMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 179 
 
 Wet the feathers thoroughly; make a hole in the coals, and 
 put in the wet bird. Cover well with coals and hot ashes, 
 to exclude air and prevent burning. When cooked, the 
 skin and feathers will peel off bodily, leaving the well- 
 cooked meat unmarred. 
 
 To Bake a Fish — Cover the fish undrawn, with clay two 
 inches thick, and throw it into the hottest of the fire. The 
 clay hardens almost instantly, and the nsh in its rough oven 
 bakes through and through, retaining also its juices. The 
 clay is then poked out of the fire, cooled with a dash of 
 water, and a sharp stroke with a stick separates it from the 
 fish. The fish's skin peels off with the clay and the dish 
 is ready. 
 
 Having cleaned, split and seasoned the fish, pin it to a 
 board by wooden pegs; then prop the whole up before a 
 smart hot fire of hot coals. The fish is very quickly baked 
 brown. 
 
 Wrap the fish evenly in thin buttered tissue paper, and 
 bury this in some wet brown wrapping paper, and then bake 
 as in No. 1. 
 
 Venison Steak- — Cut your meat down the grain, an inch 
 thick, place it on the fork of a stick, and turn it smartly 
 over a hot fire of coals. 
 
 Venison Stew — A venison stew, or a miscellaneous stew 
 is made by cutting the breasts of fowl and the flesh of the 
 animal into chunks; take sliced potatoes, slices of bread 
 or crackers, sliced onions, and salt pork and place them in 
 alternate layers, seasoning with salt and pepper between 
 each. Fill up even to the top of the mess with water and 
 boil till the potatoes are done. 
 
 To Cook a Head with the Hair On — The head of a deer, 
 or any large animal, with the hide on, is put into a hole in 
 the ground sufficiently large to hold the head and a lot of 
 smooth stones weighing two or three pounds apiece, and 
 deep enough to sink them a foot below the surface. Make 
 a hot fire in the hole, and another near by; heat the rocks 
 as hot as they can be heated without cracking. Then, 
 when both the earth oven and stones are hot, clean the fire 
 out of the hole, put in a layer of stones, then the head neck 
 down, and then the rest of the stones around and over the 
 head; throw in a lot of mint, sweet weed (grass or leaves 
 
180 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 will 4o), cover all with earth well packed down; let it 
 remain all night, and in the morning eat it. Any portion 
 of the carcass wrapped in a raw hide can be cooked in the 
 same way. 
 
 Mountain Hotch-Potch — Take the best part of a neck of 
 venison, or mountain sheep is better, cut it small, bones 
 and all, and boil it until thoroughly well done, or until the 
 meat separates from the bones. Then remove the bones 
 and put in a quantity of green peas and broad beans at dis- 
 cretion not to make the hotch-potch too thick; add a flavor 
 of onions and parsley, together with a fair proportion of 
 carrots, turnips, and kale or other cabbage, taking care to 
 make the combination thick enough, but not so thick as 
 to deprive it of the character of a soup and convert it into 
 a pottage and boil the whole for eight or nine hours. If 
 you boil it for twelve, or even twenty hours, it will be none 
 the worse, hot all the better. If there be any left, boil it 
 up again on the next day and it will be better than on the 
 first. You can get spme vegetables at the ranches. 
 
 HINTS ON THE VALUE OF SKINS. 
 
 The skins of animals trapped are always valued higher 
 than those shot, as shot not only makes holes, but frequently 
 plow along the skin, making furrows as well as shaving 
 ofiE-.the fur. To realize the utmost for skins they must be 
 taken care of, and also cleansed and prepared properly. New- 
 house gives these rules, derived from experience: 
 
 1. Be careful to visit your traps often enough, so that 
 the skin will not have time to get tainted. 
 
 2. As soon as possible after an animal is dead and dry 
 attend to the skinning and curing. 
 
 3. Scrape ofif all superfluous flesh and fat, and be careful 
 not to go so deep as to cut the fibre of the skin. 
 
 4. Never dry a skin by the fire or in the sun, but in a cool, 
 shady place, sheltered from rain. If you use a barn door 
 for a stretcher (as boys sometimes do), nail the skin on the 
 inside of the door. 
 
 5. Never use "preparations" of any kind in curing skins, 
 nor even wash them in water, but simply stretch and dry 
 them as taken from the animal. 
 
COiMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 181 
 
 "MAKE LIFE WORTH LIVING" 
 
 Civilization has made such rapid progress during the last 
 fifty years, within the boundaries of the United States and 
 "the forest primeval" has been so invaded by the foot of 
 man, and the varieties of large game so encroached upon 
 and driven into the mountain fastnesses, that hunting, as a 
 profession or as a means of livelihood, has become an 
 uncertain quantity. But man, even with his luxurious envi- 
 ronments of the nineteenth century, feels the returning im- 
 pulses of his barbarous ancestors, and longs once more to 
 join in the chase, to capture, slay and devour. 
 
 Whatever pangs of conscience may arise from these 
 destructive tendencies, he quiets by the assurance that he 
 does this for the benefit of his health, or for needed recrea- 
 tion; and we, who have so often yielded to these impulses, 
 are willing to grant that his excuse is far from lacking the 
 foundations of truth. 
 
 There is probably no exercise or method of recreation 
 more calculated to recuperate the nervous energies, which 
 have become jaded from worry and care, or a long-continued 
 pressure of professional labor, than to lay aside all thought 
 of business, flee to the mountain wilds, to the quiet lake, 
 to the salt sea, or to the babbling brook, and live with 
 nature; to camp under the blue sky, to breathe the sweet, 
 pure air of heaven; hunt and fish, as did our forefathers. 
 
 Worry is the rust that corrodes the body and soul. 
 Thousands and tens of thousands of men and women are 
 dying from worr}^ over the affairs connected with the every- 
 day work of life. Thousands of cases of heart disease, 
 brain trouble, nervous disorders, dyspepsia, insomnia, and 
 the breaking down of the various organs of the body may 
 be traced directly to the interminable grinding in this modern 
 mill of business. 
 
 To all such 1 would say, go away for awhile from your 
 elegant homes, where you have been so long pampered 
 in the lap of luxurious ease; go into the wilds, live in camp, 
 forget your care by allowing the -mind to indulge in new 
 channels of thought, and your muscles and nerve-centers 
 to become accustomed to new habits of exercise. When 
 will the world arrive at that state of civilization when men 
 
182 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 will acknowledge, by their actions, that life is worth living? 
 Why should we sacrifice the best and most precious years 
 of our lives on the altar of Mammon? 
 
 Life is worth living only when we are in a condition 
 to enjoy it. We are in a condition to enjoy existence only 
 when the body glows with health. We live, in reality, 
 only when digestion is good, when the circulation is free, 
 and when the blood, in healthful pulsations, goes bounding 
 to the brain, awakening into activity all the nobler and finer 
 instincts, taking on the natural man and soon dropping the 
 artificial one which the restraining influences of city life has 
 abnormally developed in us. 
 
 We love to mingle instead of avoid each other, to fra- 
 ternalize, and mind and memory takes us back to old scenes 
 and experiences of boyhood days and pleasures, forgetting 
 cares and responsibilities and join the circle, dear to every 
 hunter's heart, that gathers around the evening camp-fire. 
 Here we listen to the bear story, the Indian tale, recount 
 the adventures of the day and plan for greater deeds to be 
 performed on the morrow. But a better thing than this is, 
 to go to bed, to sleep, and "knit up the ravelled sleeve of 
 care." "Balmy slumber, tired nature's sweet restorer." it is 
 seldom, in this hurrying age, that we get too much of it. 
 
 CAMP HYGIENE— MEDICINE, SURGERY 
 
 Colds and Headaches — Take of Norwood's tincture ver- 
 atrum one drop on a small lump of sugar every two hours, 
 and a three-quarter quinine pill every three hours. This 
 prescription is recommended by Dr. N. Rowe, of the Chi- 
 cago Field. 
 
 2. Dissolve fifteen or twenty grains of chloral in very 
 little water, and with the tip of a finger rub it upon the seat 
 of pain until you can sensibly feel the 'burning and the skin 
 is reddened. 
 
 Fever Diet — When a patient will not take beef tea in the 
 ordinary form, freeze it, and administer in small lumps. In 
 this way it forms a most palatable article of diet. 
 
 Diarrhoea and Dysentery — An old army prescription used 
 in the Mexican war is a mixture of equal parts of capsicum 
 
COiMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 183 
 
 (red pepper), Hoffman's anodyne camphor and peppermint, 
 with one-half the proportion of laudanum. Take twenty 
 drops in a tablespoonful of water every hour until cured. 
 
 Croup — Croup can be cured in one minute, and the remedy 
 is simply alum and sugar. The way to accomplish this is 
 to take a knife or grater and shave off in small particles 
 about a teaspoonful of alum; then mix it with twice its 
 quantity of sugar, to make it palatable, and administer it as 
 quickly as possible. Almost instantaneous relief will follow. 
 
 Burns — Charcoal has been discovered to be a cure for 
 burns. By laying a piece of cold charcoal upon the burn 
 the pain subsides immediately. By leaving the . charcoal 
 on one hour the wound is healed, as has been demonstrated 
 on several occasions. 
 
 Cure for Wounds — As soon as a punctured wound is in- 
 flicted, get a light stick (a knife or file handle will do) 
 and commence to tap gently on the wound. Do not stop 
 for the hurt, but continue until it bleeds freely and becomes 
 perfectly numb. When this -point is reached, you are safe; 
 and all that is then necessary is to protect it from dirt. 
 Do not stop short of the bleeding and the numbness, and 
 do not on any account close the opening with plaster. 
 Nothing more than a little simple cerate on a clean cloth 
 is necessary. 
 
 Fish Bone in Throat — If you get a fish bone in your 
 throat, fast there, swallow an egg^ raw; it will be sure to 
 carry down a bone easily and certainly. 
 
 Chilblains — Cut up two white turnips, without paring, 
 into thin slices; put the slices into a tin cup with three 
 large spoonfuls of best lard; let it simmer slowly for two 
 hours, then mash this through a sieve; when cold, spread it 
 on a soft linen cloth, and apply to the chilblain at night. 
 
 Snake Bites — Apply raw sliced onions to the wounded 
 parts. 
 
 For rattle-snake bite, make the patient swallow large 
 and repeated doses of olive oil, until a quart is swallowed; 
 ru'b mercurial ointment into the affected part freely. 
 
 Rattle-snake Bites — The following is used by soldiers 
 on the plains, and is said to be efficacious; Iodide of potas- 
 sium, four grains; corrosive sublimate, two grains; bromine, 
 five drachms. Ten drops, diluted with" a tablespoonful or 
 
184 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 two of brandy, wine, or whiskey, is the dose, to be repeated, 
 if necessary. Keep in a well-stoppered phial. 
 
 Bites of Rabid Animals — ^lix thoroughly two tablespoon- 
 fuls chloride of lime with a half pint of fresh water and 
 bathe the wound almost without cessation until the physi- 
 cian arrives, or until the poison is neutralized. 
 
 Poisons — An antidote for corrosive sublimate is the white 
 of two eggs; it will neutralize the poison and change the 
 effect to that of a dose of calomel. 
 
 If a person swallows any poison whatever, or has fallen 
 into convulsions from having overloaded the stomach, an. 
 instantaneous remedy, more efficient and applicable in a 
 larger number of cases than half a dozen medicines we 
 can now think of, is a heaping teaspoonful of common salt, 
 and as much ground mustard, stirred rapidly in a teacup 
 of water, warm or cold, and swallowed instantly. It is 
 scarcely dowm before it begins to come up, bringing with 
 it the remaining contents of the stomach; and lest there be 
 any remnant of a poison, however small, let the white of 
 an egg, or a teacup of strong coffee, be swallowed as soon 
 as the stomach is quiet; because these very common articles 
 nullify a larger number of virulent poisons than any medi-. 
 cines in the shops. 
 
 Poison Ivy or Sumac — Sometimes wet salt or pork brine 
 bound on the poison spots and kept wet will soon dry them 
 up. Very strong ammonia applied frequently as soon as 
 the poison appears is an excellent remedy. This remedy 
 is sometimes severe in its effects, acting as a caustic on 
 the poison spots after the poison is killed. When am- 
 monia fails, powdered gum myrrh, shaken up in sweet 
 oil and used three times a day as a wash, will be found an 
 almost unfailing remedy. When obtainable, it is the best 
 to apply at first. 
 
 2. The last remedy has 'been used successfully as a 
 preventive, by liberally anointing the skin before going 
 into the woods, always allowing the remedy to dry on the 
 skin. 
 
 3. Tincture lobelia (equal parts water) or sugar of lead, 
 or Pond's extract (Hamamelis). Think the "Hamamelis" the 
 best; very cooling and allays the itching, etc. Ivy poison 
 has a "run" of about one week, no matter what you apply. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 185 
 
 4. Carbolic acid and glycerine, in the proportion of 
 about one part of the acid to three of glycerine, which is 
 also good for all kinds of insect bites, burns, cuts, bruises, 
 etc. 
 
 5. Apply water as hot as can be borne to the part 
 affected. 
 
 Disinfectants — If onions are sliced and kept in a sick 
 room they will absorb all the atmospheric poison. They 
 should be changed every hour. In the room of a small-pox 
 patient they blister and decompose very rapidly, but will 
 prevent the spread of the disease. 
 
 2. One pound of green copperas, costing seven cents, 
 dissolved in one quart of water, and poured down a water- 
 closet, will effectually concentrate and destroy the foulest 
 smells. On board ships and steamboats, about hotels and 
 other public places, there is nothing so nice to purify the 
 air. Simply green copperas dissolved in anything will render 
 a hospital or other places for the sick free from unpleasant 
 smells. 
 
 Sleeping in a Cold Room — People who come in from a 
 long period of out-door camping are almost certain to catch 
 cold in a house when they return, because, having been 
 accustomed to sleeping in the open air, they almost invari- 
 ably leave their windows open. Many persons who went 
 to bed w^ell, are surprised to wake up in the morning with 
 inflammation of the lungs, solely because they have hoisted 
 the windows for ventilation. Hall's Journal of Health says 
 that robust persons may safely sleep in a temperature of 
 forty or under, but the old, the infant, and the frail should 
 never sleep in a room where the atmosphere is much under 
 fifty degrees Fahrenheit. 
 
 If there is some fire in the room all night the window 
 may be opened an inch. It is safer to sleep in bad air 
 all night, with a temperature over fifty, than in a pure air 
 with the temperature under forty. The bad air may sicken 
 you, but cannot kill you; the cold air can and does kill 
 very often. 
 
Rubber specialties for Camp Uses 
 
 lO-Rubber Bath Tub. 
 
 1— Sportsman's Raio 2— Cape , 9— Rubber Wash 
 
 Cape (Featherweight) Packed, Basin. 
 
 13— Poncho Rubber 
 Blanket. 
 
 4-5— Rubber and Canoe Tumbler. 
 
 6— :tlubber Toilet 12-SpQrtsman's Inflated Seat. 
 
 17 -Rubber Toilet 
 Case. 
 
 16— Canoe Seat. 
 
 3— Camp Bath Tub. 
 
 7— Rubber „ 14— Rubber 
 
 Bucket Closed.V Tobacco Pouch 
 
 ^ftttbber Bucket Open, 
 
 186 
 
 15— Rubber Ration Bftg. 
 
COlMPLETE trappers guide 187 
 
 FIRST AID TO INJURED IN CAMP 
 
 Drowning — Loosen clothing. 2. Place patient face down 
 with head and shoulders low. 2. With finger clear mouth 
 of foreign substances. 4. Press firmly on back and sides 
 of chest to expel water. 5. Draw tongue well out of mouth 
 and keep it so by tying string over it and under lower jaw. 
 6r Turn patient on back with tightly rolled coat under shoul- 
 ders. 7. Kneel at patient's head, grasp arms below elbows 
 and draw them above patient's head, making forearms touch 
 ground. 8. Push the arms forward, cross them over the 
 lower part of chest and press firmly. 9. Repeat these move- 
 ments eighteen times a minute. 10. Every two minutes 
 turn patient on face and press firmly on back and sides of 
 chest to expel water. 11. Others should replace wet clothes 
 with dry ones a.AA make hot applications. 12. Continue 
 thp«^e measures at least two hours. 13. When patient begins 
 to breathe give stimulant, hot drinks, and rub legs upward, 
 vigorously. 
 
 Burns and Scalds — Cover with Cooking Soda and lay wet 
 CAOths over it. White of Eggs and Olive Oil. Olive or Lin- 
 seed Oil, plain, or mixed with Chalk and Whiting. 
 
 Lightning — Dash cold water over person struck. 
 
 Sunstroke — Remove patient to shady place, apply ice to 
 head and neck, sponge body with cold water. 
 
 Mad Dog or Snake Bite — Tie hand above wound and 
 burn with iron at white heat; or cut out wound, making it 
 bleed freely, and then apply nitric acid. 
 
 Venomous Insect Stings, etc. — Apply weak Ammonia, Oil, 
 Salt water or Iodine. 
 
 Fainting — Place flat on back; allow fresh air, and 
 sprinkle with water. 
 
 Tests of Death — Hold mirror to mouth; if living moist- 
 ure will gather. Push pin into flesh; if dead the hole will 
 remain: if alive it will close up. 
 
 Cinders in the Eye — Roll soft paper up like a lamp lighter 
 and wet the tip to remove, or use a medicine dropper to 
 draw it out. Rub the other eye. 
 
188 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 SPECIAL POISONS AND ANTIDOTES 
 
 Remove patient where medical skill can be obtained. If 
 you are not competent to handle it send for such service 
 post haste. 
 
 Second — Induce vomiting by tickling throat with feather 
 or finger; drinking hot water or strong mustard and water. 
 Swallow sweet oil or whites of eggs. 
 
 Acids and antidotes for Alkalies, and vice versa: 
 
 Acids — Muriatic, Oxalic, Acetic, Sulphuric (Oil of Vit- 
 triol), Nitric (Aqua Fortis). Soap-suds, magnesia, lime water. 
 
 Prussic Acid — Ammonia in water. Dash water in face. 
 
 Carbolic Acid — Flour and water, mucilaginous drinks. 
 
 Alkalies — Potash, Lye, Hartshorn, Ammonia. Vinegar 
 or Lemon juice in water. 
 
 Arsenic — Rat Poison, Paris Green. Milk, raw eggs, sweet 
 oil, lime water, flour and water. 
 
 Bug Poison — Lead, Saltpetre, Corrosive Sublimate, Sugar 
 of Lead, Blue Vitriol. Whites of eggs, or milk in large 
 doses. 
 
 Chloroform — Chloral, Ether. Dash cold water on head 
 and chest. Artificial respiration. 
 
 Carbonate of Soda — Copperas, Co'balt. Soap suds and 
 mucilaginous drinks. 
 
 Iodine — Antimony, Tartar Emetic. Starch and water as- 
 tringent infusions. Strong tea. 
 
 Mercury and Its Salts — Whites of eggs, milk, mucilages. 
 
 Opium — Morphine, Laudanum, Paregoric, Soothing Pow- 
 ders or Syrups. Strong coffee, hot bath. Keep awake and 
 moving at any cost. 
 
 FIRST AID TO THE INJURED— GENERAL 
 INSTRUCTIONS 
 
 Shock — A person who has been injured in a railroad acci- 
 dent, severely burned, or even suddenly frightened, often 
 suffers from shock. The symptoms are feeble breathing, 
 feeble pulse, pale face, cold skin and sometimes a delirious 
 state of mind. The treatment is to place the patient in a 
 horizontal position with head slightly lowered. 
 
CO'MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 189 
 
 First bind open wounds, then give from a teaspoonful 
 to a tablespoonful of whisky or some other stimulant in a 
 tablespoonful of hot water, repeating the dose every ten 
 minutes, until five or six doses have been taken. Put hot 
 flannels on the chest, and hot water bottles or hot bricks 
 along both sides of the body, and under the armpits. Then 
 cover the patient with a blanket to keep the heat in. The 
 point of all this treatment is to thoroughly warm and stimu- 
 late the patient. 
 
 Care should be taken, ho-vvever, not to use bricks or 
 cloths that are too hot, or the patient may be burned. Re- 
 member that the patient suffering from shock is as a rule 
 unable to feel the hot applications, so judgment must be 
 used to avoid inflicting burns. 
 
 Wounds — The principal object in treating a wound is to 
 stop the flow of blood. First apply something over the 
 opening to prevent the escape of blood, and then close the 
 artery somewhere between the heart and the point where 
 the injury is situated. 
 
 This can be done by means of a tourniquet, which is a 
 bandage or rope placed around the arm or leg, and twisted 
 by means of a stick until it is tight enough to compress the 
 artery and stop the flow of blood. In placing the banadge 
 to stop the flow of blood, tie a knot, and place the knot 
 on the vein of the artery, then tie tightly. The pressure 
 of the knot on the artery is of great assistance in stopping 
 the flow of blood. This is effective in the care of deep 
 wounds with smooth edges. 
 
 Lacerated Wounds — In cases where a wound has a rag- 
 ged edge, and the skin about it torn or bruised, cleanse the 
 wound thoroughly in warm water, place a cloth over it, and 
 bandage tightly. The cloth should be either a clean dry 
 one, or wrung out of clean boiling water and allowed to cool 
 before applying. 
 
 Wounds of this kind are usually caused by railway and 
 machinery accidents, by falling timber, stone, etc., and are 
 accompanied by a shock which should be given the treatment 
 mentioned under that head. 
 
 Bruises — Lay over the bruise a cloth saturated with hot 
 water, or with any of the household remedies that contain 
 alcoHol. Hot poultices , will diminish the pain and hasten 
 
190 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 the absorption of the blood. If the skin has been opened 
 by the bruise, alcohol will be found painful, but it assists 
 in stopping the flow of blood. The home-made poultice 
 should be made of clean materials. A sterilized poultice is 
 better. 
 
 A Crushed Part — In a case where the foot or hand is 
 crushed it should be put back as naturally as possible to 
 its original shape, and then unless it is bleeding profusely, 
 wrapped in a cloth dipped in warm water, and the whole in- 
 jury warmly wrapped in a blanket. 
 
 Insect Stings — Apply immediately a weak solution of 
 either iodine, ammonia, salt water or oil. 
 
 Burns and Scalds — Apply immediately either vaseline, lin- 
 seed, olive or castor oil, white lead, soap or whitewash. 
 
 Sprained Ankle or Wrist — The essential treatment in this 
 case is to apply a cold application of some kind. 
 
 Some people advocate pouring cold water from a height 
 on the injured mem'ber. After the swelling has decreased it 
 may be rubbed with alcohol or salt water. 
 
 A sprain should be bound up tightly before the swelling 
 sets in, but not afterward. Binding after the swelling has 
 taken place will cause severe pain and do more harm than 
 good. Bandages after swelling should be loose. 
 
 Mad Dog Bites — Bind a cord above the wound; suck the 
 wound out, and sear or cauterize the injury immediately 
 with a white-hot iron or with caustic. The wound should 
 be cauterized deeply, in spite of the pain caused. If the 
 surface is merely seared over the poison may remain in the 
 wound and continue to go through the system. Give stimu- 
 lants such as whisky or brandy. The object of the treat- 
 ment is to prevent the spreading of the poison through the 
 system. 
 
 Gun Shot Injuries — A bandage should be applied tightly 
 above the wound to stop bleeding, foreign matter removed, 
 and the wound washed. 
 
 It is not advisable to try to probe the wound — leave that 
 to a physician. An instrument picked up hastily in the home 
 may not be clean and may serve only to make matters 
 worse. 
 
 Nosebleed — Nosebleed may be stopped by plugging up 
 the nostrils with lint, and making cold applications to the 
 
COiMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE . 191 
 
 back of the neck. In some cases nosebleeds may be checked 
 by cobwebs or by placing a piece of folded brown paper un- 
 der the upper lip. 
 
 Internal Bleeding — Keep the patient at perfect rest. Give 
 small pieces of ice to swallow. 
 
 Fracture of Limb — Place the injured member on a pillow 
 and lay a cool wet cloth on the fracture. If ice can be 
 obtained, it is better to make an ice pack and place around 
 the injury. Break the ice into small pieces and wrap in a 
 clean cloth. 
 
 Then take two pieces of thin board, somewhat longer 
 than the injured bone and as wide as the limb is thick and 
 fold up pieces of cotton batting or soft cloth for a pad. 
 Tie the splints firmly one on each side of the injured mem- 
 ber, using for this purpose strips of cloth, the object of 
 this being to keep the broken ends of the bone immovable. 
 
 Other Fractures — In the case of fractures of the jaw, 
 skull, etc., place the patient in a cool, dark, quiet place, 
 keeping the head slightly raised and placing a wet cloth on 
 it. Stimulants should not be given. 
 
 Dislocation — The best general treatment for dislocation 
 of all kinds is to make the patient as comfortable as possible 
 and lay a cold wet cloth over the affected joint until skilled 
 aid can be obtained. 
 
 Suffocation — Dash cold water in the face, slap the patient 
 on the breast, and hold ammonia under the nostrils. If 
 these simple means do not restore breathing, it will be nec- 
 essary to resort to artificial respiration, which is discussed 
 under drowning. 
 
 Another Treatment for Drowning — Never take it for 
 granted that a person taken from the water is dead until 
 the treatment recommended to restore a drowning person 
 has been tried to the limit. Cases are on record where per- 
 sons have been under water a half hour, and have been 
 brought back to life. 
 
 If the patient's face is swollen and purple, with the lips 
 livid and eyes bloodshot, or if, on the other hand, he appears 
 pale and flabby, it is no evidence that he is dead. The 
 treatment should be given immediately and on the spot, 
 except in extreme weather, when the body may he removed 
 to a place of shelter if it is near. 
 
192 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 The first object of the treatment is to make the patient 
 breathe, and after this is accomplished to re-establish the 
 circulation of the blood, and to restore warmth to the 
 body. 
 
 First send immediately for a doctor, blankets and stimu- 
 lants. Expose the chest and shoulders to the wind, quickly 
 open the clothing about the neck, turn the patient on the 
 face; clasp your hands together beneath the stomach, and 
 lift as high as possible, allowing the head to hang so the 
 water can run out. Hold the patient in this position for a 
 few seconds, and then turn him again on his back. Wipe 
 out the mouth and the back of throat with your finger cov- 
 ered with a handkerchief. 
 
 If this does not restore breathing, apply smelling salts 
 to the nose, tickle the nose with a feather or straw, and 
 dash water on the chest, alternately hot and cold. These 
 methods must be quickly tried, and if they are not suc- 
 cessful artificial respiration must be resorted to. 
 
 The best method known is Sylvester's method. The 
 point is to make the chest expand, causing the air to be 
 drawn in just as a pair of bellows will fill with air when 
 open. Then the chest is made to contract, and the air 
 forced out. 
 
 By alternately performing these movements we have 
 inspiration and expiration, and the two together constitute 
 breathing, or respiration. The patient should be placed on 
 the back with the shoulders resting on a roll of clothing, 
 and the tip of the tongue drawn forward out of the mouth, 
 otherwise it will fall back into the throat and will interfere 
 with breathing. 
 
 This is very important, and should be done by grasping 
 the tongue with a dry handkerchief, or the fingers may even 
 be covered with sand to prevent the tongue slipping. 
 
 If alone, one would have to draw the tongue out and 
 tie it against the lower teeth. The best way to hold the 
 tongue out is to run a pin or needle through it, which will 
 prevent it from falling back. Then after adjusting the 
 tongue, kneel behind the patient's head, grasp him by the 
 forearms, and draw up his arms back again until they rest 
 against the chest for one second. 
 
 Continue this regularly and persistently at the rate of 
 
CO'MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 193 
 
 sixteen times per minute, until some effort is made by pa- 
 tient to breathe, when you should endeavor to time these 
 movements by his efforts. At such a time ammonia may be 
 applied as well as dashes of cold water and slapping. Even 
 if thei'e be no sign of life, this artificial respiration should be 
 continued for an hour and i. half at least. If this is prop- 
 erly done, the air can be heard entering and leaving the 
 chest - 
 
 During the attempt to restore respiration the body should 
 be kept warm. This may be done by friction of all kinds, 
 as well as by hot water bottles and hot bricks. As soon 
 as the patient can swallow, give hot drinks. If difficulty of 
 breathing persists, apply a hot mustard plaster to the chest. 
 
 Choking — In cases where some foreign substance has got- 
 ten into the throat and the patient turns purple in the face, 
 the eyes protrude, the arms are thrown about, and some- 
 times the patient falls unconscious, the first thing to do 
 is to slap him violently on the back. Stand him up face to 
 the wall with his chest resting against it, aiid give him a 
 severe blow between the shoulders. 
 
 In the case of a child, place one hand on each side of 
 the chest, and compress it vigorously and constantly, or 
 lift it up 'by the heels and slap the back while in this posi- 
 tion. Sometimes the foreign substance can be grasped by 
 thrusting the thumb and forefinger down the throat. 
 
 For poisoning caused by internal use of any drug in a 
 poisonous dose, frequently home treatment may be admin- 
 istered that will prolong life until the arrival of a physician. 
 It should be first remembered, however, that it is necessary 
 to keep a cool head in spite of dangerous symptoms or pain. 
 This is not always easily done, but it is none the less im- 
 portant. 
 
 General Instructions — When a person is poisoned, life 
 often depends on doing the right thing, and doing it 
 quickly. 
 
 When the poison is unknown, the treatment must be 
 conducted on general principles. If the patient vomits, the 
 action should be promoted by copious draughts of warm 
 water. If he is inclined to sleep, he must be kept awake. 
 If he is faint, he must be made to lie down and take stimu- 
 lants. If the extremities are cold, heat must be applied. 
 
194 COAIPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 After the stomach is emptied, bland drinks such as starch 
 or gruel (fine oatmeal, one ounce, mixed and boiled with a 
 tumblerful of water) should be given. It is always safe, 
 and often beneficial, to give Powdered Charcoal and Cal- 
 cined Magnesia, either alone or mixed. In any case, send 
 •for a physician. 
 
 Emetics — As a rule, a person who has taken a poison 
 should be made to vomit as quickly as possible. Give either 
 a tablespoonful of mustard, or of common table salt, stirred 
 into a tumblerful of lukewarm water. 
 
 Ice Rescue — To rescue a person who has broken through 
 the ice you should first tie a rope around your body and 
 have the other end tied, or held, on shore. Then secure a 
 long board or ladder or limb of a tree, crawl out on this, 
 or push it out, so that the person in the water may reach it. 
 If nothing can 'be found on which you can support your 
 weight, do not attempt to walk out towar<i the person to 
 be rescued, but lie down flat on your face and crawl out, as 
 by doing this much less weight bears at any one point on 
 the ice than in walking. If you yourself break through the 
 ice remember that if you try to crawl up on the broken 
 edge it will very likely break again with you. If rescuers 
 are near, it would be much better to support yourself on 
 the edge of the ice and wait for them to come to you. 
 
 See Restoring the Drowning and Artificial Respiration 
 also. 
 
 Freezin^f — The patient should be taken into a cold place 
 and the body should be rubbed with rough cloths wet in 
 cold water. The temperature of the room should be in- 
 creased if possible. This should be done gradually and the 
 cloths should be wet in warmer and warmer water. As soon 
 as the patient can swallow give him stimulants. It will be 
 ^dangerous to place him before an open fire or in a hot bath 
 until he begins to recover. You will know this by his skin 
 becoming warmer, by his 'better color and by his generally 
 improved appearance. 
 
 Frost-Bite — Remember that you are in danger of frost- 
 bite if you do not wear sufficient clothing in cold weather, 
 and that rubbing any part of the body which becomes very 
 cold helps to prevent frost-bite, because it 'brings more 
 
CO'MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 195 
 
 warm blood to the surface. The danger is when, after being- 
 cold, the part suddenly has no feeling. 
 
 The object of the treatment is gradually to restore 
 warmth to the frozen part. To do this the part should be 
 rubbed first with snow or cold water; the water should be 
 warmed gradually. The use of hot water at once would be 
 likely to cause mortification of the frozen part. Hence use 
 very ^old water first, and ver}' gradually bring it to lukt 
 warm; if the limb is frozen use only cold water un.til thawed. 
 
 Earache — This is likely to result seriously, and a doctor 
 should be consulted in order to prevent bad results with 
 possible loss of hearing. Hot cloths, a bag of heated salt, 
 or a hot bottle applied to the ear will often cure earache. 
 A few drops of alcohol on a hot cloth so placed that the 
 alcohol fumes enter the ear will often succeed. H neither 
 is effective, heat a few drops of sweet' oil as hot as you can 
 stand, put a few drops in the ear and plug with cotton. Be 
 careful that it is not too hot. 
 
 Toothache — Remember that toothache indicates some-^ 
 thing seriously wrong with the teeth which can only b>e 
 permanently corrected by a dentist. In toothache, if you can 
 find a cavity, clean it out with a small piece of cotton or a 
 toothpick. Then plug it with cotton, on which a drop of oil 
 of cloves has been put, if you have it. If no cavity is found, 
 soak a piece of cotton in camphor and apply it to the outside 
 of the gum. Hot cloths and hot bottles or bags will help 
 in toothache, just as they do in earache. Even Pepper. Gin- 
 ger or any spice on a piece of lint used to plug up the cavity 
 and keep the air out will stop the ache. 
 
 Chills — In order to stop a chill drink hot milk or hot 
 lemonade and get into bed. Plenty of covers should be used, 
 and hot water bottles or hot milk or lemonade help to warm 
 one quickly. Hot coffee, tea, ginger tea, hot bottles or stone 
 at the feet and plenty of blankets or covering. 
 
 Repeat the dose in ten minutes if the firsi: dose fails 
 to act. 
 
 Tickling the throat with the fingers or a feather is a 
 rapid and effectual way of producing vomiting. Drinking 
 warm water (not hot) always may be used, as emetics are 
 Zinc Sulphate (30 grains), Ammonium Carbonate (30- 
 grains), powdered Ipecac (30 grains), or Copper Sulphate 
 
196 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 (5 to 10 grains), any one of these in the doses named to be 
 given in half a tumblerful of warm water. 
 
 Aconite — Aconite is a common remedy kept in many 
 households for fevers and sometimes an overdose may be 
 taken accidentally or intentionally. For aconite poisoning, 
 it is important to evacuate the bowels as soon as pos- 
 sible with any remedy that may be available. Also give 
 atropine if it can be had, the dose for an adult being 1-50 
 of a grain. 
 
 Phosphorous — Promote vomiting as soon as possible, 
 also give cathartics. The treatment for phosphorous pois- 
 oning should be continued for about three days because 
 phosphorous is slowly secreted and is not easily dispelled 
 from the system. 
 
 There is no regular antidote for the poison; early evac- 
 uation by the stomach tube and the free promotion of 
 vomiting are the main points. Magnesia or Magnesium 
 Carbonate should be given freely in mucilaginous drinks 
 (flaxseed or slippery elm). Oils and fats should be avoided. 
 Rinsing out the stomach with a dilute solution of Potas- 
 sium Permanganate has also been advised. 
 
 Carbolic Acid — Give a tablespoonful of Epsom or Glau- 
 ber salt in a half glassful of water and warm mucilaginous 
 drinks; follow with hot applications to the extremities and 
 counter-irritation over the abdomen. The best antidote 
 for Carbolic Acid (phenol, coal tar disinfectants, etc.) is 
 alcohol. For external injury use the strongest alcohol, but 
 when the poison has been swallowed whisky is the most 
 suitable. Use it promptly and liberally. 
 
 Alcohol, Grain or Wood — If necessary give emetics of 
 mustard, also plenty of fresh air; apply cold cloths to the 
 head, and maintain artificial respiration. Keep the patient 
 in a horizontal position, his body warm by friction, and 
 application of mustard plasters to his limbs. The best that 
 can be done in poisoning by wood alcohol is to aid in 
 the elimination of the alcohol by free sweating and by the 
 administration of large quantities of water in which baking 
 soda has been dissolved. 
 
 Arsenic and Its Compounds — First get rid of the poison 
 by means of vomiting and the stomach tube. Vomiting may 
 be induced by copious draughts of warm water or a mixture 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 197 
 
 of mustard and water. Raw eggs beaten up with milk are 
 particularly useful, as is likewise a mixture of Albumen, 
 milk and lime water; or equal parts of oil and lime water 
 may be used, for the oil invests the poison and the lime 
 renders it less soluble. 
 
 The most efficient antidote is the official Hydrated Ox- 
 ide of Iron with Magnesia, which should be procured at 
 once from the nearest drug store and administered in one- 
 half teacupful doses. Laudanum (15 drops) should be given 
 in the after treatment to allay pain and irritation, and plenty 
 of fresh water to dilute the poison and to flush the kidneys. 
 
 Cocaine — Give an emetic of mustard and follow with large 
 draughts of warm water. Give plenty Potassium Perman- 
 ganate, 5 grains dissolved in a teacupful of water, repeating 
 the dose every half hour until several doses have been taken. 
 Then give strong tea or coffee. Arouse the patient and 
 keep him in motion. 
 
 Fish Poison — Siphon out the stomach or evacuate with 
 mustard, Zinc Sulphate, or any one of the emetics named 
 above. Give Tannic Acid (20 grains in an ounce of water), 
 copious draughts of strong tea or oak-'bark decoction (table- 
 spoonful to 4 fluid ounces of hot water). Follow by siphon- 
 ing again or by emetic, if vomiting has stopped. Give" one 
 ounce of castor oil. 
 
 Arsenic — Cause vomiting by warm mustard water or salt 
 water, as above indicated. Magnesia may also be given or 
 Epsom Salts, if obtainable. 
 
 Paris Green. — Ennploy the same treatment as given for 
 Arsenic and its compounds. 
 
 Lead Poisoning — Give emetics to cause vomiting. Ep- 
 som Salts may also be used on the white of egg and milk. 
 Also pump out the stomach as soon as possible. 
 
 Poison Ivy — Usually the poisoning is due to external 
 contact. Rub in well a saturated solution of Lead Acetate 
 in diluted alcohol and repeat for several days. Or apply 
 a wash consisting of fluid extract of Grindelia, one part, 
 water ten to forty parts. An infusion of Lobelia (one ounce 
 to the pint) may also be used. Sea bathing is often bene- 
 ficial. 
 
 Tobacco — No time is to be lost in beginning treatment. 
 Give an emetic of mustard, followed by large draughts of 
 
198 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Avarm water. In addition to emetics or the stomach tube, 
 strong tea or coffee with charcoal may be given. Brandy 
 or Ammonia should also be given. 
 
 Poison Sumac — Employ the same treatment as given for 
 poison iv}-. 
 
 Ptomaine Poisoning — Emplo}' the same treatment as giv- 
 en for hsh poison. 
 
 Rough on Rats — Emplo}^ the same treatment as given 
 for Arsenic and its compounds. 
 
 Snake Bite — Immediatel}^ and thoroughly suck or cup the 
 wound. If the person bitten is too faint to do this for him- 
 self, anyone may fearlessly help him, for if there be no 
 crack about the lip or tongue, these poisons may be swal- 
 lowed with impunity. Check the circulation by a piece 
 of rope or pocket handkerchief, tying around the limb, 
 above the wound; or if this is impossible from the situa- 
 tion of the wound, by pressure around it. Then the bitten 
 part may be cut out or cauterized. The local application 
 of a strong solution of Potassium Permanganate or Bleach- 
 ing Powder (chlorinated lime) has been highly recom- 
 mended. For stings and bites of insects Ammonia water 
 is the best remedy, but soap or any Alkaline substance will 
 often give relief. 
 
 Fatal Hours in Illness — A scientist several years ago un- 
 <iertook to investigate the popular notion that there are 
 certain hours during the twenty-four more fatal to life 
 than others. He ascertained the hour of death in 2,880 
 instances of all ages from a mixed population, and from 
 deaths occurring during a period of several years. The 
 maximum hour of death is from 5 to G o'clock a. m., when 
 it is 40 per cent above the average: and the minimum during 
 the hours from 9 till 11 o'clock in the evening, when 'it is 
 ^14 per cent below the average. Thus the least mortality 
 is during midda}^ hours — namely, from 10 to 3 o'clock; the 
 greatest during early morning hours, from ?> to 6 o'clock. 
 
 Chilblain Cure 
 
 Creosote drops 12 
 
 Goulard's Extract drops 12 
 
 Extract of Opium gr. lyi 
 
 Pine Tar gr. 90 
 
 I^ard av. oz. 1 
 
COiMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 199 
 
 SNAKE BITES, POISON IVY, BITES OF 
 INSECTS, ANIMALS, FISH, ETC., ETC. 
 
 Poisons and Their Antidotes 
 
 Always send immediately for a medical man. Save alE 
 fluids vomited, and articles of food, cups, glasses, etc., used • 
 by the patient before taken ill, and lock them up. 
 
 As a rule give emetics after poisons that cause sleepi- 
 ness and raving: — chalk, milk, eggs, butter and warm water; 
 or oil after poisons that cause vomiting and pain in the stom- 
 ach and bowels, with purging; and when there is no in- 
 flammation about the throat, tickle it with a feather to 
 excite vomiting. 
 
 Vomiting may be caused by giving warm water, with a. 
 teaspoonful of mustard to the tumblerful, well stirred up.. 
 Sulphate of zinc (white vitriol) may be used in place of the 
 mustard, or powdered alum. Powder of ipecacuanha, a tea- 
 spoonful rub'bed up with molasses, may be employed for 
 children. Tartar emetic should never be given, as it is ex- 
 cessively depressing, and uncontrollable in its effects. The- 
 stomach pump can only be used by skillful hands, and even 
 then with caution. 
 
 Opium and Other Narcotics — After vomiting has occurred', 
 cold water should be dashed over the face and head. The 
 patient must be kept awake, walked about between two- 
 strong persons, made to grasp the handles of a galvanic 
 battery, dosed with strong coffee, and vigorously slapped. 
 Belladonna is an antidote for opium and for morphia, etc.,. 
 its active principles; and, on the other hand, the latter coun- 
 teract the effects of belladonna. But a knowledge of medi- 
 cine is necessary for dealing with these articles. 
 
 Strychnia — After emetics have been freely and successfully 
 given, the patient should be allowed to breathe the vapor of 
 sulphuric ether, poured on a handkerchief and held to the 
 face, jn such quantities as to keep down the tendency to 
 convulsions. Bromide of potassium, twenty grains at a dose, 
 dissolved in syrup, may 'be given every hour. 
 
 Alcoholic Poisoning should be combatted by emetics, of 
 which the sulphate of zinc, given as a'bove directed, is the 
 
200 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 best. After that, strong coffee internally, and stimulation 
 by heat externally, should be used. 
 
 Acids are sometimes swallowed by mistake. Alkalies, 
 lime water, magnesia, or common chalk mixed with water, 
 may be freely given, and afterward mucilaginous drinks, 
 such as thick gum water or flaxseed tea. 
 
 Alkalies are less frequently taken in injurious strength 
 of quantity, but sometimes children swallow lye by mistake. 
 Common vinegar may be given freely, and then castor or 
 sweet oil in full doses — a tablespoonful at a time, repeated 
 every half hour or two. 
 
 Nitrate of silver when swallowed is neutralized by com- 
 mon table salt freely given in solution in water. 
 
 The salts of mercury or arsenic (often kept as bedbug 
 poison), which are powerful irritants, are apt to be very 
 quickly fatal. Milk or the whites of eggs may be freely 
 given, and afterwards a very thin paste of flour and water. 
 In these cases an emetic is to be given after the poison is 
 neutralized. 
 
 Phosphorus paste, kept for roach poison or in parlor 
 matches, is sometimes eaten by children, and has been will- 
 fully taken for the purpose of suicide. It is a powerful irri- 
 tant. The first thing to be done is to give freely of mag- 
 nesia and water; then to give mucilaginous drinks, as flax- 
 seed tea, gum water or sassafras pith and water; and lastly, 
 to administer finel3'--powdered bone-charcoal, either in pill 
 or in mixture with water. 
 
 In no case of poisoning should there be any avoidable 
 delay in obtaining the advice of a physician, and, mean- 
 while, the friends or bystanders should endeavor to find 
 out exactly what has been taken, so that the treatment 
 adopted may be as prompt and effective as possible. 
 
 Frost-Bite Remedy 
 
 Camphor Powder gr. 90 
 
 Lanolin av. oz. 1 
 
 Petrolatum av. oz. l 
 
 Hydrochloric Acid fl. dr. 1 
 
 To be applied evenings. ^ 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 201 
 
 USING THE HYPODERMIC SYRINGE ON AN 
 EXPLORING VOYAGE OR TRIP 
 
 Dr. H. Plympton, the well known surgeon, an ardent 
 sportsman and camper, wrote the following article, which 
 can be easily understood by every layman, and which gives 
 directions for using the S3'ringe and four remedies which 
 are most likely to be .needed. 
 
 These four remedies are: 
 
 First — Potassium permanganate in half-grain tablets. 
 
 Second — Cocaine and morphine tablets, composed of co- 
 caine, one-fifth grain; morphine, one-fortieth grain; soda 
 chlor., one-fifth grain. 
 
 Third — Morphine in one-quarter grain tablets. 
 
 Fourth — Strychnia in one-fortieth grain tablets. 
 
 These four remedies are all that are absolutely neces- 
 sary for emergencies, such as venomous insect, reptile or 
 snake bite, exhaustion, shock, heart failure and the need of 
 minor surgical operations and allaying intense pain. 
 
 The object of hypodermic medication is to get the rem- 
 edy into the blood as quickly as possible and to introduce 
 it as near as may be to the seat of injury or the pain. 
 To insure its rapid assimilation by the blood the medicine 
 should be injected just between the skin and the muscles, 
 underneath; in other words, into the fat. 
 
 Dissolve the tablet to be used in the proper amount of 
 water, or put any solution to be used into a teaspoon or 
 what you may have that will hold it. A leaf properly folded 
 will do; even the hollow of the hand in an emergency. 
 You will find a wire run through the hollow needle to keep 
 it clear. Remove this. Remove the cap from the end of 
 the syringe and suck up the solution from the teaspoon 
 by drawing out the piston of the syringe. Screw the needle 
 firmly on the end of the syringe from which the cap was 
 removed. Hold the syringe with the needle pointing up- 
 wards and press gently on the piston until the fluid begins 
 to come out of the needle. This is to force all the air out 
 of the syringe. 
 
 Now take up a fold or pinch of skin between the thumb 
 and forefinger, insert the needle with a rotary motion of 
 the syringe, as when boring a hole with an awl, being care- 
 
202 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 ful not to press on the piston while so doing. Keep the 
 needle in a line with the line of the fold and it will be in 
 correct position. 
 
 The needle will slip through the skin quickly and almost 
 painlessly. Push it in its full length. Now press firmly 
 on the piston and force it in slowly until the contents have 
 been injected, being careful to keep the syringe in position. 
 Withdraw the needle, and with the thumb press on the 
 little hole made by the needle; with the first and second 
 fingers rub the swelling made by the injected fluid for a 
 few moments and it will disappear, leaving nothing but a 
 tiny red spot. 
 
 If the injection be made between the skin and the 
 muscles, as described, it may be made anywhere on the 
 body, although just over a bone that is close to the sur- 
 face, as a shin bone, or on the back of the hand, are places 
 to be avoided. Also in the bend of the elbows and knees 
 and in the armpits are vessels that would 'be injured by the 
 careless use of the syringe. The outside of the forearm 
 or the upper arm, the calf of the leg, or the thigh, the big 
 muscles of the buttocks, and the shoulder, and anywhere 
 on the back are all places where the needle may be used 
 without hesitation. 
 
 A short needle, three-eighths of an inch long, accom- 
 panies most outfits, and this may be used without taking 
 up a fold of the skin; simply jabbed quickly and firmly as 
 deep as it will go straight into any one of the big muscles. 
 
 The dangers in the use of the hypodermic are practically 
 nothing. Exercise the same amount of care as in admin- 
 istering medicine by the mouth and no harm can be done; 
 and, as in the case of a rattlesnake wound, the advantages 
 are so immeasureably ahead of any treatment by the mouth; 
 even if it were dangerous, it would be worth taking a chance. 
 
 Be sure that the tablet is thoroughly dissolved, or you 
 may force a piece into the needle and spoil it. Ten drops 
 of water will dissolve any one ta'blet, and fifteen will suffice 
 for any two, especially if the water be warm. Do not use 
 more than this, unless by direction. After using the syringe, 
 and before removing the needle, draw up some water and 
 eject it to clear the needle. A little vaseline or gun grease 
 on the wire will prevent the needle from rusting. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 203 
 
 For venomous insect and snake bites, tie a piece of small 
 rope, a heavy handkerchief or a bandage loosely around the 
 limb two and one-half inches from the wound and be- 
 tween the wound and the heart. (If the wound be on the 
 face of the body, this is manifestly impossible.) Tighten 
 this binder by twisting a stick in it till the binder sinks 
 i..to the flesh and is quite painful. This is to stop circula- 
 tion as much as possible. Prepare the syringe, using a 
 shorf needle. Dissolve one one-half grain tablet of potas- 
 sium permanganate in two teaspoonfuls of water. Fill the 
 syringe and inject at once half the contents directly into the 
 swelling made by the hide. Inject the remainder about an 
 inch nearer the body. Use deep injection if possible, other- 
 wise just under the skin. Two more injections must now 
 be made in the immediate neighborhood of the wound, each 
 of them being about half a syringeful and all between the 
 wound and the bandage. As the swelling of the limb in- 
 creases, the binder may be gradually loosened, and after 
 half an hour it may be removed entirel3^ 
 
 Immediately after giving the injection of potassium per- 
 manganate dissolve one tablet of strychnia sulph. (one- 
 fortieth of a grain) in about fifteen drops of water and 
 inject it into the outside surface of the upper arm," mid- 
 way between the elbow and the shoulder and just under 
 the skin. Dissolve another strychnia tablet and prepare 
 it in the syringe. Note the symptoms. The first symptoms 
 are excitement, quickened pulse and rapid breathing, fol- 
 lowed b}^ depression, shallow breathing and drowsiness. 
 This condition must be treated by tablespoonful doses of 
 brandy or whiskey at half-hour intervals. Three doses 
 will be enough. Large amounts of whiskey will not cure 
 snake bite, but will do much harm. 
 
 The condition of the respiration must be carefully 
 watched, and if there is a continuance or recurrence of 
 "shallow" or quick breathing, the second syringeful of 
 strychnia should be injected into the arm as before. This 
 strychnia injection may be repeated at fifteen-minute in- 
 tervals — one tablet at each injection until five tablets have 
 been given, or the breathing become more nearly normal. 
 
 The patient should not be allowed to sleep for more 
 than two hours continuously during the first twenty-four 
 
204 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 hours. The bowels should be made to move freely by means 
 of cathartic pills, salts or oil. Cheerful and encouraging 
 suggestions will do much to counteract the depression fol- 
 lowing the absorption of the poison. 
 
 Careful investigation and close observation of properly 
 authenticated cases of rattle-snake poisoning have led to 
 the positive conclusion that a man iii good general health 
 will stand an even chance of recovery from a rattle-snake 
 strike without any treatment whatever. With a hypodermic 
 syringe and proper remedies at hand there is no danger of a 
 serious result. 
 
 For minor surgical operations the cocaine and morphine 
 tablet should be used as follows: Dissolve one tablet in one 
 teaspoonful of water and take up a syringeful of the solu- 
 tion. Inject half the quantity under the skin, not deep, 
 where the cut is to be made. Almost immediately the skin 
 will become wax-like — this will indicate that the part is 
 benumbed, so that an incision can be made without caus- 
 ing pain. Make a sufficient number of injections to cover 
 the part to be cut. The surface benumbed by each injec- 
 tion will be about the size of a 25-cent piece. 
 
 For allaying intense pain and physical suffering mor- 
 phine should be used by dissolving one tablet (one-quarter 
 grain) in about ten drops of water and injecting it under 
 the skin as near the seat of the pain as possible. If the 
 pain is caused by some injury, such as a broken bone or a 
 severe burn, and is likely to last, a second tablet may be 
 given in fifteen minutes and a third one twenty minutes 
 later. Pain is the antidote for morphine, and as long as 
 pain exists there is no danger from a much larger dose than 
 the above. If, however, the pain arises from some cause, 
 such as cramps, that are likely to end abruptly, the above 
 dose is enough. 
 
 For exhaustion, shock, fatigue, hunger, heart failure, 
 strychnia should be used as follows: Dissolve the tablet in 
 ten drops of water and inject into the outside of the arm, 
 midway between the elbow and shoulder. The condition 
 of exhaustion, whether from great exertion, loss of blood, 
 or hunger has caused a marked depression of the heart's 
 action and the nervous system is noticeably affected. The 
 patient is pale, a cold perspiration covers the face, the 
 
CO'MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 205 
 
 breathing is shallow and quick, and the pulse is faint and 
 very rapid. One injection will show a decided effect, but if 
 a second is necessary fifteen minutes afterward do not 
 hesitate to give it. 
 
 TREATMENT OF WOUNDS, GUNSHOT RIFLE, 
 
 ETC., ETC. 
 
 Wounds are injuries of the outer tissues in any portion 
 of the body, in which an opening is made in the skin and more 
 or less of the deeper tissues. The different varieties of wounds 
 are cut or incised, torn or lacerated, bruises or contusions, 
 pierced or punctured wounds, including gun shot and poisoned 
 wounds. 
 
 Cut or Incised Wounds are the result of being injured 
 with sharp cutting instruments, such as knives, razors and swords. 
 The edges of the wound are clean cut, and when brought to- 
 gether fit accurately and completely close the wound. One of 
 the principal dangers of such a wound is bleeding. 
 
 Torn or Lacerated Wounds are the result of blows with 
 blunt instruments, such as clubs, stones or where a person is 
 injured by machinery or the bursting of explosives. In such 
 wounds, where the tissues are irregularly torn, there is much 
 danger on account of inflammation which may set in on account 
 of dirt and germs having been introduced into the wound at the 
 time of the accident. If such a condition exists the wound be- 
 comes infected or poisoned, and from such wounds frequently 
 results blood poisoning. 
 
 Bruises or Contusions are also the result of blows with 
 blunt instruments, or of having fallen and struck upon some 
 hard substance, where the injury is not sufficient to produce an 
 opening in the skin. Generally, some of the blood vessels be- 
 neath the skin are broken or ruptured, which allows the blood 
 to escape beneath the skin. This produces the well-known black 
 and blue marks. 
 
 Pierced or Punctured Wounds are produced by daggers, 
 bayonets, and sharp-pointed instruments, also bullets from re- 
 volvers and rifles. Usually, the openings in the skin are small, 
 but the wound itself is quite deep, and important blood vessels 
 
Rubber Specialties for 
 Camp Uses 
 
 Folding' Rubber 
 Toilet Case. 
 
 Feather-weight 
 Rubber Raiu Cape. 
 
 Folding- Rubber 
 
 Bucket. 
 
 Open. 
 
 Closed. 
 
 Rubber Poncho 
 Blanket Cape. 
 
 Folding Rubber 
 Wash Basin. 
 
 Folding Rubber Bath ot 
 Wash Tub and Pack- 
 ing Case. 
 
 Rubber Bag. Canoe Folding 
 Used in Packing. Drinking Cup. 
 
 Rubber 
 Tumbler, 
 
 Raia Cape Packed. 
 (Pocket size.) 
 
 Gold Medal Folding Rubber Bath Tttb. 
 (Adult Size). 
 
 206 
 
CO'MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 207 
 
 and vital organs may be injured. The danger from such wounds 
 depends upon whether large blood vessels or some important 
 internal organ has been seriously injured so as to interfere with 
 its function. Inflammation and blood poisoning frequently fol- 
 low, and the shock to the nervous system is usually severe. Re- 
 sults are often fatal. 
 
 Poisoned Wounds are the result of the bites of venomous 
 reptiles, animals and insects, where there had been injected 
 through the skin into the tissues some poisonous virus peculiar 
 to the reptile, animal or insect. Such wounds are usually in the 
 nature of a punctured wound with a small opening, although in 
 the case of bites from a mad dog, the skin and tissues may be 
 torn and lacerated. 
 
 In all cases of severe wounds, with severe hemorrhages, al- 
 ways send far a surgeon. Wounds heal in two ways. First, 
 by primary union or first intention ; that is the best and quick- 
 est way. It takes but a short time, and the resulting scar is 
 small and scarcely disfiguring. Incised or clean-cui wounds 
 usually heal in this way. The second method is that of granu- 
 lation or second intention, and the process is slow and the scar 
 usually large and ugly. Lacerated and torn wounds usually 
 heal this way on account of the fact that the edges of the wound 
 are ragged and cannot be brought together, and, as a rule, such 
 wounds inflame and discharge pus. 
 
 A most important thing to remember in the treatment of 
 wounds of any kind is the absolute necessity of perfect clean- 
 liness. By keeping wounds clean and preventing dirt or germs 
 from getting into them we are able to prevent infection and 
 blood poisoning. If a wound is clean-cut and with no dirt in 
 it, such a wound as would be made by a knife or sharp instru- 
 ment apply an antiseptic sterilized dressing and bandage. If a 
 wound is torn and full of dirt and foreign particles, these should 
 be removed with utmost care by washing out the wound with 
 absolutely clean water and sterilized gauze sponges. There is 
 nothing better to cleanse a wound with than boiled water. The 
 hands of the person cleansing any kind of a wound should be 
 made as clean as possible by washing with hot water and soap, 
 and scrubbing with a good, hard brush. 
 
 Never use a solution of carbolic acid in treating wounds of 
 the hand, fingers, feet and toes, as many cases are on record 
 where it has produced gangrene or death of the tissues, and the 
 
208 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 parts have had to be amputated. If it is desirable to use a good 
 antiseptic solution, use lysol, one teaspoonful to a quart of hot 
 water; this makes a nice, clean, soapy solution. 
 
 Never apply cobwebs or tobacco leaves or juice to cuts or 
 Jwounds. These are very dirty and improper methods of treat- 
 ment and might be the means of causing blood poisoning, or 
 even lockjaw and death. 
 
 Treatment of Incised Wounds — One of the first things 
 to be done is to stop bleeding, which at times may be quite pro- 
 fuse, and even dangerous. This should be done by the methods 
 already described under that lesson. The next important thing 
 is the cleaning of the wound ; any foreign substance or dirt 
 which would be liable to poison the wound should be carefully 
 removed, being careful to see that the fingers are perfectly 
 clean before doing so. After every foreign substance has been 
 removed, the wound being thoroughly cleansed, the next thing 
 is to bring the edges of the wound as near together as possible, 
 and then bandage firmly with either a triangular or roller ban- 
 dage. It is very important that this compress should be abso- 
 lutely clean and free from germs, and the best one to use is an 
 antiseptic compress made especially for that purpose, found in 
 all first-class first aid packages, and which has been thoroughly 
 sterilized and disinfected. 
 
 Treatment of Lacerated Wounds — Such wounds usually 
 have raggec^ edges, and it is almost impossible to bring the 
 edges together. Bleeding is usually severe and even dangerous, 
 and is frequently accompanied by severe nervous shock. Such 
 wounds should be treated practically the same as incised wounds; 
 bleeding must be controlled, dirt and foreign substances must be 
 removed, and a clean compress applied. If shock is present, this 
 condition must also be treated according to rules laid down in 
 another lesson. 
 
 Treatment of Bruises or Contusions — Bruises or contu- 
 sions are usually slight and simple affairs. There are no cuts or 
 bleeding to be treated. They can be treated by making cold or 
 hot applications, or by applying compressions soaked in hot or 
 cold water, or some mild antiseptic solution. Bandage and keep 
 the parts at rest. 
 
 Treatment of Punctured Wounds — Punctured wounds are 
 frequently very severe and dangerous on account of internal 
 or deep-seated bleeding with injuries to the internal organs, 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 209 
 
 accompanied by severe shock, and require the immediate atten- 
 tion of a surgeon. They frequently contain foreign bodies, such 
 as bullets, slivers, etc., which must be removed, but only, by a 
 competent surgeon. The wound or entrance should be thorough- 
 ly cleansed and an antiseptic compress applied and the patient 
 removed to a place where he can receive proper surgical treat- 
 ment. 
 
 Treatment of Poisoned Wounds — The object of treatment 
 in such wounds, especially snake bites or the bites of mad dogs, 
 is to prevent the poison from being absorbed and carried by the 
 blood to the nervous system and vital organs. The danger is 
 not in the wound itself, but from the effects of the poisonous 
 substance introduced into the wound at the time of the injury. 
 If an extremity, such as the hands, feet, legs or arms are bitten, 
 bind a piece of string, handkerchief or rubber tubing around the 
 part a few inches above the wound. Next it is well to apply 
 suction with the mouth, so as to remove as much of the poison 
 as possible. This is not a dangerous proceeding, provided there 
 are no cuts present in the mouth. Any further treatment should 
 be left to a surgeon, and usually consists of burning or cauter- 
 izing the wound and treating the depression or shock which 
 usually accompanies such bites. Cauterization is accomplished 
 by thoroughly burning out the wound with some strong acid, 
 such as nitric or carbolic, or by burning with a red-hot poker, 
 knitting needle or small knife blade. After this the wound 
 should be dressed the same as any other wound, with an anti- 
 septic compress. 
 
 Splinters — The danger of splinters and thorns under the 
 skin or fingernails is that at the time of insertion they carry a 
 certain amount of dirt with them and, acting as a foreign body, 
 inflammation and suppuration set in, with a result that pus or 
 matter collects under the skin, and this might result in blood 
 poisoning. 
 
 To remove a splinter or thorn slip the point of a penknife 
 under the protruding end of the splinter, catching it firmly 
 against the blade with the thumbnail and draw it out, or by using 
 a pair of fine pincers. If the end of a splinter does not protrude 
 the skin over it can be pricked away with the point of a needle 
 until the end of the splinter is uncovered, then it can be easily 
 removed. If the splinter is under a fingernail, remove in the 
 same way. If, however, it is broken off under the nail the 
 
c 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 CQ 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 211 
 
 nail over the splinter should be scraped thin and a little V- 
 shaped piece of the nail cut out over the splinter, when it can 
 be readily drawn out. 
 
 Snake Bite — Do not stop to kill the snake. Tear open 
 the clothing to expose the wound. Tie a handkerchief, strap or 
 rope quickly around the limb above the wound. Draw it tight 
 enough to stop circulation. Better still, tie it loosely, and then 
 twist it by means of a stick inserted in the knot. Take the tip 
 of "a knife blade and open the one or two holes made by the 
 snake's fangs. The best way for a layman to do this is to press 
 the blade down into the wound and cut outward ; cut length- 
 wise rather than around the limb. Be careful not to cut an 
 artery, but if bleeding occurs it can be stopped by pressure. Let 
 the blood run from the knife cut. At the same time rub the 
 wound with the fingers in order to dislodge any of the tenacious 
 poison which remains. 
 
 An oft practiced and successful plan is to suck the wound, 
 thereby extracting the poison ; there is no danger from the 
 poison taken into the mouth, but it must be expectorated and 
 not swallowed. Wash the wound with whisky, rather than give 
 .whisky to the sufferer. Take the patient to a surgeon as soon 
 as possible, keeping the pressure applied. 
 
 Bites of Dogs — Wash with antiseptic soap and apply harts- 
 horn. If the dog has been sick the wound may be sucked after 
 cleansing. 
 
 Cases of hydrophobia are very rare, but serious. In all cases 
 of dog bite summon a surgeon and take his advice. 
 
 Stings of Scorpions, Centipedes, Tarantulas and Insects — 
 
 Apply hartshorn at the point where the sting entered, then apply 
 cold water or ice and summon a surgeon. 
 
 As a rule, an insect stinging will leave his sting in the wound. 
 This should be pressed out, if possible, either by pressing on the 
 skin at its side with a knife blade, or a watch key's open cen- 
 ter pressed vertically upon it. 
 
 The stings of ordinary insects, such as spiders and mosqui- 
 toes, should be wet with a solution of hartshorn or table salt- 
 Cold water or wet earth may also be applied. 
 
Tent Pole Accessories^ Hangers, 
 
 etc., 
 
 6-Sho\vs No. 2 Removed from Tent Pole. 
 
 2"-Pocket Tent Pole Cloth- 
 ing, Lantern and Equip- 
 ment Hanger. 
 
 1-2-3-4— Tent Pole Gun Rack for 3 to 6 Guns 
 or Rifles. 
 
 Closed. 
 
 Open. 
 l—Folding Camp Lantern, Open and Closed. 
 
 212 
 
 Tent Pole Candle Holder* 
 
COMPXETE trappers guide 213 
 
 WHAT TO DO 
 
 If an artery is cut, red blood spurts. Compress it above 
 the wound. If a vein is cut, dark blood flows. Compress it 
 below and above. 
 
 If choked, go upon all fours and cough. 
 
 For slight burns, dip the part in cold water; if the skin 
 is destroyed, cover with varnish or linseed oil. 
 
 For apoplexy, raise the head and body; for fainting, lay 
 the person flat. 
 
 Send for a physician when a serious accident of any kind 
 occurs, but treat as directed until he arrives. 
 
 Scalds and Burns— The following facts cannot be too firm- 
 ly impressed on the mind of the reader, that in either of these 
 accidents the first, best and often the only remedies required, are 
 sheets of wadding, fine wool, or carded cotton, and in the de- 
 fault of these, violet powder, flour, magnesia, or chalk. The 
 objects for which these several articles are employed is the same 
 in each instance; namely, to exclude the air from the injured 
 part; for if the air can be effectually shut out from the raw sur- 
 face, and care is taken not to expose the tender part till the new 
 cuticle is formed, the cure may be safely left to nature. The 
 moment a person is called to a case of scald or burn, he should 
 cover the part with a sheet, or a portion of a sheet, of wad- 
 ding, taking care not to break any blister that may have formed, 
 or stay to remove any burnt clothes that may adhere to the 
 surface, but as quickly as possible envelop every part of the 
 injury from all access of the air, laying one or two more pieces 
 of wadding on the first, so as effectually to guard the burn or 
 scald from the irritation of the atmosphere; and if the article 
 used is wool or cotton, the same precaution, of adding more 
 material where the surface is thinly covered, must be adopted ; 
 a light bandage finally securing all in their places. Any of the 
 popular remedies recommended below may be employed when 
 neither wool, cotton, nor wadding are to -be procured, it being 
 always remembered that that article which will best exclude the 
 air from a burn or scald is the best, quickest, and least painful 
 mode of treatment. And in this respect nothing has surpassed 
 cotton loose or attached to paper as in wadding. 
 
 If the skin is much injured in burns, spread some linen 
 pretty thickly with chalk ointment, and lay over the part, and 
 
A Page of Specialties 
 
 Adjustable Cleaner 
 with Scratch Cloth 
 
 Cut "I" 
 The Ideal Shell Indentor. 
 
 Cut "J' 
 
 Adjustable 
 
 Cleaner 
 
 No. I 
 
 The Cheek Pad. 
 
 214 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 215 
 
 give the patient some brandy and water if much exhausted ; then 
 send for a medical man. If not much injured, and very pain- 
 ful, use the same ointment, or apply carded cotton dipped in lime 
 water and linseed oil. If you please, you may lay cloths dipped 
 in ether over the parts, or cold lotions. Treat scalds in same 
 manner, or cover with scraped raw potato ; but the chalk oint- 
 ment is the best. In the absence of all these, cover the injured 
 part with treacle, and dust over it plenty of fiour. 
 
 Body in Flames — Lay the person down on the floor of 
 the room, and throw the table cloth, rug, or other large cloth 
 over him, and roll him on the floor. 
 
 Dirt in the Eye — Place your fore-finger upon the cheek- 
 bone, having the patient before you ; then slightly bend the finger, 
 this will draw down the lower lid of the eye, and you will 
 probably be able to remove the lirt; but if this will not enable 
 you to get at it, repeat this operation while you have a netting- 
 needle or bodkin placed over the eyelid ; this will turn it inside 
 out, and enable you to remove the sand, or eyelash, etc., with 
 the corner of a fine silk handkerchief. As soon as the substance 
 is removed, bathe the eye with cold water, and exclude the light 
 for a day. If the inflammation is severe, let the patient use a 
 refrigerant lotion. 
 
 Lime in the Eye — Syringe it well with warm vinegar and 
 water in the proportion of one ounce of vinegar to eight ounces 
 of water, exclude light. 
 
 Iron or Steel Spiculae in the Eye — These occur while turn- 
 ing iron or steel in a lathe, and are best remedied by doubling 
 back the upper or lower eyelid, according to the situation of the 
 substance, and with the flat edge of a silver probe, taking up 
 the metallic particle, using a lotion made by dissolving six grains 
 of sugar of lead and the same of white vitriol, in six ounces of 
 water, and bathing the eye three times a day till the inflamma- 
 tion subsides. Another plan is — Drop a solution of sulphate of 
 copper (from one to three grains of the salt to one ounce of 
 water) into the eye, or keep the eye open in a wineglassful of 
 the solution. Bathe with cold lotion, and exclude light to keep 
 down inflammation. 
 
 Dislocated Thumb — This is frequently produced by a fall. 
 Make a clove hitch, by passing two loops of cord over the 
 thumb, placing a piece of rag under the cord to prevent it cut- 
 
Portable Boats, Canoes and Skiffs 
 
 Ideal Steel Boat. 
 
 Flat Bottom Steel Fishing Boat, 12 ft. long; width 41 >^ inches; 
 
 Depth 12 inches: weight, 115 lbs. 3 persons. 
 
 Steel Sectional Boat. Packed. 
 
 14x3 ft. 3 in. Depth 14 in. Weight 103 lbs. 
 
 Steel Family Boat, 16x4 ft.; depth 15 and 25 in.; weight 160 lbs., 
 
 For Six Persons. 
 
 Folding 
 Canvas Boat 
 
 8, 12, 15 foot 
 Sizes. 
 
 All Steel, Canoe Shape, Hunting Boats. 
 
 Duck Hunter's Favorite. 
 Any Sixe for Individual. Party, Outfit or Club Uses 
 
 216 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 217 
 
 ting the thumb ; then pull in the same line as the thumb. After- 
 wards apply a cold lotion. 
 
 Cuts and Wounds — Clean cut wounds, whether deep or 
 superficial, and likely to heal by the first intention, should always 
 be washed or cleaned, and at once evenly and smoothly closed by 
 bringing both edges close together, and securing them in that 
 position by adhesive plaster. Cut thin strips of sticking plaster, 
 and bring the parts together; or if large and deep, cut two broad 
 pieces, so as to look like the teeth of a comb, and place one on 
 each side of the wound, which must be cleaned previously. 
 Thes6 pieces must be arranged so that they shall interlace one 
 another, then, by laying hold of the pieces on the right side with 
 one hand, and those on the other side with the other hand, and 
 pulling them from one another, the edges of the wound are 
 brought together without any difficulty. 
 
 Ordinary cuts are dressed by thin strips, applied by press- 
 ing down the plaster on one side of the wound, and keeping 
 it there and pulling in the opposite direction ; then suddenly de- 
 pressing the hand when the edges of the wound are brought 
 together. 
 
 Contusions are best healed by laying a piece of folded 
 lint, well wetted with extract of lead, or boracic acid, on the 
 part, and, if there is much pain, placing a hot bran poultice over 
 the dressing, repeating both, if necessary, every two hours. 
 When the injuries are very severe, lay a cloth over the part, and 
 suspend a basin over it filled with cold lotion. Put a piece of 
 cotton into the basin, so that it shall allow the lotion to drop 
 on the cloth, and thus keep it always wet. 
 
 Hemorrhage, when caused by an artery being divided or 
 or jerks, and being of a bright scarlet color. If a vein is injured 
 torn, may be known by the blood issuing out of a wound in leaps 
 or jerks, and being of a bright scarlet color. If a vein is injured, 
 the blood is darker and flows continuously. To arrest the latter, 
 apply pressure by means of a compress and bandage. To arrest 
 arterial bleeding, get a piece of wood (part of a broom handle 
 will do), and tie a piece of tape to one end of it; then tie a piece 
 of tape loosely over the arm, and pass the other end of the wood 
 under it; twist the stick round and round until the tape com- 
 presses the arm sufficienfly to arrest the bleeding, and then con- 
 fine the other end by tying the string around the arm. A com- 
 press made by enfolding a penny piece in several folds of lint 
 
218 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 or linen should, however, be first placed under the tape and 
 over the artery. If the bleeding is very obstinate, and it occurs 
 in the arm, place a cork underneath the string, on the inside of 
 the fleshy part, where the artery may be felt beating by any one ; 
 if in the leg, place a cork in the direction of a line drawn from 
 the inner part of the knee towards the outer part of the groin. 
 It is an excellent thing to accustom yourself to find out the 
 position of these arteries, or, indeed, any that are superficial, 
 and to explain to every person in your house where they are, and 
 how to stop bleeding. If a stick cannot be got take a handkerchief, 
 make a cord bandage of it, and tie a knot in the middle; the 
 knot acts as a compress, and should be placed over the artery, 
 while the two ends are to be tied around the thumb. Observe 
 always to place the ligature between the wound and the heart. 
 Putting your finger into a bleeding wound, and making pressure 
 until a surgeon arrives, will generally stop violent bleeding. 
 
 Bleeding from the Nose, from whatever cause, may gen- 
 erally be stopped by putting a plug of lint into the nostrils; if 
 this does not do, apply ^ cold lotion to the forehead ; raise the 
 head, and place over it both arms, so that it will rest on the hands ; 
 dip the lint plug, slightly moistenel, into some powdered gum 
 arable, and plug the nostrils again ; or dip the plug into equal 
 parts of powdered gum arabic and alum, and plug the nose. 
 Or the plug may be dipped in Friar's balsam, or tincture of kino. 
 Heat should be applied to the feet ; and, in obstinate cases, the 
 sudden shock of a cold key, or cold water poured down the spine, 
 will often instantly stop the bleeding. If the bowels are con- 
 fined take a purgative. Injections of alum solution from a small 
 syringe into the nose will often stop hemorrhage. 
 
 Violent Shocks will sometimes stun a person, and he will 
 remain unconscious. Untie strings, collars, etc. ; loosen any- 
 thing that is tight, and interferes with the breathing; raise the 
 head; see if there is bleeding from any part; apply smelling- 
 salts to the nose, and hot bottles to the feet. 
 
 In. Concussion, the surface of the body is cold and pale, 
 and the pulse weak and small, the breathing slow and gentle, and 
 the pupil of the eye generally contracted or small. You can 
 get an answer by speaking loud, so as to arouse the patient. 
 Give a little brandy and water, keep the place quiet, apply 
 warmth, and do not raise the head ton hicjh. Tf 3'ou tickle 
 the feet the patient feels it. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 219 
 
 In Compression of the Brain from any cause, such as 
 apoplexy, or a piece of fractured bone pressing on it, there is 
 loss of sensation. If you tickle the feet of the injured person 
 he does not feel it. You cannot arouse him so as to get an 
 answer. The pulse is slow and labored ; the breathing deep, 
 labored, and snorting; the pupil enlarged. Raise the head, loosen 
 strings or tight things, and send for a surgeon. If one cannot 
 be got at once, apply mustard poultices to the feet and thighs, 
 leeches to the temples, and hot water to the feet. 
 
 Choking — When a person has a fish bone in the throat, 
 insert the forefinger, press upon the root of the tongue, so as 
 to induce vomiting; if this does not do, let him swallow a large 
 piece of potato or soft bread; and if these fail, give a mustard 
 emetic. 
 
 Fainting, Hysterics, Etc. — Loosen the garments, bathe 
 the temples with water or eau-de-Cologne ; open the window, 
 admit plenty of fresh air, dash cold water on the face, apply 
 hot bricks to the feet, and avoid bustle and excessive sympathy. 
 
 Drowning — Attend to the following essential rules: — 1. 
 Lose no time. 2. Handle the body gently. 3. Carry the body 
 face downwards, with the head gently raised, and never hold it 
 up by the feet. 4. Send for medical assistance immediately, 
 and in the meantime act as follows : 5. Strip the body ; rub it 
 dry, then wrap it in hot blankets, and place it in a warm bed in. 
 a warm room. 6. Cleanse away the froth and mucus from the 
 nose and mouth. 7. Apply warm bricks, bottles, bags of sand, 
 etc., to the armpits, between the thighs, and to the soles of the 
 feet. S. Rub the surface of the body with the hands inclosed in 
 warm, dry worsted socks. 0. If possible, put the body into a 
 warm bath. 10. To restore breathing, put the pipe of a com- 
 mon bellows into one nostril, carefully closing the other, and 
 the mouth ; at the same time drawing downwards, and pushing 
 gently backwards, the upper part of the windpipe, to allow a 
 more free admission of air; blow the bellows gently, in order 
 to inflate the lungs, till the breast be raised a little; then set 
 the mouth and nostrils free, and press gently on the chest; re- 
 peat this until signs of life appear. The body should be cov- 
 ered the moment it is. placed on the table, except the* face, and 
 all the rubbing carried on under the sheet or blanket. When 
 they can be obtained, a number of tiles or bricks should be 
 made tolerably hot in the fire, laid in a row on the table, covered 
 
220 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 with a blanket, and the body placed in such a manner on them 
 that their heat may enter the spine. When the patient revives, 
 apply smelling-salts to the nose, give warm wine or brandy 
 and water. Cautions — 1. Never rub the body with salt or 
 spirits. 2. Never roll the body on casks. 3. Continue the 
 remedies for hours without ceasing. 
 
 Hanging — Loosen the cord, or whatever it may be by 
 which the person has been suspended. Open the temporal artery 
 or jugular vein, or bleed from the arm; employ electricity, if 
 at hand, and proceed as for drowning, taking the additional pre- 
 caution to apply eight or ten leeches to the temples. 
 
 Apparent Death from Dunkenness — Raise the head; 
 loosen the clothes, maintain warmth of surface, and give a mus- 
 tard emetic as soon as the person can swallow. 
 
 Apoplexy and Fits Generally — Raise the head; loosen all 
 tight clothes, strings, etc. ; apply cold lotions to the head, which 
 should be shaved; apply leeches to the temples, bleed, and send 
 for a surgeon. 
 
 Suffocation from Noxious Gases, Etc. — Remove to the 
 fresh air; dash cold vinegar and water in the face, neck, and 
 breast; keep up the warmth of the body; if necessary, apply 
 mustard poultices to the soles of the feet and to the spine, and 
 try artificial respirations as in drowning, with electricity. 
 
 Lightning and Sunstroke — Treat the same as apoplexy. 
 
 For an Ideal Medical Outfit — One can purchase First Aid to 
 the Injured Packets, ranging in price from 25c to $5, which 
 cover almost any emergency which may arise on exploring 
 trips, in the woods or camp. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 221 
 
 What Medicine Do We Need 
 
 Man seldom wanders so far in search of health, or finds 
 it in such abundance, but what he has occasion to turn 
 to physic for relief from some real or imaginary ill. 
 
 Every camp should be provided with a medicine-chest, 
 containing such articles as are most likely to be required 
 in the ailments of camp-life. This chest may be made six 
 inches wide, ten inches long and six inches deep. It should 
 contain the following articles, well labeled, and separated 
 by corrugated paper to prevent breakage: 
 
 No. 1. Anti-malarial pills. Each pill contains: 
 
 Quinia, bisulphate, 2 grains; 
 
 Ferri Ferrocyanidi, 1 grain 100 
 
 No. 2. Fluid Extract of Gelsemium 1 ounce 
 
 No. 3. Compound cathartic pills (improved) .. .100 
 
 No. 4. Pond's Extract 8 ounces 
 
 No. 5. Vaseline (carbolized) 2 ounces 
 
 No. 6. Roller bandages, 2-inch 6 
 
 No. 7. Small scissors 1 pair 
 
 No. 8. Surgeon's silk 1 skein 
 
 No. 9. Surgeon's needles . . . . < 2 
 
 No. 10. Rubber adhesive plaster 4 yards 
 
 No. 11. Soap liniment 4 ounces 
 
 No. 12. Antipyrin pills (5 grains) 100 
 
 No. 13. R. Tinct. Opii. Camph. oz. iii. 
 
 Spts. Ammo. Arom., oz. i. 
 
 Magnesia (Husband's) oz. i. 
 
 Aq. Menth. pap. q drs. iv. 
 
 •Teaspoonful in water every three hours. 
 
 No. 14. Lint 2 yards 
 
 No. 15. Hypodermic syringe and contents. 
 
Portablet Canvas, Steel Boats, Etc, 
 
 Ready for Use. 
 
 The Osgood Pattern. Lightest Boat lytade. 
 
 For I to 4;Persons. 30 to 75 lbs. 
 
 Ready to pack up. 
 
 The entire boat and chest 
 (shipped as baggage) 
 
 The Double End Sectional Fishing Boat with Fish Tanks. 
 
 Closed. 
 
 Steel Trunk Folding. 
 (Pack Outfit therein.) 
 
 Length ii>^ ft. Width 30 in. Depth 10 in. Weight 120 lbs. 
 Holds Entire Outfit. 
 
 Boats of Canvas, Steel or Aluminum, Any Size. 
 
 222 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 223 
 
 TRAPPERS CRAFT 
 
 No man can be a successful trapper if he neglects to ob- 
 serve and study out the habits and peculiarities of animals. 
 He must wait, watch, learn, so as to meet cunning with 
 skill; he must acquire knowledge by experience and observa- 
 tion. They are a hundred times more crafty, patient, ob- 
 serving and woods-wise than he. They know what he doesn't 
 — ever}'- nook and crook, stone, path, log, gully, water or 
 run<v\'ay. They are familiar with every twist, turn, rock, 
 bend, clump of woods, patch of brush, high or low place, 
 shade and color of ground, all the hidden ways and the con- 
 cealed places: they can disguise their scent or trail, and you 
 can't; they learn your \yays, and you don't learn theirs; they 
 realize your faults and imperfections, and study out your 
 habits and peculiarities, and, in order to play the game right, 
 you must meet every move of theirs, and play the game as 
 do they. If you are willing and able, go to it, and you are 
 apt to become a fair trapper, and by sticktoitiveness become 
 a good one. You must learn about baited traps, blind traps, 
 snares, lures, decoys,- old and new sets, and the trick of in- 
 venting others, scheming up all sorts of ideas and tricks 
 to fool them, and last but not least be mighty careful to 
 cover up your own hoof marks; you must study their ways, 
 their routes, their dispositions; be observing of every little 
 sign you perceive; study their dens, retreats, watering places 
 feeding spots, their coming out and their going in; get next 
 to their habits, the foods they eat — their likes and dislikes. 
 You must observe the seasonal changes of their methods, 
 and follow the hint by changing yours; and about the time 
 you think you know it all, you are only ready to commence 
 getting the pelts with any degree of success, for even after a 
 lifetime of experience almost, there is something to be 
 learned, for like men, animals learn by experience and none 
 of us know it all. 
 
 There are many ways of setting a trap. One of them is 
 to look carefully for trail or sign, and make a set in the 
 most likely places — where the animal passes and repasses. 
 Don't get in the habit of building or mussing up the location 
 for some cute idea, because anything new, strange or un- 
 
224 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 familiar immediately makes them suspicious and wary. Try 
 to leave everything exactly as it was or as you find it exactly. 
 This monkey business, which some books recommend, makes 
 good reading, but it doesn't catch furs. Most trapping is made 
 difficult by the trapper himself, simply because he overdoes 
 things; for instance, he gives more attention to traps than 
 to the animals habits and their peculiar ways. If he was to 
 put more time into the subject of the best and worst places, 
 the right and wrong times and ways, and learn more about 
 the power of scent, tracking, trailing and the like, he is 
 likely to get furs, while otherwise he is not. No man can 
 possibly excell or succeed in the trappers art unless he makes 
 a thorough study of animal ways. A dozen traps in the 
 hands of a careful man will do more than a hundred with 
 a careless, shiftless one. It isn't your hut or outfit that 
 makes trapping a success; it's your ability and intelligence. 
 The best trappers I ever knew had the least and poorest 
 outfit and the worst I ever saw had the best. No amount 
 of ability to fix up around camp or winter hut cuts any 
 figure — the whole trick is done on the line — there's the rub. 
 Don't expect too much. Put nearly all your work into 
 preparations, instead of figuring upon big catches. Get busy 
 trying to get small ones, and you are apt to succeed beyond 
 your expectations. Often a new hand at the game, by ex- 
 ercising patience and care, will in a short time exceed that 
 of even the more experienced ones by the simple plan of emu- 
 lating his achievements, observing and avoiding his failures. 
 When you find an animal has visited the vicinity of a trap, 
 try and fathom out what was wrong. His tracks will tell 
 the story. Try to reason out why you missed him, what 
 was wrong and generally you will find out you were to blame, 
 because he knew you had been around and had left danger 
 signals about. The way some folks set traps is equivalent 
 to posting up signs, "keep away," because they leave so very 
 many of their own signs about that success is impossible. 
 You can't be too careful as regards obliterating or hiding- 
 all evidence of your having been there, or that a trap is laid 
 for them. Ten to one they know you are around there and 
 are very wary and suspicious, hence you must work so as 
 to fool their eyes and nose both. An old Indian trick is to 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 225 
 
 put the trap near some place where they positively must 
 pass and where in order to pass they must go over them. 
 These likely places are few and far between, but they of all 
 are the ideal spots which you must always be on the lookout 
 for. 
 
 GOOD ANIMALS AND BAD ONES 
 
 From time to time you read anecdotes of animals which 
 go to show that they have an appreciation of right and 
 wrong; that a dog, for example, has a conscience as tender 
 as a child's, so far as his dog code goes, and we generally 
 explain it by saying that they have been taught by man 
 what they shall, or shall not do, and that therein lies the 
 secret of the animal's consciousness of right and wrong. 
 
 This is a mistake. All through the animal kingdom, the 
 different classes of beasts, birds and reptiles live together 
 in communities, and, as j'^ou learn at school, the first neces- 
 sity of community life is the establishment of "law and 
 order." This is true of man; and it is true of the animals as 
 well. 
 
 Crudely speaking, if, in a pack of wolves, there be one 
 wolf that is unruly, he will be cut ofif from the society of 
 his kind; he will be banished; but in wolfdom banishment 
 means the taking of but one road — the "red road" down the 
 throats of the judge and jurors. 
 
 Rogues, Outcasts, Bachelors 
 
 In India, the natives are so familiar with the fact that an 
 insubordinate elephant will not be tolerated in his herd 
 that they have given the name of "rogue elephant" to any 
 one that is seen to "herd by himself." These "rogue ele- 
 phants" are the most dangerous beasts of the forest: they 
 are vicious by nature, and so quarrelsome that the king of 
 the herd expels them, and from that day the outcasts can 
 have no fellowship whatever with reputable elephants. 
 
 They become more ugly and dangerous in disposition from 
 their enforced solitude, and take to devising mischief from 
 
236 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 the very love of being bad. They are really criminal ani- 
 mals, and are recognized as such by all of their race; no 
 new herd will accept them. 
 
 Lone Animals the Worst 
 
 There were three of these dangerous elephants, not long 
 ago, that jomed forces, and made it their regular pastime 
 to go to, a certain roadway through the forest and waylay 
 the natives. They were the terror of the country, for to be 
 caught by the "rogues" was certain death, and there was a 
 lon5 list of victims every month. 
 
 At last, a regular hunt was instituted, and the three 
 rogues w^ere killed. Their end was a just one, of course, for 
 these beasts had been young, and had had their chance. 
 They knew right from wrong, but were simply examples of 
 the criminal element in animals grown predominant. 
 
 Animals cast out by their kind are usually the most 
 vicious or degenerate of the species — criminals, diseased 
 and most treacherous. 
 
 Among hunters there is a saying, "Beware of animals 
 that are isolated from their herds." They are always the 
 most dangerous, and these banished law-breakers are found 
 among all the large, as well as the small game; bison, elk, 
 deer, in this country; the rhinoceros and the hippopotamus 
 in the hot climes. 
 
 There are many criminals among dogs, especially among 
 shepherd dogs. One in Australia, valued especially for his 
 strength and for his fidelity to his own sheep, was finally 
 discovered to be guilty of killing the sheep on a neighbor- 
 ing ranch. At night he would sneak cff, break Into the 
 other fold, and kill and suck the blood of sheep until he 
 was satisfied. Then would come the cunning part of the 
 performance. His coat would betray him, he knew, and so 
 he would make a long circuit to a pond and wash and lick 
 himself clean before he went home. 
 
 There seems to be a set form of trial among crows and 
 black birds. The members of the colony gather in a circle 
 around the culprit, and actually try him. Sometimes he is 
 evidently acquitted, but generally he is condemned, and is 
 pecked to death. , 
 
CO'M'PLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 227 
 
 In addition to these laws, by which an animal's duty to 
 his neighbors is regulated, they have established rules for 
 defense. When a flock of ducks are feeding, one is always 
 left on guard. While their heads are under water, the sen- 
 tinel is supposed to be listening and watching, and on the 
 first sign of danger, he gives the warning note, a whistle; 
 or, if the danger be imminent, he gives a cry that means 
 "fly at once." This is true of birds, too; they all have a 
 sentinej, and he never eats until his watch is up. 
 
 Two instances may be cited to show that animals some- 
 times think on matters not at all in the line of their instinct. 
 One is that of Cowper's dog. Beau. The poet was one day 
 walking with the dog on the bank of a pond, when he saw, 
 lying on the water, a lily that he tried to reach and pull 
 in shore with his stick, but though he tried again and again, 
 he failed; and so walked on. 
 
 On their way back, when they came to the spot. Beau 
 stopped, looked at his master and then at the lily, and finally 
 jumped -into the water, tore up the lily by the root, and 
 brought it ashore and laid it at his master's feet. 
 
 The second case is that of a dog that I knew, named 
 Rex. He was a huge mastiff, and was a pet with every one on 
 the place. It was a common remark in the family that 
 Rex "understood every word that was spoken in his hearing." 
 
 Unfortunately, when Rex grew old, he became a victim 
 to disease, and a discussion as to chloroforming him took 
 place while he was in the room. He sat and watched his 
 mistress' face, while she, forgetting that he "understood'^ 
 said: 
 
 "Poor Rex! We must do it." 
 
 At that Rex got up and walked out of the room, and 
 never returned; nor was he heard of afterwards. Did he 
 understand what was said? He had been listening to Eng- 
 lish for sixteen years, and he certainly knew every expres- 
 sion of the faces of those he loved. 
 
 Indeed, I feel sure that animals judge largely by expres- 
 sion and read in one's face their attitude, be it friendly or 
 antagonistic, much as do we in a moving picture read what 
 the silent lips express 'by actions — as per the old adage, 
 actions speak louder than words. 
 
228 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Habits and Peculiarities of Bears 
 
 He is a queer animal. In his make-up there seems to be 
 a combination of the characteristics of the human, the cat, 
 the hog, the raccoon, the squirrel and several other animals. 
 Though his natural method of locomotion is on all fours, 
 he can walk upright almost as easily and steadily as a man, 
 
 f*' Black Bear 
 
 and there is something most laughably human in the way 
 one of the big brutes will sit up on his haunches and reach 
 a fat forepaw around to scratch his ribs. Often the bear 
 displays an almost human intelligence in the manner in 
 which he carefully evades traps and deadfalls set for his 
 destruction. 
 
 Skill of Trained Boxer 
 
 With his fore paws the bear can strike a blow with the 
 swiftness and skill of a trained boxer, and many is the 
 woodsman who has found this out to his cost when he 
 has tried to kill one of these animals with a stroke of an ax. 
 One stroke of that great paw will ward off the mightiest 
 blow, and another may send the wielder of the ax spinning 
 twenty feet from the spot. A black bear will ascend a tree 
 with the agility of a cat, and does so frequently to get the 
 various nuts which form a choice bit of his diet. 
 
 In general appearance the black bear resembles the hog 
 more than any other animal. The head, with its round skull, 
 shaip snout, pointed ears and bright and beady eyes, is 
 primarily that of the hog, while a bear will eat anything 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 229 
 
 a hog will. The bear roots about among the leaves in 
 quest of nuts, enters orchards to eat the apples which have 
 fallen on the ground, and, if they are not there, shakes 
 the tree until the fruit comes tumbling down about his 
 ears, wherein he has the advantage of the hog and resembles 
 the human again. 
 
 An Expert Fisherman 
 
 More than one black bear has come to an untimely end 
 because of his propensity for entering cornfields and eating 
 the sweet corn from the stalks, a favorite occupation of the 
 raccoon. Like the raccoon, too, he is an expert fisherman. 
 He will lie full length on a log over some quiet pool and 
 drop a bit of wood or ofifal of some sort in the water. He 
 watches the bait with his small, bright eyes until some 
 unsuspecting trout or chub comes up to investigate; then 
 a quick swoop of one of those mighty paws lands the fish 
 flopping on the bank and bruin makes a dainty meal. 
 
 Hibernates in Winter 
 
 When the cold frosts of fall arrive the black bear be- 
 gins to think of a snug home during the winter months. 
 He looks about until he finds the place that suits him. It 
 may be in a hollow log. and, if the hollow is already the 
 home of 'coons, bruin has no scruples about turning them 
 out. If he can find a cave or deep cleft in the rocks he is 
 equally well satisfied and will sleep full}^ as comfortable until 
 warm weather comes again, while his waste tissues are re- 
 placed by the great rolls of fat which cover his ribs as a 
 result of the summer's foraging. 
 
 Touch Awakens Him 
 
 Frequently when a bear dens up beneath a blow-down 
 or lies in a hollow log with his snout near the opening, 
 the warmth of his breath melts a hole in the covering of 
 the snow. This hole keeps growing larger until finally it 
 becomes incrusted with ice and then remains a sort of chim- 
 
230 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 CQ 
 
 £i 
 
CO^IPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 231 
 
 ney or ventilator for bruin's bed chamber. Woodsmen fre- 
 quently hnd these airholes in the snow, and upon investi- 
 gation find bruin in his den. The animal is not so sound 
 asleep that no noise will awaken him, yet the first touch 
 on any part of his body brings him out of his sleep with a 
 start. When thus aroused the bear is a wicked antagonist. 
 A story is related of two woodsmen who found a bear in 
 this manner a few years ago. 
 
 They found the airhole and dug the snovv^ away. They 
 walked and jumped on the log within which bruin was 
 ensconed without arousing him. Then, looking in the hole 
 in fhe trunk, one of the men saw the bear lying at full 
 length, with his head resting on a paw and his snout toward 
 the opening. The woodsman touched the bear's paw with 
 his ax, and, like a flash, the' bear awoke, sent the ax flying 
 out of the man's hand, and, with another rake of his paw 
 laid open the woodsman's leg from knee to ankle. Of course, 
 the beast had no chance, pinned as he was in the hollow 
 trunk, but he was dangerous enough so that his captors took 
 no cTiances with him. 
 
 Extremely Crafty 
 
 The cunning shown by bears in avoiding traps set for 
 their destruction is often marvelous. They will often look 
 askance at the most tempting bait and keep clear of the 
 ste^l jaws, while at other times they will approach the trap 
 gingerly, uncover the* wicked steel teeth, send the trap spin- 
 ning with a cuff of the paw and then eat the bait at their 
 leisure. They will enter the best-constructed pen, rip off 
 the top logs and carry away the bait. 
 
 Much-Maligned Animal 
 
 The Maine black bear has been a much-maligned animal. 
 Long observation by old hunters shows that the favorite food 
 of the bear is vegetable. ni^t>, berries, roots, etc. The bear, will 
 eat carrion when he finds it. and is particularly fond of putrid 
 
232 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 fish, which is used largely in baiting bear traps. Many com- 
 plaints have been made by farmers in the northern and eastern 
 parts of the state of bears, which have done great damage to 
 their sheep flocks and the "farmers are right in their claims, for 
 more than one bear has been killed wnth the damaging evidence 
 of sheep murder strong upon him. 
 
 However that may be, the old hunters say the bear is not 
 naturally a killer of sheep. Once he gets the taste of fresh mut- 
 ton he is likely to crave for it, but his first taste is excited by 
 hunger, and a hungry bear is not particular about the manner 
 in which he gets his food. 
 
 A favorite food of the black bear is insects, such as ants 
 and grubs. To get these the bear will pull to pieces every rot- 
 ten stump he comes across. These evidences of the bear's grub- 
 bing are found in every part of the Alaine woods. When the 
 bear finds a stump about which the grubs and ants are running 
 in hundreds he lies down beside it, then, poking his snout into 
 the warm, rotten wood, he lets the insects run all over his snout 
 and licks them off with his long tongue. When the available 
 supply has been exhausted bruin pulls the stump apart until he 
 has finished the last of the insects. 
 
 Most bears as a rule will run rather than fight, unless cor- 
 nered. This big brute, with all his strength, formidable teeth 
 and claws prefers running to fighting on almost all occasions. 
 He is found in every county in the state except the most south- 
 erly ones west of Penobscot bay, but is, of course, most numerous 
 in those sections where deer, moose and elk are also found 
 in greatest numbers. 
 
 The black bear is very common, and is found through- 
 out the United States and in the British Provinces. He 
 is easily trapped by the large Newhouse bear trap, or the 
 small bear trap. We have seen yearlings, and one two-year- 
 old bear caught by the No. 4 trap when used with a clog. 
 The log bear trap is also used, but its construction makes 
 it so troublesome that the steel trap is much more de- 
 sirable. In the summer the black bears are found in the 
 coolest parts of the woods. They often hunt for food dur- 
 ing the day, but generally prowl around at night. Some- 
 times the black bear will get caught in a small trap set for 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 233 
 
 other animals; when caught, he goes from one tree to another, 
 pounding them with the trap until he is free. When the lirst 
 snow comes, the black bear begins to wander about in 
 search of a cave to hibernate in. At such times it is best 
 to follow up a fresh trail, for -you invariably run bruin 
 into his den, and traps may then be set near by, which will 
 catch him the first warm day he comes out." When set- 
 ting a steel trap for a bear, use a heavy clog in preference 
 to ^e grapple; the latter is an awkward thing to carry, 
 or have about camp; it is always poking some one in the 
 ribs in a canoe or coat, or tripping one when moving about. 
 When a trapped animal is dragging a grapple through a 
 rough country, it will often catch fast, causing the animal 
 to gnaw its foot off. The clog should be rounded at one 
 end, so as to slide easily along, but should be very heavy 
 go that the animal will tire in dragging it. 
 
 A piece of fresh venison, a rabbit or a hare, makes a 
 good bait for the black bear. Where "sign" is seen, set the 
 trap if possible in an open place in the woods, and lay it 
 in a shallow hole scooped in the ground for the purpose; 
 cover the trap lightly with leaves, and entirely conceal the 
 log and chain with any material which can be most easily 
 obtained. A few scraps of meat may be scattered about 
 near the trap, and the bait should be suspended over it. 
 It is a good way to rig a trap with two baits, as follows: 
 Have one large bait hanging about seven feet above the 
 trap, and a smaller one about three feet over it; in cold 
 weather, baits do not throw much scent, and the lower one 
 will attract bruin's notice, and that will call his attention 
 to the big bait, which he is bound to have if possible. 
 Never use small baits. When tramping around, visit places 
 where deer or elk have been dressed, and look for "sign," 
 it will often lead to the capture of many animals, for in elk 
 countries, where bears are plentiful, they feast on the car- 
 casses, and lots of other animals follow about in these places. 
 Perhaps Jackson's Hole, Wyoming, is the best place in the 
 world today to hunt either elk or bear, and on my guiding 
 trips I even today can guarantee elk and bear in season, 
 and have taken out many fine heads and large bear skins 
 as trophies. 
 
234 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 In a Tight Place. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 235 
 
 HUNTING AND TRAPPING THE BEAR 
 
 Go to that part of the wood that is frequented by bears 
 and cut some logs about six feet long. Lay three of them 
 down parallel, occupying a space of about six feet wide 
 from outside to outside. Then lay other logs across, these 
 close together, as you would lay a corduroy-road, and pin 
 them down to the sleepers thoroughl3^ They lay up four 
 sides, cob-house fashion, two feet high, thoroughly pinned 
 together, with a door cut in one side, two and a half feet 
 wide. This is the bottom half of the trap. Xow build a 
 similar box, that, when turned upside down, will slide into 
 the bottom one, so that the space will not be above eight 
 or ten inches when they are dropped together. Xow cut 
 a log of wood, say twelve inches through and twenty feet 
 long, and pin the top box directly across the end of this. 
 Support the beam across a log in such a way that the box 
 can be moved up and down, so as to open or rise out of the 
 bottom and make a space of three feet. Set this with a 
 standard and spindle baited with a chunk of some kind of 
 fresh meat, daubed with honey, honey and oil of anise being 
 at the same time Avell smeared over the inside of the trap. 
 The heft of the top house and beam, when sprung, should 
 be enough to crush any bear that might chance that" way. 
 Another good wa}^ to catch a bear when he has been com- 
 mitting depredations on a hog or other farm animals is to 
 set a big steel trap in a spring hole or swampy place, put- 
 ting a natural looking bit of moss on the pan for him to 
 step on, and hanging a bait of the dead animal where he 
 can only get it by going over the trap. 
 
 It is a good way to hunt the bear with a dog that under- 
 stands him, and will only nip him in the hams. This will 
 soon cause him to tree, and he is a pretty good climber 
 for so large an' animaL He climbs almost exactly as a 
 man does, but if you are careless about going up to the 
 tree to shoot him, he will come down not exactly like a 
 man. He puts his arms around the tree, and lets go and 
 comes down with a big scrape or slip, striking the ground 
 with hit butt sufficient to make him bound three feet high. 
 But he is ready to be off, and you have lust your shot. So 
 be careful and go up slyly and shoot him out. 
 
236 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 THE SENSE OF DIRECTION 
 
 There has been many volumes written on this subject, 
 and it seems to me that the more that has been written 
 the more perplexing has the subject become; hence the 
 reader will surely not deny me the right to add my little 
 "mite" to the seemingly inexhaustible fund on these sub- 
 jects, too. The time will soon come when my manuscript 
 and I part company, and my few words pass out to a 
 world which gives credit to those who merited and con- 
 signs to oblivion those who don't. I feel that my encour- 
 agement will be in proportion, at least, to my achievements. 
 Difficulties surmounted gives strength — hardships they 
 toughen, but it is intelligence that uplifts. And it is these 
 traits that I claim for the bird and animal I dedicate these 
 pages to. And if I can make my words prove to the world 
 that the "dumb creatures" we call them have intelligences 
 and perceptions akin to mine I shall at least have gained 
 the object uppermost in my life, and be content, for I will 
 by it have given back to them much that I have robbed 
 them of, and in a way made amends for a life that was 
 forced upon me. more by necessity than choice. To this 
 end I shall now endeavor in as few words as possible, try 
 to explain that so-called mysterious sense of direction which 
 governs the laws of flight and migration of bird and insect 
 life. 
 
 Elsewhere in this volume I have tried to point out the 
 general habits, intelligences and perceptions of the creatures 
 who dwell and exist with us in a wild state; those we prey 
 upon, whether rightfully or not. This I shall leave the 
 reader to judge of later. 
 
 Primitive man in days gone by worshiped certain ani- 
 mals—others birds— still more the Sun, or the Stars; the 
 reason why has been attributed to ignorance and supersti- 
 tion; these were the Gods which they esteemed the most, 
 and one of the reasons they worshiped them thus was be- 
 cause of their wonderful doings, and the mysteries concern- 
 ing them, some of which I will try to explain now. 
 
 Elsewhere in this book I have told our readers of the 
 property rights of animals and birds who regard from 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 237 
 
 generation to generation among them, claim to certain 
 regions and districts as their home, and that they strive 
 to maintain these property or district rights, and only yield 
 to man's usurpation of them, or give up to the stronger. 
 Assuming this is the case, it is but fair to concede to them 
 the intelligence necessary to familiarize them with their 
 surroundings, be it where it may, the creature, bird or ani- 
 mal. 
 
 Xow if this fact is conceded it is obvious that their 
 intelligence and perceptive faculties are sufficient to ob- 
 serve that when the sun' rises it is warm and light, "AND 
 THAT THIS WARMTH AND LIGHT ALWAYS 
 COMES FROM A SIMILAR DIRECTION AND TIME" 
 and thus gradually do they acquire the sense of direction, 
 as far as the rising sun is concerned, and like primitive, 
 or, as the scriptures quote, "it serveth them well." 
 
 This is perhaps their first lesson in the sense of direc- 
 tion; admitting this is true, we cannot deny that they are 
 equally observant THAT THE SUN SETS IN THE OP- 
 POSITE DIRECTION, and with it comes darkness and 
 quietude. This constitutes their second lesson, as we shall 
 later see. 
 
 That they recognize these things is to be admitted, for 
 do they not by the Law of Nature govern their movements 
 by them, just as we do? Thus observation familiarizes 
 them with what IS KNOWN TO US AS EAST AND 
 WEST, and becomes indelibly impressed upon memory. 
 
 If we admit this, is it not fair and reasonable to assume 
 that they soon recognize and distinguish between temper- 
 able and seasonable changes, as, for instance, the direction 
 from which comes the COLD NORTHERN WINDS, OR 
 THE WARM SOUTHERN BREEZES, and granting this 
 as so, does not thus the FOUR CARDINAL POINTS OF 
 THE COMPASS BECOME RECOGNIZED BY ANI- 
 MAL AND BIRD LIFE, as it was and is by primitive, 
 savage and civilized man even unto today. 
 
 Surely we cannot deny this. They have eyes, ears, scent 
 and feeling, corresponding senses numerically, mind you, 
 and now, reader, bear with me, be patient, for it is an animal 
 virtue that has made them wise in their ways, and similar 
 
238 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 exercise has served even the best of us, and well, when fol- 
 lowing or studying new things. 
 
 Assuming, then, that a bird or animal in time familiarizes 
 itself with such things, we cannot help but admit but that 
 they are enabled to verify direction, other than this, just 
 as we do by the Sun. In other words, supposing the wind 
 blew from the northeast, or the southwest, would not the 
 position of the Sun show them which was true north or 
 south; thus does the Sun verify these opposite directions 
 in the same way as I have explained, that scent verifies 
 sight. 
 
 Granting these few points, it is but another step in the 
 sense of directions now, and from here on the reader should 
 not pass over my lines too lightly; better be it if he read 
 between them, for I doubt not but what by this time you 
 have anticipated what is yet to come. 
 
 In the migrations of birds and animals both we note 
 they travel mostly north and south, and we must admit that 
 temperature and winds, or the sense of feeling, plays an 
 important part in enabling them to judge and verify these 
 directions to a large extent, and that this sense is increased 
 and verified again by sight, or by KNOWLEDGE AND 
 OBSERVATION OF THE RISING AND SETTING 
 SUN (our east and west), and that this knowledge and 
 observation is memorized or increased as their age, habit, 
 experience and intelligence grows, even as you and I profit 
 and learn thereby. 
 
 For as intelligence varies in man, and increases with age, 
 habit and experience, so does it with bird and animal life, 
 who learn and profit by the experience and emulation of 
 others' achievements, and avoiding their failures, just as 
 we do. Theirs is not a life of personal or individual experi- 
 ment, but of habit, by which each specie acquires the percept- 
 ive faculties and trace of others of their kin or tribe who have 
 gone before them, and left them that heritage since the sun 
 'shone and the wind blew. 
 
 As proof of this and other intelligences which I attrib- 
 ute rightfully to birds and animals who migrate, we notice 
 that when these migrations take place that both flocks and 
 herds are led by older, experienced ones of their kind, 
 whom it is but fair to assume have covered the route be- 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 239 
 
 fore, being led b}^ their ancestors; thus, mark ye, are these 
 leaders doubly sure. 
 
 It is not for me to repeat what I have written before 
 as to the sense of direction so observant in animal migra- 
 tion, or to point out any similarities, for I attribute to ani- 
 mal life the same characteristics which govern their migra- 
 tions to a proportionate degree. 
 
 They learn the higher altitudes and come down to the 
 lower with seasonable similarity, just as they do the re- 
 verse, conditions and circumstances always governing; by 
 the same token do they travel north and south, or east and 
 west,* as the case may be. 
 
 They have their language and signs, expression, scent, 
 sight, hearing and feeling, and can distinguish between sun- 
 rise, sunset, cold and warm winds, changes of temperature 
 and land-marks as we know. They can foretell the time 
 'of day in a way (whether early or late), anticipate changes 
 in the weather, compute distances of travel, recognize places, 
 select leaders, form for protection against attack, post senti- 
 nels or scouts, guides, use signals, signs, undertake distant 
 loijg journeys or short ones, live in locations, communities, 
 recognize by scent their kin, neighbors, tribes, distinguish 
 enemies from friends, strangers from acquaintances, recog- 
 nize property and territory rights, smell water from long 
 distances, recognize by scent what the eye cannot see, dis- 
 tinguish and find medical plants from the poisonous ones, 
 educate, foster, rear and instruct their young, perceive the 
 various differences between trees, birds, plants, insects, rep- 
 tiles, punish enemies, defend the weak, combine for the chase, 
 indulge in love, war, feats of strength, skill or speed, act in 
 concert with each other, or go it alone; think, reason, plan, 
 remember, lure, deceive, coax, intimidate, imitate, threaten 
 or appeal. They can see better in their own element than 
 we can, smell better, hear better, feel better, and make them- 
 selves better understood than we can comprehend; have a 
 code of honor in certain lines, equivalent to our own in 
 some ways, and which is perhaps none the less effective. 
 
 They have their outcasts, robbers, murderers, bands, 
 workers, slaves, kings, queens, republics, autocrats and per- 
 haps democrats, fools and wise ones, strong and weak, defi- 
 cient and progressive, can do things we cannot, and can 
 
240 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 learn from us as we do from them; they understand us in 
 a way in many cases better than we can them, despite the 
 fact that we call them dumb, ignorant, foolish brutes, sim- 
 ply because they can't speak or understand our language, or 
 do things as well as we do. Yet dumb as they appear to 
 be, they meet us half-way in very many instances, and in 
 their own way or elements show a capacity for getting along, 
 and avoiding us in spite of all our efforts to subdue master 
 or exterminate, contesting us in every step we take on 
 these lines, even disputing our rights of imposition on their 
 territory to the bitter end, reserving memory, endurance 
 and rapidity of flight, enabling it to easily cover what 
 means to us immense distances in a short period of time, 
 owing to straight aerial flight, and the patience and per- 
 sistence peculiar to its kind, which, if continued, as it is 
 often the case, for weeks to a time, is almost certain to 
 produce results. 
 
 If we take a pencil and paper and figure out carefully 
 what these enormous distances which it can cover in a 
 week's time really means we can easily see how the obser- 
 vation or finding of one's single familiar land-mark, birds- 
 eye view, known spot or location familiar to it, its object 
 of search is verified, and if correct its work is accomplished, 
 but it can then easily return to its proper home, haunts 
 and kin. 
 
 On the other hand, if continued search in spite of pa- 
 tience, persistence and determined effort it still fails, then 
 it is indeed lost in all the name implies, and must either 
 succumb to its enemies or adapt itself to new conditions, 
 and start life again, practically anew. The one thing that 
 rarely happens, I assure you, urtless the hand or cunning 
 of man interferes. 
 
 In this connection I desire the readers to understand 
 that it is not my claim that neither birds nor animals get 
 lost, for the facts are they do, even if seldom. 
 
 So far, I believe, I have in a way convinced the reader 
 the intelligence of migratory anim.als and birds, suffice to 
 enable them to distinguish between night from day, sunrise 
 from sunset, cold winds from warm, and, if so, has it not 
 learned what is known to us as n., s., e. and w. or the four 
 cardinal points of our compass, used in our navigation? If 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 241 
 
 so, it is but a step further to another thing of equal im- 
 portance, which, while we may have overlooked, we cannot 
 deny — i. e., that the perception of time and distance is pos- 
 sible. 
 
 It has been observed that during the periods that cover 
 migrations in seasonable flights that birds and animals in- 
 variably travel by periodical stages, arriving and departing 
 with certain regularit}^ — choosing moonlight nights, clear 
 or favorable winds or weather, and alternating their flights 
 by day or night travel, or both; and that they can judge 
 when conditions are favorable we have ^very proof, because 
 if so 'they make long journeys and if not short ones, or none 
 at all. Almost any sportsman will verify this. Accordingly 
 do they govern their flights, and even time their efforts to 
 reach certain places. They also time their periods of flight, 
 distance, feeding and resting, gather for the starts, gauge 
 the length and distance of their flights and stops; all per- 
 fectly timed to meet conditions, traveling long and continu- 
 ously to reach certain favorable conditions and avoiding the 
 unfavorable or dangerous ones — even to departing from the 
 true course of flight whenever necessary to reach certain 
 spots favorable to feeding and resting, as we know — start- 
 ing later from them, and wheeling into ihe true course again 
 with rare skill and intelligence both. Granting this, we see 
 that they are capable of judging time, place and distance, 
 or rotation, and even of renewing the true course of direc- 
 tion again. What could be greater proof of the powers of 
 observation, intelligence and reasoning power than this? 
 
 Now then, how many are there who read these pages 
 have noticed these periodical flights, and that they at times 
 assume different lines or formations, which are sometimes 
 attributed to the letters "a," "v," "s," etc., etc? 
 
 Take, for instance, ducks and geese, and then we no- 
 tice these formations particularly; all of which are gov- 
 erned to circumstances and conditions, and the regions they 
 traverse; older birds leading, and stronger birds to wind- 
 wards always. Thus the young are not only protected by 
 the ciders and guided by them, but from the elements as 
 well, and in a measure safe from attack or scattering when 
 passing through regions where hawks, eagles or hunters 
 abound. Hence, these formations are often in exact ac- 
 
242 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 cordance to the protecting lines thrown out, and the num- 
 ber of older birds who take such position, and we must not 
 lose sight of the fact that when so arrang-ed they are also 
 formed for the purpose of keeping together stragglers, for 
 resisting the force of the wind, and other similar objects, 
 and if we observe them closely we find that they even change 
 places when conditions change, such as I have described. 
 
 Still more is the fact that during these flights the lead- 
 ers seem to be governed by the majority, and that the 
 movement and cries we hear in these flocks are indications 
 of their desire or vote to either rest, stop, go on, or keep 
 together — cries of encouraging, warning or complaint, and 
 that when there is no cause of them there is no such cries, 
 simply practically silent, straight flight. 
 
 Indeed, from hind end to fore, center to flank, there is 
 guides, sentinels, leaders and rear guards even: not only 
 at this but at times scouts are sent out ahead to find suitable 
 resting and feeding spots, and to await the coming of the 
 flock, or head them off — movements that today and ages 
 have been employed by primitive Man, Savage, Esquimaux 
 and Indian, and even to the military, as we know. Down 
 to the present time, and readers will perhaps see why birds 
 and animals have been worshiped by the savage since the 
 sun shone, and the winds blew. A worship attributed to 
 the intelligences they possessed, or in many things such 
 as this, observed in both bird and animal life, have and do 
 vv^e even yet profit by still. 
 
 Finally, I will call attention to the lesser flights which 
 we often see following in the rear of larger ones; these are 
 generally slower, younger or older birds, who retard the 
 larger flocks, and are thus told off or relegated to the rear 
 of the main body, but who nevertheless are under the lead- 
 ership, guidance and protection of others of its kind, who 
 stay with them, and who travel by shorter and slower stages. 
 
 As to the size of these flocks, and their numbers, the.-y 
 depend largel.v on the location they mhabit, for as they 
 combine Avith flocks so do they split up in communities 
 when they reach certain distance: eaph proceeding to its 
 own location and haunts, just as does a military organiza- 
 tion when the}^ reach their homes, if I may use such com- 
 parative terms. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 243 
 
 Thus are the size of flocks governed by region and num- 
 ber which inhabit a given location — many of whom join 
 larger flocks in their flights, while others travel by them- 
 selves, the whole depending largely upon circumstances and 
 conditions which govern all things. 
 
 That there are even desertions from these flocks in 
 squads, pairs and stragglers, we are equally certain; for, 
 mind you, there are good, bad and indifferent, lazy even 
 among birds and animals, you know. 
 
 Thus knowledge and landmarks will aid and point out 
 the way for us — true — but not for our birds, because as yet 
 he has learned them not; ours, too, is a winding way — his 
 shall be straight flight, so w^e need not fear he will learn 
 our ways or route, for he needs it not, and mark ye, he 
 will accomplish in days what man with all his boasted in- 
 telligence has yet failed to — aerial straight flight. 
 
 And now for the test of skill, for we have gone as far 
 as we are able. The cold north winds, icy seas and moun- 
 tains block our progress, and we must haste lest the ele- 
 ments bid us stay, darkness and cold imprison us, for here 
 in these regions have I spent many seasons myself, and 
 know by experience whereof I speak. 
 
 Bring hither the bird, see that he is fitted for the jour- 
 ney, lightly fed and given drink, for mark ye, as the Sav- 
 age or Indian, Animal or Bird travels far, he travels light, 
 and right — that in his journey he can go fast and find his 
 way as he finds his food, drink and rest as he goes along, 
 for on such a journey he needs but little, especially when 
 the way is strange to him and his mental powers are taxed 
 as is his strength. 
 
 Now let us wish him God's speed; it is a long, wearj^ 
 distant flight, and our hearts beat lest he fail, for kindness 
 is there, and the act seems cruel like. He, too, flutters and 
 trembles in our hands, for he knows not our intentions, 
 yet he fears not, and is anxious for liberty. 
 
 Cast him loose, and he is gone; a tremulous flight, 
 true, but he hastens; now watch him and see his flight 
 grows more steady; but he is headed wrong, straight up 
 in the face of the cold north wind he flies, on and up- 
 ward still. Why is this? Our group of eyes, hands and 
 voices all point and clamor in confusion, but see, now he 
 
244 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 turns and circles wider still. Watch him closely; true, he 
 acts strangely, but we must be patient, for all is strange 
 and new to him, yet fear not, he has traveled long before, 
 and in his flights has seen mountain heights and snow, and 
 felt the temperature of cold north winds before. 
 
 See how he circles; wider and higher still they grow 
 — proof he is confused, perplexed by the strange, unfa- 
 miliar sights which appear in turn before his telescopic eye: 
 how far or what he sees or feels we only can guess, BUT 
 THE SAME RISING SUN IS THERE BEFORE HIM, 
 AND THE SAME COLD NORTH WIND BLOWS, as 
 shown and was felt in his distant home. 'Tis but a few 
 minutes since we cast him loose, yet to us it seems like 
 hours. Now observe, for he bears away, not true south, 
 but yonder distant mountains which bars the way whence 
 we cam.e and caused us to turn aside stands in his way. 
 
 Fainter grows the dim spot — in the distance it fades 
 away and is lost to our sight — gone. 
 
 Will it succeed? Only one is there who knows. Him, 
 whom we have been taught sees, watches and knows all 
 things. 
 
 Now we will turn aside and take up the subject again, 
 as to the sense of direction in other ways, and seek to explain 
 the mystery further in the interval which must pass, for 
 our bird to find its home. 
 
 I have, prior to this, pointed out how certain birds and 
 animals obtain the first senses of direction by means of 
 the rising and setting sun, and how they feel, for they are 
 guided not only by sense of direction, as explained, but by 
 experience, observation and landmarks, on which both sav- 
 age and civilized man even depends. Nor is this leadership 
 limited to any few, for as our observation of such things 
 prove, old and young, experienced and inexperienced to 
 an almost equal number participate in these flights to- 
 gether, traveling by night, day or both, feeding, resting by 
 moonlight or sunlight, alternately traveling by stages, and 
 governing their movements with intelligence akin almost to 
 our own displaying a knowledge of conditions, and taking 
 advantages of wind and weather and routes such as is 
 favorable, and avoiding the unfavorable ones for times, as 
 does the veteran navigator, who has learned from experience. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 245 
 
 just as did they, the art of anticipating storms, seasonable 
 or temperature changes, as we are all aware; following, 
 as has been observed, year after year, such routes contrary 
 to the line of straight flight as may be necessary to reach 
 resting or feeding grounds, reforming, passing, wheeling 
 into line again with marvelous accuracy, and taking the 
 proper directive course with almost human intelligence; 
 passing and re-visiting these same resting places, year after 
 year,^unto generations thereof. 
 
 So much for migratory flights, dear reader, and as I 
 perceive you would challenge my observations as to indi- 
 vidual homing instincts or impulses I will endeavor to ex- 
 plain even this considered impenetrable mystery, and if I 
 have failed to convince you in a way as to some of the se- 
 crets of migration I tremble lest I fail here, too, yet in 
 neither would I weary of. 
 
 Let us take our homing bird, provided it is but in the 
 prime of life, and has learned already of the rising and 
 setting sun, daylight and darkness, for if so, surely has it 
 recognized in this time the northern chilly winds and the 
 warm southern breezes which are alike the world over. It 
 should be a fine, strong bird, which has been free before, 
 for then it has traveled much about its home and learned 
 many things of time and distant places which it has ob- 
 served. 
 
 True, we understand it not, its signs or language, but 
 that it can tell such things to its own we know, for has 
 it not profited by the experience of others of its kind before, 
 and even now? 
 
 That the test be unfair, we will even blindfold it if 
 need be, but it is wrong — we should seek not to confuse 
 or deceive, for this is neither love nor war, and in a test 
 of skill all things should be equal. 
 
 From the bird's home we will start and wind our way 
 to the polar shores, as far as man hath reached in a thou- 
 sand years, if you will; better still be it if we take along 
 a companion, for the distance is long and lonesome and 
 the task a difficult one, and by habit birds of this kind 
 are social and helpful to each other. Again, two heads are 
 better than one, and in this all birds and animals agree at 
 times even. * * * YOU OBJECT; THEN VERY 
 
246 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 WELL— only' ONE SHALL MAKE THE JOURNEY. 
 
 We will pass over the tribulations of our journey in 
 the direction from which the cool north winds blow, and the 
 time it takes to go that distance our compass and the sun 
 shall serve to verify the way, made easier to us because 
 man hath gone and traveled the way before. Observe and 
 distinguish temperature and wind, and by these means do 
 they become familiar with what is known to us as the in- 
 dications of direction, north, south, east and .west. 
 
 Now we will go a step further; experience in life also 
 teaches them to anticipate the seasons, distinguish summer 
 frolm winter, warmth from cold, and we have observed, too, 
 that as the seasons appeared they migrated accordingly, 
 being influenced by the susceptible change in atmospheric 
 conditions, temperature again. Now, is not these things 
 THE STANDARD OF ALL OUR OBSERVATIONS? 
 
 Can we now, in the face of these facts, deny that bird 
 and animal life is thus enabled to travel directly away from 
 winter, towards summer, so to speak? If so, we must ad- 
 mit that the birds can travel south, and at the same time be 
 guided with the sun as by day and night, and to judge dis- 
 tance, for we know that they gauge their flights and time their 
 rests accordingly. We know, too, that altitudinal distances 
 or differences are observable, and governed by their field 
 of vision and flight. That their speed is rapid, and their 
 flight is straight, and that they govern themselves according 
 to the conditions of both wind and weather, as we know. 
 
 We must also stop to consider that, as a rule, their flight 
 is straight, and that they can often, cover six hundred to 
 a thousand miles' straight flight per day, and we must also 
 bear in mind that if the wind conditions are favorable that 
 they take advantage of these things, just as does the sea- 
 man or navigator. Savage or Indian, and that at these times 
 the3'' do hardly stop for food or rest, but continue on so 
 long as they are able to so travel. 
 
 Now, with all these facts in mind it is not difficult to 
 see how a bird can by these means travel immense distances 
 in a short time, sufficient to enable it to reach within any 
 certain sphere or temperature which by observation it could 
 liken about to its own. Thus, when our bird was turned 
 loose at first it circled long and wide, in the air, to get its 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 247 
 
 true bearings, and to ascertain or better realize where it 
 was, and to gradually gather its mental and physical com- 
 posure, so as to form a correct idea as to the route it should 
 follow. Gradually it became able to perceive that the wind 
 was in the north, and that the morning sun, then rising, 
 showed it the true east, while the snow-covered mountains 
 brought to its mind the fact that it was in the regions of 
 winter, and that it should go south — the direction of which 
 was evidence evinced by the temperature and wind, and the 
 approximate time of day was shown by the height of the 
 sun; and there is no reason that can be advanced why ani- 
 mals cannot distinguish these certain peculiar but regular 
 indications of directions, or the time of day; not by the 
 hour or clock time, like we, of course, but as does the Sav- 
 age or Indian — by sight alone. Thus if they are accredited 
 with such knowledge, conditions of temperature, direction 
 and master of straight flight, it is not hard to see how they 
 are enabled to in the first place take their true course of 
 flight and head for home. 
 
 Finally, by knowledge of this general direction, as ex- 
 plained, when it has reached a certain altitude it searches 
 far and wide for signs, places or land-marks familiar, to its 
 memory, sight or scent; not at random here and there, 
 as one would think, but with careful and deliberate inten- 
 tion in alternate directions, rarely going over the samt* 
 ground or flight the same time twice. 
 
 SENSE OF DIRECTION IN ANIMAL LIFE 
 
 In a way, I have tried my best to explain to the reader 
 that much of the mysteries of Animal Life is due to the fact 
 that inherited impulse and memory plays a very impor- 
 tant part in governing all their movements, and I also claim 
 that inherited memory is largely responsible for this so- 
 called "Sense of Direction" which guides them in their mi- 
 grations, or finding their way, both, and that its accomplish- 
 ment is due largely to inherited memory, which prompts 
 the observation of the directive points shown by sun and 
 light and the sense of feeling, as explained. 
 
248 CO'MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 I feel equally positive that even at night, in their flights, 
 they are guided by the general directive points indicated by 
 evening twilight and morning daw^n. (It is well known 
 that dark, cloudy nights do confuse them.) But that re- 
 occurrence of light indications corrects their flight we are 
 equally certain; shows proof of my claim that by inheritance 
 do they possess or perceive knowledge of the particular 
 directive points of the sun and light, and that this heredi- 
 tary memory is largely responsible for their knowledge of 
 correct direction in the first place, and, secondly, that re- 
 tentive memory further aids them to seek their correct 
 sphere or home by general knowledge of perceptions of the 
 differences which characterize one locality from another, or 
 one country from another. 
 
 To us the world is large; but to them, birds especially, 
 it is not so large after all. Their rapidity of flight and 
 ability to travel is as marvelous as are their powers of dis- 
 cernment, patience and will-power, equally so; hence, guided 
 and influenced, as they are, by all these and other things, 
 they find their way to places and perform seemingl}'- mar- 
 velous feats, because for thousands of years habit has trained 
 them to perform for themselves such accomplishments, and 
 makes possible to them, unconsciously, what seems con- 
 sciously impossible to us. 
 
 Take, for instance, savages, old woodsmen, hunters, trap- 
 pers, etc., more especially those who have descended from 
 similar families, the}^ acquire, or inherit similar traits or 
 powers; then sense of direction becomes a sort of inherited, 
 natural trait, largely assisted by general knowledge or ob- 
 servation of the sun and light directive points, directive 
 winds, as well as by knowledge of the lay of the land. Its^ 
 formation, flora, mountains and rivers, and so on ad in- 
 finitum. 
 
 And this memory, experience, habit, patience and dis- 
 criminate observation serves as a natural aid to determine 
 the same directive points which guide animals and birds 
 during their passages, flights or migrations. Thus the 
 homing-instinct of the passenger pigeon or bird who has 
 the ability to fly two hundred miles for a breakfast worm 
 stands a mighty good chance of finding its way home or 
 back — a matter of a few thousand miles, if necessary, in 
 a way equally as well; losing and finding its way perhaps 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 249 
 
 in turn, but guided nevertheless by the same principles which 
 guide us in our travels — that of observation. 
 
 Again, it is absolutely certain that by a chance glance it 
 could tell the peculiar characteristics of its own country 
 from any foreign or different one by its formation or trend. 
 
 Supposing, for instance, its own habitat from whence 
 it first started was mountainous. It would avoid low lands 
 and seek only the mountainous, or vice versa. Again, we 
 must adiiiit in its search it could be guided also by the 
 aforementioned form as well as the lay of the land, whether 
 it wa^ an island or a continent — whether it was parallel to 
 the sun or diagonal to it, so too would its flora or plant 
 life, or vegetation, or its inhabitants enable it to identify 
 its own from other lands — even its lakes, rivers or coast 
 formations, or contours would serve its powers of recogni- 
 tion or discernment of difference; not only this, its meeting 
 of its own species, or for that matter other birds, would 
 enable it to perform some accurate idea of its location and 
 true route (even if we do exclude the possibility of it 
 being able to communicate its wants, and ideas, on the 
 basis of m*y sign language theory). 
 
 Whj^ should we not allow to them the ability to make 
 their wants known to others of their species? Are there 
 not indisputable facts that they can do it, even if only in 
 a limited way? We set every evidence that they in a 
 hundred waj'^s follow the promptings of each other, and 
 combine their acts to each others' mutual advantage. Wit- 
 ness the parents instructing their young; their combinations 
 for oflfense, defense, hunting and a hundred other things, 
 all of which go a long way to establish the truth of my 
 theory. 
 
 Notwithstanding man*'s ceaseless pursuit, superiority of 
 intelligences and numbers, giving and taking, and holding 
 theirs against all odds, thriving and adapting themselves to 
 conditions and circumstances, with a degree of intelligent 
 perception that is nothing short of the marvelous; gaining 
 knowledge of our ways, profiting by them, and keeping 
 their ways from us more than we do ours from them. 
 
 Can we deny then, after this evidence to the contrary, 
 that they have not intelligences in common with our own? 
 Are we not on the wrong track? Do we not err when we 
 
250 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 deny that they possess intelligences, because it is not in- 
 telligence of the human kind? 
 
 Neither must we judge by the standard of domestic ani- 
 mals that we have grouped around us, for these have by 
 contact with man in a way degenerated, and are imbeciles 
 almost, more or less automatic, from whom we have almost 
 eliminated with but few exceptions every spark of conscious 
 intelligence, alive and sort of self-directing; true, but abso- 
 lutely broken in spirit, meaning and intent. 
 
 We have deprived them of every right to free them, 
 thought:-, purpose and action, and enslaved them to our 
 cause and ways. We deny them the right of natural selec- 
 tion, pen them up, feed, harness, work and control their 
 every action, unless it coincides with our own ideas. 
 
 In many instances we den37- them the right of liberty, 
 freedom, companionship of kith or kin, and adapt them to 
 our ways, until they become practically a clod, block-machine 
 like creature, alike to nothing found of the wild animal 
 world from which it sprung. Its mental faculties become 
 sort of obsolete, and it can neither think, act, reflect, com- 
 pare or weigh an}'- more than a machine, and there is no 
 Ptimr^lus even, outside of what we apply. For generations 
 Ave have crossed or inbred its kind, until its every intelli- 
 gence is blunted, and its reasoning powers practically de- 
 throned: hence, to form any standard of the intelligence 
 of Wild Animals from those domestic species that we have 
 among us is but a reflection on ourselves, whether it be a 
 breeding bull or a barnyard fowl. 
 
 THE LANGUAGE OF ANIMALS OR THE 
 SECRET OF SIGN 
 
 In brief the language of animals is one of sign move- 
 ment, expression (physiognomy if you will), every action 
 or posture ot the body, every emotion, each change cf mu?c]« 
 or facial look. The mere facial wrinkling or f^1rrov^'s ^con- 
 sciously or unconsciously, instinctively performed ") :ri^'? ex- 
 ternal siofns which are as good as words. Pleasure, fear, 
 sneers, contempt, disgust, want, hatred, jealousy, affection, 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 251 
 
 astonishment, shame, pain, dislike, defiance, low spirit, de- 
 pression, anger, amusement, like, surprise, etc.; in short, 
 any and every emotion or want, has its peculiar characteris- 
 tic and appearance. Hence by infallible signs do they per- 
 ceive, anticipate or read what is going on in the mind of 
 each other, much as do we perceive at a moving picture 
 show, and read by sign its meaning and intent there be- 
 trayed by lock, act, appearance, gesture or action. 
 
 Watch two animals at play or in fight — see them com- 
 prehend and anticipate every movement of each other. Even 
 each call, cry or sound has its peculiar or significant mean- 
 ing, and by the expression of this sound or call even its 
 meaning or intent is recognized exactly as is every move- 
 ment equally interpreted or read, which is the true language 
 of animals. 
 
 Even students in physiology recognize the fact that all 
 emotions — wants, desires, likes, dislikes or habits — betray 
 themselves in movements of the facial or body muscles. 
 Grief, anxiety, impatience, contempt, joy, all have their ex- 
 terior signs, and instances such as I shall cite ought to 
 convince the reader of the truth of my observations, a few 
 of which I shall describe in this chapter. 
 
 Observe dogs, who, during many generations have, whilst 
 intently looking at any object, pricked their ears in order 
 to perceive any sound; and conversely have looked intently 
 in the direction of a sound to which they may have listened, 
 the movements of these organs have become firmly asso- 
 ciated together through long-continued habit. 
 
 Notice the difference between rage and fear. Who can 
 mistake it. Then observe joy or pleasure, versus, sorrow 
 or grief; in either case both the facial expression and body 
 posture or movement betrays the sign in unmistakable 
 form, even in the human race, as per these examples: 
 
 Astonishment expressed by the eyes and mouth being 
 opened wide, and by the eyebrows being raised. 
 
 Shame excites a blush when the color of the skin allows 
 it to be visible, and especially how low down the body does 
 the blush extend. 
 
 When a man is indignant or defiant he. frowns, holds his 
 
252 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 body and head erect, squares his shoulders and clenches 
 his fists. 
 
 When considering deeply on any subject, or trying to 
 understand any puzzle, does he frown, or wrinkle the skin 
 beneath the lower eyelids? 
 
 When in low spirits, are the .corners of the mouth de- 
 pressed, and the inner corner of the eyebrows raised by 
 that muscle which the French call the "grief muscle"? The 
 eyebrow in this state becomes slightly oblique, with a little 
 swelling at the inner end; and the forehead is transversely 
 wrinkled in the middle part, but not across the whole 
 breadth, as when the eyebrows are raised in surprise. 
 
 When in good spirits do the eyes sparkle, with the skin 
 a little wrinkled round and under them, and with the mouth 
 a little drawn back at the corners? 
 
 When a man sneers or snarls at another, is the corner, 
 of the upper lip over the canine or eye tooth raised on the 
 side facing the man who he addresses? 
 
 A dogged or obstinate expression is recognized chiefly 
 when shown by the mouth being firmly closed, a lowering 
 brow and a slight frown. 
 
 Contempt expressed by a slight protrusion of the lips and 
 by turning up the nose, and with a slight expiration. 
 
 Disgust shown by the lower lip being turned down, the 
 upper lip slightly raised, with a sudden expiration, some- 
 thing like incipient vomiting, or like something spit out of 
 the mouth. 
 
 Extreme fear expressed in the same general manner as 
 with humans. 
 
 Laughter carried to such an extreme as to bring tears 
 into the eyes. 
 
 When a man wishes to show that he cannot prevent some- 
 thing being done, or cannot himself do something, does he 
 shrug his shoulders, turn inwards his elbows, extend out- 
 wards his hands and open the palms, with the eyebrows 
 raised? 
 
 Children, when sulky, pout or greatly protrude the lips. 
 
 Do not the frown or wrinkling of the brows in ourselves 
 indicate when we are vexed or perplexed? Is not the seri- 
 ous or frivolous recognized at a glance? Hence, multiply 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 253 
 
 these exterior signs and movements of the body — a hundred 
 times — and you have, in short, the secret of animal language. 
 Indeed, the sign language of the savage tribes of the world, 
 with whom I have spent many years of my life, both in 
 equatorial or polar zones, all recognize and communicate with 
 each other by sign, in such a way that not a single word 
 need be spoken — the eye alone, by external sign, recog- 
 nizing all the various differences of expression of face or 
 musde movement or posture of the body. 
 
 Hence all animals perceive and read these signs in- 
 stantly, because thousands of years has taught them that 
 they are infallible. Take, for instance, movements or 
 changes in any part of the body — as the wagging of a dog's 
 tail, the drawing back of a horse's ears, the shrugging of a 
 man's shoulders, may all equally well serve for expression, 
 and is indeed a language of sign — where lies are impossible — 
 proof of the saying "Actions speak louder than words." 
 
 When our minds are much affected, so are the move- 
 ments of our bodies; but here another principle besides 
 ha'bit, namely, undirected overflow of nerve-force, partially 
 comes into play. We have lost the art of mind reading, but 
 wild animals have retained it. It is so important for our 
 purpose fully to recognize that actions readily become 
 associated with other actions and with various states of the 
 mind, that I will give a good many instances, in the first 
 place relating to man, and afterwards to the lower animals, 
 as we shall observe. 
 
 Notice, a vulgar man often scratches his head when per- 
 plexed in mind; he acts thus from habit, as if he experi- 
 enced a slightly uncomfortable bodily sensation, namely, the 
 itching of his head, to which he is particularly liable, and 
 which he thus relieves. Another man rubs his eyes when 
 perplexed, or gives a little cough when embarrassed, acting 
 in either case as if he felt a slightly uncomfortable sensa- 
 tion in his eyes or windpipe. 
 
 Again, persons cutting anything with a pair of scissors 
 may be seen to move their jaws simultaneously with the 
 blades of the scissors. Children learning to write often twist 
 about their tongues as their fingers move, in a ridiculous 
 fashion. When a public singer suddenly 'becomes a little 
 
254 CO'M'PL'ETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 hoarse, many of those present may be heard to clear their 
 throats; but here habit probably comes into plaj^, as we 
 clear our own throats under similar circumstances. I have 
 also been told that at leaping matches, as the performer 
 makes his spring, many of the spectators, generally men 
 and boys, move their feet. 
 
 Dogs scratch themselves by a rapid movement of one of 
 their hind-feet, and when their backs are rubbed with a stick, 
 so strong is the habit that they cannot help rapidly scratch- 
 ing the air or the ground in a useless and ludicrous man- 
 ner. The terrier just alluded to, when thus scratched with 
 a stick, will sometimes show her delight 'by another habitual 
 movement, namely, by licking the air as if it were my hand. 
 
 Horses scratch themselves by nibbling those parts of 
 their bodies which they can reach with their teeth; but more 
 commonly one horse shows another where he wants to be 
 scratched, and they then nibble each other. 
 
 A horse when eager to start on a journey makes the 
 nearest approach which he can to the habitual movement 
 of progression by pawing the ground. Now, when horses 
 in their stalls are about to be fed and are eager for their 
 corn, they paw the pavement or the straw. Two of my 
 horses thus behave when they see or hear the corn given 
 to their neighbors. But here we have what may almost be 
 called a true expression, as pawing the ground is universally 
 recognized as a sign of eagerness. 
 
 Cats cover up their excrements of both kinds with earth; 
 and my grandfather saw a kitten scraping ashes over a 
 spoonful of pure water spilt on the hearth; so that here an 
 habitual or instinctive action was falsely excited, not by a 
 previous act or by odor, but by eye-sight. It is well known 
 that cats dislike wetting their feet, owing, it is probable, 
 to their having originally inhabited the dry country of 
 Egypt; and when they wet their feet they shake them 
 violently. My daughter poured some water into a glass 
 close to the head of a kitten, and it immediately shook its 
 feet in the usual manner; so that here we have an habitual 
 movement falsely excited by an associated sound instead 
 of by the sense of touch. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 255 
 
 ANIMALS GESTURE LANGUAGE 
 
 Presently I shall discuss and tell about wild animals, 
 but will first take up those you are most familiar with in 
 order to understand more fully by analogy the facts I 
 desire to impress upon your mind, viz.: 
 
 When a dog approaches a strange dog or man. in a 
 sava§fe or hostile frame of mind he walks upright and very 
 stiffly; his head is slightly raised, or not much lowered; 
 the tail is held erect and quite rigid; the hairs bristle, espe- 
 cially along the neck and back; the pricked ears are directed 
 forwards, and the eyes have a fixed stare. These actions, 
 as will hereafter be explained, follow from the dog's inten- 
 tion to attack his enemy, and are thus to a large extent 
 intelligible. As he prepares to spring with a savage growl 
 on his enemy, the canine teeth are uncovered, and the ears 
 are pressed close backwards on the head. Let us now 
 suppose that the dog suddenly discovers that the man he 
 is approaching is not a stranger, but his master; and let 
 it be observed how completely and instantaneously his 
 whole bearing is reversed. Instead of walking upright, 
 the body sinks downwards or even crouches, and is thrown 
 into flexuous movements; his tail, instead of being held 
 stiff and upright, is lowered and wagged from side to side; 
 his hair instantly becomes smooth; his ears are depressed 
 and drawn backwards, but not closely to the head, and 
 his lips hang loosely. From the drawing back of the 
 ears the eyelids become elongated, and the eyes no longer 
 appear round and staring. It should be added that the 
 animal is at such times in an excited condition from joy, 
 and nerve-force will be generated in excess, which natural- 
 ly leads to action of some kind, unconsciously even. 
 
 Unconscious Movements — Signs 
 
 A winking movement is caused when a blow is directed 
 towards the face, but this is an habitual and not a strictly 
 reflex action, as the stimulus is conveyed through the mind 
 and not by the excitement of a peripheral nerve. The whole 
 
256 . CO^MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 body and head are generally at the same time drawn sud- 
 denly backwards. These latter movements, however, can be 
 prevented, if the danger does not appear to the imagination 
 imminent; but our reason telling us that there is no danger 
 does not suffice. I may mention a trifling fact, illustrating 
 this point, and which at the time amused me. I put my 
 face close to the thick glass-plate in the front of a puff- 
 adder in the Zoological Gardens, with the firm determina- 
 tion of not starting back if the snake struck at me; but, 
 as soon as the blow was struck my resolution went for noth- 
 ing, and I jumped a yard or two backwards with astonishing 
 rapidity. My will and reason were powerless against the 
 imagination of a danger which had never been experienced. 
 
 Dogs after voiding their excrement often make with 
 all four feet a few scratches backwards, even on a bare 
 stone pavement, as if for the purpose of covering up their 
 excrement with earth, in nearly the same manner as do cats. 
 Wolves and jackals, in exactly the same manner. All these 
 animals, however, bury superfluous food. Hence, if we right- 
 ly understand the meaning of the above cat-like habit, of 
 which there can be little doubt, we have a purposeless rem- 
 nant of an habitual movement, which was originally fol- 
 lowed by some remote progenitor of the dog-genus for a 
 definite purpose, and which has been retained for a prodigious 
 length of time. 
 
 Wolves, dogs and jackals take pleasure in rolling and 
 rubbing their necks and backs on carrion, because the odor 
 seems delightful to them. 
 
 Many carnivorous animals, as they crawl towards their 
 prey and prepare to rush or spring on it, lower their heads 
 and crouch, partly, as it would appear, to hide themselves, 
 and to get ready for their rush; and this habit in an exag- 
 gerated form has become hereditary in our pointers and 
 setters. Now, I have noticed scores of times that when 
 two strange dogs meet on an open road, the one which first 
 sees the other, though at the distance of one or two hundred 
 yards, after the first glance always lowers its head, generally 
 crouches a little, or even lies down; that is, he takes the 
 proper attitude for concealing himself and for making a 
 rush or spring. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 257 
 
 PRACTICAL ILLUSTRATIONS OF SIGN 
 LANGUAGE 
 
 Let us now turn to the cat. When this animal is 
 threatened by a dog, it arches its back in a surprising man- 
 ner, erects its hair, opens its mouth and spits. But we are 
 not here concerned with this well known attitude, expres- 
 sive of terror combined with anger; we are concerned only 
 with tiiat of rage or anger. This is not often seen, but 
 may be observed when two cats are fighting together. The 
 attitude is almost exactly the same as that of a. tiger dis- 
 turbed and growling over its food, which every one must 
 have beheld in menageries. The animal assumes a crouch- 
 ing position, with the body extended; and the whole tail, 
 or the tip alone, is lashed or curled from side to side. The 
 hair is not in the least erect. Thus far, the attitude and 
 movements are nearly the same as when the animal is pre- 
 pared to spring on its prey, and when, no doubt, it feels 
 savage. But when preparing to fight, there is this differ- 
 ence, that the ears are closely pre.ssed backwards; the 
 mouth partially opened, showing the teeth; the fore 
 feet are occasionally struck out with protruded claws,, and 
 the animal occasionally utters a fierce growl. All, or almost 
 all, these actions naturally follow (as herafter to be ex- 
 plained), from the cat's manner and intention of attacking its 
 enemy. 
 
 Let us now look at a cat in a directly opposite frame of 
 mind, whilst feeling affectionate and caressing hei master; 
 and mark how opposite is her attitude in every respect. 
 She now stands upright with her back slightly arched, which 
 makes the hair appear rather rough, but it does not bristle; 
 her tail, instead of being extended and lashed from side to 
 side, is held quite stiff and perpendicularly upwards; her 
 ears are erect and pointed; her mouth is closed, and she 
 rubs against her master with a purr instead of a growl. 
 Let it further be observed how widely different is the whole 
 bearing of an affectionate cat from that of a dog, when 
 with his body crouching and flexuous, his tail lowered and 
 wagging, and ears depressed, he caresses his master. This 
 contrast in the attitudes and movements of these two carniv- 
 
258 PO'MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 orons animals, under the same pleased and affectionate 
 frame of mind, can be explained, as it appears to me, solel; 
 by their movements standing in complete antithesis to those 
 which are naturally assumed, when these animals feel savage 
 and are prepared either to fight or to seize their prey. 
 
 In these cases of the dog and cat, there is every rea- 
 son to believe that the gestures both of hostility and affec- 
 tion are innate or inherited, for they are almost identically 
 the same in the different races of the species, and in all the 
 individuals of the same race, both young and old. 
 
 THE VALUE OF NOTICING SIGN LANGUAGE 
 
 Any one who has watched monkeys will not doubt that 
 they perfectly understand each other's gestures and expres- 
 sion. . 
 
 An animal when going to attack another, or when 
 afraid of another, often makes itself appear terrible, by 
 erecting its hair, thus increasing the apparent bulk of its 
 body, by showing its teeth, or by brandishing its horns or by 
 uttering fierce sounds. 
 
 Dogs when aproaching a strange dog, may find it useful 
 to show b}^ their movements that they are friendly, and do 
 not wish to fight. When two young dogs in play are growl- 
 ing and biting each other's faces and legs it is obvious that 
 they mutually understand each other's gestures and manners. 
 There seems, indeed, some degree of instinctive knowledge 
 in puppies and kittens, that they must not use their sharp 
 little teeth or claws too freely in their play, though this 
 sometimes happens and a squeal is the result: otherwise 
 they would often injure each other's eyes. 
 
 Years ago I owned a valuable Collie dog who loved to 
 play and bite at my hand, who at times was rather rough 
 with his teeth, hence when in p^ay, often snarling at the 
 same time, if he bit too hard and I said gently, gently, he 
 went on biting, but he answered me by a few wags of the 
 tail, which seemed to say "Never mind, it is all fun." Al- 
 though dogs do thus express, and may wish to express, to 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 259 
 
 other dogs and to man, that they are in a friendly state of 
 mind, these very same signs we perceive in mankind — only 
 the trouble is we have largely ignored these things and de- 
 pended upon speech instead, while with animals it is the 
 reverse. 
 
 Now turn to the characteristic symptoms of rage. Under 
 this powerful emotion the action of the heart is much accel- 
 erated, or it may be much disturbed. The face reddens, 
 or it becomes purple from the impeded return of the blood, 
 or may turn deadly pale. The respiration is laboured, the 
 chest heaves, and the dilated nostrils quiver. The whole 
 body often trembles. The voice is affected. The teeth 
 are clenched or ground together, and the muscular system 
 is commonly stimulated to violent, almost frantic action. 
 
 SIGN VERSUS WILD ANIMAL CALLS 
 
 The sexes of many animals incessantly call for each other 
 during the breeding-season; and in not a few cases, the male 
 endeavors thus to charm or excite the female. Thus the 
 use of sign vocal organs will have become associated with 
 the anticipation of the strongest pleasure which animals are 
 capable of feeling. Animals which live in society often call 
 to each other when separated, and evidently feel much joy 
 at meeting; as we see with a horse, on the return of his com- 
 panion, for whom he has been neighing. The mother calls 
 incessantly for her lost young ones; for instance, a cow for 
 her calf; and the young of many animals call for their 
 mothers. When a flock of sheep is scattered, the ewes bleat 
 incessantly for their lambs, and their mutual pleasure at 
 coming together is manifest. Woe betide the man who 
 meddles with the young of the larger and fiercer quadrupeds, 
 if they hear the cry of distress from their young. Rage 
 leads to the violent exertion of all muscles, including those 
 of the voice; and some animals, when enraged, endeavor 
 to strike terror into their enemies by its power and harsh- 
 ness. 
 
260 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Rival males try to excel and challenge each other by 
 their voices, and this leads to deadly contests. Rabbits 
 stamp loudly on the ground as a signal to their comrades; 
 and if a man knows how^ to do so properly, he may on a 
 quiet evening hear the rabbits answering him all around. 
 These animals, as well as some others, also stamp on the 
 ground when made angry. Porcupines rattle their quills 
 and vibrate their tails when angered; and one behaved in 
 this manner when a live snake was placed in its compartment. 
 The quills on the tail are very different from those on the 
 body: They are short, hollow, thin like a goose-quill, with 
 their ends transversely truncated, so that they are open; 
 they are supported on long, thin, elastic footstalks. Nov/, 
 when the tail is rapidly shaken, these hollow quills strike 
 against each other and produce a peculiar continuous sound. 
 We can, I think, understand why porcupines have been pro- 
 vided, through modification of their protective spines, with 
 this special sounding instrument. They are nocturnal ani- 
 mals, and if they scented or heard a prowling beast of prey, 
 it would be a great advantage to them in the dark to give 
 warning to their enemy what they were, and that they were 
 furnished with dangerous spines. They would thus escape 
 being attacked. They are, as I may add, so fully conscious 
 of the power of their weapons, that when enraged they will 
 charge backwards with their spines erected, yet still inclined 
 backwards. 
 
 Many birds during their courtship produce diversified 
 sounds by means of specially adapted feathers. Grouse drum 
 with their wings. Snakes and adders puff and hiss and rattle 
 or vibrate the tail. 
 
 When a dog is chased, or when in danger of being struck 
 behind, or of anything falling on him, in all these cases he 
 wishes to withdraw as quickly as possible his whole hind- 
 quarters, and that from, some sympathy or connection be- 
 tween the muscles, the tail is then drawn closely inwards. 
 
 These facts together with other observation as to gesture 
 language of wild animals represent but a part of what I have 
 to say upon the subject — and as we go along I intend to 
 show you — how in many other ways — wild animals communi- 
 cate to each other — when separated by long distances even — 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 261 
 
 how they leave messages, post signals and by a host of ways 
 perform seemingly wonderful feat.s in a most simple way. 
 That mankind once possessed the ability to read and de- 
 cipher expression without words is recorded in the early 
 part of Genesis, where we are told that our Adamic ancestor 
 was asked, "What is this thou hast done — hast thou eaten 
 of the tree of life, etc., etc.," showing that by external signs 
 facial expression and otherwise the evil done was evident 
 by a glance in point of fact. Mind reading or telepathy is 
 repeatedly recorded — even expert criminologists today or 
 men versed in criminal ways can tell by looks and posture, 
 largely what is going on in one's mind, for by muscle and 
 facial movement, expression, etc., the guilty self betray them- 
 selves; and with wild animals who depend upon signs as 
 a means of communication, the faculty is abnormally devel- 
 oped, and apparent at a glance, and when we can observe 
 the signs, they fathom both act, meaning and intent a thou- 
 sand times more accurate than we; that is why I contend 
 that animals recognize, even our moods, dispositions and by 
 the power of scent also are enabled to perform wonderful 
 feats of an extraordinary nature. 
 
 "DEDUCTIVE POWER OF ODORS." 
 
 It is by means of scent or odor that animals smell out 
 where each other has been and determine or reason out 
 largely by these and other signs what their absent mates 
 have been doing. Even animals, after their mates return 
 from some lone trip, will proceed to smell out their fellows, 
 as though to deduce therefrom, largely by odor or associa- 
 tion of smell, where they have been and what they were 
 at. So, too, will pups or cubs smell their parent, who has 
 been off hunting, and learn if they have been successful in 
 the chase. As generally the odor of blood or the animal she 
 has captured associated with, perhaps feasted upon or hid- 
 den, is perceptible — all such signs are noted. Thus many 
 a tell-tale story -or fact cannot be hidden, disguised or con- 
 cealed, and the nose is used to tell many a tale or act: 
 
262 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 that in itself is equivalent to language reading and perceiv- 
 ing. By such sign a whole lot of information is gained 
 which otherwise could not be obtained; and by deductive 
 reasoning do they learn and know much as to each other's 
 trips or acts when absent, illustrating that old proverb, 
 "Actions speak louder than words." Take, for instance, 
 a good hunting dog; he knows the minute one is preparing 
 for a hunting trip, or not, and reasons out largely by actions 
 just what you are going to do, where you are going, or 
 where you have been. Even a common house dog or cat 
 knows when its master or missus has been to the store, 
 and what it has got before; even the packages are opened; 
 they can smell butcher shop or grocery and tell the dififer- 
 ence between that and the drugstore or laundry; they be- 
 come far more familiar with your habits, customs and wants 
 than you do of theirs, and I repeat, we have much to profit 
 by and learn of their ways. Eyes, nose and ears to them 
 give out information that you little dream of, and there is 
 a hundred things they notice about each other or you that 
 one never could imagine or suspect. Hence bear in mind 
 that b}^ a mental and physical process of reasoning all ani- 
 mals deduce from sign, and gather much information which 
 conveys to them — and really means — the equivalent of 
 speech. Every track, trail, hoof print, claw mark, rubbing 
 post, urinating place, dung heap, piles of hair, fur, bones, 
 remains of a feast, camphre or strange article, even an 
 empty cartridge shell thrown about or left around, tin can, 
 or, for that matter anything strange, conveys to them a 
 tell-tale story as to what has been done, or what is going 
 on. It is their way of gathering facts and information of 
 each other's or your acts, and with "Sherlock Holmes" like 
 intelligence they learn the news as to happenings of the 
 day, much as we rely upon the news of the day or gossip 
 of the neighbors. To them the art of deductive reasoning 
 is part and parcel of their make-up, and they read in each 
 other's minds and acts the very thoughts, intents and pur- 
 poses as they go along. Curiosity in them is inborn, a sort 
 of second nature, and it is developed extraordinarily until 
 it becomes a seventh or eighth sense, so to speak. 
 
 I have often been amused by scientists who wrote on sub- 
 jects as, "Do Animals Think or Reason?" and am surprised 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 263 
 
 that they deny to them intelligence that we possess. To my 
 mind they can give scientists cards and spades when it 
 comes right down to facts, although I am willing to admit 
 their intelligence is limited to natural things, and not the 
 artificial or unnatural. If scientists would only gather their 
 information at first hand, instead of jumping to conclusions, 
 they would concede the fact that animal intelligences are 
 superior to their own in very many respects, just as they do 
 that ours are superior to theirs in many ways. There are 
 limitations pro and con, and we have much yet to learn and 
 profit b}^ as to the ways cf the wild. 
 
 TRACKS AND TRAILING 
 
 TRACKING ON BARE GROUND 
 
 It has been said that nature is an open book to the man 
 who can read the signs and tracks therein, but few is there 
 who can do it. Too many tracking is very .difficult, hence, 
 do not expect to become an expert trailer by reading this 
 chapter — either let its hints and suggestions be the starting 
 point, and begin by examining every imprint you find any- 
 where and by deductive reasoning figure out who made it. 
 Experience only will enable you to judge of these things, 
 for there are lots of other signs besides trail to note, for it 
 is by sign and trail both that one verifies the other. 
 
 To begin with one must first judge correctly what ani- 
 mal made the track; second, to note the direction it is travel- 
 ing; third, the manner or gait in which it is going: fourth, 
 its size and shape, so as to judge of its age and sex, for by 
 mental note of these facts one can generally get a pretty 
 good idea o"f its distinction and anything else accordingly. 
 
 Under ordinary conditions any single track will suffice 
 to tell the species and size, at least with a fair degree of 
 accuracy, yet there are many instances when varieties look 
 so much alike that one can mistake. 
 
 In tracking deer upon bare ground a difficulty meets us 
 which is practically unknown in tracking upon snow; name- 
 
264 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 TRACKS AND TRAILING 
 
 Identifing Sign or Trail. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 265 
 
 ly, recognizing the footprints. On snow one can generally 
 watch the trail with an occasional side glance of the most 
 careless kind, keeping all his attention directed toward 
 catching first sight of the game. But on bare ground not 
 only is keener sight necessary to detect the game, but a 
 large part of the attention so necessary for that purpose 
 has to be diverted toward finding and recognizing the foot- 
 prints of the trail. 
 
 I "have read some very weak stuff about the stupen- 
 dous difficulties of tracking upon bare ground. I have read 
 very able articles by eminent sportsmen in our best maga- 
 zines in which the tracking of a moose weighing nearly a 
 thousand pounds was depicted as a vast and wondrous 
 achievement, the ability to do which was reserved to the 
 gifted Indian and denied to the poor paleface. There are 
 indeed some people who could not track an elephant through 
 a dew-covered clover-patch; but there is not a backwoods 
 boy of sixteen who ever has to hunt up a lost yearling calf 
 in the woods, not a young vaquero in California who ever 
 followed an animal over the rugged hills, who would not 
 laugh at those articles and declare the author a gosling. 
 The authors of such articles are, however, no such .thing, 
 but simply careless writers who allow their admiration of 
 the Indian to run away with their pens. But the effect 
 of all such stuff is bad. It deters from attempting track- 
 ing many a one who might easily attain, not great skill, 
 but enough for good sport. 
 
 There may be a hereditary tendency in the Indian which 
 makes it more easy for him to learn tracking; but he has 
 also vastly more practice. And herein lies the main secret 
 — perfect sight and practice, practice, practice. And with 
 practice the average white man is fully equal to the average 
 Indian. There will be a difference in individuals just as 
 there is in the knack or facility of doing anything, and 
 consequently some Indians will excel some white men. But 
 if the average Indian excels the average white man, it is in 
 what he will do and not in what he can do. He will run 
 all day with nothing to eat, keeping a dog-trot nearly all 
 the time for a single deer. The white man has more re- 
 gard for the day of reckoning, and will rarely throw away 
 
3G6 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 TRACKS OF ANIMALS— "SPOORING" 
 
 # 
 
 # 
 
 CAT 
 
 ■ m 
 
 
 
 ^? 
 
 
 
 ^' ' 
 
 
 
 
 Mi 
 
 '*': 
 
 .•*» 
 
 
 S i' t 
 
 
 <> 
 Ml 
 
 
 >"■ 
 
 **• 
 
 
 ><» 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 •<,■■ 
 
 ■> 
 
 ft 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 *& 
 
 
 n r 
 
 A 
 
 ^ 
 
 n 
 
 
 « « 
 
 
 'w 
 
 .^i^ 
 
 ^t*; 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 ■*f 
 
 ? » 
 
 .,r..^'i 
 
 f_p 
 
 .1 
 
 A Study in Gaits and Tracks 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 267 
 
 his health or prematurely use up his strength for such a 
 paltry reward as a deer. And just so the Indian will cling 
 to a trail and eventually secure the game when the white 
 man would give it up as involving more patience or work 
 than the game was worth. The Indian- hunts for food; 
 when he sets out for it he is bound to have it, and he will 
 continue the chase as long as daylight allows him. Here 
 he undoubtedly excels. And, so far as I am concerned, he 
 is triply welcome to all the glory of this superiority. 
 
 Tracking on bare ground is, however, very often diffi- 
 cult, and is never any too easy. On some kinds of ground 
 it is impossible for either white man or Indian to track 
 an animal as light and as small-hoofed as a deer fast 
 enough to be of any avail; and often where it can be done 
 it is too tedious even for the Indian. He rarely tracks 
 a single deer on most kinds of bare grounds unless it is 
 wounded or deer are very scarce. Where a single -track 
 goes through heavy timber; where the ground is covered 
 with dry dead leaves or dry dead grass; where it is very 
 dry and hard, or is stony or frozen; where it is thickly 
 covered with brush, dry weeds, canebrake, etc. — rare is the 
 hunter, either white or red, who will have patience to follow 
 a track. j\.nd often they could not if they would. • More 
 often, however, they merely skip such places and depend 
 upon picking up the trail on better ground; but where the 
 whole or greater part of the ground is of the nature above 
 described, nearly all hunters let the tracks alone, unless 
 they be tracks of a traveling band. 
 
 But, on the other hand, there are some kinds of ground 
 on which a deer can be followed with almost as much 
 certainty as on snow, and so fast as to require little patience 
 on the part of the hunter. Such are the bare hilly regions 
 where the ground is not too rocky, and where little or no 
 grass grows and the brush is not too thick. Such is almost 
 all open ground when very wet and not too much covered 
 with dead grass, weeds, etc.; such is most open ground 
 covered with green grass, especially if the dew is on it; such 
 is ground on which wild cattle range, and where the deer 
 often follow the cattle-trails and make runways of their 
 own from one trail to another. On these and various other 
 
268 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 TRACKS OF ANIMALS 
 
 •-■^<;.»y<;^p^y-qjga»-> , 
 
 
 1.1 
 
 MARTEN 
 
 
 Close Comparisons, showing Ho'w Mistakes are Made. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 269 
 
 kinds of ground it often is worth while to work up a trail 
 of even a single deer; but just when and where this will be 
 worth while depends so entirely upon the nature of the 
 ground, the size of the deer, the distance it is likely to 
 travel, the age of the track, its direction, the time of day, 
 etc., that it is quite impossible to lay down any useful rule. 
 It is a thing to be decided by the circumstances of each 
 particular case. 
 
 But though it may not be worth while to track a single 
 deer on bare ground, the case is often quite different when 
 there are several. A band of five or six deer is quite easy 
 to follow, and even a doe and two fawns will keep so close 
 together that where the track of one is extremely faint that 
 of another near by it is very plain. So long as they keep 
 near together, so that one fills up the dim part of the trail 
 of another, a band is quite easy to track; but when they 
 begin to straggle out and wander here and there they get 
 harder to follow, and, as before, in tracking on snow, it is 
 now best to leave the tracks for a while and look out for 
 the game from behind some ridge. Still it will not always 
 be advisable to follow even a band, if deer are plenty enough 
 without doing so; for though it is easier for you to see 
 some of them, it is also much easier for them to see, or 
 hear, or smell you. So if the ground is very level or brushy, 
 with no good lookout places or facilities for circling well, 
 or if the wind be strong, it is often best not to bother even 
 with tracking several deer if others are plenty enough to 
 give you a fair chance elsewhere. 
 
 If you only expect to hunt a little at long intervals it will 
 not be worth while to study tracking on bare ground, for 
 to acquire sufficient skill to do it rapidly enough, and with 
 certainty enough, requires unquestionably a large amount 
 of practice. But, on the other hand, if you intend to do 
 any considerable amount of still-hunting you should by all 
 means practice it. And to begin this it is not necessary to 
 wait until the necessity arises. The first steps in the art 
 can be learned by practicing on your own trail. 
 
 To do this go first upon ground that is soft enough to 
 take the impression of your foot. After walking a hundred 
 yards or so, tircle around backward and look for vour 
 
270 
 
 TRACKS AND TRAILS. 
 
 Close Comparisons Showing How Mistakes are Made. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 271 
 
 trail. Then follow it, not with your eyes upon any one 
 track and then shifting to the next one, but with eyes 
 fixed as far away as possible, and with a gaze that takes 
 in at once twenty-five or thirty feet of the trail. After try- 
 ing this for a few days you will discover a marked differ- 
 ence in the speed with which your eye catches each foot- 
 print, in the distance at which it will catch them, and in 
 the number it will take in at once. On each day look also, 
 for the tracks of- the preceding day and days before that, 
 until you can no longer hnd them; and note carefully the 
 difference in the appearance of freshness, a very important 
 point. When it becomes easy to find and follow your trail 
 on such ground, change to more difficult ground. Unless 
 you live in a large city all this kind of practice may easily 
 be had near home. A cow or horse track, off the road, 
 is also good to practice on. But remember to always try 
 and see as far ahead as possible on the trail. Tracking does 
 not, as some might suppose, consist in picking out each 
 step b}^ a separate search, but in a comprehensive view of 
 the whole ground for several yards ahead. Sometimes it is 
 necessary to grope one's way from step to step like a child 
 in its primer, as where the trail gets very faint or turns 
 much; but generally the experienced tracker reads several 
 yards of the trail at a glance, just as the fluent reader does 
 words in a book. The gaze is fixed quite as much on the 
 surrounding ground, and the trail appears almost to stand 
 out in relief. 
 
 The appearance of a deer's track upon bare ground varies 
 very much, and a trail may in a quarter of a mile run 
 through a dozen or more variations. All appearances may, 
 however, be included undcF the following heads, and the 
 great majority of tracks you will see will correspond exactly 
 with the description of the class: 
 
 1st. Distinct impressions of the whole hoof. 
 
 2nd. Faint impressions of only the points of the hoof. 
 
 3rd. A slight rim of dirt or dust thrown up by the 
 sharp edge of the hoof. 
 
 4th. Slight scrapes upon hard ground, recognizable only 
 by the change of color, being made by a faint grinding of 
 the finest particles of the surface without any impression. 
 
272 
 
 Antlers and Horns of tlie Elk. 
 
 Tht ^^I'f*^^^- ?^o^'t> Of Antlers— Up to the Shedding Season. 
 Ihe Last Picture m th,s Illustration Shows the Condition of 
 '-oat in feprmg- ^\ hen Summer Hair is Coming in and 
 Winter Hair is Being- Shed. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE • 273 
 
 5th. Mere touches or spots showing only a faint change 
 in the shade of the color. There is scarcely any air so dry 
 that the ground during the night will not absorb a trace 
 of moisture. The least disturbance of the top particles of 
 such soil, even without grinding them over each other, will 
 make a difference in the shade of the color, which will be 
 visible under some point of view though invisible from 
 others, depending upon the direction of the light. 
 
 6th. Crushing or grinding of the surface of friable rocks, 
 and mere scrapes or scratches on harder rock or frozen 
 ground. 
 
 7th. Depressions in moss, grass, dead leaves, etc. 
 
 8th. Dead leaves, sticks, etc., kicked or brushed aside 
 or overturned, or broken or bent, etc. 
 
 9th. A plain bending or separating of the spears of grass 
 or weeds. This is generally caused by the feet treading 
 down the stalks at the bottom and not as the next (Xo. 
 10) is. 
 
 10th. A bending of the spears of grass or weeds, etc.. 
 by the legs of the passing animal. In this case the bend 
 itself of the spears is hardly noticeable except b}' the change 
 in the shade of light cast b}^ them. In such case a faint 
 streak of differently shaded color will be found running 
 through the grass or weeds, visible only from some direc- 
 tions. 
 
 11th, Change of color from brushing dew, rain-drops, 
 or frost from grass, weeds, etc. 
 
 12th. Upturning of the under surfaces (generally moist) 
 of stones, leaves, etc. 
 
 These twelve classes include about all you will need to 
 study. There are. of course, some others, but generally so 
 accidental and rare that you had better skip such places and 
 seek the trail farther on. such .as the under surface of dry 
 leaves pressed against wet ones beneath but not upturned. 
 It will not be worth while to spend time on a trail in look- 
 ing for such signs. 
 
 Where the animal has run or bounded it is, of course, easy 
 to follow. But this generally shows that you have alarmed 
 it, or that some one else has. You already know your 
 prospects in such a case. About the only tracks worth 
 
274 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 following are those where the animal was walking, and 
 these are the very hardest. 
 
 I should deem it unnecessary to mention the peculiars 
 shape of a deer's track had I not known the tracks of both 
 hogs and sheep frequently taken for those of a deer. 
 Both hogs and sheep have more round and uneven pointed 
 hoofs than a deer has. A hog, too, spreads his toes out. 
 and a sheep generally does more or less. A deer always 
 keeps his toes tight together, except when running, and 
 sometimes when walking on wet and slippery ground. There 
 is once in a great while a deer with spreading toes, and 
 once in a great while a sheep with a foot almost like a 
 deer's foot. But these are too rare to give you any trouble. 
 The feet of an antelope are still sharper, if possible, than 
 those of a deer, though there is often resemblance enough 
 to deceive nearly any one judging by the mere footprints 
 without regard to the nature of the ground, the number 
 of animals, etc. A calf has also a spreading foot and much 
 more rounding toes than those of a deer,' as well as a larger 
 hoof. The goat makes a solid track, very uneven in front. 
 The difference in the distance of the step will generally 
 settle most cases of doubt, as a deer has a much longer 
 step than a sheep, hog or goat. The feet of these animals 
 also drag more in snow than do those of a deer. 
 
 When the track runs over ground where it becomes hard 
 to recognize it is best to skip that part and look for it 
 farther on. And this must also be done where you can 
 easily follow it but cannot do so without some danger of 
 alarming the game; as where the trail runs down a hill- 
 side in plain view of the valley or basin in which the game 
 IS likely to be, or turns down wind, etc., etc. And where 
 It is necessary to circle the trail when deer watch the back 
 trail, etc., etc., it must be found again in the same way. 
 
 In order to do this a knowledge of the deer's habits and 
 movements in indispensable. So is a quick and compre- 
 hensive grasp of the features (or "lay of the land") of the 
 country where you do not already know them. You must 
 know the kind of ground to which a deer is most likely to 
 go at any particular time of day, the length of time he is 
 likely to remain there, how far he is likely to travel, etc., 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 275 
 
 etc., and be quick to see the most advantageous way to 
 approach such places as the game may probably be in, as 
 well as the best and easiest place to regain the trail. All 
 of which will so vary with the locality and the wildness of 
 the deer that little advice can be given about it except 
 generally, as has been already somewhat done and will be 
 continued farther on. And even where the trail is easily 
 followed this kind of knowledge will enable you to make 
 many* advantageous flank movements, etc. 
 
 The freshness of a track is generally less easy to deter- 
 mine upon bare ground than upon snow, though it can be 
 done with far more certaint}- than one would suppose. It 
 is indeed often more difficult than it is upon snow to dis- 
 tinguish a track five minutes old from one, two or three hours 
 old. And sometimes a difference of several hours cannot be 
 noticed. But it is generally very easy to tell with certainty 
 the track of today from that of yesterday. There are places, 
 however, where sometimes even this can hardly 'be done, as 
 in coarse dry sand, dry dead weeds and grass where the 
 stalk does not straighten again, but the slant remains and 
 continues to make a different shade of light, etc., etc. 
 
 \Miere dew, frost or rain-drops have been brushed from 
 grass or weeds the freshness is, of course, unmistakable. 
 So where wet leaves, stones, etc., have been upturned, if the 
 air is dry the freshness is also easy to determine. The be- 
 ginner will find little trouble with anything but dr}- ground, 
 rocky ground, etc. And here he must learn to note the 
 shade of color in case of mere scrapes, and the smoothness 
 and fineness of the outlines in case of distinct impressions. 
 Where tracks are not deep they are often obliterated in a 
 few da3'S, and this even without any rain or strong wind. 
 There is alwa^'s more or less moving of ants and birds over 
 them: there is always more or less dust falling from the air, 
 the bushes, etc., -and the faintest breeze stirs up more. If 
 the}' do not in a few days obliterate a track all these things 
 will quickly give it an appearance unmistakl}' old. The 
 brighter color, too, of any track on drj'- ground will generally 
 b}-- one night, however dry the air maj- apparently be, be re- 
 stored to the color of the ground around it. though the out- 
 line. if any, may 3^et remain distinct. On the dry hills of south- 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Right and Wrong- Ways of Travel. 
 Always Follows Your Guide's Instructions Implicitly. 
 In the Center Picture We See the Mistake of "Going It Blind"- 
 Note the Old Guide "Feels His Way," the Other Dis- 
 regarding "His Warning" Makes a Fatal Mistake 
 in a Dangerous Location. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 277 
 
 ern California I have time and again noticed that tracks- that I 
 had followed with ease, and where the imprint of the hoof 
 was perfect, were gone in four or five days, and this where 
 there were no quails trooping over the trail. This same 
 obliteration takes place there with the droppings during the 
 dry season, though this occurs more slowly. They are not 
 merely bleached out, but they disappear. This will some- 
 times happen in a fortnight or so, though more often it 
 takes jnonths. Where there is rain they will often go sooner. 
 But color and gloss will generally determine their age 
 anywhere. 
 
 I have confined myself in this chapter only to very gen- 
 eral hints, as nothing will supply the place of practice, 
 and practice will supply all I have omitted. Without prac- 
 tice, and considerable of it, much success in bare tracking 
 is out of the question. It is not half as hard as it is generally 
 represented, but it is still no child's play. As long as you 
 have to grope your way from track to track it will be too 
 slow. You must study the ground until you can see tracks 
 almost stick out from it, and see the line of the trail 
 yards and rods ahead. 
 
 The besetting sin of most trackers when upon bare 
 ground is allowing the trail to take too much of their at- 
 tention. And often while they are looking at the trail the, 
 game is looking at them. 
 
 Sometimes it may be best to skip the whole of the trail, 
 using its direction only as a general guide; as where you 
 find it leading from a spring toward some brushy basin upon 
 the mountain-side, which is a favorite resort for deer during 
 the day. And sometimes if you find a fresh trail coming 
 down from such a place to a spring, but can find no 
 trail returning, it may even be worth while to back- 
 track the incoming trail, as the deer maj^ have returned to 
 the basin by a roundabout way, over ground or through 
 brush where it is too hard to follow them. The size and 
 character of the basin and the quantity of other good lying- 
 down places must determine such questions. 
 
 Sometimes you get personally acquainted with a certain 
 deer or set of deer so 'that you not only know them by 
 
278 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 sight, but know their tracks, at once; know where they will 
 keep, where they will run if started, where they will be 
 tomorrow if started today, etc. You come to know them 
 perfectly, but there is always something the matter when 
 you find them. They are too far, or jumping too high, or 
 — or — well, in short you have not yet got them. The tracks 
 of such deer are a pretty sure guide to their whereabouts 
 without adhering to the tracks themselves. 
 
 DEER HUNTING 
 
 Where deer are plenty they are often seen in the woods, 
 but although they are often shot in one of these happen- 
 soes, it takes something more than this to make a success- 
 ful deer hunter. It requires an understanding of the habits 
 of the animal. In the spring of the year, when the deer is 
 poor, and worthless as food, and the hide is thin and 
 good for nothing, he is careless as to the approach of man, 
 and may be seen in the fields searching for food. 
 
 I do" not know that they would at this time be unhealthy 
 as food, as it is said that the deer is never sick. I certainly 
 never saw a sick deer, although I have killed hundreds in 
 my life. Some of them were " cripples, but none of them 
 seemed to be diseased. The deer has no gall in his liver, 
 but in the month of June I have found cavities in the 
 liver filled with a substance resembling gall, having round, 
 flat objects moving in it. I have seen several of these in 
 one liver, but never in August or September. 
 
 While in this condition the animal is dumpish and dull, 
 but as cool weather comes on, he wakes up; and now, 
 my boys, look out. In September the buck 'begins to 
 harden his horns. He lies in side hills facing the sun, and 
 rubs his horns against little bushes ,to get off the bark or 
 velvety skin. Now is the time to get a crack at him, if 
 you can, for his meat is excellent for food. But you will 
 have to be sly and keep to windward of him, for he is on 
 the lookout, and if the wind blows from you to him, he 
 will scent you. To know how the wind blows, ever so 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 279 
 
 little, put your finger in your mouth until it is wet and 
 warm, then hold it above your head, and the wind will 
 cool it on the side from which it comes. This is a hunter's 
 trick. Now proceed to hunt against the wind, and when 
 you discover a deer, raise your rifle and aim at the knee 
 of the fore leg; then raise the muzzle slowly until you 
 sight the body, and then haul off. Don't hold your breath, 
 for that will make you tremble, but breathe freelj^ until 
 yoirget ready to pull trigger, and don't flinch o;" jerk it. 
 
 This is for September. In October the buck is very 
 shy and the doe twice as much so. She goes into thickets 
 to hide from the buck, thus keeps well hid from you, while 
 the buck passes around the thicket watching for her to 
 come out. When he gets siglit of her, they both set off 
 as if routed by a hunter. During this month but few deer 
 are killed. In November the fun begins. Then the doe 
 comes out to the buck, and the spring fawn generally keeps 
 with its mother, so tb.at yon may get sight of the three at 
 once, and a good steady marksman sometimes gets all 
 three of them on the spot. To do this, shoot the doe flrst: 
 the buck and the fawn will both stay around. Next shoot 
 the buck and then the fawn, so as to have the three. I 
 want to tell you never to go and see what you have shot, 
 without first loading 3'our gun. The deer may not be very 
 badly wounded, and will jump up and run away unless 
 3'ou have your gun ready to stop him. 
 
 A very easy way of getting a shot at a deer v.-ill be to 
 make a deer-lick or salting-place, after the following man- 
 ner: Choose some out-of-the-way spot where deer will be 
 likely to pass, and put some salt in the hollow of an old 
 log, or in a hole bored near the root of a tree, or in the 
 end of a stick driven into the ground, so that the end which 
 holds the salt will be about twelve inches high. Among 
 the limbs make a scaffold sufficient to rest upon while you 
 wait the coming of the deer to lick the salt, being, of course, 
 provided with a good gun, well loaded. While daylight lasts 
 there is no difficult}-, but when night comes on you will 
 need an apparatus for giving light. This may be made of 
 sheet iron, old tin, paste board, or birch bark, formed into a 
 cylinder sufficientU- large, like a stove pipe hat. At a proper 
 
280 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 height to give room for the head, put in a false crown or a 
 division piece. Above this, cut down one side of the cylinder 
 wide enough for the light of a candle to shine out. In the 
 center of the division piece put a tin socket, to hold a 
 candle or other substance which will light quickly from a 
 match. The candle may be made of tallow or beeswax, with 
 a large wick, or you may use a piece of pitch pine, fitting 
 one end into the socket and whittling the other into a mass 
 of cone-like shavings. Being thus provided, proceed to watch 
 with patience until the deer comes to the salt-lick. When 
 you hear a noise in the right direction, strike a light and put 
 the lantern on your head. As the light is shaded, except 
 toward the deer, you can see plainly in front to the dis- 
 tance of some rods. The sights of the gun you can see 
 easily and the animal's eyes will look much like two balls 
 of fire. You may make some considerable motions while 
 you are on the scaffold, as deer rarely observe anything 
 above their heads. 
 
 Another way of making a salt-lick is to take a quart of 
 salt tied up in a small bag, and suspend it to the limb of a 
 tree or to the' top of a pole. When saturated with water 
 from rain or otherwise, it will drop brine, thus forming a 
 salt place in the earth, where deer will lick. Now fix your 
 scaffold according to the above directions, and directly in 
 line with your salted place, but beyond it, place a piece of 
 luminous rotten wood, or "fox-fire." as it is called, which 
 can be seen in the darkest night. Get your gun so pointed 
 while it is daylight as to aim directly at the "fox-fire"; 
 when the deer comes to lick the salt and darkens your light, 
 you may safely discharge your gun. Of course, this old- 
 time trick is only useful in locations where deer are plenti- 
 ful. Another thing I want to impress upon the trapper 
 is this, never hunt much about the territory covered by 
 your line of traps, it drives the animals all away. Hunting 
 and trapping grounds should be miles away from each 
 other. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 281 
 
 HUNTING THE MOOSE 
 
 As a rule the cow moose only stays a short time with 
 the bull, then steals away and hides. The bull vainly try- 
 ing to find her is at this time easy t9 approach or lure, be- 
 cause any noise or sound finds him searching blindly out 
 the least unusual sight or sound, seeming to lose his craft- 
 iness. At these times, too, when he finds out it is not a 
 female he sometimes charges or chases the creature which 
 aroused him, even should it be man. Yet at a good scent 
 of him he is ofif like a shot. Old hunters and trappers at 
 this season of mating find no difficulty in "calling them." 
 In point of fact the scraping of the blade of an ax on a tree 
 is just as good as a moose call at these times; and the hunter 
 who locates a lone bull at this time is pretty sure of heads, 
 horns and steaks. As a rule calling should be done either 
 early in the morning or at dark, and almost any imitation 
 of a cow will sufiice. It is no more necessary to use a 
 birch bark cone than a speaking trumpet, the only service 
 it does is to send the sound further and deeper into the 
 woods. Time and again I have called moose with only the 
 hands to the mouth, and by rapping on a hollow tree, as 
 they investigate the least sound. Even the swish of bushes 
 or a good shaking of a young tree will bring them nearer 
 to you should one desire a closer, surer shot. As a rule, too, 
 old bulls are much more wary than the younger, pessimistic 
 ones, and to decoy an old-timer needs more than ordinary 
 craftiness on the part of the hunter. 
 
 As a rule the moose moves silently and does not come 
 crashing through the woods as some seem to think or say; 
 indeed, quite the contrary. Even his feet seem to be shod 
 with silence, and the way the big elongated creatures can 
 navigate through the bushes without noise, scraping or 
 rustling of the bushes is a wonder, for they somehow get 
 through places that a man could not pass without getting 
 his clothes, face, arms and weapon all scratched up. Again, 
 moose, as a rule, circle to get the wind and utilizes the 
 densest thickets he can find to search out the cows hidden 
 there, and it seems as though they can see better in such 
 places; but the fact is they travel and search by scent and 
 
282 
 
 COMPLETE TT^APPERS GUIDE 
 
 sound more than they do b}^ sight alone. When two bulls 
 come across one cow there is, as a rule, a fight, and the 
 victor takes the prize. Indeed, it seems as though the 
 female watches with interest the 'battle for the possession of 
 her and accepts the inevitable as a matter of fact, as I have 
 never seen the cow try to steal away at these times, but 
 instead to look on as though the whole thing was right and 
 proper; and to witness such a royal battle is the sight of a 
 lifetime indeed. As a rule, I have noticed the smaller 
 bulls seem to be generally the victors, those of mature age 
 being the stronger, better fighters — the old ones, those 
 with the biggest antlers, being not so nimble, limber and 
 strong as the younger antagonists. Again, moose hug the 
 shadows of the woods, awaiting the call of the cows or 
 listening for them, the bull answering with grunts or sounds 
 much different than that of the long drawn out moan and 
 wail of the female. If it is very dry it is poor time to hunt 
 them, but if wet or the leaves and sticks under feet are 
 damp and soggy then is it good for still hunting, and one 
 should wend their Avay to the dense thickets, clumps of 
 woods or ridges in search of them. 
 
 The Author's Diamond Trophy 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 283 
 
 NORMAL HABITS OF ELK. 
 
 Elk is a browsing animal, and the long pendulous upper 
 lip is provided by nature for seizing and pulling down 
 branches. Yet in autumn, when the forest-vegetation is at 
 its height, the elk certainly grazes to some extent. 
 
 Normal habits of the elk are as follows: — He is astir with 
 the first signs of dawn and moves about, feeding, till near 
 noon? covering an immense extent of ground, but, owing 
 to his circling, devious course, seldom getting very far away 
 from the original spot. Towards midday he lies down for a 
 siesta of uncertain duration — from two to five hours — usually 
 under the shelter of trees; but when the weather is hot. and 
 mosquitoes torment, in the midst of open boggy moorland, 
 or a moist field-meadow, where his ponderous body speedily 
 converts the bed into a tepid bath. In every case when we 
 came upon him thus, the wily beast had circled well round 
 to leeward before couching, thus ensuring to himself timely 
 notice by the wind of any danger. The best time to hunt 
 them is in the early morn '(daylight) or evening (dusk). Do 
 not follow their tracks but circle around so as to head them 
 off and await them. 
 
 DUTIES OF GUIDES 
 
 Often has it occurred to me that a discussion on the 
 duties of guides — what they ought to do for the sportsmen 
 whom they take in the woods, ^nd what sportsmen ought to 
 expect from them — and I am going to give m}^ views on the 
 subject from 'the point of the guide. 
 
 For the last twenty years guiding has been the principal 
 source of my income and I have been fairly successful at 
 the work. I think I have a fair idea of what is due to both 
 sides and wish to do what is right by both. 
 
 Here my remarks will appl3% for instance, to Xew Bruns- 
 wick and I will describe the methods followed by the most 
 successful guides of the Province. When a man, who has 
 knowledge of the woods and some experience with the work, 
 decides to take up the business for himself he begins by look- 
 
284 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 285 
 
 i^g up the best piece of game country he can find — a piece 
 in which no other regular guide makes a practice of hunt- 
 ing. Having found such a suitable place he next makes in- 
 quiries as to the ownership of the land — that is if it is 
 private property. In any case he submits a request to the 
 owners or agents for permission to build camps and use it as 
 his hunting territory. If he is a reliable man his request 
 is generally granted, for all wild land owners are fully aware 
 of the fact that in such a case the guide takes a keen interest 
 in keeping down fires. Good camps with stores in them 
 are far more safe than having all kinds of people running 
 over the place making fires just where they please and leaving 
 them without properly extinguishing them. It thus comes 
 about that a good guide should find no great difficulty in 
 securing his hunting territory. 
 
 Having managed so far his next thought should be to fix 
 his home camp. This camf), while fairly easy of access, 
 should be well situated for the game. Here will be fixed 
 the main supply depot and general stores, and here the guide 
 will keep most of the tools he uses in his business. 
 
 A thorough survey of his hunting ground, with particular 
 reference to game possibilities, will follow. Moose is the 
 game most desired by sportsmen, and in September and 
 October they are generally to be found around the ponds and 
 dead waters. Trails should be cut from the home camp 
 by the easiest routes to these haunts of the moose. In cases 
 where the distances from the home camp are to be counted 
 in miles it is best to fix small out camps suitable for a few 
 nights' stay should circumstances render such desirable. 
 Early mornings and late evenings are the best of times to 
 find moose in these places. It thus happens that when a 
 party have remained out till it is too dark to see to shoot 
 they can make their way to one of these out camps and find 
 everything prepared for their accommodation. A supply of 
 dry wood will have been cut and stored up and no noise is 
 necessary to make a fire. By forethought and preparation 
 the sportsman and his guide are able to pass a pleasant even- 
 ing, to have a comfortable night's rest and to be. on the 
 ground by daylight prepared to meet Mr. Moose. 
 
 Once the territory is filled up in. this fashion no other 
 
286 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 guide of any repute will go there to hunt and the guide who 
 has gone to the trouble and expense of preparing his ground 
 well may be assured, if he is a good man at his work, of a 
 return for the same. That is our New Brunswick method 
 of hunting and experience has shown that it is a good one. 
 
 One of the first and most important requisites of a 
 good guide is a knowledge of the game he hunts, their habits, 
 and the places they frequent. 
 
 In the next place he should possess a thorough acquaint- 
 ance with his hunting territory and know just where to work 
 for his game at different seasons and under different weather 
 conditions. When the head guide has this knowledge any 
 man can do the rest fairly well by following the leader's 
 advice. 
 
 For most of the moose hunting in New Brunswick it is 
 necessary for the guide to be a good canoe man. He should 
 be able to handle his canoe quietly and steadily w'ith either 
 pole or paddle. If he sees his game a long way ahead on 
 the shores of lake or stream he ought to be able to manage 
 his canoe in such a way as to get his sportsman within easy 
 range of the game, to steady it for the shot, and to be able 
 by his ready watchfulness to tell the sportsman just where 
 his bullet struck. 
 
 It is true there are many sportsmen who are able to give 
 good accounts of themselves under any conditions. This, 
 however, is not the case with the majority of them. Many 
 are on their first big gamxchunt and have no experience of 
 the woods. If they are good target shots that does not 
 necessarily mean they are good game shots. It is the duty 
 of the guide to see that the sportsman of little or no ex- 
 perience has a fair chance at the game he is after — a fair 
 chance according to his ability. It must be remem'bered that 
 what is a good chance for an expert is not a fair chance at 
 all for a man new to the business. Even when the game 
 is moving slowly through the trees it is difficult for a man 
 unaccustomed to firing in that way to make a successful shot. 
 The guide should know this and not insist upon the sports- 
 man shopting unless he is a quick shot and has a fair 
 chance. The guide must not think that what is an easy shot 
 for him with his experience is anything like an easy shot 
 for the sportsman he may be guiding. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 287 
 
 I well remember several j^ears ago guiding a sportsman 
 who was a good target shot, though he was slow, as target 
 shots usually are. One afternoon we came on a big bull 
 moose in a nice open growth of iir trees and the animal 
 was only sixty yards awa}'. The bull was walking slowly 
 and every few steps he made a slight pause. The chance 
 seemed to me a most excellent one and 1 urged him to 
 take a shot. The trees, however, bothered him so much 
 thai he allowed the bull to walk away without firing. I 
 admit that i was provoked and told him sharply that he 
 should have taken the chance as it w^as not likely he would 
 have a better one. Very quietly he replied to me that 
 for a man of his ability at shooting the chance was not a 
 good one. I was struck at the time with the justice of his 
 answer, and have never forgotten it. Indeed, the more I. 
 have thought it over the more I have agreed with it and 
 tried to act up to its spirit. 
 
 One of the best pieces of advice I can give to a guide 
 is to do his 'best to give the sportsman he may be guiding 
 the best chance of a shot according to his abilit}-. Allow 
 him also to shoot his game for himself. Don't carry a 
 rifle unless requested and then use it only on wounded 
 game that might otherwise get away and die in lingering 
 agony. It is not satisfactory to either party to have the 
 guide shoot the game and give the sportsman the credit 
 of the performance. The sportsman will appreciate the 
 efforts of the guide to give him a good shot far more 
 highly, and if successful he will think far better of that 
 guide than if the latter took advantage of a more difficult 
 situation and shot the game for him. 
 
 I have heard the assertion made on several occasions 
 that the sportsman should do his share of the work with 
 the guide. Now I think it is wrong to expect anything of 
 the kind. I have seen a few who were willing to do this 
 and who really seemed to enjoy it. They were, however, 
 very few indeed. Of course, their object in visiting the 
 woods is sport and not work. The sportsman is there for 
 sport and the guide is there to do the work. 
 
 The sportsman should not be required to carry a pack. 
 A man with a pack on has a poor chance of a shot, and 
 
288 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 when in a game country, when an animal may be met any 
 minute, the sportsman should be in a position to fire a 
 shot at any time. Carrying a pack is also too much like 
 work and the guide is paid to do the work. If there is more 
 than one load to carry take another man along to help, 
 or go over the portages twice, either way is better than 
 giving a pack to the sportsman. It is necessary for a 
 guide to be able to cook fairly well even if there is a 
 regular cook for the party. Both the sportsman and the 
 guide are likely to be away from the main camp on occa- 
 sion and perhaps for several days together. At such times 
 the guide should prepare some tasty meals. He should 
 know how to take care of the game when it is killed and 
 be able to prepare the head for mounting. He ought, 
 further, to be able to do three days' work in one if the 
 occasion calls for it. Above all he should go about his 
 duties cheerfully and then they will be performed well. 
 
 The guide, if he knows his business, should anticipate 
 most of the wants of the sportsman , and not wait, for 
 them to be made known before giving his attention to 
 them. I will not go so far as to say that for a man to be 
 a good guide it is necessary for him to have had an 
 education; but I will say he can make a much better guide 
 if he has had one. A good guide should be able to answer 
 questions about game, fish, woods and waters with in- 
 telligence. 
 
 A man to be a good guide must be sober and industrious 
 and if he doesn't use tobacco so much the better. I know 
 that many will not agree with me on this point, but readers 
 would be surprised to know how many of the best guides 
 in America use neither tobacco nor alcoholic liquors. 
 
 The guide should be on deck bright and early in the 
 morning prepared to call the sportsman and not waiting 
 to Idc himself called. He should likewise be prepared to 
 propose hunts and not wait for the sportsman to invite 
 him out. He should always speak the truth and never 
 exaggerate, particularly with regard to game. There is no 
 way by which a guide can lose a man's confidence quicker 
 than by exaggerating over game matters,, and once that 
 confidence is lost it is by no means easy to regain. When- 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 289 
 
 ever an appointment is made be prompt to the minute, 
 indeed be on hand a few minutes before if at all possible. 
 Be friendly, but not offensively so; talk when you are in- 
 vited, but not too much; be courteous and always willing 
 and you will get along. Last but by no means least learn 
 to keep your eyes open and your mouth shut — which means 
 see all there is to see and make no noise — if you would 
 be a successful hunter. 
 
 Guides who follow these rules can command good wages 
 and will get work when they are known. Sportsmen are 
 good fellows, with very few exceptions, and I have found 
 little trouble with the worst I have had. When out on the 
 hunt if the sportsman wishes you to carry his coat or 
 sweater — carry them. That is what he wishes you to do 
 and as he is paying you for carrying out his wishes there 
 is no reason to kick if in reason. 
 
 There are however, very great dififerences in the sports- 
 men one has to guide. Some go purely for sport and enjoy- 
 ment and have a real good time, none the less good if they 
 fail to get game, for game with them is not the sole 
 object of the outing. These men are of the right sort 
 and it is an unalloyed pleasure to be with them. That, 
 however, is no reason why they should be taken to a place 
 where there is no game. They can be happy without 
 killing a whole lot, but they like at least to see the game. 
 
 Then there is the other kind of sportsman whom no 
 guide wishes to see. Fortunately there are not many of 
 his class, but there are a few, and we have all seen him at 
 least once. Pie is the man who doesn't care to hunt, 
 it is no pleasure to him; but it is a fad to kill a moose 
 and he wants to do it. His moose must be a record breaker 
 or he's not satisfied. He is in a desperate hurry and what- 
 ever he does must be done quickly. He is the man who 
 gets lost in the woods with his guide and the latter might 
 have starved there but for his cleverness in getting both 
 out. By the time he has been in the woods a week he 
 knows more about the game and the country than any 
 guide can tell him. 
 
290 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 O 
 
 iz; 
 
 I— I 
 
 H 
 
 12: 
 
 X 
 H 
 
 O 
 
 < 
 
 CO 
 
 H 
 
 iz; 
 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 291 
 
 HINTS ABOUT HUNTING 
 
 Best Way for the Inexperienced Sportsman to Get a 
 Bag of Wild Ducks 
 
 This is the season when every normal, healthy minded 
 man and boy feels an inclination to go a-hiinting. The 
 love of a gun and a hankering for healthy sports afield arc- 
 as natural to the masculine American as is a periodical 
 craving for food. He comes by it honestl}', through inheri- 
 tance from forbears who, in hewing homes from the wilder- 
 ness, found firearms a necessity as a means of filling the 
 dinner pail, as well as a weapon of defense. 
 
 And it is this time of the year when hunting is at its 
 best the country over. The, fat of the forest and the field, 
 hidden by • fur and feathers, awaits the garnering, and the 
 nip of the. frosty air makes the pursuit more exhilarating. 
 
 SHOOTING ON THE WING 
 
 Every boy knows a little about shooting and something 
 about game. If he has shot at targets or sparrows with an 
 air rifle in the city he should have a degree of success 
 in the country shooting rabbits "on the set" with a shot- 
 gun. But when it comes to hunting them and hitting them 
 on the run it requires a little more practice than the air- 
 rifle expert has had. To get within range of a frisky 
 squirrel without causing him to run into a hole in a tree 
 takes more than marksmanship. And duck shooting, more 
 than any other shooting, requires skill and experience. 
 Traveling from Canada to Louisiana vrith only two or three 
 stops requires strength and speed on the part of the duck 
 — and men who remember their first experience in shooting 
 broadside at a "red-head" going at wind-splitting speed 
 will agree that there are easier targets and slower ones, 
 and right now. when the ducks are flying, it will not be 
 
Sketches for Shot Gun Shooters, 
 
 Sculling for Wild Fowl— About the Shores. 
 
 
 Duck Hunting from Blinds using Decoys. 
 
 292 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 293 
 
 amiss to tell the novice some facts that have become the 
 property of old hunters by trying experience. 
 
 In the first place, no rule holds good in respect to finding 
 the ducks. They may be hovering over ponds and lakes when 
 you are hunting on the river. The next day you go to the 
 lakes, and the river hunters will have good shooting that 
 day. And again, you may sit in your river blind from day- 
 break until noon and finally get up, disgusted, and go 
 home. Then the hunter who comes along and puts out his 
 decoys along in the middle of the afternoon may get the 
 game. The one sure rule is: If they're there you'll find 
 them; if they're not, you won't. 
 
 The facts that usually govern the flight of ducks, how- 
 ever, are these: After a cold wave in the autumn the ducks 
 seldom stay long in one place and fly and feed irregularly. 
 If the air warms again they will linger in the locality where 
 they chance to be, provided there is plenty of feed and a 
 wide enough expanse of water. If on the river at daybreak 
 they usually will rise and fly soon afterward to feeding 
 grounds; if in large flocks they will fly to ponds where 
 wild rice, "duck potatoes" or other marsh food grows. Oc- 
 casionally they will visit a cornfield or a cattle feeding lot 
 if secluded. Toward noon they usually return to the river 
 and sun themselves, paddling around sand bars until late 
 afternoon, when they take another flight toward their shelter 
 or feeding ground, either on the still sidewater coves along 
 the river or in the marsh grass about the lakes. This 
 is the schedule that gives rise to the general opinion among 
 hunters that lake and pond shooting is better in the morn- 
 ing and evenings and river shooting better during the mid- 
 dle of the day. 
 
 Ducks Fast Flyers 
 
 This habit of action is that most generally carried out 
 by the ducks, in both fall and spring, in the middle states. 
 Some varieties of the birds, however, are governed by no 
 
.294 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 such rules. The redheads and the canvas backs, for ex- 
 ample, seldom leave the rivers and usually stop only after 
 long flights. Both are unusually fast flyers. 
 
 The prime essential in hunting ducks is to select a suit- 
 able stand. If on a river and ducks are flying high in 
 large flocks, select a sand bar at the beginning of a large 
 bend in the stream. That is, choose a place over .which 
 the flocks will fly in "cutting off" a big bend. Being in the 
 "line of flight" counts for a great deal in river shooting. 
 Learn the natural crossing places of. the fowl and then pre- 
 pare a good blind, or shooting box in which to sit and 
 await results, after setting out decoys. 
 
 The one rule in building a "blind" is to make it appear 
 as near like its surroundings as possible. In addition to 
 that make it high enough or deep enough to hide you from 
 the water without being cramped, for often when the birds 
 show friendliness toward your decoys they will alight in 
 the water a long way from the wooden ducks and take their 
 time about swimming close to the inanimate swimmers. 
 It will be a long, tiresome wait until they get within range 
 if ycu haven't room to sit comfortably. 
 
 Building: a Blind 
 
 'fc> 
 
 If there is an abundance of drift wood along the water's 
 edge make a blind out of it. If the shores are free from 
 drift or shrubs dig a hole in the sand large enough to hold 
 one or two shooters, make the opening no longer than 
 is absolutely necessary. It may be made less conspicuous 
 by partly covering with boards, throwing sand over this 
 improvised roof to hide the boards from view. Wear cloth- 
 ing the same color as the surrounding shrubbery or back- 
 ground. Brown clothing for sand bars is best. Above all 
 else, avoid wearing a black hat or coat, as the birds are ex- 
 tremely wary of black objects. For ordinary shooting put 
 out at least two dozen decoys, placing them about seventy- 
 five feet from the blind and scattering them in uneven 
 positions. Then get into the blind and await the game. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 295 
 
 Duck shooting is neither an art nor a science; it is a 
 combination of both, made possible only by practice. Neither 
 does it follow that because a man may be a good trap-shot 
 at clay or live birds he will be a good wing shot in the 
 blind. There are few "straight-away" shots from the blinds 
 and many cross shots, with an exceedingly swift target. 
 It is the fast cross shots and the quick, startled rises that 
 puzzle the beginner. 
 
 Mistakes In Wing Shooting 
 
 The first mistake a novice usually makes is to aim 
 directly at the fleeing target. This will sometimes prove 
 effective on a "straight-away" at short range, but more 
 often it fails. It is necessary to "lead" the object, that is, 
 aim a little ahead of it, to be successful. Just how much to 
 lead the target depends upon the distance from the mark, 
 the rate it is traveling and the nature of the powder used. 
 
 Formerly when black powder was used exclusivel}*, hunt- 
 ers used to aim about two feet ahead of a fast duck on a 
 cross shot. But scarcely any hunters "burn soft coal," 
 since the introduction of the quicker and stronger smoke- 
 less powder and the result is that the leads are shorter,, 
 usually about a foot. 
 
 Snap shooting is the name applied to the style of shoot- 
 ing usually followed by the best trapshooters and lield shoot- 
 ers. It consists of aiming directly at a space just ahead 
 of the moving object and pulling the trigger without follow- 
 ing the line of flight by moving the gun. A snap shot is 
 usually the most effective in all kinds of shooting, accord- 
 ing to experienced marksmen. It is easy to misjudge dis- 
 tances on or over water, and a mistake common to the 
 novice is to shoot at a bird beyond killing range. 
 
American Game Birds. 
 
 Sportsman's Favorites. 
 
 The PJover 
 
 The Woodcock. 
 
 Male and Female Mallards. 
 
 The Wood Duck. 
 
 296 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 297 
 
 HABITS OF THE WILD DUCK 
 
 The wild duck pairs very early in the year — the period 
 being somewhat delayed by hard weather, and the cere- 
 monies of courtship, which require some little time. Soon 
 after these are performed the respective couples separate in 
 search of suitable nesting-places, which are generally found, 
 by those that remain with us, about the middle of ^larch. 
 The sf)ot chosen is sometimes near a river or pond, but 
 often very far removed from water, and it may be under a 
 furze-bush, on a dry heath, at the bottom of a thick hedge- 
 row, or even in any convenient hole in a tree. A little 
 dry grass is generally collected, and on it the eggs, from 9 
 to 11 in number, are laid. So soon as incubation commences 
 the mother begins to divest herself of the down which grows 
 thickly beneath her breast-feathers, and adds it to the nest- 
 furniture, so that the eggs are deeply imbedded in this heat- 
 retaining substance — a portion of which she is always care- 
 ful to pull, as a coverlet, over her treasures when she quits 
 them for food. She is seldom absent from the nest, how- 
 ever, but once, or at most twice, a day, and then she dares 
 not leave it until her mate after several circling flights of 
 observation has assured her she may do so unobserved. 
 Joining him the pair betake themselves to some quiet spot 
 where she may bathe and otherwise refresh herself. Then 
 they return to the nest, and after cautiously feconnoitering 
 the neighborhood she loses no time in reseating herself on 
 her eggs, while he, when she is settled, repairs again to the 
 waters, and passes his day listlessly in the company of his 
 brethren, who have the same duties, hopes and cares. Short 
 and infrequent as are the absences of the Duck when incuba- 
 tion begins, they become shorter and more infrequent 
 towards its close, and for the last day or two of the 28 
 necessary to develop the young it is probable that she will 
 not stir from the nest at all. When all the fertile eggs are 
 hatched her next care is to get the brood safely to the water. 
 This, when the distance is great, necessarily demands great 
 caution, and so cunningly is it done that but few persons 
 have encountered the mother and offspring as they make 
 
298 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 the dangerous journey. If disturbed the young instantly hide 
 as they best can, while the mother quacks loudly, feigns 
 lameness, and flutters off to divert the attention of the in- 
 truder from her brood, who lie motionless at her warning 
 notes. Once arrived at the water they are comparatively free 
 from harm, though other perils present themselves from 
 its inmates in the form of pike and other voracious fishes, 
 which seize the ducklings as they disport in quest of insects 
 on the surface or dive beneath it. Throughout the summer 
 the duck continues her care unremittingly, until the young 
 are full grown and feathered: but it is no part of the mal- 
 lard's duty to look after his offspring, and indeed he speedily 
 becomes incapable of helping them, for towards the end of 
 May he begins to undergo that extraordinary additional 
 moult, loses the power of flight, and does not regain his 
 full plumage till autumn. About harvest-time the young 
 are well able to shift for themselves, and then resort to the 
 corn-fields at evening, where they fatten on the scattered 
 grain. Towards the end of September or beginning of 
 October both old and young unite in large flocks and betake 
 themselves to the larger waters, many of which are fitted 
 with the ingenious appliances for catching them known as 
 decoys. These are worked on all favorable occasions during 
 the winter, but the numbers taken vary greatly — success 
 depending so much on the state of the weather. If long- 
 continued frost prevail, most of the ducks resort to the 
 estuaries and tidal rivers, or even leave these islands almost 
 entirely. Soon after Christmas the return flight commences, 
 and then begins anew the course of life already described. 
 
 THE CORRECT LOADS TO USE 
 
 This table is an absolute guide to the proper or choice 
 loads to use for various kinds of game. Follow it rigidly and 
 you will always be properly equipped for the field: 
 
 Duck— 314 or 3H Drams Dead Shot, l}i ounces No. 6 Shot. 
 
 Goose— 3>4 Drams Dead Shot, V/g ounces No. 2 or B B 
 Shot. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 299 
 
 Plover — 3 Drams Dead Shot, 1% ounces Xo. 8 Shot. 
 
 Rail — 3 Drams Dead Shot, V/s ounces No. 9 Shot. 
 
 Snipe and Woodcock — 3 Drams Dead Shot, 1% ounces Xo, 
 8 or 9 Shot. 
 
 Quail — 3 or 3]4 Drams Dead Shot, 1% ounces Xo. S Shot. 
 
 Prairie Chicken — 3M Drams Dead Shot, 1^ ounces Xo. 6 
 or 7 Shot. 
 
 Rabbit and Squirrel — 3 Drams Dead Shot, 1% ounces Xo. 
 7 Shot. 
 
 Dove-.-3 or 3^4 Drams Dead Shot, 1% ounces Xo. 7 or 8 
 Shot. 
 
 Grouse or Partridge — 3^4 Drams Dead Shot, 15^ ounces 
 Xo. 7 Shot. 
 
 Wild Turkey — 3K' Drams Dead Shot, 11^ ounces Xo. 2 
 Shot. 
 
 HINTS ON RIFLE SHOOTING. 
 
 1. Hold the butt hrmly against the shoulder, and do not 
 turn the head away at the instant of pulling the trigger. 
 Fire low rather than too high. Do not flinch or jerk the 
 trigger. 
 
 2. After firing a few shots on a dr}-, hot day, the bullets 
 gradually fall lower and lower, in consequence of the foul- 
 ing of the barrel. The barrel should be kept clean, and, as 
 far as possible, not over-heated. 
 
 3. The condition of the atmosphere noticeably affects the 
 course of ths bullet. The more moisture there is in the 
 air, the less the elevation required. The bullet is frequently 
 noticed to fall immediately after a rain. Warm air offers 
 less resistance to the bullet than does cold air. A fall of 
 20° in temperature will cause the bullet to lower ten or' 
 eleven inches at 300 yards range. In firing over water the 
 elevation must be increased, in conseciuence of the lower 
 temperature of the air over the water. In ascending the 
 mountain the air becomes more and more rare, and con- 
 sequently the resistance to the bullet is less on the mountain 
 than at Its base. Mirage, an optical illusion occurring in 
 level districts on very warm days, causes the target to ap- 
 parently raise in the air and become distorted in shape. 
 
Sketches for Shot Gun Shooters. 
 
 Flight Shooting on Regular Feeding Ground?. 
 
 Wild Geese Shooting.' (Lay Down Blinds and Decoys) 
 
 300 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 301 
 
 This materially affects such objects as are near the ground, 
 and engenders a tendency to shoot too high. 
 
 4. The influence of light and shade on the firing is very 
 remarkable. On a bright day the target is refracted so as 
 to apparently stand higher, which would theoretically require 
 a lower elevation than on a very dull day. When the light 
 shines directly on the target, when the target is against a 
 light background (so that the details are better brought 
 out), jvhen the sun shines on the firer's back, when the at- 
 mosphere is clear, when the ground is level and uniform in 
 appearance or when it gradually rises toward the target, 
 the same will appear much nearer, and will theoretically 
 require a higher elevation. The best shooting is invariably 
 done on cloudy days when the sun's light is evenly diffused. 
 It is very difficult to shoot well when passing clouds intercept 
 portions of the sun's light and heat. It is readily seen how 
 this disturbance might set up currents in the air which would 
 tend to carry the bullet from its course, and how the rays 
 of light deflected from their course before reaching the eye 
 would cause the target to apparently occupy a false position. 
 It will be well to diminish the elevation should the sun sud- 
 denly appear and light up the target while the firer still re- 
 mains in the shade, and to increase it should the target re- 
 main in the shade while the sun shines on the firer. 
 
 5. Bright sights and barrels are obviously objectionable. 
 The reflection of the sun's light on the sights causes them to 
 appear as brilliant points and precludes the possibility of an 
 accurate aim. If the sun's rays come laterally the trouble 
 will be yet greater, inasmuch as they will brighten the rear 
 side of the front sight and the opposite side of 'the rear sight 
 notch and cause a tendency to shoot away from the sun. 
 
 The refraction of the sun's rays from the polished barrel 
 causes the target to become indistinct and to assume the 
 appearance of motion. The sights and the barrel about the 
 muzzle should be blackened with smoke if nothing better is 
 at hand. 
 
 6. The effect of the wind upon the 'trajectory and the 
 allowance to be made therefor are most troublesome ques- 
 tions for the marksman. Winds are generally classified as 
 follows: 
 
302 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Gentle, 4 miles per hour. 
 Moderate, 10 miles per hour. 
 Fresh, 20 miles per hour. 
 Strong, 35 miles per hour. 
 Very high, 50 miles per hour. 
 Gale, 80 miles per hour. 
 
 Inasmuch as the wind is continually changing in intensity 
 and direction, it is almost impossible to make tables of 
 allowances for it. The best skill and judgment of the marks- 
 man are brought into play when firing in mountain districts, 
 where there are many cross-currents with which to contend. 
 All winds, except toward the target, retard the bullet and 
 render a higher elevation necessary. A wind from the rear 
 helps the bullet and tends to high shooting. Experience 
 has shown it necessary to alter the wind gauge twelve or 
 more feet between two consecutive shots over a range of 
 1,000 yards, in order to make a bull's eye each time, when 
 the Vv'ind was too high or variable. The inclination is gen- 
 erally to under-estimate for wind allowance, nearly every one 
 disliking to aim far away from the target. I believe that 
 any one with a good mind and clear sight, possessing nerve, 
 coolness and a quick connection between will and finger, 
 can by practice and endeavors to correct 'the inaccuracies 
 pointed out in this chapter, do good shooting. 
 
 In firing tlie trigger, finger should never be quickly pulled 
 or jerked, instead exert a slow steady pull increase, or you 
 will depress to muzzle and spoil the aim. Amateurs fre- 
 quenth' jerk so hard that the bullet after strikes top ground 
 half wa}' between the object fired at. If the bullets are 
 waxed much, it fills or clogs the barrel, especially if miuch 
 shooting is done, hence a lubricant should be used, or an 
 oiled rag on a stout string, occasionally drawn through the 
 barrel from chamber to muzzle, so as to prevent fouling, 
 a clean barrel shoots straighter than a dirty one and the recoil 
 is not so much, a dirty gun always kicks. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 303 
 
 GOOD BOOKLETS FOR SPORTSMEN, CAMP- 
 ERS, SHOOTERS, TRAPPERS, GUIDES, ETC. 
 
 "In the Maine Woods"— G. M. Houghton, P. T. M., Bangor 
 & Aroostook Railroad Co., Bangor, Me. 
 
 "In the Fish and Game Country" — General Passenger 
 Agent,»Boston & }klaine Railroad, Boston, Mass. 
 
 "Long Island"— H. M. Smith, G. P. A., Long Island Rail- 
 road. 2G3 Fifth Avenue, New York Cit}'. 
 
 "The Adirondacks" — Passenger Department, Delaware & 
 Hudson Company, Albany, X. Y. 
 
 "The Adirondack IMountains" — General Passenger Agent, 
 New York Central Railroad, New York City. 
 
 "Fishing and Shooting" — Robert Kerr, P. T. ]\I., Canadian 
 Pacific Railroad, Montreal. Can. 
 
 "Haunts of the Fish and Game"— G. T. Bell, G. P. & T. 
 .\., Grand Trunk Railroad, Montreal, Can. 
 
 The famous Canadian Adirondacks — Alex. Hardy, G. P. 
 A., Quebec & Lake St. John Ry., Quebec, Can. 
 
 "Sportsman's Map of the Dominion of Canada" — Robert 
 Kerr, P. T. M., Canadian Pacific Railroad, Montreal, Can. 
 
 "Moose, Deer, etc." — Intercolonial Railway of Canada. 
 Moncton, New Brunswick. Also Geo. H. Shaw, T. M., 
 Canada Northern Railway, Winnipeg, Manitoba. 
 
 "Rangeley Lakes and the Dead River Region" — F. E. 
 Boothby, G. P. A., Maine Central Railroad, Portland, Me. 
 
 "Canoe and Paddle"— L. F. Tobie, Asst. G. P. A., Wash- 
 ington County Ry., Calais, Me. 
 
 /'Caribou Hunting"— J. W. Johnstone, G. P. A., Reid 
 Newfoundland Co., St. Johns, N. F. (5c. postage). 
 
 "Fish and Game of Michigan, Wisconsin, ^vlinnesota, 
 North Dakota"— W. R. Callaway, G. P. A., Soo Line, Minne- 
 apolis, ]\Iinn. 
 
 "Shooting and Fishing"— A. L. Craig, G. P. & T. A., 
 Great Northern Ry., St. Paul, Minn. 
 
 "Fishing and Hunting"— W. B. Kniskern, P. T. M., Chi- 
 cago & Northwestern Ry., 315 Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, 
 111. 
 
American Wild FowU==and Shooting, 
 
 Mallard Duck. 
 
 Teal Duck. 
 
 Duck Shooting on the Feeding Grounds with the 
 New Automatic Shot Gun. 
 
 Canvas Back Dack. 
 
 Canada Goose. 
 
 304 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 305 
 
 "The Lakes of Wisconsin and Minnesota" — F. A. Miller, 
 G. P. A., Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Ry., Chicago, 111. 
 
 "Minnesota Lakes"— A. M. Cleland, G. P. A., Northern 
 Pacific Ry., St. Paul, Minn. 
 
 "Camping and Hunting in the Southwest" — W, S. St. 
 George, G. P. & T. A., Missouri, Kansas & Texas Ry., St. 
 Louis, Mo. 
 
 GcTod Hunting for Ducks, Geese, Chickens, etc., F. A. 
 Miller, G. P. A., Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Ry.. Chi- 
 cago, 111. 
 
 "Hunting and Fishing in the North Woods" — J. C. 
 Pond, G. P. A., Milwaukee, Wis. 
 
 "Hunting in the Southwest"— H. C. Townsend, G. P. A., 
 Missouri Pacific Ry., St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 "Fishing and Hunting in Michigan" — H. F. Moeller, G. 
 P. A., Pere Marquette R. R., Detroit, Mich. 
 
 "Feathers and Fins on the Frisco" — A. Hilton. G. P. A., 
 Frisco System, St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 "Hunting in the South"— W. H. Tayloe, G. P. A., Southern 
 Railway, Washington, D. C. 
 
 "Quail, Turkey, Ducks, etc."— W. J. Craig, G. P. A., 
 Atlantic Coast Line, Wilmington, N. C; also C. B. Ryan, 
 G. P. A., Seaboard Air Line, Portsmouth, Va. 
 
 "Camping in the Rocky Mountains" — S. K. Hooper, G. P. 
 & T. A., Denver & Rio Grande System, Denver, Colo. 
 
 "Texas Gulf Coast Outings"— G. F. Lupton, G. P. A., 
 San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railway Co., San Antonio, Tex. 
 
 "North Country Fishing and Hunting"— G. W. Hibbard, 
 G. P. A., Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Ry., jNIarquette, 
 Mich. 
 
 "Hunter's and Fishermen's Guide"— W. J. Kealey, G. P. 
 A., Chicago, Kalamazoo & Saginaw Ry., Kalamazoo, Mich. 
 
 "A Sportman's Paradise"— T. J. Anderson. G. P. A., G. H. 
 & S. A. Ry., Houston, Tex. 
 
 "Mexico"— G. W. Hibbard, G. P. A., National Lines of 
 Mexico, Colonia Station, Mexico City, Mexico. 
 
 (Note — In addressing a letter requesting these booklets 
 enclose postage and kindly mention this book and author.) 
 
••HINTS FOFc SHOT GUN SHOOTERS'* 
 
 Something Wrong. 
 
 A Series of Suggestions as to 
 
 LOADS. CHARGE.S, WADS, RELLOADING. 
 
 SIGHTING. GUNS, SHOT, 
 
 POWDER. SHE,LLS. 
 
 Miscellaneous Information, Etc. 
 
 Points for 
 
 Rifle Users 
 
 Hints for 
 
 Hunters and 
 Campers 
 
 SEE ALSO "TRAPPERS TRICKS 
 306 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 307 
 
 SNARES. 
 
 Snares are not very certain, but they are little trouble to 
 make. They must be set in the paths or runs of the birds 
 it is intended to take. They are of horse hair or thin copper 
 wire tied in a running knot. The tendency of every bird 
 when it finds itself touched about the head is to push for- 
 ward. This draws the knot tighter, until the bird kills 
 itself.* 
 
 TO TRAP SQUIRRELS. 
 
 In trapping squirrels, set a steel trap on the upper rail 
 of a fence near where they frequent: set a pole with an 
 ear of corn, or some other squirrel food fastened to the end 
 of it, up against the side of the fence, leaning in such a posi- 
 tion as to spring the bait over the trap at a height of six 
 or nine inches; when the squirrel reaches to get the bait 
 he will get into the trap. 
 
 SIEVE TRAP. 
 
 Take a large sieve and prop it up with a stick, to the 
 middle of which one end of a piece of string is tied. Strew 
 some crumbs of bread or seeds under the trap, and also a 
 few near b}-; and, taking the other end of the string in 3'our 
 hand, retire and conceal yourself at some distance, until 
 the birds are attracted by the bait. As soon as you see them 
 feeding directl}' under the trap, jerk the string quickly and 
 the sieve falls. This is the simplest of boy's traps, but 
 answers very well when there is time to spare. When 
 a chicken is wanted about the farm house, it is often time 
 saved to catch it in this way. 
 
 QUAIL TRAP. 
 
 A quail trap may be any kind of coop, supported by a 
 figure four. The spindle of the figure must either be so 
 made as to hold grain, or. what is better, some grains of 
 
o 
 
 V 
 O 
 
 
 V 
 
 o 
 c 
 a 
 U 
 
 to 
 
 c 
 ■*^ 
 c 
 
 D 
 
 X 
 
 -o 
 c 
 
 W 
 
 O 
 
 Q 
 
 o 
 
 Oh 
 
 308 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 309 
 
 wheat or buckwheat are strung over a strong thread with 
 the aid of a needle, and tied to the spindle. Quails and 
 prairie hens easily enter a trap when the ground is covered 
 with snow. At other times it is rather difficult to catch 
 them. 
 
 HAWK AND OWL TRAPS. 
 
 To catch hawks or owls, take a pole 20 feet long, to be 
 set a short distance from the house or barn or on the poultry 
 house. Split the top so as to admit the base of a common 
 steel trap, which should be made fast. When both trap and 
 pole are set you may b? sure of game of some kind. These 
 birds naturally light on high objects, such as dead branches 
 of trees or tops of stacks, and one should use judgment 
 about the place where he puts the traps. An open field, 
 near the chicken yard, is probably best. 
 
 TO TRAP RABBITS. 
 
 To trap rabbits take brass wire, make a noose large 
 enough for them to put their head through; then trim a 
 small tree near their road, fasten the wire to the top, bend 
 over and fasten by a notch to a peg driven in the ground, 
 then make a fence of fine brush a little across their road, 
 leaving a hole to hang the wire in. Some use box traps, 
 baited with sweet apple; also steel traps laid in their roads 
 and fastened. 
 
 GOPHER TRAP. 
 
 Take a hard piece of wood, about nine inches long, and 
 turn' it so that one end will be two and a half inches in 
 diameter and the other end three inches, gradually sloping 
 from one end to the other. Witli a two-inch auger bore a 
 hole in the small end eight inches deep. Then take a fine- 
 toothed rip saw and split it open from end to end in two 
 
Hints and Pointers ior Hunters, Sportsmen, Etc, 
 
 A s^Hes of suggestions invaluable to those who possess 
 A series oi SS^.^^^^ ^.^^ ^^ g^o^ gun. 
 
 Toting the Game to Camp. 
 (How to do it.) 
 
 Th.e 
 
 Camp in tbe Wooa.. (Cut Poles for Tent Poles ) 
 
 310 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 311 
 
 equal parts. In one of these halves a spring door is fixed, 
 made of sheet iron, which is round like the opening and 
 curved to fit down in the ha|f. This is made, fast on a hinge 
 near the entrance, with a spring under it sufficient to raise 
 it to a perpendicular, the hinge so arranged that it can only 
 be raised to a perpendicular. Another piece of sheet iron, 
 made round to move easily in the two-inch opening, is 
 made, which is attached to a long, narrow strip- of iron, 
 which strip moves easily under two staples in the bottom 
 of tire half to which the door is fastened. In order to set 
 the trap, the door is pressed down, and the end of this 
 strip projects over it, and thus holds the door open. Then 
 take the two halves and put them together, and slip over 
 them a thin wide ring, made sloping like the trap, and it 
 is ready for use. With this trap you go out where the 
 gopher is at work, and find his last made hillock, and if it 
 is not quite finished, all you have to do is to stick the trap 
 in the hole, open end downward, and in a short time he 
 will bring up his load of dirt, and, in pressing against the 
 upper piece of iron he will push the strip of iron from over 
 the door, when the spring will lift it up and shut him in. 
 
 FARMER'S TRAP, FOR MINK, WEASELS, 
 SKUNK, ETC. 
 
 Take boards half an inch thick, and make a box the two 
 sides and top 12 inches long, with one end closed; the size 
 of the box inside being 4 inches square. A steel spring is 
 fastened on the closed end of the box, to which is fastened 
 a square ring at its extremitjs through which the game 
 thrusts its head to reach the bait at the one end of a catch, 
 which holds the ring depressed and held by a wire running 
 from the front end of the trap to the catch on the upper 
 extremity of the bait hook. One who has tried it exten- 
 sively says: "This is the best trap for skunks in the world, 
 I believe, I have used many dififeren't kinds, but none vv^ork 
 as well as this. You can set it at the hole in a wall or 
 fence. It is sure fire." 
 
313 
 
 COMiPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 SMOKE 'EM OUT AND SECURE PRIME FUR 
 
 Old successful and experienced trappers smoke out and 
 drive animals from their dens. Every experienced trapper 
 knows that animals can not stand smoke. Until this smoker 
 was invented it was next to impossible to force smoke into 
 an animal's den in sufficient quantity to drive them out on 
 account of the dead air condition existing in such places. 
 
 'UT*Mii2k.Skui!k,*'Cooii;'Eabbsts,etc. 
 
 with 
 
 The smoker is so constructed that it will pioduce a dense 
 volume of stifling sulphur smoke and force it into the ani- 
 mal's den with sufficient pressure to mix with, the dead air, 
 penetrating into every part of the den, driving the animal out. 
 
 It is loaded with a cartridge and lighted. The plunger is 
 then worked back and forth as shown in illustration, fanning 
 
 The Bellows Smoker. 
 
 the fire and forcing the smoke out of the nozzle at the lower 
 end of the smoker into the animal's den. No animal can 
 withstand these strong sulphuric fumes. 
 
 It will be found invaluable in driving out skunk, "coon," 
 fox, rabbits, etc. It will make a mink leave its den in two 
 or three minutes. This invention is a very valuable asset to 
 the trapper, especially during extreme cold weather, when 
 fur-bearers den up and hibernate. Trappers can smoke out 
 more animals in one day than they can take in traps in a 
 month — besides they get prime furs. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 313 
 
 HOW TO USE PNEUMATIC SMOKERS 
 
 Graphite should be used to lubricate plunger. Oil can be 
 applied first to make the graphite adhere to the packing. 
 Place a few small sticks, corncobs, etc., in the fire chamber. 
 To make a strong, stifling smoke use one part sulphur to 
 four parts powdered charcoal. Sprinkle a tablespoonful of 
 this mixture upon cotton or old cotton rags, roll and tie into 
 cartri4ges 5 inches long by 1^ inches in thickness. A 
 supply of these cartridges should be made up in advance of 
 field operations. Place one or two of these cartridges in the 
 fire chamber and the smoker is ready to use. 
 
 When you have located your game and have set traps, etc., 
 to apprehend the animal when it is smoked out, take out the 
 plunger and point nozzle up to create a draft. Light con- 
 tents of fire cham'ber with a roll of paper, then insert the 
 plunger and fan fire by working it back and forth slowly 
 at first until cartridges are fully ignited. Insert nozzle and 
 fill the den full of this strong smoke. No animal can with- 
 stand these sulphuric fumes. In smoking out large animals 
 where the mouth of the burrow is large, best results are ob- 
 tained by attaching a few feet of hose to the nozzle and 
 packing around hose with old sacks, etc., to keep in smoke. 
 In smoking out mink, weasel, gopher, etc., a hose will not be 
 necessary. Leaves or some light material can be used to 
 prevent smoke escaping from hole where trap is set. 
 
 Caution. — Never use any kind of oil, tar or turpentine in 
 fire chamber. 
 
 An old, successful and experienced trapper -designed this 
 valuable sportsmen's device to smoke out and drive animals 
 from their dens. ' Letters from trappers indicate that they 
 certainly appreciate this smoker. "It fills one of their long 
 felt wants." 
 
 "ALLIGATOR" GAME TRAP 
 
 This trap catches animals by the neck or body instead of 
 the feet, killing them instantly without injuring the pelt. A 
 humane feature that is very commendable; besides it saves 
 every fur for the trapper. It -is the only trap ever con- 
 structed with a double trip action, a bait trigger and a foot 
 
314 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 The "Alligator" and Tree Trap with Double jaws. 
 
 Caught this Pile of Birds. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 315 
 
 pedal trip, the very acme of the trap-maker's art. It can be 
 set on land or in water at entrance to dens, in runways, etc., 
 with or without bait. An ideal trap for saving furs of musk- 
 rat, mink, skunk and the smaller fur-bearing animals. There's 
 no escape, the trapper gets every pelt. It is an excellent tree 
 
 The "Alligator" Game Trap. 
 
 trap for taking marten in the far north, where deep snows 
 occur. The upper jaw forms a support for covering to pro- 
 tect the bait from snow, birds, etc. 
 
 It is especially serviceable in catching muskrat under the 
 ice in winter, as it can be baited and set on bottom of lakes 
 or streams where they search for food. It can also be em- 
 ployed in this manner in taking fish. 
 
 No one will understand the above description better or 
 appreciate the merits of this trap more than the trapper who 
 has run his leg off on a long trap line to find a lot of animals' 
 toes in his traps. 
 
316 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 SPORTSMEN AND TRAPPERS TAXIDERMY 
 OR BACKWOODS TAXIDERMY 
 
 With a slight knowledge of taxidermy, the hunter can 
 prepare and preserve hard earned trophies of the chase. 
 The following tools and materials are all that are abso- 
 lutely needed: 
 
 A heavy and light scalpel, or good pocket knife, scis- 
 sors, needles and thread, cotton wadding, or any soft ma- 
 terial if not obtainable; arsenic, alum, saltpetre, carbolic 
 acid, paper for wrappers, and a little bran, meal or fine 
 sawdust to use when skinning. 
 
 To Make a Bird Into a Skin — Lay the bird on its back 
 and make a longitudinal cut from the breast bone to the 
 vent. Push the body away from the skin with the knife, 
 holding the skin firmly between the fingers and thumb of 
 the left hand, and avoid cutting as much as possible. When 
 the skin has been removed far enough to expose the shins, 
 unjoint them at the knee, and cut through the flesh until 
 the skin is laid bare. Skin down to the vent and cut off 
 the extremity of the body which holds the tail feathers, 
 and remove the skin to the wings, unjointing them and 
 skinning to below the eyes. Cut the neck off close to the 
 head, and remove the triangular, lower part of the skull, 
 and the brains. Take out the eyes, and cut away all super- 
 fluous flesh from the skull, leg, and wing bones and unjoint 
 the main bone of the wing from the double bones or fore- 
 arm. 
 
 (In skinning large birds, break the wings close to the 
 body at the commencement, as it will facilitate the hand- 
 ling and skinning.) 
 
 Pass a thread through the wing bones and draw them 
 nearly together, tying them in position. Cram the eye holes 
 full of cotton, wrap the leg bones with the same, and 
 draw them back in natural position. Dust the whole flesh 
 side of the skin freely with dry arsenic, and return the skin. 
 Should the neck become stretched, and difficult to return, 
 soap it, and it will slip over the head easily. Smooth the 
 plumage, fill out the body, sew up the skin, cross the legs 
 and tie them, and wrap the skin closely in sheet cotton, 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 317 
 
 or thin paper. A skin thus prepared will keep for fifty 
 years or more, and can be naturally mounted at any time. 
 
 Mounting Birds with Closed Wings — Lay the specimen 
 on its back and fill the throat with cotton to keep the saliva 
 from soiling the plumage. If the bird is a large one, such 
 as a hawk, owl, raven, gull, etc., it should have the nostrils 
 crowded full of cotton to prevent similar disastrous effects. 
 If a bird is bloody, wash the soiled parts in cold water and 
 dry the, feathers as much as possible with a dry rag or 
 sponge, and cover them with calcined plaster, which can 
 be had in any paint store, rubbing it lightly into the plum- 
 age until the feathers are dry and assume their natural ap- 
 pearance. To remove the plaster from the feathers beat 
 the bird vigorously with the wing of a bird or fowl. When 
 cleaned, lay the bird on its back and make a longitudinal 
 cut from the breast bone to the vent. Push the body away 
 from the skin with a scalpel, holding the latter firmly between 
 the fingers and thumb of the left hand, and avoid cutting as 
 much as possible. When the skin has been removed far 
 enough to expose the shins, unjoint them at the knee, and 
 cut through the fleshy part of the knee until the skin is 
 laid bare. Skin down to the vent and cut off the extremity 
 of the body which holds the tail feathers, and remove the 
 skin to the wings. Unjoint the wings and skin to below 
 the eyes. Cut the neck off close to the skull and remove the 
 under part of the skull, and from the hole thus made take 
 out the brains. Remove the eyes and all superfluous flesh 
 from the skull, leg and wing bones, and sever the main bone 
 of the wing from the double bones or fore-arm. In skinning 
 large birds, breaking the wings close to the body before 
 removing it will facilitate the skinning. Roll up a small 
 ball of tow and crowd it tightly into the skull. Point a 
 piece of wire at both ends by filing, and twist the tow around 
 it the length and size of the natural neck, commencing 
 an inch or two inches from one end, according to the size 
 of the bird to be mounted. Pass the short end of the wire 
 up through the tow in the head and occipital bone (hind 
 part of skull), and clinch it firmly by repassing the end of 
 the wire through the fore part of the skull, and fasten it 
 through the eye hole with a pair of pliers. Fill the eyes out 
 to nearly their natural size with soft putty, and dust the 
 
318 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 whole fleshy side of the skin with dry arsenic, best applied 
 with the hind feet of a rabbit or hare. Between the wings, 
 and on the shoulders of the bird, are two yellowish lines, 
 where the feathers are inclined to protrude through the 
 skin. These lines should be caught up with a needle and 
 drawn nearly together and tied in position. In a skin of 
 a bird of the size of a red-tailed hawk, they should be (when 
 tied) an inch and a half apart. Other bird skins should be 
 drawn up in proportion to their size. Return the leg bones 
 in position, and also the skin, by passing the head through 
 the neck. Pick out the eye lids in their usual form with a 
 needle or pincers, and arrange the plumage smoothly. Make 
 a body the size of the original one by rolling up a bunch 
 of excelsior, or sea grass, and winding it into form with 
 twine or thread. Pass the neck wire through the body length- 
 wise, pull the skin carefully over the body, and clinch the 
 protruding neck wire firmly. Never use soft bodies, as 
 they will not hold wire sufficiently tight to keep a bird in 
 position. Wire the legs by putting pointed wires through 
 them from the center of the feet. Fasten the leg bones 
 to the wires by w^rapping them with tow, making the legs 
 a little smaller than they naturally are, and slip the wire 
 further through the legs and let them pass obliquely through 
 the body from the side to the fore breast. Clinch the leg 
 wires firmly into the body, straighten the legs parallel with 
 the sides of the body, and sew up the hole in the skin. 
 Smooth down the plumage, 'bend in any natural position, 
 and mount on a stand. Fill the throat out slightly with 
 cotton or tow, and apply a little mucilage to the inside of 
 the eye lids. Press the eyes tightly in position, and pick 
 out the eye lids over the eyes as required with the point of a 
 needle. Fasten the 'bill together by passing a needle and 
 thread through the nostrils and base of under mandible and 
 tie -in position. To wire the tail is one of the most delicate 
 tasks for the tyro, and should be done as follows: Pass 
 a long pointed piece of small wire through each tail feather, 
 at the flat part of the quill near the body, and spread the 
 tail as desired. Another large wire should be run through 
 the fleshy part of the skin (at the base of the tail) into the 
 body from the under side of the tail, thus fastening it in 
 any position wanted. Fasten the wings by sticking a sharp 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 319 
 
 piece of wire through the shoulder of the wing into the 
 body. Stick small pieces of wire in different parts of the 
 body, and wind the bird tightly with ftne thread, thus hold- 
 ing the plumage in position until dry. The plumage maj'- 
 be made to lie smoother by touching the rough places with 
 a feather wet in turpentine. When collecting, one should 
 note the color of the eyes, legs, cere, gullar sack, etc., of 
 birds when first killed, as it may be naturally reproduced 
 by paint when the birds are mounted and dry. 
 
 T(f Preserve Birds Temporarily — Birds can be preserved 
 for a few da3'S during hot weather as follows: If a large 
 bird is killed, first swab out the blood from the throat if 
 necessary, and distribute powdered alum and saltpetre (one 
 part saltpetre, six parts alum) the entire length of the throat, 
 and push some of it into the crop with a stick; rub a little 
 of the preservative into and around the eyes externally; 
 draw the entrails from the specimen through a small hole, 
 made longitudinally into the vent, and prime the inside 
 of the 'bird with the powder; -put a small piece of cotton 
 down the throat, and cram the nostrils full of the same 
 material, to prevent the saliva and blood from coming out 
 on to the plumage. Car*bolic acid is also a good disin- 
 fectant and preservative. Take a small bottle of water 
 and put a teaspoonful of acid into it, and apply the mix- 
 ture to the most perishable parts of a specimen in the same 
 manner as directed to use the saltpetre and alum. Pieces of 
 cotton or tow, wet with the acid and water, should be 
 placed in the vent and throat of the bird. Should one wish 
 to keep any hard feathered birds, such as loons, grebes, 
 auks, guillemots, gulls, ducks, etc., they should be drawn 
 and thrown into a pickle of saltpetre and alum, and any 
 good taxidermist can mount and clean them when desired. 
 
 To Prepare a Buck's Head — To preserve a buck's head, 
 make a cut across the head from the middle of one horn 
 across the skull to the middle of the other antler; then make 
 a cut from the middle of the incision made down the -back 
 of the neck to the shoulders; cut the skin around and a 
 little below the neck until it is free from the fore shoulders, 
 and continue to skin the neck up to the base of the antlers; 
 cut the skin carefully away from around the horns, and 
 skin down over the muzzle; skin the ears part way down, 
 
320 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 trim away the flesh from the skin, and rub the whole 
 fleshy side of it with the powdered alum and saltpetre, and 
 if no other preservative is at hand use salt. Turn the 
 fleshy side of the pelt to the open air, and dry as soon as 
 possible. The skin will shrivel up to the dimensions of 
 an old boot leg, which it resem'bles in shape, but neverthe- 
 less it will be in good condition. Chop away the part ot 
 the skull to which the horns are attached, enlarge the hole 
 in the occipital bone, remove the brains, dust what remains 
 of the skull with any preservative, and hang the horns in 
 a convenient crotch of a tree until the camp is deserted. 
 
 Never cut a deer skin down the front of the neck, unless 
 you want an ugly looking seam to mar the beauty of a 
 head. Should a deer be wounded or killed, it is not neces- 
 sary to cut his head nearly off to bleed him, and if a deer 
 is shot through the lungs or near the heart, it does not need 
 bleeding, as the blood will settle in the thorax and can 
 easily be turned out when the animal is dressed. What 
 looks worse than a deer with his head nearly cut off, and 
 its coat covered with blood, which will become half putrid 
 in a few days in mild weather, unless it is washed off from 
 the hair when fresh? Never wash out a deer after dress- 
 ing it unless you are desirous of spoiling your venison. 
 When saving saddles, let them cool and stiffen 'before fold- 
 ing the 'skin over them. So do not mangle your game 
 and spoil your skins and meat by slashing animals to pieces 
 with a huge butcher knife. 
 
 Skinning Small Quadrupeds — Begin by making a longi- 
 tudinal incision between the hind legs, extending quite 
 back to the vent, the hair having been carefully parted so 
 that it may not be cut. Do not cut into the abdominal 
 cavity. The skin can now be separated from the flesh and 
 turned back as far as the thigh, which is severed at the 
 joint. When this is done on both sides, the gut should be 
 drawn out and severed at a short distance from the vent. 
 The tail should also be disjointed at the root. This being 
 done, the skin can be loosened around the body until the 
 fore-legs are reached, when they also should be dissevered. 
 The skinning now proceeds along the neck until the skul) 
 is reached. Here considerable care is necessary to remove 
 the skin without damage to the ears, eyelids and lips. The 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 321 
 
 skin is left attached to the -skull; when the operation has 
 proceeded far enough to expose the muscles of the jaws, 
 the skin must be separated from the body at the first joint 
 of the neck. The tongue, eyes and muscles, remaining 
 attached to the head, are now to be carefully removed, and 
 the brain taken out from an opening in the back of the 
 sk-ill, cut through for that purpose. To make this open- 
 ing, amateurs can use a small gimlet or bit with ver}' small 
 animals, and a large, one as circumstances may demand. 
 The legs are now to be skinned out quite down to the 
 claws, which completes the operation of skinning. During 
 the entire process, all fluids escaping must be immediately 
 soaked up with cotton. As soon as the skin is removed, 
 it should be thoroughly rubbed with arsenical soap, not 
 omitting the inside of the skull and mouth cavities. 
 
 Insect Specimens — To preserve" insects; quarter of an 
 ounce of corrosive sublimate in one ounce of water, and 
 add three ounces of spirits of wine. Steep insects in this, 
 then dry; and especially if spider specimens be treated this 
 way, they will be found to be pliable. 
 
 Bird Lime — To make it, boil down linseed oil of the best 
 quality until it becomes thick and glutino\is. It should be 
 boiled in an earthen pot in the open air, for about- two 
 or three hours. It is very essential that an earthen vessel 
 should be used, as an iron one heats and the oil takes fire 
 when boiling, and in such a case is useless as bird lime. 
 A pot should be used with a tight fitting cover, to prevent 
 the fire entering inside it. When prepared set the oil away 
 in tin boxes with tight fitting covers, until it is to be used. 
 Prepared lime made of pitch and oil and sold by some 
 dealers is worthless. 
 
 To Use It — Select some small dry sticks, about eight 
 inches long and as thick as a straw; sharpen one end of 
 them to a flat thin edge, so they can be stuck into a cut 
 in stake: take a large stick or stake and drive it in the 
 ground; make cuts in its sides suitable to receive the flat 
 ends of the stick; take two of the small sticks and dip 
 them in the lime; when covered, hold one in each hand 
 and roll them between your thumbs and fingers with their 
 sides touching, thus equally distributing the lime; insert 
 their ends loosely into the notches in the ground, and place 
 
322 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 a "call bird" in a conspicuous place near the stake; when 
 the birds alight in the sticks they pull loose from the main 
 stick, and when flying away the wings come in contact with 
 the lime, and are pinioned to the bird's sides. It does not 
 hold them by the feet, as is generally supposed. 
 
 To Tan Skins of Animals with the Fur On — 1. Put them 
 into a pickle of alum and saltpetre until they become like 
 leather; then dress the flesh sides, dry them slowl}^ and 
 rub them with a little butter, and dry them by rubbing or 
 treading them out in veneer sawdust. 
 
 2. Take soft water, about ten gallons, a half bushel 
 wheat bran, seven pounds of salt, two and a half pounds 
 of sulphuric acid. Dissolve all together and put the skins 
 in the solution and allow them to remain twelve hours; 
 take them out and clean them well, and again immerse 
 twelve hours, or longer, if necessar3^ The skins may then 
 be taken out, well washed and dried. They can be beaten 
 soft, is desired. 
 
 3. Take equal parts salt, alum and Glauber salts, and 
 half a pint saltpetre; pulverize and mix. Handle the skins 
 and rub the mixture in well three or four times a day, the 
 oftener the better. If there is not sufficient moisture in the 
 skin to dissolve the salts put a little water into the latter. 
 We are assured that no moth will ever attack furs, the 
 pelt of which have been thus prepared. 
 
 4. Mix the proportion of six pounds of alum, and three 
 of salt. Dissolve both in about a gallon of warm water. 
 Use when cool. Place skins not too tightly packed in a 
 barrel or keg, and pour in mixture. Skins without injury 
 to hair may be kept any length of time in this way, and 
 all in good order at any time to stuff. 
 
 5. Take two parts of saltpetre and one of alum, pulver- 
 ize them well together; spread the skin carefully, fur side 
 down, before it has dried; apply the mixtures evenly, being 
 careful to touch every part in sufficient quantity to thor- 
 oughly wet the surface after it dissolves; double the flesh 
 side and roll it up closely; put it in a cool place, out of 
 the way of the frost, and let it remain three or four days 
 or more according to thickness; then unroll, and when it 
 gets nearly dry, with a dull knife remove the fat that may 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 323 
 
 adhere in spots, and a little rubbing makes it pliable and 
 fit for use. 
 
 6. Glauber salts, two pounds; rock salt, one pound, alum, 
 two pounds; all to be dissolved in boiling water; leave skins 
 in about ten days, take them out occasionally for a little 
 while during that time; cut the edge of the skin to see if the 
 tanning has gone through; then take them in the hand and 
 beat them over a round stick or 'block until they are soft. 
 They ar.e to be beaten with the hair side in. 
 
 Indian Tanned Skins — The skin is stretched either on the 
 ground or on poles, and all fat or flesh removed. When 
 well dried it is washed in soap and water to cleanse the fur; 
 the brains of any anim?il are then taken and mashed into a 
 paste with hot water, and this paste is thoroughly rubbed 
 into the flesh side, and the skin hung out to dry. When 
 dry it is scraped, and exposed to the dew for one night, and 
 next morning rubbed and pulled until soft. . 
 
 Buckskins are made by rubbing off the hair with a 
 horse-rib, while the skin is fresh, or after soaking in a weak 
 lye; then dressing with brains, and staining a reddish color 
 in a decoction of Wasatchie bark. Alum and salt are very 
 good, but alum is rather scarce in the chapparal, as also are 
 doors and boards. Some stretch skins on the ground. 
 
 Care should be taken, by the way, not to use too much 
 salt, as it causes the skin afterward to absorb moisture too 
 readily. Smoking a skin is done by first dressing with brains, 
 sewing it up into a funnel-shape, and suspending over a 
 slow fire of buffalo chips, or dry prickly pear, built in a 
 hole in the ground. The tips of the funnel being pinned 
 down close around the hole; a clear, calm day, is selected, 
 and the smoking - requires about two hours. It gives a 
 velvet-like finish, and the skin never shrinks or gets stiff 
 from wetting, but washes like cloth. 
 
 To Keep Mcths from Skins — Dissolve a small piece of 
 corrosive sublimate in alcohol, and brush on; or the 'best 
 arsenic dissolved in the same manner will answer. 
 
 To Preserve Fish for Specimens — Specimens, which, after 
 being taken, should be wrapped in a damp cloth or moss 
 until opportunity offered for placing them in weak spirits 
 of whiskey or alcohol, when they should be allowed to soak 
 
324 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 until the spirit has thoroughly permeated the fish, which 
 requires several days, more or less, the length of time re- 
 quired 'being governed considerably by the weather. They 
 should then be carefully spread on a platter and covered 
 with alcohol until the fish is hardened, when it can be 
 placed in the jar. 
 
 To Preserve Fish Skins — Skin your fish carefully, but do 
 not be particular as to leaving a little meat on. Spread the 
 skins in layers and sprinkle with salt and alum; or make a 
 pickle in a small keg of a weak solution of carbolic acid; 
 any remaining flesh can be scraped off afterwards, and the 
 fish set up 'by a taxidermist. JMany of the most delicate 
 fishes with large scales will not stand the above treatment, 
 to say nothing of mounting them afterward. 
 
 Nature Most Beautiful. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 325 
 
 TAKING OFF THE HIDES 
 
 Small animals should be cased, or opened, by peeling the 
 skin off from the hind quarters. Make a cut from front to 
 hind legs and strip it off like skinning a rabbit. Cut off 
 around the legs and remove the skin clean from the bones, 
 with the knife keeping all fat and flesh on the body proper. 
 If slippery use a dry rag around the bony parts, or a split 
 stick. Tie a loop cord or wire to fasten the hind legs upon 
 so as to hold secure, fastening it to the hut or a tree. Skin 
 clear back to nose, cutting loose eyes and ear cartilage. To 
 skin them open cut from breast to the lower jaw — be careful 
 to cut in a straight line — follow with the knife on the inside 
 of fore and hind legs clear to the toes and claws, which 
 should be left on all fur pelts, peeling the hide off, using the 
 knife to keep it free from fat or flesh as much as possible. 
 Do not draw the skin too far away from the body — just 
 enough to handle the knife freely — to bend it clear back one 
 is apt to cut the skin. Let the knife blade point toward- the 
 carcass or bod}^ not toward the skin, but away from it, so as 
 to avoid cutting the skin or gashing it. The cleaner the 
 skin is taken off the better it is, and the least fleshing will 
 have to be done. With care and practice one will soon learn 
 the knack. I have often skinned as high as two or three 
 hundred animals in a day and on sealing voyages (South 
 Shetland seal) have averaged that many for days. On one 
 vo3'^age we captured as high as 5,000 seals in one season. 
 The price we received for them in the London market averag- 
 ing $20 each. In these cases no fleshing was necessary so 
 cleanly were they removed before salting and packing. All 
 these were cased open. "BUZZACOTT.'" 
 
 Head Sealer. 
 Record — Voyage of the dealing Schooners fleet of Wil- 
 liams & Haven, Xew London, Conn. 
 
326 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 C0PrRiGHTED!908i 
 
 34 SILVER FOXES VALUED AT 1 2 1, 000^-2 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 327 
 
 STRETCHING AND CURING SMALL SKINS. 
 
 The market value of a skin is greatly affected by the care 
 taken in removing it from the animal, and in drying it. The 
 common way is to tack the skin to the barn door and let 
 it remain stretched until quite dry. The trapper in the 
 woods having no such convenience as the barn door at 
 hand, is obliged to resort to other methods. One plan is 
 to dry the skin on a hoop. A skin to be dried in chis man- 
 ner must not be ripped down the belly, but it is cut from 
 the lower jaw of the animal to just below the forelegs; the 
 lips, eyes, and ears being cut around, the skin is stripped 
 off, leaving the fur side inward. The hoop consists of a 
 branch of hickory or other elastic wood, an inch through 
 at the butt. This is bent and pushed into the skin, which 
 is drawn tight, and fastened in place by notches in the bow, 
 drawing the skin of the lip into these notches. A much 
 neater way, and one generally preferred, is to use stretchers 
 of thin wood. As these have to be carried by the trapper, 
 they are made of light wood and very thin. They are three- 
 sixteenths of an inch thick, twenty inches long, six inches 
 wide at the larger end, and slightly tapering. The\' are 
 rounded to a blunt point at the lower end, and the edges 
 chamfered. The skin is drawn over the board, and secured 
 with tacks. Skins stretched by either of these methods 
 should not be dried in the sun nor by a fire, but in a cool 
 place where they will be sheltered from the rain. Xo salt 
 or other preservative is used upon skins intended for the 
 market. 
 
 HINTS AND POINTERS TO THE TRAPPER 
 Lookout for Damaged Skins 
 
 Many trappers ship pelts unclean, over or under stretched, 
 tainted, dirty, not cleaned of excess flesh and fat, tail bones, 
 etc., badly skinned, slashed or cut, dried out of shape, 
 trapped out of season, taken off the wrong wa^' and the 
 like, which decreases them largely in value and in many 
 
328 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 cases rendering them valueless, then expecting full prices and 
 calling dealers robbers because they don't get them. Don't 
 kill before time. Don't dry in the sun or heat. Don't over- 
 stretch or get out of the natural shape. All these items 
 decrease the value of your shipments. Small animals, such 
 as mink, marten, skunk, civet, raccoon, opossum, muskrat, 
 and the like, should be cased, while those of the larger should 
 be skinned open, such as the wolf, beaver, lynx, cougar, wol- 
 verine, etc., etc. 
 
 DRESSING AND TANNING SKINS AND FURS 
 
 There are various ways of dressing skins, but some are 
 easier and better than others. Several of the recipes given 
 below have been advertised and hawked about the country 
 at five dollars each. 
 
 We will commence with what is called oil-dressing, and, 
 to begin at the beginning, the directions would be, "first 
 catch your deer." As soon as the hide is taken ofi from 
 the deer's back it should be grained; to do this, provide 
 3^ourself with a beam eight inches through, and six feet 
 long; put two legs in one end, and let the other rest on 
 the ground, so that it will stand at a steep slant. The 
 beam must be of hard vv^ood, shaved smooth, without a 
 ridge in it. 
 
 Provide yourself with a knife. . One made for the pur- 
 pose is best, but you may make a very good one by taking 
 an old shaving knife and grinding it square across the 
 edge, until it has a face about a sixteenth of an inch across. 
 Then whet the corners smooth, so that they will not cut 
 the skin. A piece of a scythe, with a handle at each end, 
 makes a good fleshing knife. 
 
 Now sit down, with the highest end of the beam 
 against your belly, and lay on the skin, hair side down, 
 and proceed to take off all the flesh and fat, and every 
 unequal substance before you turn the hair side up. Then 
 commence to grain, with the neck of the skin next to you, 
 and shove against the hair, having a firm hold of the knife, 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 329 
 
 and shoving with some strength, when off will go a streak 
 of the grain, and so proceed until it is all off. This is the 
 way to grain a green hide just taken from the animal. 
 
 To grain a dry hide, 'first put it in a tub or barrel of 
 warm water, and let it lie for twenty-four hours, and then 
 add to each half barrel of water a pint of good slaked 
 lime, and let it stand twenty-four hours more; then proceed 
 as wnth a fresh skin. 
 
 When the work is properly done, the skin will be as clear 
 as glass, WMth no streak of grain or other uneven substance 
 left; unless it is in this condition, it will not dress well. 
 
 Now, in order to dress one buck skin, take eight quarts 
 of fresh rain water and warm it, and put in one pint of 
 soft soap. "Put in the skin while the liquid is warm, and 
 work it with the hands, or punch it with a stick, until the 
 soapsuds is quite worked into it, say twenty-four hours'.. 
 Then take it out and pass it between two sticks, or pass- 
 it through a good wringing machine. Then pull it until 
 it is dry, in the hot sun, or 'before a hot fire. Next stretch 
 it out to its full size, and spread on some soft grease, or 
 any animal oil, until it is well oiled through. Then heat 
 up the suds again, and apply half as much more soap, and' 
 put in the skin again and work it well for a time, and lei' 
 it lie twenty-four hours longer. Then take it out and pull 
 it dry, as before. For all doe skins, and for yearling bucks, 
 this will be enough, but old buck skins must go in once 
 more, and when pulled dry again they will be as soft as 
 velvet. 
 
 The best grease to use is butter, which is the greatest 
 softener in the world, and a less quantity will answer than 
 of any other grease. 
 
 When the skin is dressed and pulled dry, you may apply 
 0(;lire to make it 3'ellow, or hang it up in a smoke-house 
 and smoke it with a smudge of rotten water elm, which 
 will make it a beautiful reddish yellow. 
 
 Another process is to let the skin lie in clear water until 
 the hair will slip off, and then grain it on the beam. This 
 is a very good way. I have practiced it, and found the 
 leather as tough as that of the green hide. 
 
 Take the brains out of the head of a deer, or of a hog, 
 tie them up in a cloth, and put them into a gallon of 
 
330 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 water, and boil for an hour; then squeeze the cloth so as 
 to press through as much as you can; let it stand until 
 you can barely hold your hand in it without scalding; then 
 put in the grained skin, working it continually for two or 
 three minutes; then take it out, wring it, and pull it dry. 
 If not soft enough, heat up and put in again; then work it 
 and dry it as before. No doubt it will be done by this time, 
 but if it is still, a little hard, apply a small amount of but- 
 ter, and work it in thoroughly, and then smoke, as before 
 directed. This is the Indian dressing. There is no doubt 
 that the first recipe — the oil dressing — is the best of all. 
 
 Tanning. — The first thing to be done preparatory to tan- 
 ning a hide or skin is to soak it, as no hide can be tanned 
 unless it has been soaked and properly broken on a fleshing' 
 beam. Soak in soft water, and, unless the hides have been 
 salted, add a little salt to the water. Green hides* should 
 remain in until thoroughly well soaked, say from ten to 
 twelve hours, according to thickness; dry hides from two 
 to six days. All hard or unbroken spots must be softened 
 after soaking. To remove the hair or wool, immerse the 
 hide or skin in a liquor composed of ten gallons of cold, 
 soft water, eight quarts- of slaked lime, and eight quarts of 
 hard wood ashes. Let it soak from two to six days, or until 
 the hair or wool slips ofi easily. 
 
 If it is desired to keep the wool or hair clean, instead 
 of using the liquor take equal parts of slaked lime and 
 hard wood ashes, and make into a thin paste, with water. 
 Spread this on the flesh side, and then roll up the skin, 
 flesh side in, and place it in a tub or barrel, barely cover- 
 ing it with water. Let it soak from one to ten days, or 
 until the hair or wool can be easily removed; then take 
 the hides from the soak, and scrape off the hair and flesh 
 with a fleshing knife. 
 
 The hides, by being soaked in the lime liquor, are raised 
 too much to be submitted to the tanning liquor. They 
 must first be reduced to their original thickness, by being 
 entirely freed from the lime. This is done by what is 
 termed "bating." 
 
 A bate is made of ten gallons of cold, soft water, one- 
 half bushel of wheat bran, and a quarter of a pound of 
 sulphuric acid. It should be prepared a day or two before 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 331 
 
 using, in order that the bran may ferment. By using luke- 
 warm instead of cold water, the process will be hastened. 
 Put the hide into this bate, and let it remain until it is 
 reduced to its natural thickness and is as soft as a green 
 hide. Then remove it and rinse it in soft water, and work 
 it out, at least once, over the fleshing beam. For a thick 
 hide, a second rinsing and working will be necessary. 
 
 Tanning Liquor. — For light hides, add one-half bushel 
 of wheat bran to ten gallons of soft, warm water, stirring 
 it in. Xet it stand in a warm room until it ferments, then 
 add seven pounds of salt, and stir it until it dissolves, then 
 add slowly, and stir in, two and a half pounds of sulphuric 
 acid. Into this liquor put the hide, and handle it until it 
 is perfectly saturated. 
 
 This tan will impart no color to the leather, but will act 
 as a mordant for setting a variety of bark or vegetable 
 colors. This tan liquor, when properly prepared, has a 
 sour, pungent taste, sharper than the keenest vinegar, but 
 is not so strong as to injure the tongue or hands. This is 
 the test for the strength of the liquor. If it becomes much 
 reduced below this test, while the hides are in it, it must 
 be strengthened. To do this, remove the hides; then skim 
 off the bran, which is now worthless, and add to the old 
 liquor fermented bran, salt and acid, as before. Light hides 
 should remain in the tan liquor from four to twelve hours. 
 Then rinse them in soft water, two or three times, pushing 
 out all the tan from the fur or hair. All tanned skins 
 should be thoroughly rinsed before applying the liquid 
 stuffing, which is composed in the following manner: 
 
 Take one-third leached lye and two-thirds tanner's or 
 neat's foot oil, beat together, and apply with a stifi brush. 
 Give calf skins two coats, furs one light coat, and deer 
 skins two coats, one on each side. Hang them in the 
 shade to dry. When half dry, take them on the beam 
 over some yielding substance, and by pushing the edge of 
 the flesh knife stoutly over the leather in all directions, it 
 will become soft and pliable. 
 
 In treating a calf skin, when the liquid is nearly dried 
 in, apply a thorough coat of water-proof stuffing. 
 
 All hides and skins when drying are like full cloth. 
 When wet they contract or^ pull up, and have to be 
 

 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPE'RS GUIDE 333 
 
 stretched. To do this, take the hide after the liquid stuffing 
 is dried in, dampen it, and place it on the fleshing beam 
 over some yielding substance like a sheep skin. Then use 
 the flesh knife (a circular knife, like the cook's chopping 
 knife). By pushing the edge stoutly in all directions over 
 the leather, it will become stretched, and be made fit for 
 the various uses to which it is to be put. 
 
 The following is a simple way to dress deer skins. First 
 have tham grained, as already directed. Then, into a two- 
 gallon stone pot, put two quarts of rain water, one ounce 
 sulphuric acid and one gill of salt. 
 
 Put in the hide, work it well for two or three minutes, 
 wring it out, pull it dry, and smoke it. 
 
 , Coloring Hides 
 
 Black. — Use logwood clear; dry, and then use copperas 
 water to make it black. Don't use too much copperas. 
 
 Drab. — Pulvei\ize blue clay with soft soap, add blue 
 vitriol, or extract of logwood, to shade the color as you 
 wish. 
 
 Dark Brown. — Seven pounds of oak bark, six pounds of 
 young fustic, one pound of logwood. Strike in with strong 
 alum water. 
 
 To Buff Buckskin. — Take five parts of dry whiting and 
 two parts of yellow ochre, and mix them with water to 
 a stiff paste. Mould into balls, and lay by to dr3^ When 
 the dressed skin is dry rub the ball over the surface, and 
 scour the powder in, and nap the leather by going over 
 it w^ith sand paper, folded over a small piece of half- 
 round wood; or rub the leather down with pumice stone. 
 
 Buff or Dark Brown. — Take equal parts of pulverized, 
 unslaked lime, and litharge, and mix to a thin paste with 
 water; apply it with a brush. One or two coats will give 
 a light buff or buckskin color, which every additional coat 
 will deepen. By adding ammonia and nitrate of silver, a 
 beautiful black color is produced. This color may be so 
 applied as to give a leopard skin appearance, and in the 
 
334 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 I! 
 
 A Prize Exhibit of Fine Furs. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 335 
 
 hands of an ingenious person, a beautiful effect can be 
 produced. 
 
 Another One ounce of crj^stalized nitrate of silver, 
 
 eight ounces carbonate ammonia, one and a half pints of 
 rain water. Cork tight. Apply to the surface of the fur 
 with a brush. One application will make a brown, and by 
 repeating it often enough the color may be deepened to 
 a black. 
 
 To Dress Fox Skins 
 
 Commence to skin the fox by ripping down the back 
 of each hind leg until the slits meet at the crotch. Don't 
 rip up the belly, but skin the body whole. Skin the tail 
 by putting a split stick over the bone of the tail, between 
 the hide and the body. Hold it tight, so that it will scrape 
 the bone of the tail, and then pull this out of the hide. 
 Draw the hide over a board, made ready \)f a width from 
 end to end, and when it is dry slip it ofif and turn it fur 
 side out; then it is ready to sell. 
 
 Beaver Skins 
 
 Rip the skin as you would that of a sheep. Stretch it 
 to its full size in all directions, and nail it on a board to 
 dry. It may be dressed by a mixture of equal parts of 
 rock salt and alum dissolved in water, with coarse flour 
 stirred in to make it about as thick as cream. Spread this 
 on about half an inch thick, and when dry scrape it of¥. 
 If this is not enough, put it on a second time. 
 
 To make it into furs, pluck out the long hairs. 
 
 Otter Skin 
 
 Skin him nearly the same as the fox, only that the tail 
 must be ripped up, and when the hide is turned down to 
 the four legs, they must be skinned out carefully. Slip 
 the skin over a board that will not fit it so tightlv as to 
 
336 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPE'RS GUIDE 337 
 
 injure the fur. Stretch out the tail, and hold it in place 
 by tacking it with small nails around the edges. If it is a 
 real black fellow, that shines like a crow, probably you 
 will get eight or ten dollars for him. It may be dressed 
 in the same manner as a beaver skin. 
 
 Mink Skins 
 
 The same directions in all respects as for the foregoing 
 save that after the paste gets dry it should be scraped off 
 with the bowl of a spoon, taking care to keep the skin 
 stretched tightly, so that the astringent matter will not 
 shrink it too much. 
 
 The skin may be dressed as soft as velvet, and the alum 
 and salt will set the hair securely. 
 
 During the warm, summer months the mink is nearly 
 stripped of his fur, the skin is thin, and the butts of the 
 hair stick nearly through, making the pelt black. 
 
 The skin is in its prime from mid-winter until about the 
 middle of May. 
 
 Muskrat^Skins 
 
 These skins are very tender, and the flesh is very tough, 
 so that the}^ will not bear fleshing until they have lain for 
 at least six hours in the tan liquor described above for 
 light deer skins. After this it should be fleshed over the 
 flesh side of a sheep skin, with the circular fleshing knife. 
 The fur may be enlivened by being rubbed with a mixture 
 of equal parts of scorched bran and clean white sand. 
 
 Raccoon Skins 
 
 These should be nailed on a board to dry, and smeared 
 with a paste made of equal parts of alum and salt dis- 
 solved in a weak solution of sulphuric acid, say 2 ounces of 
 alum, 2 ounces of salt, 1 drachm, of sulphuric acid, 1 pint 
 
338 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 of water, and a little wheat bran. When nearly dry, scrape 
 it off with a spoon, and work the skin very soft. 
 
 This may be done by rolling up the skin, instead of nail- 
 ing it on a board; or it may be put in the tan liquor recom- 
 mended for light deer hides. 
 
 Bear Skins 
 
 Tan in the same manner in all respects as the Raccoon 
 skins. 
 
 MORE ABOUT PREPARING PELTS 
 
 Many industrious trappers lose much hard-earned money 
 in carelessly prepared peltries. All pelts should be removed 
 from animals when first captured, except in severe weather 
 in the north, where animals may be kept frozen for weeks 
 without injuring the fur. Skins should be well stretched 
 and cleaned of all loose flesh when green; they should not 
 be scraped too severely, however, as in so doing the fibre 
 is often injured. They must be dried away from the camp 
 fire, in the shade or open air. Pelts dried under a hot sun 
 soon become very hard and dry, and are liable to tear, 
 particularly those from thin-skinned animals, such as the 
 fox, lynx, wild-cat, muskrat, etc. Fatty skins, like those 
 of the bear, raccoon, seal and skunk, can be exposed to the 
 sun without injury; the heat draws the fat to the surface, 
 and it is then easily removed. Alum, salt and saltpetre are 
 often applied to green pelts by amateurs, but it causes 
 shrinkage, and also prevents quick, soft soaking and easy 
 currying when first handled by the tanner. 
 
 Furred animals are trapped in cold weather, and no 
 preservatives are necessary in drying the skins. The blood 
 should never be washed from the flesh side of a pelt, as 
 water injures the skin and causes decomposition. The skins 
 of most animals should be drawn over stretchers, with flesh 
 side out, and edges tacked in position. Of the class treated 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 33,9 
 
 thus, mention might be made of the otter, fox, fisher, mar- 
 ten, mink and muskrat. The skin of the muskrat should 
 be stretched over a shingle, with sides slanted on thin end, 
 and corners rounded. 
 
 The animals mentioned should be skinned as follows: 
 Cut the skin through around the ankles; then place a small, 
 sharp knife in the incisions, and open the skins down the 
 inside of the hind legs to the cauda. This amount of cut- 
 ting will enable the skin to be pulled over the head of the 
 animal without tearing, and to come off in bag-like shape. 
 The tails are drawn out by placing the fleshy part between 
 two sticks, with a slight notch in each; they will thus be 
 prevented from slipping sideways, and will draw more read- 
 ily. The tails of most animals need starting at the base 
 with a knife. Tails of the otter and skunk should be split 
 down the under side, and tacked out flat on the stretcher. 
 The feet are generally left on fox skins, and the fur side 
 turned out when they are partially dry. The stretcher for 
 mink and other large skins should be in three pieces, to 
 facilitate removal, as the skins contract and stick tightly. 
 
 The skins of several furred animals are removed differ- 
 ently from those described. Those of the bear, panther, wolf, 
 wolverene, lynx, badger, beaver and skunk are skinned flatly, 
 'by cutting down the middle of the belly and the inside of 
 the legs. Such skins are stretched and nailed on any flat 
 surface. Very large skins, such as the moose, caribou, elk 
 and deer, are stretched on pegs driven through their sides 
 in the ground. When pelts are stretched and dried, they 
 should be made in bundles, placed in the top of the trap- 
 per's cabin, and allowed to remain until spring. Early in 
 the season a mixture of salt, saltpetre and alum is used for 
 the lararest skins. 
 
340 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Wolves on the Trail of Game. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 341 
 
 HUNTING AND TRAPPING THE WOLF 
 
 There are several varieties of wolves in the United 
 States. The prairie wolf, of two or three dififerent kinds, 
 is Init small, and is easily trapped or shot. He is not so 
 destructive among sheep as the large gray wolf of the 
 timbered country, and it is about these that I shall have 
 the most to say. They are confined to no particular loca- 
 
 Wolf. 
 
 tion, but travel about from one place to another. Still 
 they have their- particular routes, as from one swamp to 
 another, and where their course brings them near a settle- 
 ment, they sally forth at night to steal a sheep, if these are 
 kept out and are not penned. Killing sheep is a business 
 they understand, and they will cut the throat of one about 
 as slick as a knife can do it. They are greedy creatures, 
 and always want to kill the whole flock. I have known 
 as many as thirty to be killed in a single night by one 
 wolf — nothing done but to cut their throats. When the 
 she-wolf can find an old bear's den, she will take posses- 
 sion of it to have her puppies, usually about the last of 
 April or the first of ]\Iay. These follow her all the sum- 
 mer and fall, when they start oflf on their own hook to see 
 what they can catch to eat. When deer are plenty, it 
 seems as though they could catch one whenever they 
 please. I have often seen how they operated, one or more 
 running directly on the track, and one on each side. After 
 
342 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 a short run, they would close in, and the venison was 
 sure to be taken. There seemed to be no possibility of 
 escape. In fact, they are great hunters; some will hide 
 in a run-way, while the others drive the deer along. I 
 have often heard the gang, belonging to an old slut with 
 an old dog in company, set up their how-de-low, from the 
 blow of a conch shell to the barking of a puppy dog, screech 
 and scream, all at once — utter confusion. 
 
 It is no sign whatever that they have caught anything 
 because they make such a noise, although when one wolf 
 catches game or finds a deer or any such thing, he goes 
 off a short distance and sets up a howl that makes the 
 welkin ring; and when joined by his comrades, they go 
 together and feast on their booty. While the wolf is 
 calling the others together, should you remove the bait or 
 body, when the pack return with the one that caught it, 
 and they find nothing there, the unfortunate beast pays 
 with his life the penalty of his false alarm. Wolves often 
 catch deer on ice, and while they have gone to call the 
 . pack, men have often removed the body, and then from a 
 safe distance watched the tragedy I have spoken of. 
 
 To my mind the wolf is the shyest creature I ever tried 
 to get a shot at, and to catch one in a trap you must use 
 the same caution that I recommended in trapping for foxes. 
 Never touch the trap with your bare hands, unless you are 
 going to set it under water. 
 
 The best way to trap 'wolves is to take the carcass of a 
 dead horse or other animal and draws it to a spring-hole, 
 and then set your trap exactly as recommended for bears. 
 
 Wolves may be poisoned by the wholesale. Where 
 there are wolves in the country, they have, as I said be- 
 fore, regular routes over which they travel several times 
 during the winter. By close observation you can learn 
 about when they will be along — within a week or so, at 
 any rate. Now hunt up an old horse that is about to 'die, 
 lead him to the spot that you have selected, kill him, and 
 skin him. Take pieces of lard or suet about the size of a 
 hazel nut, and slices of tough flesh from the horse large 
 enough to thoroughly enclose the lard. Spread the lard 
 a little on one side of the flesh, and sprinkle upon it as 
 much strychnine crystal as can be taken up on the point of 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 343 
 
 a knife blade. Mix this with the lard; then roll up the 
 meat neatly and tie it slightl}-, so that the strychnine can- 
 not be exposed on the surface, and lay it down on the car- 
 cass of the 'horse. Put about a dozen of these baits ex- 
 actly where you can find them at any time. When you 
 come again to examine the place, as many pieces as are 
 gone, just as many dead wolves you may expect to find 
 within two or three rods of the spot. I have known a 
 whole ^ang to be killed in this way in one night. ■ 
 
 Foxes may be killed in a similar manner, only very much 
 less strychnine is necessary. When the wolf, the fox, or 
 any other animal is killed with strychnine the hide should 
 be immediately tarred with alum and salt, as described in 
 the chapter on dressing skins. If this is dela3^ed the hair 
 and fur will come out and spoil the looks of the skin. If 
 wolves kill a calf, or any other creature, take the body 
 to some place out of the reach of domestic animals and 
 put poison about it as above directed, and you will be 
 sure to make them keel over. 
 
 You can so scent your boot soles with a mixture made 
 of the oil of rhodium, oil of fenugreek, oil of cummin, and 
 flour of sweet fennel, as to make the wolf follow your 
 track or trail. -By going fari into the wilderness and 
 traveling among the swamps, you can fetch the wolves 
 into your neighborhood, but they are not pleasant neighbors 
 to have and raise cain by hanging about a line of traps and 
 scaring or driving everything away. 
 
 Poisoning Wolves 
 
 Many wolves are killed by poisoning, and more would be 
 so killed if the methods followed were less crude. Strych- 
 nine is generally used with nothing to disguise its intense 
 bitterness, the powder being either inserted in bits of meat 
 or fat or merely spread on a fresh carcass. In most cases 
 the wolf gets a taste of the bitter drug and rejects it, 
 and if the dose is swallowed it may be too small to be fatal 
 or so large as to act as an emetic. An old and experienced 
 
344 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 woU will rarely touch bait poisoned in the ordinary way, 
 but sometimes a whole family of young may be killed at a 
 carcass. Usually when wolves are poisoned they go so far 
 before they die that if found at all it is not until their skins 
 are spoiled. To encourage poisoning, it must be possible 
 to secure the skins in good condition, or, at least, to find 
 the animals after they are killed, so that the ranchman may 
 have the satisfaction of knowing that he has accomplished 
 something toward the protection of his stock. 
 
 In the use of poison it is of first importance to determine 
 the amount that will kill with certainty in the shortest possible 
 time. The smallest dose of strychnine that will kill a 25- 
 pound dog is approximately one-fourth of a grain. Quad- 
 ruple this for a 100-pound wolf and we have 2 grains. One 
 grain killed a 21-pound dog in seventy-five minutes, while 
 3 grains killed a 40-pound dog in twenty-seven minutes, 
 without acting as an emetic. For a wolf, therefore, 4 grains 
 of pure sulphate of strychnine would seem to be a proper 
 dose. 
 
 Tests on 40-pound dogs with 1 and 2 grains of cyanide 
 of potassium in capsules caused the dogs to vomit in about 
 fourteen minutes, after which they fully recovered. Other 
 more deadly poisons can not be safely handled, and 
 strychnine is the only practicable poison that can be recom- 
 mended. 
 
 Directions for Use of Strychnine 
 
 For wolves place 4 grains of pulverized sulphate of 
 strychnine in a 3-grain gelatin capsule, cap securely, and 
 wipe off every trace of the bitter drug. The capsules should 
 be inserted in a piece of beef suet the size of a walnut, and 
 the cavity securely closed to keep out moisture. The juice 
 of fresh meat will dissolve the gelatin capsules, hence only 
 fat should be used. The necessary number of these poi- 
 soned baits may be prepared and carried in a tin can or 
 pail, but they should not be touched with naked hands. 
 Old gloves or forceps should be used to handle them. The 
 baits may be dropped from horseback along a scented 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 345 
 
 drag line made by dragging an old bone or piece of hide, 
 or may be placed on, around, or partly under any carcass 
 on which the wolves are feeding, or along trails followed 
 by the wolves. Partial concealment of the bait usually 
 lessens the wolf's suspicion, while some kind of scent near 
 by or along the trail insures its attention. 
 
 The gelatin capsule will dissolve in about a minute in 
 the juices of the mouth or stomach. When the strychnine 
 is taken on an empty stomach it will sometimes kill in a 
 very feV minutes, but when taken on a full stomach the 
 wolf may have time to travel some distance before dying. 
 In. experiments on dogs the animal usually becomes help- 
 less in one or two minutes after the first symptoms of 
 poison, and dies five or six minutes later. 
 
 Trapping 
 
 Most of the wolves trapped are less than a year old, 
 generally spring pups caught the following fall or winter, 
 After a wolf has reached his third year and run the gaunt- 
 let of traps, poisons, guns and dogs, its chances of dying 
 of old age are excellent. Around the dens I found the old 
 •wolves especialK-- wary, and so suspicious of both traps 
 and poison that I was utterly baffled in attempts to catch 
 or poison them. Excess of scents and baits made them 
 only the more suspicious. This may not always be the 
 case, however, for old wolves are sometimes caught . when 
 the pups are still with them, though large enough to leave 
 the den: and, moreover, wolves vary much in habits, dis- 
 position, and intelligence, so that, though one refuses to 
 be trapped, another may prove an easy victim. 
 
 Traps 
 
 For wolves nothing smaller than a Xo. 4 double-spring 
 trap with heavy welded or special wolf chain should be 
 used. If the trap is to be staked or fastened to a stationary 
 object, the chain should have a swivel at each end; if to a 
 drag, one swivel next the trap is enough. A wolf will bite 
 
346 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 and break an ordinary flat steel chain, and will break any 
 ordinary chain that is allowed to twist or kink, if it is 
 fastened to an immovable object. 
 
 The best anchor for a wolf trap is a stone drag of 30 
 or 40 pounds weight, to which the trap is securely wired. 
 A long oval stone is the best, but a triangular or square 
 stone can be secured wired. Ordinary galvanized fence 
 wire or telegraph wire should be fastened around the ends 
 of the stone and connected by a double loop of the wire, 
 and the trap chain fastened to the middle of this loop. 
 A jerk on the trap tends to draw the band together, and 
 the spring of the connecting wire loop prevents a sudden 
 jar that might break trap or chain. Twisted or barbed 
 fence wire may be used if sufficiently strong, but it is not 
 so easily handled. If no stones are available, or if the trap 
 must be immovably fixed, it should be fastened with twisted 
 iron stakes that can be driven below the surface of the 
 ground. They should be at least 18 inches long and of good 
 iron straps three-quarters of an inch wide and three-six- 
 teenths of an inch thick. In light soil they should be still 
 longer. If a picket pin sufficiently strong, provided with a 
 swivel that will turn in all directions can be purchased at 
 the local hardware store, it may not be necessary to have 
 a pin made to order. 
 
 Directions for Setting Traps 
 
 The trap, chain and stone drag should be buried out of 
 sight close to a runway, where the wolves follow a trail 
 or road, cross a narrow pass, or visit a carcass, with the 
 trap nearest the runway and flush with the surface of the 
 ground; to keep the earth from clogging under the pan, 
 the pan and jaws should be covered with an oval piece 
 of paper, and over this should be sprinkled the fine earth 
 until the surface is smooth and all traces of paper and 
 trap are concealed. The surface of the ground and the 
 surroundings should appear as nearly as possible undis- 
 turbed. The dust may be made to look natural again by 
 sprinkling water on it. Touching the ground or other ob- 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 347 
 
 jects with the hands, spitting near the trap, or in any way 
 leaving a trace of human odors near by should be avoided. 
 Old, well-scented gloves should be worn while setting traps, 
 and a little of the scent used for the traps should be rubbed 
 on the shoe soles. A piece of old cowhide may be used on 
 which to stand and to place the loose earth in burying 
 drag and trap. 
 
 A narrow trail may be made by dragging the stone or 
 scraping, the foot from across the runway to the trap, 
 A slender line of scent should be scattered along this drag 
 mark or cross trail and more of the scent placed around 
 the trap and 6 inches beyond it, so that the wolf will follow 
 the line directly across the trap, stopping with his front 
 feet upon it. With old, experienced, and suspicious wolves, 
 however, it is better not to make the drag mark, but to 
 set the trap with great care close to the side of the trail 
 and put the scent just beyond it. If possible, place the 
 trap between two tufts of grass or weeds, so that it can be 
 readily approached from one side only. 
 
 Use of Scents 
 
 Success in trapping depends mainly on the use of scents 
 that will attract the wolves to the neighborhood of a trap 
 and keep them tramping and pawing until caught. Meat bait 
 alone is of little use, for as a rule the wolves kill an ample 
 supply for themselves. 
 
 Beaver musk (castoreum) and the commercial perfumery 
 sold as musk have proved effective in many cases by 
 causing the wolf to turn aside to follow the scented cross 
 line and so walk into the trap. Siberian musk (from the 
 Siberian musk deer) is very attractive to wolves in the Zoo. 
 Oil of anise and oil of rhodium seem to have no attraction 
 for wild w^olves, and are scarcely noticed by those in con- 
 finement. Asafetida is mildly attractive to wolves and 
 coyotes at the Zoo, but used alone is very slightly, if at all, 
 attractive to those on the range. 
 
 Wolf urine taken from the bladder is used by some trap- 
 
348 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 pers, and is said to be very successful. It is bottled and 
 kept until rancid and then sprinkled over the trap. The 
 sexual organs of the female wolf immersed in the urine are 
 said to add efficacy to this bait. The urine of the female 
 in the rutting season is said to be especially attractive to 
 males: it should be used in January or February. 
 
 Fetid bait. — The bait that has proved most effective may 
 be called, for lack of a better name, fetid bait, because of 
 its offensive odor. It has been long in use in variously modi- 
 fied forms by the most successful wolf trappers, and its 
 preparation is usually guarded as a profound secret. It 
 can not be credited to any one trapper, since no two prepare 
 it in just the same way, but in most cases its fundamental 
 odors are the same. It may be prepared as follows: . 
 
 Place half a pound of raw beef or venison in a wide- 
 mouthed bottle and let it stand in a warm place (but never 
 in the sun) from two to six weeks or longer or until it is 
 thoroughly decayed and the odor has become as offensive as 
 possible. If the weather is not very warm this may require 
 several months. When decomposition has reached the proper 
 
 mmi^m^mJ 
 
 FOR 
 
 MINK 
 
 n EXMISrT OF ANIMAl. BAITS ETC., 
 eiVEO GRAND PRIZE, HICHEST AWARD 
 WORLD'S FAIR, ST. LOUIS, I904 
 
 '^^^--^ ••• >^ '•— FiF 
 
 q^^f'gwgfV g w 
 
 ^)^ 
 
 The Very Best Prepared Animal Bait-Scent. 
 
 Stage, add a quart of sperm oil or some liquid animal oi!, 
 Lard oil may be lised, but prairie dog oil is better. Add 
 half an ounce of asafetida dissolved in alcohol and one ounce 
 of tincture of Siberian musk, or, if this can not be procured, 
 one ounce of pulverized beaver castor or one ounce of the 
 common, musk sold for perfumery. Mix thoroughly and bot- 
 tle secureh^ until used. Apply the scent to the grass, weeds, 
 
 d 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 349 
 
 or ground back of the trap with a stick or straw dipped 
 in the scent, or by pouring from the bottle. A teaspoon- 
 ful should be enough for baiting one trap, but in some 
 cases more may be used to advantage. It should be placed 
 beyond the trap to lead the wolf across — never on the trap 
 — as the first impulse of the wolf after snifung it is to roll 
 on it. This bait is very attractive also to cattle and horses, 
 and unless great care is exercised the traps will be tramped 
 over anci pawed out daily by the animals they are intended 
 to protect. If possible, they should be set where cattle do 
 not often pass or on patches of stony ground or just over 
 a fence from cattle trails. 
 
 Preservation of Wolf Skins 
 
 Prime vv'olf skins in fall and winter, if properly handled, 
 are worth from $4 to $6 for robes or rugs. For either pur- 
 pose the skin should be complete, with feet, ears and nose 
 perfect. The feet should be split through the so!es, all bones 
 removed except the terminal segment of each toe, and the 
 skin opened out to dry. The ears should be partly skinned, 
 the thick base of cartilage removed, and salt forced in be- 
 tween the skin and cartilage. The tail bone should be re- 
 moved and the tail split along the lower side to the tip. 
 The skin should be nailed up as nearly square as possible, 
 with the legs wide and short, and left to dry in the shade. 
 Many skins are spoiled by drying in the sun or by imperfect 
 skinning. 
 
 Museums and taxidermists will usually buy wolf skulls at 
 50 cents each if the bones are uninjured and the brains 
 scooped cut and enough of the flesh removed to prevent 
 their becoming offensive. For museums thej^ should be 
 labeled for sex, locality and date. 
 
 Occasionally wolf bounties are paid on coyotes because 
 county officials can not distinguish between a large coyote 
 and a small wolf, and in certain localities the distinction is 
 exceedingly difficult. In doubtful cases the Biological Sur- 
 vev will be glad to identify the animals. 
 
350 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Trapping Coyotes. — No. 3 traps anchored, set and baited 
 as for wolves should be used for coyotes. The same scents 
 are attractive to coyotes, but the fetid bait is especially 
 recommended. 
 
 Poisoning Coyotes. — Two-grain capsules of strychnine 
 should be used for coyotes, in the same manner as for wolves. 
 
 Locating Coyote Dens. — Coyote pups are usually born in 
 April or May; otherwise the breeding habits are similar 
 to those of the wolf. Bad-land washouts are favorite re- 
 sorts, but the young are often found under rocks or in side- 
 hill burrows. The dens are readily located on bare ground 
 in bad-land regions by the numerous tracks of the parents. 
 In most cases a spade is required in getting at the young. 
 
 yp^. 
 
 From left to right: C. W, Keller, J. A. Mehrten, Chester 
 Wright — the Government Rangers Who Trapped the 
 
 Animals. 
 
 These Trappers Used Trail and Bait Scent. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 351 
 
 HUNTING AND TRAPPING THE FOX 
 
 Red, Grey, Cross, Swift, Black, Blue, White, Kit and 
 
 Silver Foxes 
 
 Preliminary to this subject, I desire to inform the reader 
 of one thing that is uppermost in my mind, which is this: 
 That while scientific men generally claim that there are 
 some fifteen to twenty species of foxes, that my contention 
 is that tliere is but one specie, but fifteen or twenty varieties. 
 
 Red Fox. 
 
 The truth of which will possibly be made plainer to you 
 as we go along. 
 
 Of all animals, perhaps, the fox is in a way the most 
 crafty, shrewd and intelligent. They have learned by 
 generations and ages of observations, experience and 
 memory of past occurrences, and the ways of man espe- 
 cially. They are increasing in value on account of the un- 
 usual demand for their fine pelts, by the furrier and fashion, 
 and in numbers, owing to the fact that they hug more 
 closely to the smaller civilized and farming districts, while 
 their natural enemies, wolves, wild cats, etc., have been 
 more or less exterminated, or driven from the locations in 
 which they abound and thrive. Again, to the fact that 
 these same districts furnish them with much of the foods 
 which provide for their increase, such as harvest and .field 
 mice, squirrels, wood chucks, gophers, rats, rabbits, hares, 
 grouse, wnld fowl of all kinds, small game birds, chickens, 
 eggs, berries, and even harvest foods, beetles, insects, etc., 
 all of which furnish them with an abundance of foods which 
 
352 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 i^'y, -,' ^> 
 
 The Master Trailer at Work 
 
 Teaching Its Youn^. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 355 
 
 they are very fond of in seasons. They learn quickly by 
 observation of the ways of their now greatest enemies, 
 man, dogs and traps, and how to avoid them. And in loca- 
 tions where they are not hunted much, they have increased 
 considerable by this knowledge, and their nocturnal wander- 
 ings in unfrequented locations, during which time they in- 
 variably find an abundance of good foods, peculiar to them, 
 as is evinced by their fine and sleek condition in season. 
 Yet before I enter into a discussion of the better methods 
 of hunting and trapping them, I shall give the reader some 
 information as to their habits and peculiarities. 
 
 Indeed, these are the important things that must be 
 learned, and the trapper or hunter who makes a study of 
 such facts, and becomes an authority on them, instead of an. 
 authority on catalogs, are the ones who will succeed and 
 profit thereby. 
 
 Indeed, without the use of such knowledge it would be 
 a difficult matter to locate, decoy, lure, trap or hunt them. 
 
 Wolves, coyotes, dogs and their allies belong to a family 
 in which each of the series have four toes on the hind feet 
 — claws, dull, short and untractile, not concealed or sharp 
 like as in the cat, for instance; thus the tracks of these 
 animals are much alike to each other — differing only in size, 
 the fact which makes the trailing and identification of them 
 an easy matter (see chapter and illustrations on tracks, 
 trailing, etc.). 
 
 They are unusually observing, suspicious and curious, 
 so much so that the^^ -liave been known and will invariably 
 follow in the trail and tracks of the trappers, and to observe 
 and watch his actions in placing, setting traps, and the time 
 of his making his rounds even, and in following even hunt- 
 ers and dogs at a safe distance away for a similar purpose, 
 securing thus, too, many wounded birds, rabbits, etc., which 
 often escape, hide, are wounded or lost to the hunter on 
 his trip; thus intelligently they secure many an easy good 
 meal, and familiarize themselves much as to the habits* and 
 ways of man besides. 
 
 Of the American varieties which inha'bit this continent, 
 perhaps the most numerous is the red fox, which averages 
 about three feet in length, has grayish rump and flanks^ 
 
354 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 AN OLD AND SUCCESSFUL TRAPPER 
 AND GUIDE. 
 
 It's Experience that Counts at the Game. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 355 
 
 hairs of the tail partly black near the end, while the tip of 
 the tail is whitish, legs black, partly white inside, throat 
 white, and ears tipped with black; in color they vary, espe- 
 cially in the northern districts and ranges; some with a 
 black band on the shoulders, and along the back is termed, 
 by reason of it, the cross fox, while the silver fox is but a 
 grayer kind, and the black fox a black variety of the same 
 animal. 
 
 This IS why I class them as "varieties" and not different 
 "species," for I see no reason for such a term. In the 
 human race we find twenty or thirty varieties; for instance, 
 Chinaman, Indian, Hebrew, etc., etc., yet they are certainly 
 not dififerent species of men. Now if we take the foxes of 
 the Himilayan Mountains or Egypt, Thibet, India, England, 
 northwestern Canada or America we find little or no dif- 
 ference, be they red, gray, blue, black, silver or white foxes. 
 All of them being of the same specie, and differing only 
 according to habit, environment, locations and surround- 
 ings. At times, true, these relative differences make one 
 incline to believe that they are distant species, but I claim 
 not. Indeed, records show that even the Arctic white fox 
 has been found in temperate and torrid zones, and, for that 
 matter, blue and black, silver and white foxes have also been 
 found in districts remote from those attributed to them, 
 and some times in one litter even, they have been noticed, 
 several varieties. 
 
 In the red fox, too, we find the back fur reddish brown, 
 with a tinge of yellow, which graduates down to more or 
 less white underneath. Back of its ears and the fore parts 
 of its limbs are inclined to be dark; its bushy tail or brush, 
 usually terminating in the white tip, serves as a signal 
 by which they communicate to each other, in a way, and 
 which has various other purposes, which will be taken up 
 in turn. Its peculiar shaped head, sharpness of the muzzle, 
 eliptical clear eyes, indicates its possession of shrewdness 
 and cunning and betrays its sneaky character, while its pos- 
 session of a sub-cordal gland secretes a fetid substance, the 
 emission of which gives to them a peculiar, distinct scent 
 or foxy odor, which varies in all varieties, particularly in 
 those of the southern kind, and which is found to be lacking in 
 
356 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 the extreme northern, Asiatic or Arctic kinds; in fact, north- 
 ern varieties of all animals, with few exceptions, are found 
 to be lacking in odor when compared to the more southern 
 kinds. 
 
 In regions where foxes have not been trapped or hunted 
 much they are not difficult to either approach or capture, 
 but, on the other hand, are the most wary, sly and crafty 
 of all animals, with the exception, perhaps, of the wolverine, 
 which not only places them second in the rank of intelli- 
 gent animals generally, but taxes the patience and skill of 
 both trapper and hunter to the utmost. 
 
 Peculiarly enough, it is observed, too, in districts where 
 they are trapped much, that youg cub foxes are extremely 
 suspicious and wary, and this fact I attribute largely to 
 inherited memory of events, as sometimes they are harder 
 to trap than even older foxes. 
 
 As a rule they are solitary animals, except in certain 
 seasons (rutting and breeding), nocturnal in habits, or 
 "night-roamers"; either living in the open and concealed 
 spots of the woods, or in burrows known as its earth, or 
 holing up in the deserted holes of other animals, which it 
 drives out for the purpose, such as rabbits, badgers, etc. 
 Instances being known even where it has resided in an ex- 
 cavated portion of even a badger's home, and the two of 
 them have been found living together. It lives and frequents 
 both woods and open country, and, as a general rule, hunts 
 in districts remote from its habitation. In fact, this is one 
 of the peculiarities of fox nature; you seldom find them 
 hunting around their own neighborhood. 
 
 As a rule, while foxes are somewhat cleanly in appear- 
 ance, yet about their dens they are not, and will often leave 
 bones and feathers around their earth, but as this is large- 
 ly done for the purpose of enticing mice, etc., to that 
 vicinity, so as to all the easier catch them, we can see rea- 
 son and method back of even this trait. On the other hand, 
 we observe, too, in districts where dogs are used to hunt 
 them much, or trail them to their dens, that they are very 
 often foxy enough to even remove these bones and feathers 
 to quite a distance away, and to even preserve these favorite 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 357 
 
 feeding spots away from their dens, thus peculiarly adapt- 
 ing their habits according to circumstances. 
 
 xA.gain we find many who seem to care for no hole, earth 
 or burrow — simply laying in cover only; others seeking the 
 protection of a den amid rocky boulders, stony places, cliffs, 
 ledges of rocks, roots of trees, which afford greater pro- 
 tection to their young. Either this, or choosing hollow 
 logs, wind-falls, tree stumps, dense under-brush, or rocky 
 protecte(f crevices, usually on the south side of the hill or 
 warm elevation. Resting by day, and indulging in a sneaky 
 chase by night, when it can see better, like a cat. 
 
 Its rutting or breeding season is usually in February or 
 March. The vixen or female producing her young usually 
 in a litter of four to eight, after a period of gestation, in 
 about 60 days. The dog foxes usually staying by the vixen 
 during these times. They live about an average of ten or 
 twelve years, although in captivity as long as fifteen or 
 more, as their duration of life depending largely, .of course, 
 upon conditions. When born, the cub foxes are blind, help- 
 less and covered ears and body with a smooth brown, fluffy 
 kind of fur. When about two months old they are able to 
 go out of the burrow or nest, and at an age of about six 
 months are able to shift for themselves. To suckle them 
 easy, the vixen often pulls off the hair around her teats, and 
 in the protection of its young the vixen fox is almost fear- 
 less, sometimes even driving away their dog foxes and not 
 allowing them to approach the litter. 
 
 In coloring they most take on that of the locations they 
 frequent, as well as the fox with whom they frequent, pair 
 or breed; impulses more than choice of mate seeming to 
 be considered: hence, in the same litter, one will often find 
 cubs differently colored. In weight a full-grown fox will 
 perhaps average 15 to 20 pounds, according to kind, time 
 of year and conditions. At times, too, dog foxes will re- 
 main with the vixen throughout the breeding season, in 
 which case they often hunt jointly with each other, each 
 taking a certain part in the game — the one to scare up the 
 prey and drive it towards the other, who remains concealed, 
 in the near distance, so as to surprise it, as it is driven 
 towards them, and, as a rule, I have noticed that they act 
 
358 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 in concert with each other, as if the whole affair has been 
 planned and premeditated with almost human intelligence. 
 The dog fox doing the bulk of the work, and the vixen 
 taking the part of an able assistant. 
 
 When with cubs, dog foxes seem to have a sort of re- 
 spect for the vixen, for although, at times, she will turn on 
 them and bite them severely, it is seldom that they retaliate. 
 Indeed, but few males have been known to hurt the vixen, 
 and even dog hounds, in the 'breeding season, seem to recog- 
 nize the slut fox, and in due honor to her condition seem 
 inclined to unmolest her, and will often sneak off with their 
 tail between their legs, as if achamed that the object of their 
 chase turned out to be a maternal parent. 
 
 When the cubs are produced, the old vixen displays an 
 unusual mother-like care to her cubs, often going hungry 
 that they may feed, and will sit for hours watching them 
 play from a point of vantage from which she can observe 
 what is going on a safe distance away — ever on the look- 
 out from danger on all sides. At the least warning from 
 the mother they will scamper to their cover and conceal 
 themselves effectually, remaining thus hidden and safe while 
 the parent herself will endeavor to lead away the enemy 
 from the location in which her cubs are hidden, and seldom 
 returning until the danger is past. If for some reason she 
 would lose her life in the protection of her young, the dog 
 fox would assume the responsibility in a way, of raising the 
 litter, at least until they were fairly able to take care of 
 themselves; if not, the first born of the family usually takes 
 the lead, and I want to say right here that in all wild 
 animal life the first born seems to .be the cuiest, wisest 
 and most generally favored of the lot, and the others obey- 
 ing him or her, and respecting him much like they would 
 the parent herself. As stated before, at the least warning 
 they will scamper to their cover or burrow, remain thus 
 hidden and safe, while the vixen goes out on her hunts 
 for her food, or theirs, never leaving or showing themselves 
 until the vixen's return, or until they are starved out. And 
 when about six months old are fairly able to take care of 
 themselves in all respects, even to going alone, if neces- 
 sary, and shifting for themselves. 
 
 In their early lessons, their vixen fox accompanies them, 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 359 
 
 showing them how to seek and search, capture and kill 
 their prey, taking them even to the harvest fields in which 
 they search for grain, fruit and berries, of which they are 
 very fond, and in teaching them how to avoid the danger 
 spots, as well as to seek the safer ones, and when they are 
 about able to take care of themselves the vixen fox drives 
 them away from her, to take up their abode and domain 
 elsewhere. 
 
 It is. at this time that these young foxes are caught 
 by the early trappers or skimmers, and the capture of one 
 of these should not lead the captor to believe that he has 
 graduated in the art of fox trapping, not by any means. 
 
 If taken when young, from their parents, foxes will be 
 found hard to tame, unusually so; in fact, it is claimed that 
 no wild animal is ever tan-^ed — only trained, I am in- 
 clined, however, to doubt this in a way. While swift in 
 their way, they are deliberate, yet are often winded easily 
 in a long run, necessitating frequent rests, hence are often 
 hunted and hounded by dogs and wolves, both, to their death 
 in a short time, and it is on account of this persistency with 
 which they are hunted, hounded or trapped that they become 
 so extremely shy, and skillful in avoiding and eluding its 
 enemies, by its craftiness, and in the knowledge of the weak- 
 ness of its pursuers. By its persistent watchfulness and 
 curiosity it learns the ways of its enemies, and employs 
 artifice to combat main strength and stupidity of mankind 
 whenever possible to do so. In other words, using a little 
 "head work," and not letting its brains run to its feet, like 
 many so-called hunters and trappers. 
 
 It is their unusual scent and hearing that enables them 
 to locate both their enemies and prey long before sight 
 has observed them. The faint rustle of the mouse or bird in 
 the dry leaves or grass being instantly detected by these 
 remarkable acute senses, far more than sight, which, cat- 
 like, by nocturnal habit, is much better at night, and if you 
 but closely observe their eyes at any time, you will find 
 the pupils thereof contract into but a mere slit by day. 
 Indeed, trappers and hunters will do well to remember that 
 all animals that are nocturnal or "night-roaming." see much 
 better by night than by day. while birds and fowl with but 
 
360 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 few exceptions see by day mostly, reversing the order of 
 things, as it were. As a rule, too, they are unusually quiet 
 and noiseless, both in voice and movement; a short treble 
 bark or yelp, peculiar to them, being seldom indulged in, 
 mostly in the pairing season, or as a call, and then used 
 by younger foxes more than old ones. It is by these cries 
 that the trapper or hunter, if old at the business, attracts 
 them at times to his vicinity — that of the vixen fox being 
 especially telling in season. Again, by imitating closely 
 the chirp of the bird, squirrel or wood-chuck, a quack of 
 the duck, a call of the grouse, answering the same purpose 
 exactly. Indeed, hunters and trappers should learn to imi- 
 tate the simple cries of the woods, that they may serve his 
 purpose in many ways in the time to come. It is surpris- 
 ing how proficient one may become in these things, with 
 a little practice, when alone. 
 
 Don't forget what I have told you, that as a rule they 
 can both smell and hear you before they can see you, and 
 that while you depend on sight alone, they do not. 
 
 Don't forget, too, that animals generally go about things 
 in many respects, the opposite way to us. And if you bear 
 this in mind, it will be a vast aid to you. I will try to 
 make this plainer to you as to what I mean. Take, for 
 instance, a young puppy dog; if he keeps still and observes 
 you, it will come towards you, but if you move towards it, it 
 will run away from you. While if you move away from it, 
 it will run after you. This is animal nature, and they all 
 show similar traits. They go largely by actions, and even 
 judge from them. If you show fear or signs of it, they are 
 brave, and if you show no signs of fear, they are afraid. 
 If you keep still they are apt to get curious and move around 
 to get closer to observe or scent you. If you move, they 
 are ofT, and if you run, the}'- know you are afraid, and if it is 
 a bear, for instance, the chances are "it's your last run"; 
 that is, if you are having a scrap with him. For, as a rule, 
 I don't care what the animal is, if you leave him be, and 
 go your way, he will leave you be, and go his way, too. 
 
 Another thing, animals generally dislike to run to lee- 
 ward; they most generally prefer to run, nose to the wind, 
 so as to scent unforeseen dangers, even if you are in the 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 361 
 
 way of them, and many a story "of the son-of-a-gun come 
 right towards me'' originated because the party did not know 
 this was a wild animal trait. To make this plainer to you, 
 I will say that a wild animal generally has one thing in 
 his head at a time, and if he is going a certain way he don't 
 seem to stop to think that you are in the wa}'. If, however, 
 he does turn away from you, you can gamble that he has 
 got a pretty good opinion of you, and can liken his act 
 to an example which he would like to see you follow. 
 
 There is just as much need of exercising your judgment 
 in these things as in anything else of a similar nature even. 
 
 We have read much of the intelligence of foxes, as a rule, 
 but little as to "how he deserves the title." If any of my 
 readers ever had the opportunity to watch them I don't think 
 they had much the best of the fox — the chances are he, too,' 
 played the same watchful game. The}'- have the habit of try- 
 ing to be indifferent to such things. Nine times out of ten 
 when he sees you he tries to let on he doesn't. It is part of 
 his nature. I don't care whether you come across him sud- 
 denly or not, as you may think. The chances are he has 
 had "whiff" of your scent and is laying low for developments 
 — of the two, however, you can gamble he is the least sur- 
 prised, and in every way has you at a disadvantage. Mr. 
 Fox will act as though it was an every-day occurrence, and 
 he will treat it as if he were expecting it. • You can be sure, 
 too, that he is the least put out about it. If you carry a 
 gun he will slink off in a methodical sort of way, carefully 
 putting something between you and him, so as to offset or 
 hinder your aim. If you haven't, the chances are he knows 
 it, and has awaited your coming so as to closer inspect one 
 who he knows has tried so hard to get the best of him. 
 If you see him at a distance like, he was perhaps perched 
 upon a log, tree stump, rock or mound, taking in all you 
 were doing, or sizing you up as you came along — before he 
 jumped down and "hiked" away along or across your path, 
 as the case may be. 
 
 Indeed he has learned long since that sitting down in a 
 quiet sort of way in a likely place is a good rule to follow, 
 when he wants to see things, and if you are wise you will 
 follow the plan, too. It is certainly much better than hoofing 
 it about all day, with but a similar end in view. 
 
362 • COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 Pelts Always in Demand. 
 
 
 Wild Cat 
 
 4- 
 
 4ft:.-i^ 
 
 Cross Fox 
 
 Grey Fox 
 
 «S 
 
 
 Ringtail Cat Otter 
 
 Animals That are Trapped 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 363 
 
 When hounding foxes one may learn much of their crafty- 
 nature and ways. I have seen them time and time again 
 hide, lay down, rise and stretch, even chase their tails, while 
 all the while the hounds were "tongueing'' and on their trail 
 in the distance, starting off at a leisure trot, as they ap- 
 proached, as if they really enjoyed the chase, and relying 
 more upon their knowledge and trickery than by speed they 
 will double on their tracks, circle round, take to the stony 
 watered course of a running stream, run logs and trees, in 
 an effort to break the scent; and if successful will even turn, 
 watch or follow the hunters or dogs, as if enjoying their 
 confusion and ignorance. In this he is aided by the observ- 
 ing knowledge that neither man nor dog pay much attention, 
 or are mindful of their back tracks, while all hunted animals 
 are. 
 
 They have, too, been known to make friends with dogs, 
 even to playing and running with younger hounds, chasing 
 them and then driving them off again. Wolves, to which 
 family the fox belongs, even going further than this. For 
 many a slut wolf has been known to consort with several 
 different dogs, and to have even connections with them in 
 season. Indeed, one-half the Indian dogs I have seen, which 
 belong to the Esquimaux and North American Indians, with 
 whom I have spent many years, are but the very offspring 
 of the wolf itself, defying many to even distinguish between 
 them in any way, form or shape, looks, color or action even. 
 
 Often when trapping, too, one can observe how they have 
 been followed by both wolves and foxes,, who in regions in- 
 habited by them will follow even in the foot or snow shoe 
 trail of the hunter or trapper, or in the path of sleigh, sled 
 or wagon wheel trails; and one has but to take a few doses 
 of reason and judgment to realize that they have been both 
 followed and watched by these crafty animals, who by cu- 
 riosity and information thus gained dodge both the hunter 
 and trapper, and render his efforts to kill or capture them 
 in many instances next to useless. 
 
 In these traits both fox and wolves use much the same 
 methods. Any old trapper or hunter will tell you one is 
 just as hard to trap or lure as the other, both of them hav- 
 ing many similar and yet dissimilar traits. 
 
 The best time to find either is very early in the morning 
 
364 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 An Ideal Playground for the Fur and Feathered 
 Denizens of the Woods and Forest. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 365 
 
 or evening from twilight on, or on moonlight nights. If in 
 the day time, about noon, when they are sunning themselves 
 and watching — hence difficult to find or approach. 
 
 While wolves hunt in packs, foxes seldom do; at the 
 most a pair of foxes will, and this only in season, as they 
 invariably sneak about alone, solitary like. You will find 
 young foxes easier to trap than old ones, but it is because 
 they are green and not experienced enough. Yet younger 
 foxes are extremely suspicious at first, sometimes more so 
 than the old fellows, until they become bold. Like the wolf, 
 they roam around, covering a good deal of ground, in the 
 coldest of weather especially, going here and there; and 
 often one is inclined to think there is more of them than 
 there really is by their numerous yet same tracks. When 
 all other animals are "holed up" foxes and wolves prowl 
 around. At these times their scent is unusually acute, and 
 as game in winter is generally scarce, they are invariably 
 hungry and on the go. It is this acute sense of smell that 
 makes them, together with the knowledge and fear of man 
 both, extremely suspicious and difficult to lead to trap, be- 
 cause they invariably smell his tracks or trail and avoid the 
 vicinity of theirs. 
 
 The greatest difference between them is that wolves, as 
 a rule, depart from civilized communities, while foxes thrive 
 and remain there, because the wolf is his enemy, although 
 indeed they, live in peace together when foods are plenty, 
 and under certain conditions. 
 
 Both foxes and wolves, in their travels, too, void their 
 urine, much as do dogs, on various limited mounds, stumps 
 and little hills, as they go along, roaming around from place 
 to place, traveling in similar paths (every beaten well known 
 spot is their signal station and meeting spot), and periodic- 
 ally visiting their favorite spots and haunts, continually on 
 the watch for any prospects of a feed, the fox often cover- 
 ing 15 to 20 miles in a night, and wolves considerably more. 
 
 When food is plenty foxes will often bury and leave the 
 remains of a feast, and will as surel}'- return to that same 
 place for another feed. If it is small game and a vixen fox, 
 she will often lug it off with them to their cover or den. 
 carrying it of¥ in their mouths after holding their head high 
 to do it. I have never seen them toss it over their shoulders 
 
366 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Experience is the Best Teacher. 
 
 His First Lesson. 
 
 Perseverance Leads to Success. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 3&7 
 
 to carry, as some writers declare. I know, too, by observa- 
 tion that foxes especially love to cateh and kill their own 
 food. While not adverse to eating carrion or dead flesh, 
 if hungry, they will never touch it if they can help it — un- 
 less it is their own killing; then they like it, and the more 
 "gamey" it is the better; in fact it is sometimes buried for 
 this purpose. But of all things they enjoy it is a feast of 
 something they have run down, caught or killed themselves. 
 — rabbit, wild fowl or birds especially — mice being a favor- 
 ite mors'el. They will at times, too, store up quantities of 
 food killed by themselves, especially toward winter. 
 
 In my Hudson Bay trapping experiences I often found 
 in' fox dens and coverts mice and lemmings in plenty, 
 stored away, some of which I often used in baiting my 
 traps. Arctic foxes, too, peculiarly enough, have but little 
 scent glands. In fact, in my experience I have found that 
 as one goes south these scent glands increase; hence I 
 attribute much of the make-up to the variety of foods which 
 they exist upon. 
 
 Another thing I wish to impress upon the minds of my 
 trapper readers especially is the fact that if you use live 
 baits when trapping you won't have much cause to com- 
 plain of success, if foxes abound. Time and time again have 
 I proved this to my own satisfaction, not only in the North, 
 but in nearly every State in the Union where I have trapped 
 as well. I have found there is no decoy, lure, bait or scent 
 equal to the real thing. 
 
 In seeking their prey foxes are great stalkers, creeping 
 up slowly toward their quarry, in a round-about way, or will 
 still hunt equally as well laying for a squirrel, bird or rab- 
 bit, like a cat will watch for a mouse. Even in the South 
 they will hunt muskrat, squirrel or skunk the same way. I 
 have seen them watch a hole or burrow from behind it, 
 lay on a projecting ledge, or, concealed b}- a log or bush, 
 watching for a chance at any of them, playing 'possum like, 
 or trying to draw or coax them within springing distance, 
 even leaping up into the air, or on a low tree branch, to 
 secure a mouthful of "fur or feathers," as the case may be. 
 A fox, too, when hard pressed with hounds, will leap into 
 a low tree branch to avoid the dogs; but not an old fox. 
 There are no foxes that can climb trees; they can leap up 
 
368 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 to the lower limbs — the grey fox especially — and from one 
 limb to another, but I have never seen them climb trees, 
 as is claimed by many writers, and I don't believe there is 
 any truth in the statement. I have seen dogs do the same 
 thing — go up in a low branching tree pretty well after coons, 
 squirrels, etc., but when it came to coming down they whined 
 and howled, as if saying, "Help me out of the fix I'm in" — 
 and the same rule applies to foxes equally as well. 
 
 In killing their prey they spring and grasp it by the neck 
 or throat and snap at it, much as does the wolf, and will 
 even do this to the "skunk," seeming to kill them quickly, 
 before he gets a chance to throw his scent. Indeed, the 
 more I see of animals and birds generally, who are caught 
 and killed thus, the more I am inclined to think and believe 
 that their death is almost painless. It seems as though the 
 suddenness of attack shocks, dazes or paralyzes them, espe- 
 cially so when taken by surprise. On the other hand, if 
 they meet and fight on anything like equal grounds, you will 
 see almost any animal or bird put up a good, stiff and often 
 prolonged and a desperate fight, keeping it up until they kill 
 or maim each other; or like good Irishmen in a scrap, one 
 quits or cries enough. And it is evident, too, they regard 
 the first blow or attack as half the battle besides. 
 
 As the vixen cohabits freely with any male specie, the 
 strain or breed is often mixed in the one litter; this, how- 
 ever, not being noticeable until they mature. You will find, 
 too, in all foxes that the scent glands are unusually strong 
 and active as the pairing season advances, and these scent 
 glands, at these times of all, are especially valuable to the 
 trapper for future use, although at this time it is a fact that 
 they hunt mates more closely than foods. (See Scents, Bait, 
 etc.) 
 
 When hounded by dogs they will travel great distances, 
 but seldom in a straight-away direction, unless it is a stran- 
 ger to the locality, in which case they invariably head for 
 their more familiar haunts, and have been known to cover 
 25 to 30 miles of distance thus in a few hours' drive. As a 
 rule, however, they circle round, depending more on mis- 
 leading the hounds than upon speed, and relying on trick- 
 ery. Good dogs will invariably run them down in a few 
 hours at the most. For this purpose one or two fast bounds 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 369 
 
 are used, or perhaps let in to the chase at various periods. 
 As this will be taken up more fully elsewhere, we will turn 
 to other subjects in this chapter. 
 
 I have referred to the acuteness of a fox's scent before, 
 and much has been said of the fox's ability to smell traps 
 and the iron thereof. To my mind, however, this is over- 
 estimated. It is his ability to smell man scent and to read 
 signs that keeps them away from traps more than does the 
 smell of iron. An old fox is so afraid and suspicious of 
 man that he will sometimes refuse to even cross the path 
 or tracks of his most dreaded enemy, and will often go back 
 miles to avoid it, so much so that I am convinced that if 
 trappers generally did as much to conceal their own scent 
 and doing^as they did to remove the scent from their traps 
 they would be better off for the trouble. 
 
 The great trouble is that trappers generally leave too 
 much of their own scent and sign around — so much so that 
 one can see proof of it at a glance — by fox signs, going near 
 or around about your traps, but not up to them. When you 
 see this just realize you are to blame, and if you are wise 
 you'll take the hint. 
 
 A fox can tell where you have stored and dug up the 
 ground in an effort to set or locate a trap correctly, better 
 than he can smell iron, and he is too foxy to commit sui- 
 cide. True, they can smell iron; but if you can^ f ool their 
 suspicious eyes and leave less of your scent and sign around, 
 you can trap foxes, provided you possess the other neces- 
 sary qualifications as to the correct place to make the set, 
 to use 'bait and scent judiciously. He is chuck full of far 
 greater intelligence in the way of locating suspicious-like 
 signs than he is of smelling iron and locating traps. 
 
 Perhaps you have noticed that often your best success 
 comes after a slight fall of rain or snow. That was because 
 it helped kill sign and your scent more than the smell of it. 
 
 Again, I want to call attention to what I consider the 
 too free use of dead bait. I have personally watched them 
 paw over and play with a piece of meat laid out for the pur- 
 pose of leading them to a trap, and, like a cat, will paw a 
 strange dead bird or grouse. They seemed to act afraid of 
 It. They took it in their mouth and spit it out, as much as 
 to say it tastes and smells suspicious like, and when eventu- 
 
370 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 ally they swallowed it, it went down like medicine. The 
 whole truth was, it had human scent, thereon brought about 
 in handling it. 
 
 Another thing I want to call attention to is in the im- 
 proper use of "scents" generally. There is too much doping 
 going on in an inexperienced way by the trapper, concocting 
 or making his own. This business is mixing up cat, skunk, 
 muskrat, fish oils, etc.; can be and is overdone. Scent is 
 all right if right, but this smell or stink, mix up anything 
 or kind of scenl, is just where trappers make a big mistake. 
 They seem to think if they can raise a big stink it's all 
 that's necessary. "Not by a jug full." The scent of a 
 putrid carcass is fine scent — just as much as it is good bait — 
 because it is natural, it is right. But there isn't a fox living 
 but what can distinguish it as against some of that worse 
 than human excrement called Home-AIade Trappers' Fox 
 Scent. 
 
 In the Trappers' Haunts 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 371 
 
 Use and Abnse of Trail and Bait Scents. 
 
 (Right and Wrong Methods) 
 
 There is too much of this happy-go-lucky-hit-and-miss 
 kind of scents, trapping or "skimming" going on. Animals 
 aren't fooled so easily, especially the critter known as the 
 Fox, and he isn't going to lose his reputation and hide by 
 experimenting, or taking pot luck, with things that both 
 look and smell suspicious to him. No wonder it is that ani- 
 mals sometimes express their silent contempt by voiding 
 urine and droppings on such sets, or by turning upside down 
 traps so vulgarly laid, and the sooner it is realized the bet- 
 ter. Trapping is an art that requires extreme patience and 
 care, and the quicker and closer you get down to it the bet- 
 ter off will be 3'our success. One must use reason and judg- 
 ment always — the more the better. 
 
 The ideal fox scent is that of the vixen fox (matrix and 
 urine) itself, and no home-made dope will equal a few drops 
 of this. The next best thing is natural and fresh bait, and 
 blood, and with these things, and your traps well hidden, set 
 judiciously and right, you'll catch foxes when others fail. 
 (See Baits and Scent chapter.) 
 
 In my time, before I got old at the business, I tried a'bout 
 everything I could get. I have used the other fellow's "medi- 
 cine" and got doped for my pains. I have made, mixed and 
 seen put up the "darndest" concoctions that sun and manure 
 piles could hatch out from worm, snake, fish oil, roes, hogs' 
 liver, skunk, cat and muskrat galore — even getting down to 
 "sowbelly" (fried), catnip juice, wild honey and fox berries, 
 and know by observation and experience that some of the 
 "rot" that's hawked about and recommended as good scent, 
 at so much per ounce or recipe — even imported at that — 
 ain't worth bottle room, in comparison to that made for the 
 fox alone, and even this must be put up and used in correct 
 proportions by those that know how. There are good 
 scents and methods of trapping foxes galore, and plenty of 
 wide-awake trappers who get their share of pelts every sea- 
 son, but they ain't "skimmers," and have learned long since 
 that it isn't the king of assorted stinks that turns the trick. 
 Foxes aren't going around half starved, ready to jump at 
 
373 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 SCENT BAITS— RIGHT AND WRONG KINDS 
 
 Use of Good Scent Insures Success. 
 
 Buy the Very Best Trail or Bait Scent, If You Buy Any at Ail- 
 Never Buy from Any but Reliable Concerns Whose 
 Reputation is Established. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 373 
 
 any old bait or scent that leads to a trap, because a piece 
 of meat and smell comes their way — not by a long shot. 
 Neither can any one make a first-class fox trapper out of a 
 dub by instructions alone; it takes experience. But he can 
 point out wherein one's knowledge lacks, and show him 
 how to avoid failures in many ways, and this I propose to 
 try to do in more ways than one. 
 
 To begin with, have you ever considered the eradication 
 of youf own scent? Take, for instance, your clothing or the 
 gloves you handle, prepare and scent your traps with. Did 
 it ever occur to you that these need boiling out and cleaning 
 just as much as your traps do? A good many seem to think 
 they can paw over gloves and use them for an3^thing and 
 everything, until they smell with dirt and perspiration, hu- 
 man scent, and yet consider them as fit for handling and 
 setting traps. I say no. Try the plan of using cheap can- 
 vas, clean overgloves or mitts, rubber if you will, and which 
 you can wash and keep clean. Scent them if you will, and 
 you'll find it better than using those old dirty mitts that 
 are mixed up with tobacco, rust and dirt of every conceiv- 
 able and foreign kind. Don't be adverse either to wearing 
 clean clothes. If it's winter let them be cotton overalls, 
 white, washed snow-white and clean. Get a pair of rubber 
 boots, or even fur overs, an old skin overshoe, and use to 
 approach and make your sets. Don't be adverse to having 
 in a handy place, near your traps, a log or piece of bark to 
 stand upon. Cultivate the use of snow shoes or skis. Keep 
 to your tracks and standing or squatting in the one place in 
 making your sets, instead of moving around too much. Don't 
 lay your other trap and fixings alongside of your work, or 
 move them about on the ground or snow about you. If 
 you use scent be sure it is the very best. Stand on a 
 rock, and drench even your tracks, If you can rig a make- 
 shift of a few logs as a small raft, or use a log to stand on 
 in the water, do so. Don't whittle chips or sticks around any 
 place or squirt tobacco juice about. Open the stomach of 
 the animals you secure and see what they are feeding on; 
 it will perhaps give you a tip and set j^ou to thinking. Don't 
 be too liberal in pick-up baits; at the most they lead to 
 suspicion, and terminate in what you have tried to conceal, 
 
374 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 the trap. Foxes are dainty, fastidious, methodical sort of 
 creatures, who are not going in a sort of hap-hazard way 
 about things; neither must you. He is an adept about de- 
 ceits himself, and is expecting such particular things from 
 you. Put more time into the securing and employment of 
 fresh, inviting foods, that tempt and make his mouth water 
 and cause him such surprise that he will forget everything 
 else and get busy to secure it. That's why I recommend 
 appropriate live bait. There is just as much necessity of 
 putting spare time and money in live bait, rabbits and chick- 
 ens, etc., — even to raising them — as there is in shotguns and 
 rifles, time and shoe leather. In other words, head instead 
 of feet work. Naturalists in their study of animals ofttimes 
 spend days and nights in tediously watching a hole or spot 
 for a single chance to obtain a photograph of an animal un- 
 awares, or in scheming to observe the animal's ways. The 
 true still hunter will spend a week in the woods or forest 
 for the chance of a single lucky shot at his favorite big game. 
 The patient angler will change his "flies, in a dozen casts, 
 and stand for hours to his waist in rapid waters, to lure a 
 mere finny fighter to his rod for a test of skill. Is it not 
 then fitting that the trapper exercise an equal share of pa- 
 tience, enthusiasm and care to ensnare the crafty fox, who, 
 inch for inch and pound for pound, matches up with any 
 animal for cunning, intelligence and indisputably contests 
 and baffles your ability to entrap him? Is he not worthy of 
 your best efforts, and shown himself, from the black tip of 
 his nose to the white tip of his brush, fitted for your skill, 
 tests your ability? 
 
 Why is it not as sportsmanlike to tempt him to his fate 
 thus, by snare or trap, as it is to meet that pitiful job of 
 being hounded to death and then torn to pieces, after an ex- 
 haustive cruel chase, when his strength and wiles have failed 
 him, and overpowering numbers of men, women, horses 
 and dogs thus seek his end, and yet term such the high art 
 of sportsmanship? 
 
 Indeed, when I hear such as these folks ridicule trap- 
 ping as an art I liken it, much as does an eagle to the chal- 
 lenge or criticism of the peacock's. 
 
 Another thing of importance in fox trapping is this ques- 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 375 
 
 tion of baits. By all means, if you have not yet studied 
 the advantages of using live baits or live decoys do so. 
 Nothing in the world makes a fox's mouth water quicker 
 than the prospect of a good feast from a small live rabbit, 
 duck or chicken. Professional trappers often purchase or 
 capture and keep them alive for that purpose, for he has 
 long since found out the sight of such things will make 
 any old fox forget himself and suspicions in his efforts to 
 get nejft as quick as possible to his feed. He won't even 
 stop to cogitate,, or wonder how it gets there either, until 
 too late to realize the awkwardness of the position his greed 
 has gotten him into. 
 
 Right here, too, I wish to call the trapper's attention to 
 the fact that, peculiarly enough, no animals seem to pos- 
 sess the faculty of thinking of any two things at the one 
 time; hence if you can detract their minds from that upper- 
 most in their thoughts or fear, i. e., suspicion and traps, 
 make him forget it, so to speak, by the tantalizing sight of 
 something good moving and alive to eat, you are mighty 
 apt to get an extra pelt for your pains. 
 
 Neither will such baits need renewal or rescenting when 
 it rains, freezes or snows, or will it smell unnatural like; 
 on the contrary, it will increase in value and attractive quali- 
 ties so long as you keep it thus, and answer the same pur- 
 pose for many a similar catch besides. 
 
 Another thing let me impress upon you. Never let your 
 bait or scents smell like a dozen different things. Better 
 pin your faith to any single good one. A fox can smell 
 but one thing at a time, and this is generally the one that 
 is the strongest, be it yourself or your medicine. 
 
 Again, don't be prejudiced against going out (without 
 a gun) on a moonlight night, after a light fall of snow, so 
 as to watch the quarry you seek. Then you will learn much 
 of the ways and habits of things, which will verify much 
 that I have written here. Watch, wait and listen in likely 
 spots, and you are apt to see things that will prove a reve- 
 lation to you, and in a hundred ways repay the time and 
 effort. 
 
 As a general rule, all foxes will travel in a round-about 
 way to and from their favorite dens, meeting spots or cover, 
 and are unusually careful to approach such places unob- 
 
376 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 served. As a rule, too, they select an elevated location from 
 which they can observe what is going on in that vicinity, 
 and will seldom approach if danger threatens. Should one 
 happen upon him when near to his cover, he will turn to a 
 different direction in an effort to lead you away. Usually 
 their den or cover is on the south side of a hill, and they 
 are particularly fond of selecting a tree stump, rock ledge 
 or mound, on which they can bask in the sun. The}^ like 
 to play in dry sand, and will often be found in the sand 
 dunes, banks or little hills, and at these times will frequently 
 go to an elevation to reconnoitre. As a rule they hunt away 
 for these spots, and, like a cat, will lay for hours watching 
 a likely place for rabbit, grouse or small birds. If it can't 
 get near enough it will perform all sorts of antics to attract 
 curious attention and tempt a nearer approach, and many 
 a bird or wild fowl has been lured to its death by these 
 means. As a rule they are flesh-eating, preferring to catch 
 and kill their own foods, seizing their victims by a sudden 
 spring, or chasing or running them down. When hungry 
 they will eat dead food, but not until they have satisfied 
 themselves that it is free from suspicion. After a feast 
 they will go to some stream of good water and drink heart- 
 ily, and then to cover or den, and with one eye open sleep 
 cat-like naps. 
 
 A good way to watch them is to choose a moonlight 
 night, and, selecting some good spot, hide yourself and re- 
 main quiet. If they approach in your direction remain per- 
 fectly still, and unless the wind blows your scent to them 
 strongly they will not notice you. Indeed, all animals per- 
 ceive by motion mostly, and if one remains quiet they will 
 seldom take alarm. Ofttimes, too, one can decoy or lure 
 them closer by imitating the faint squeak of a mouse, twit 
 of a bird, squeak of a duck, chirp of a squirrel, or a low, 
 soft whistle. 
 
 I have told you before that foxes depend more on acute 
 scent than sight in lots of instances, and this is especially 
 the case in winter and daytime. You will often find tracks 
 of them following ifailroad tracks, telegraph poles and fences,, 
 looking for birds, mice, refuse, etc., that have been thrown 
 from or killed by the train or wires, and for mice holes 
 about fence posts, around corn cribs, stacks, husking piles. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 377 
 
 manure dumps, etc., or recently deserted camping- places. 
 If you find their trail in these places, or on a path or wagon 
 road, place your traps on the higher spots, about mounds, 
 old tree stumps, etc., where they usually void their urine — 
 a damp, close night makes a scented bait better, while a 
 frosty night diminishes it, and makes a renewal necessary. 
 If you find a good spring of water, examine it closely, to 
 see if it is used by animals for drinking purposes; if so it 
 is an ideal place for a set; only you must leave it as you 
 find it, "^nd arrange your set where he must step up to take 
 a drink. You can lift a piece of sod or moss and drench 
 both trap and chain therein, packing it clear so as to work 
 freely. If a sandy spot, so much the better; and the same 
 rule applies to mossy and grassy places. Never use chaff, 
 wood ashes or rotten wood out of place — anything strange 
 excites suspicion and causes them to avoid it. Use a branch 
 to brush out tracks and even up the ground, or sift some 
 snow over your set, instead of using chunks of it. Don't 
 be adverse to making two or three sets in a likely place; 
 put the bait on your cloaks if necessary. If you dig up dry 
 ground use a pointed stick and carry away excess dirt, not 
 leave it near by; stand on a log, stone, old hide, and keep 
 to your own same tracks as much as possible. Let your 
 trap be either No. 1^ or 2; for the smaller species !]/> 
 is ample, and is also suitable for mink, skunk, woodchuck, 
 raccoon, etc. 
 
 To prepare the trap, dip it in blood or boil it in rain 
 water and wood ashes, or a composition of tree bark, hen 
 or cow manure, water and beeswax, which will color it 
 brown; ideal for fall uses. If winter time, you can enamel 
 your traps white with bicycle enamel paint for dry sets, or 
 throw into the solution 3'ou boil your traps in a few hand- 
 fuls of lime or kalsomine, which will whiten them to al- 
 most snow color. If for water sets, 3'Ou need not prepare 
 your traps in any way. Try to conceal and disguise the 
 looks of your traps. It isn't the smell of iron, it's the trap 
 itself, and the poor efforts to hide them that makes foxes 
 suspicious. The whole secret is in selecting an ideal spot, 
 and in concealing your sets, disguising the trap — not in 
 destroying the smell of iron. If you use scent let it be 
 that of the fox itself, obtained from the womb or matrix 
 
378 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERvS GUIDE 
 
 of the vixen — fur dealers supplying about the best made. If 
 you use live rabbits they will soon scent up a place 
 by their own manure and urine that will bring all 
 kinds of animals to that vicinity. You can protect the live 
 bait by a cage of wire netting, and the longer it stays the 
 better is your chance for final and repeated success. If 
 you find a hollow log put your live bait cage inside, using 
 for this the common chicken fence wire. Then make your 
 sets in each end, one on top of the log or windfall. If you 
 
 Animal Trail Scent 
 
 make trapping a business get out and locate the best places 
 before the trapping season, commences; do your work then 
 in a preparatory way, and if needs be group logs, as shown 
 in my illustration, for the purpose, using the ordinary open 
 mesh wire cage to protect and secure the live bait that you 
 place therein, which, if supplied with food, drink and bed- 
 ding, will live well there all winter long if needs be, just 
 as it would in a regular rabbit hutch or house; you can 
 feed them on dry foods, oats, wheat, vegetables, bran, buck- 
 wheat, corn, etc. If you use buck and doe rabbits you will 
 soon solve the question of plenty of live bait, by breeding 
 litters of them yourself. 
 
 If you find or place a carcass, place your sets at the 
 same time; don't wait until you see signs and then do it, 
 or you will spoil your chances of success. If in a farming 
 district, hunt for tracks on the ground furrows, as animals 
 invariably run along them to old cornfields, wheat stacks, 
 etc., and make your sets in the most likely places; in bed- 
 ding them down use cotton or a piece of clean cldth, and 
 let your bed be according to the size of your trap, so it 
 will cover freely and clear. If fresh bait is to be had, by 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 379 
 
 all means use it. If not, use those such as I mention in 
 my chapter on Baits, Scents, etc., not forgetting what I 
 have said about the judicious use of such things. Baits and 
 scents must not be used to excess or overdone, especially 
 in fox trapping. 
 
 Again, many run down wolves and foxes with hounds, 
 which work together in a chase. Indeed, this is often con- 
 sidered the quickest way; for this purpose fleet fox hounds 
 are used, supplemented in the pack by several who are fast 
 runners, being interbred with the grey or stag hounds for 
 the purpose. When let out in fox districts they soon pick 
 up a cold trail, the hunters usually following in the distance 
 from behind, striking across and meeting them, instead of 
 following in a zig-zag course. 
 
 As the trail shows up more recent signs or becomes hot 
 the dogs will tongue at times freely — a signal or expression 
 that indicates their course, proximity or success, and illus- 
 trating the power of animal scent; at times they run or 
 trail silently, but a still trailer in a cold and puzzling trail 
 is hard to follow or keep track of; hence a well-voiced dog 
 is often easier and better suited. As a rule two large dogs 
 play out easier than small ones; hence those of medium 
 size are preferable. When chased thus young foxes will 
 den up, or will, if pushed hard, even "tree" in an effort to 
 throw the hounds ofT the scent. Foxes, however, do not 
 
 "BUZZACOTT'S" CONCENTRATED SCENT BAIT 
 
 One Drop Equals Thrae Drops of ihc Ordinary Kind 
 
 climb trees; they will leap up to the lower branches much 
 as a cat will to hide or avoid their enemies, but I have never 
 yet seen a fox that could really climb trees in the full sense 
 of the word, and seldom do old foxes ever resort to such a 
 flimsy trick, as it invariably results in their capture and end. 
 Neither will old foxes den up; at times young ones will 
 
380 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 lead the hunter or hounds to its earth, resulting in the final 
 capture of a family, but not often. Sometimes these chases 
 do not last long, especially so if fresh dogs or hounds are 
 let in, when the fox shows signs of being tuckered out, 
 two or three hours being the average chase. At times, 
 however, they will not circle much, but make a straight 
 get-away, and resort to trickery to get the best of the 
 hounds, leading them to hilly, stony or watered courses or 
 streams, where the dogs lose scent; again in taking through 
 thickets, berry bushes and rough country, which tear the 
 feet and legs of the hounds, and cause them to bleed and 
 become sore; in deer country the hounds are apt in their 
 r'uns to start deer and to run them to water. In rocky 
 places, however, foxes will take to cliffs and dens and hide 
 safely therein, to the discomfiture of both hounds and hunt- 
 ers. At times, too, foxes will change their dens or cover 
 for newer or more isolated ones, removing their young cubs 
 by carrying them, just as a cat carries its young. 
 
 ^iJ^^^^tMliPlir 
 
 The Rabbit. 
 
CO.MPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 381 
 
 HOW TO BAIT THE FOX PREVIOUS TO 
 SETTING THE TRAP. 
 
 Go into the woods, make what we call a bed, three feet 
 in diameter, or thereabout. Wood ashes will do, but chaff 
 is best. Oat chaff, wheat chaff, buckwheat chaff better still. 
 Make ifdeep enough to cover the trap, and have some under 
 the trap to keep it off of the ground or snow. Make it 
 smooth and level, and put some beef scraps on it and throw 
 some around it. This will induce the fox to come up to the 
 bed, and after a few trials he will step into it and pick up 
 the scraps, and perhaps turn it bottom side up to see what 
 there is in it. When you have got him coming regularly 
 and taking the bait, wash your trap clean in weak lye, grease 
 it, and rub off all the rust and dirt. Then hold it in the 
 smoke of burning hen's feathers until it is well smoked. 
 Chain it fast to a piece of wood about two feet long, and 
 as big as your arm. Now take the trap, chain and clog, open 
 a hole in the bed, and bury them neatly in the chaff, having 
 a piece of wood under the trap to keep it steady, and a 
 sheet of paper over it so that the chaff will not prevent 
 its working easily. Cover everything up neatly, and sprinkle 
 the bait as usual upon the bed. 
 
 Approach the bed only from one side, stepping always 
 in the same tracks, and leave as little sign as possible that 
 you have been there. If snow has fallen since the fox was 
 last there, take a meal sieve and sift a little snow over the 
 heap and over your own footprints for some distance 
 back from the bed. Xow I expect you will catch him, but 
 if he smells the trap and won't come to the bed while it is 
 there, take it out and clean it better, and melt some bees- 
 wax, and with a feather smear it all over the trap and chain. 
 Xow put it in the bed again, and you will be quite sure of 
 the fox. 
 
 Here is another way: Select a rise of ground in a back 
 field, make a bed of ashes or mould large enough to receive 
 your steel trap level with the surface. Bait with cheese 
 or scraps from lard. When the fox takes the bait, set your 
 
382 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 trap as follows: Turn the springs toward the jaw that holds 
 up the pan of the trap. Put the trap low enough when 
 covered to be level with the surface. Put hay chaff inside 
 of the jaws level with the pan. Then put a paper over the 
 pan reaching to the inside of the jaws. Then cover with 
 ashes or mould, and make the bed look as it did before 
 the trap was set. Bait with cheese or scraps, or fresh meat 
 of any kind. 
 
 Another way is to bury the entrails of an animal in mel- 
 low ground, making a little hill over them. Set your trap 
 just at the edge of the hill in the dirt, always using the 
 chaff and paper, and keep your trap clean from rust. Scent 
 with musk or lavender water or fox scent. 
 
 Here is another from an old trapper in the state of Ohio: 
 First prepare the trap, then hold it in the smoke of burn- 
 ing oat straw until it begins to sweat. Then dry it off with 
 a woolen cloth, and throw it into spring water for one or 
 two hours. After that, dry it off without letting it rust. 
 Make the bed with clover or buckwheat chaff, making it as 
 hard as possible with the hand, except a hole in the center 
 for the trap, which set in and cover lightly with chaff, or, 
 after the trap is set, take a feather and sprinkle a little oil 
 of amber very lightly over the bed. 
 
 Another common-sense way of catching the fox is to bait 
 him as usual, and clean your trap as clean as possible, not 
 only from rust and dirt (these should not be in your trap 
 any way), but of all human scent, such as it would get by 
 handling with your naked hands, or in any way touching 
 your body. This is what the fox becomes cunning about; 
 but a trap washed out in ashes and water, laid by until it is 
 dry, and then handled with a pair of very clean gloves, will 
 no more scare a fox than would so much stone covered 
 up. Don't spit about the bed, nor track about it, and when 
 3^ou have caught a fox, don't handle the trap with your 
 bare hands, and you may catch a dozen without more cleaning. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 383 
 
 THE RACOON 
 
 The raccoon is about twenty-six inches long; the tail eight 
 inches; the weight twenty to twenty-five pounds-. The head 
 is rather round, the nose sharp and flexible, and the expres- 
 sion of \^'\e face cunning, sly, and foxy. The feet are planti- 
 grade, and hence the animal was considered by some early 
 naturalists as a small bear. The general color of the fur is 
 blackish gray, but paler on the under part of the body; the 
 
 Raccoon 
 
 point of the nose and soles of the feet black, and the eyes 
 black. Around the face is a circle of yellowish-white hair. 
 The tail is marked with five or six black rings, and is tipped 
 with black. The body is stout, the back arched upward, 
 the legs rather long, and the claws strong. 
 
 The favorite haunts of the raccoon are solitary forests 
 upon marshy ground, intersected by streams. His food con- 
 sists of birds' eggs, the eggs of the soft-shelled turtle, frogs, 
 mussels, and various other small animals. Alojig the coast 
 in the Southern States, he finds a species of oyster in which 
 he delights: though we are told that he sometimes pays dear 
 for the whistle, as he gets his paw caught by a fixed shell, 
 and, unable to escape, he is drowned by the returning tide. 
 Sometimes he creeps silently in the sedges like a cat, snap- 
 ping up a duck that comes v/ithin his reach. He climbs trees 
 
384 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 with ease, and not unfrequently robs the nests of the wood- 
 pecker, by putting his long paws into the holes which this 
 bird has chiseled in the limb of a dry tree. When the corn 
 is in the milk, he steals at night into the fields and feasts 
 himself to satiety, reckless of the damage done to the crop, 
 and the ire of the planter when he discovers the theft. His 
 conical head and sharp, flexible nose are not made in vain, 
 for these enable him to pry into corners and crevices for 
 spiders, worms, and the larvae of various insects, of which 
 he is very fond. 
 
 Thus the raccoon is an animal of large resources and 
 marked character. He goes prowling about as well b}^ night 
 as by day. He is a fisher, a hunter, a trapper, a reaper, or 
 a fly-catcher, as occasion may require. He is instinctively 
 cunning as a fox, inquisitive and meddlesome as the monkey, 
 greedy as a bear, sly as a cat. In northern climates, on the 
 approach of winter, he retires to his home and sleeps like 
 the bear till spring, or only goes abroad occasionally in 
 fair weather. At the south, he is active during the year. 
 His nest is usually made in the hollow trunk of a tree. From 
 four to six young ones are produced at a birth, this event 
 taking place in May. The young coons are half as big as a 
 rat, and utter a plaintive wail like an infant. 
 
 The hunting of the raccoon is a favorite sport in some 
 parts of the country. The hunts usually take place by moon- 
 light, dogs being used to tree the game. Great experience 
 is required, as these creatures are nimble and subtle, and 
 often baflie even the most skillful hunters. Many of these 
 animals are caught in various kinds of traps baited with 
 honey, sugar, berries, eggs, frogs, corn, fish, birds, etc., or 
 anything which they are fond of, in season or out. They 
 den up in holes about rocks or in hollows of trees, mating 
 in March, becoming prime about the middle of Xovember or 
 the early part of December. 
 
 In its gait and general carriage is visible an admixture 
 of the plantigrade with the digitigrade; for when it stands 
 or sits it plants the entire sole of its foot upon the ground, 
 but when it runs in haste it only touches the earth with the 
 tips of its toes. Generally, it is nocturnal in its habits. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 385 
 
 passing the whole of the daytime in sleep, snugly curled up 
 in the warm blanket of its own rich fur, and slumbering 
 heavily with its head sunk between its hinder limbs. 
 
 As is indicated by the peculiar nature of its teeth, the 
 raccoon is capable of feeding on animal or vegetable food, 
 but seems to prefer the latter. Indeed, there seem to be 
 few things which the raccoon will not eat. One of these 
 animals.ate a piece of cedar pencil which it snatched out of 
 my hand, and tried very hard to eat the envelope of a letter 
 on which I was making notes. Xot succeeding in the at- 
 tempt, it consoled itself by tearing the paper into minute 
 morsels, employing teeth and paws in the attempt. It did its 
 best to' get a ring off my finger, by hitching one of its 
 crooked claws into the ring and pulling with all its strength, 
 which was very considerable in proportion to the size of 
 the animal. Its brown eyes lighted up with animation when 
 engaged in play, and it was very fond of pushing its paw 
 through the bars of its cage, in order to attract attention. 
 
 In its native state it is a great devourer of oysters, crabs, 
 and other similar animals, displaying singular ingenuity in 
 opening the stubborn shells of the oysters, or in despatching 
 the crabs without suffering from their ready claws. Its 
 oyster-eating propensities have been questioned, but are now 
 clearly proven. The sand and soil that fringe the oyster- 
 beds are frequently seen to be covered with the footmarks 
 of this animal. 
 
 It is always fond of water, drinking largely, and immers- 
 ing its food, so as to moisten it as much as possible. When 
 engaged in this curious custom it grasps the food in both 
 its forepaws, and shakes it violently backward and forward 
 in the water. On account of this remarkable habit it has 
 been dignified with the title of Lotor, a washer. The Ger- 
 man naturalists term it Wasch-Bar, or Washing Bear. In 
 captivity it is anything but abstemious, and rejects plain 
 water, provided that it can be furnished with fermented 
 liquids, strong and sweet. If taken young, it is easily made 
 tame, but is the booziest or worst toper living if he can get 
 any liquor that is sweet and strong. He furthermore relates 
 that this animal is in the habit of catching crabs by putting 
 
The New "Stop Thief" Wire Trap. 
 
 This illustration shows how the trap catches around the 
 animal's neck and chokes it to death. . 
 
 Above traps are especially designed for Gophers, Squirrels, Mink, 
 Rabbits, Skunk, Raccoon, Badger, etc, etc. 
 
 ■•- •• ".J 
 
 
 »<$v 
 
 
 Trap Set at Den of Skunks. 
 As these animals are unsuspecting no covering is 
 needed over traps; as he enters he is caught and killed 
 by trap choking and holding him. 
 
 386 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPE'RS GUIDE. 387 
 
 its foot into their holes, and dragging out the crab as soon 
 as it seizes the intruding limb. 
 
 Roving at night through the woods, and being gifted with 
 singular subtlety as well as agility, it is frequently chased 
 by the residents, who thing a 'coon hunt to be one of the 
 most exciting of sports. Certainly, to judge from the ani- 
 mated descriptions of such scenes, the whole affair must be 
 marvellously picturesque to the eye as well as exciting to 
 the mind. The usual plan of hunting the 'coon is to set 
 an experienced dog on its trail, and to chase it until it takes 
 refuge in a tree. A blazing fire of pine-chips is then built 
 under the tree, which illuminates its branches and renders 
 the smallest leaf perceptible, A good climber then ascends 
 the tree, and speedily dislodges the concealed animal. 
 
 In size, the raccoon equals a small fox, to which animal 
 it bears a slight external resemblance. 
 
 HOW TO CATCH THE RACCOON 
 
 Although he is a nocturnal animal, yet when routed in 
 the day time he travels at a great* rate. 
 
 You may scent the trail leading from one trap to an- 
 other as you do for the marten, and the same trap will 
 answer for both animals, and you will sometimes catch a 
 coon or a mink. 
 
 The raccoon is well known in the greater part of the 
 south, and the raccoon hunts form the burden of many 
 laughable stories. He has a bloodthirsty and vindictive 
 spirit; he slaughters the tenants of the poultry-yard with 
 indiscriminate ferocity, and this in many cases leads to his 
 own destruction, by exciting the vengeance of the farmer. 
 
 Being peculiarly fond of sweet substances, the raccoon 
 is occasionally very destructive to fields of Indian corn. 
 While the ear of the corn is still young, soft and tender, 
 in the milk, and is very sweet, it is then eagerh^ sought 
 by the raccoon. A family of them, five or six in number, 
 frequently enter fields of corn, and in one night do con- 
 siderable damage, both by the quantity of grain they con- 
 sume, and the number of stalks they break down. 
 
 r 
 
The New "Stop Thief" Wire Trap. 
 
 It is Set at the Holes of Animals; Dens, etc., 
 
 This illustration shows the trap concealed. A coon 
 is crossing the log— smells the decoy— His attention is 
 arrested he turns back to investigate. 
 
 388 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 389 
 
 The raccoon is an excellent climber, and his strong, 
 sharp claws effectually secure him from being shaken off the 
 branches of trees. In fact, so tenaciously does this animal 
 hold to any surface upon which it can make an impression 
 with its claws that it requires a considerable exertion of a 
 man's strength to drag him off, and as long as a single foot 
 remains attached, he continues to cling with great force» 
 The conical form of the head, and the very pointed and 
 flexible character of the muzzle or snout are of great import- 
 ance in aiding the raccoon to examine every vacuity and 
 crevice to which he gains access: nor does he neglect any 
 opportunity of using his natural advantages, but explores 
 every nook and corner with the most persevering diligence 
 and attention, greedily feeding on spiders, worms or other 
 small insects which are discovered by his scrutiny. Where 
 the opening is too small to give admittance to his nose, he 
 employs his fore paws and shifts his position, or turns his 
 paws sidewise, in order to fa.cilitate their introduction and 
 effect his purpose. This disposition to feed on the grubs 
 or larvae of insects must render this animal of considerable 
 utility in forest lands, in consequence of the great num- 
 bers of injurious and destructive insects he consumes. . He 
 is also said to catch frogs with considerable address, by 
 slyly creeping up, and then springing on them with both 
 paws. 
 
 There are many caught and killed about cornfields, but 
 the fur is then not very good. Later in the fall, and dur- 
 ing the winter and spring, up to the middle of spring, it 
 is excellent, and when the pelts are well dressed they make 
 good mittens; putting a whole skin in each one they reach 
 up to the elbows. In the spring of the year, when the 
 snow begins to go off the ground, the raccoon is easily 
 found. On a warm night they come out from their hol- 
 low trees, make a circuit, and return on their back track. 
 By watching for their return, you are quite sCire to find 
 them, one, two, three or four altogether. When you go 
 out to hunt them, take an axe with you, and fell some 
 hollow tree in which they have their nest, and see what 
 fun you will have in trying to outrun the little ring-tails. 
 
390 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Later in the season, when the ground is 'bare, and the 
 ice is out of the creeks and ponds, they travel along the 
 mudd}^ shores in search of frogs, of which they are very 
 fond. Take a trap and set it on the edge of the water. 
 Fasten it well, and bait it with fish or fowl of any kind, 
 placing the bait above the trap as for a mink, or behind 
 the trap, in such a way that the coon can only get at it 
 by going over the trap. Scent the bait with oil of anise. 
 You may also catch him with a pole trap, baited with frogs, 
 fish or a bit of partridge. When you find coon tracks 
 in the mud, you may set your trap with a little oil of anise 
 rubbed on the under side of the pan, covering it up with 
 leaves or moss. The first one that comes along will stick 
 his fore paws into the trap, feeling for the bait. 
 
 fi t^ 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 391 
 
 WEASELS, SKUNKS, BADGERS, MARTEN, 
 ETC., ETC. 
 
 Next in order to the dogs, is placed the large and important 
 family of the Weasels, representatives of which are found in 
 almost every portion of the earth. There is something marvel- 
 
 ^tCiiK— 
 
 
 TheBi 
 
 badger 
 
 lously serpentine in the aspect and structure of the members of 
 this famil}^ — the Mustelidce, as they are called, from the Latin 
 word mustela, which signifies a Weasel. Their extremely long 
 bodies and very short legs, together with the astonishing -per- 
 fection of the muscular powers, give them the capability of 
 winding their little bodies into the smallest possible crevices, 
 and of waging successful battle with animals of twenty times 
 their size and strength. 
 
 First on the list of Weasels are placed the agile and lively 
 Martens, or Marten-Cats, as they are sometimes termed. Two 
 species of Martens are generally admitted into catalogues, 
 although the distinction of the species is. even as yet a mooted 
 point. The chief distinction between the pine and the beech 
 Martens is the different tint of the throat, which in the former 
 animal is yellow, and in the letter is white. But it is said 
 by many observers that this variation of the tint is not of suf- 
 ficient importance to Avarrant a separation of the species, and 
 that the different sexes of the same species are marked by 
 varying depth of color in the throat, the male possessing a darker 
 tinge of yellow than the female. There is also a slight differ- 
 ence of size between the two sexes. 
 
392 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 The Pine Marten is so called because it is generally 
 found in those localities where the pine-trees abound, and is 
 in the habit of climbing the pines in search of prey. It is a 
 shy and wary animal, withdrawing itself as far as possible 
 from the sight of man ; and although a fierce and dangerous 
 antagonist when brought to bay, is naturally of a timid dis- 
 position, and shuns collision with an enemy. 
 
 
 Ermine or White Weasel. 
 
 It is a tree-loving animal, being accustomed to traverse the 
 trunks and branches with wonderful address and activity, and 
 being enabled by its rapid and silent movements to steal un- 
 noticed on many an unfortunate bird, and to seize it in its 
 ■deadly grip before the startled victim can address itself to 
 flight. It is a sad robber of nests, rifling them of eggs and 
 young, and not unfrequently adding the parent birds to its list 
 of victims. 
 
 The fur of the Pine Marten is rather valuable, especially 
 if the animal be killed in the winter. A really fine skin is but 
 little inferior to the celebrated sable, and can hardly be dis- 
 tinguished from it by experienced eyes. It is thought not to be 
 so prolific an animal as the Beech Marten, seldom producing 
 above three or four at birth, while the latter animal has been 
 known to nurture six or seven young at the same time. If 
 this circumstance be generally true, it goes far towards prov- 
 ing that the beech and pine marten are really distinct animals. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 393 
 
 The head of this creature is smaller than that of the beech 
 marten, and the legs are proportionately larger. 
 
 The length of the pine marten is about eighteen inches, 
 exclusive of the tail, which measures about ten inches. The 
 tail is covered with long and rather bushy hair, and is slightly 
 darker than the rest of the body, which is covered with brown 
 hair. The tint, however, is variable in different specimens, and 
 even in the same individual undergoes considerable modifi- 
 cations, according to the time of year and the part of the 
 world in which it is found. It has rather a wide range of 
 locality, being a native of a very large portion of northern 
 America. 
 
 The Beech Marten seems to be of rather more frequent 
 occurrence than the pine marten, from which animal it may 
 be distinguished by the white tint of the fur on its throat and 
 the upper portion of its breast. On account of this circum- 
 stance, it is sometimes called the white-throated marten. A 
 slight yellow tinge is sometimes observed on its throat. There 
 are several names by which this animal is known, such as the 
 marteren, the marten and the stone marten. 
 
 In its destructive habits and its thirst for blood, it resembles/ 
 the animal which has already been described. 
 
 One of the most highly-valued of the weasels is the cele- 
 brated sable, which produces the richly tinted fur that is in 
 such great request. They are very closely allied to the mar- 
 tens that have already been described, and are supposed by 
 some zoologists to belong to the same species. Besides the 
 well-known martes zibellina. a North American species as 
 known, together with another which is an inhabitant of Japan. 
 These two creatures, although they are very similar to each 
 other in general aspect, can be distinguished from each other 
 by the different hue of their legs and feet : the American 
 sable being tinged with white upon those portions of its per- 
 son, and the corresponding members of the Japanese sable 
 being marked with black. 
 
 The sable is spread over a large extent of country, being 
 found in Siberia, Kamtschatka, and in Asiatic Russia. Its 
 fur is in the greatest perfection during the coldest months 
 of the year, and offers an inducement to the hunter to brave 
 
394 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 the fearful inclemency of a northern winter in order to obtain 
 a higher price for his small but valuable commodity. A really 
 perfect sable skin is but seldom obtained, and will command 
 an exceedingly high price. 
 
 In order to obtain these much-prized skins, the sable-hunters 
 are forced to undergo the most, terrible privations, and often 
 lose their lives in the snow-covered wastes in which the sable 
 loves to dwell. A sudden and heavy snow-storm will oblit- 
 erate in a single half-hour every trace by which the hunter 
 had marked out his path, and, if it should be of long con- 
 tinuance, may overwhelm him in the mountain "drifts" which 
 are heaped so strangely by the fierce tempests that sweep 
 over those fearful regions. Should he not be an exceedingly 
 experienced hunter, possessed of a spirit which is undaunted 
 in the midst of dangers, and of a mind which is stored with 
 the multitudinous precepts of hunters' lore, he is certain to 
 sink under the accumulated terrors of his situation, and to 
 perish by cold and hunger in the midst of the snow-sea that 
 rolls in huge white billows over the face of the country. 
 
 At the best, and when he meets with the greatest success, 
 the privations which he is called upon to undergo are of the 
 most fearful character, and he rarely escapes without bear- 
 ing on his person the marks of^ the terrible labor which he 
 has performed. 
 
 The sables take up their abode chiefly near the banks of 
 rivers and in the thickest parts of the forests that cover so 
 vast an extent of -territory in those uncultivated regions. 
 Their homes are usually made in holes which the creatures 
 burrow in the earth, and are generally made more secure by 
 being dug among the roots of trees. Sometimes, however, 
 they prefer to make their nests in the hollows of trees, and 
 there they rear their young. Some authors, however, deny 
 that the sable inhabits subterranean burrows, and assert that its 
 nest is always made in a hollow tree. Their nests are soft 
 and warm, being composed chiefly of moss, dried leaves, and 
 grass. 
 
 Their food is said to partake partially of a vegetable and 
 partially of an animal character, according to the season of 
 the year. In the summer time, when the hares and other ani- 
 mals are rambling about the plains and forests, the sable 
 
 d 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 395 
 
 takes advantage of their presence, and kills and eats them. 
 But when the severity of the winter frosts has compelled 
 these creatures to remain within their domiciles, the sable is 
 said to feed upon the wild berries that it finds on the branches. 
 The hunters assert that the sable is not content to feed only 
 on the hares and such like animals, which constitute the usual 
 prey of the larger weasels, but that it is in the habit of kill- 
 ing and devouring the ermine and the smaller members of 
 the weasel tribe. Even birds fall victims to these agile and 
 voracious animals, being often overtaken in their flight among 
 the branches of trees by a well-aimed leap and a sharp stroke 
 of the fore-paws. 
 
 HOW TO CATCH THE FISHER 
 
 The fisher, or black cat of our hunters, is a small, yet 
 powerful animal, standing nearly a foot from the ground. 
 It was formerly very abundant in the Middle States, but 
 is now confined to the thinly settled northern districts. It 
 is a nocturnal species, and lives chiefly on the smaller 
 quadrupeds; but also devours frogs, fishes and serpents. 
 
 Fisher Marten. 
 
 It climbs with great ease, and takes up its abode in the 
 trunk of a tree. The form of the body is typical; head 
 broad, nose acute, ears about three inches from the nose, 
 broad, rounded and distant; the fore feet are shorter than 
 the hind ones, and the soles of both are covered with short 
 hair; the color is grayish over the head and anterior parts 
 of the body, dark brown or black behind. 
 
•396 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 The name of fisher, which has been censured as not 
 applicable to the animal is, however, that by which he is 
 best known, and which it has received from its character- 
 istic habits. The hunters were in the habit of soaking their 
 fish over night, and it was frequently carried off by the 
 fisher, whose well known tracks were seen in the vicinity. 
 While I have been engaged catching marten, having a 
 line of wooden traps several miles long, the fisher would 
 get upon the trail, and destroy all the traps he came to, 
 taking the bait as he went. It 'brings forth two young 
 ones at a time, annually. The hunting season for the fisher 
 in the northern parts of Canada commences about the tenth 
 of October and lasts till the middle of ]\Iarch, when the 
 fur becomes less valuable. 
 
 After finding my marten traps torn, I had to devise 
 some way to stop that, by capturing the fisher. I found 
 that he would never go in at the door of the trap, but 
 would pull up the cover, and so take the bait without be- 
 ing caught. I at once built a string trap, with two holes, 
 one above the other, making two doors to enter the trap, 
 and so arranging that when one sprung, both would spring; 
 so that if he went in at the upper or lower door he was 
 equally certain to be caught. 
 
 I found, however, that he always went in at the top. 
 The fisher may also be caught with a good double spring 
 steel trap, by using the following precaution. First bend 
 down a small sapling, and fasten the top under a hook, 
 previously driven in the ground for the purpose. To the 
 end of the sapling fasten the chain of the trap, set it, and 
 cover it up neatly with leaves or other light substance, 
 hanging the bait about two feet above the trap, with no 
 other possible means of getting to it but to reach up over 
 the trap. When he is caught and twitched about, he pulls 
 the pole from under the hook, and is jerked up into the 
 air, trap and all. This will prevent his gnawing off his leg, 
 which he would surely do if he had the trap to himself. 
 About the best bait that I know of is fish, but chicken or 
 fresh meat of any kind will do very well. 
 
 When the fisher travels he makes his tracks in the 
 same manner as the marten, only his feet are about the 
 
L 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 397 
 
 size of a fox's, and his jumps are about three feet long, 
 unless he is hurried, when they are four or five feet long. 
 When you see these tracks in the fresh fallen snow, make 
 up your mind to catch the animal. It will take you all week 
 perhaps, but then you will have the booty. 
 
 The Polecat has earned for itself a most unenviable fame, 
 having been long celebrated as one of the most n'oxious pests 
 to which the farmyard is liable. Slightly smaller than the 
 marten, and not quite so powerful, it is found to be a more 
 deadly enemy to rabbits, game and poultry, than any other 
 animal of its size. 
 
 It is wonderfull}'- bold when engaged in its marauding 
 expeditions and maintains an impertinently audacious air even 
 when it is intercepted in the act of destruction. Not on!)'' 
 does it make victims of the smaller poultry, such as ducks 
 and chickens, ■ but attacks geese, turkeys, and other larger 
 birds with perfect readiness. This ferocious little creature 
 has a terrible habit of destroying the life of every animal 
 that may be in the same chamber with itself, and if it should 
 gain admission into a hen-house will kill every one of the 
 inhabitants, although it may not be able to eat the twentieth 
 part of its victims. It seems to be very fond of sucking the 
 blood of the animals which it destroys, and appears to com- 
 mence its repast by eating the brains. If several victims should 
 come in its way, it will kill them all, suck their blood, and eat 
 the brains, leaving the remainder of the body untouched. 
 
 Ev'en those unpromising animals, the weasels, can be sub- 
 jected to the wondrous supereminence of the human intel- 
 lect. The ferret is well known as the constant companion 
 of the rat-catcher and the ral:)ibit-hunter, being employed for 
 the purpose of following its prey into their deepest recesses, 
 and of driving them from their strongholds into the open 
 air, when the pursuit is taken up by its master. The mode 
 in which the ferret is employed will be presently related. 
 
 Some writers have thought the ferret to be identical in 
 species with the polecat, and have strengthened this opinion 
 by the well-known fact that a mixed breed between those two 
 animals is often employed by those who study the develop- 
 ment and the powers of the ferret. 
 
398 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 When ferrets are used for the purpose of hunting rab- 
 bits their mouths are securely muzzled before they are per- 
 mitted to enter the burrows; as, if their teeth were at liberty, 
 they would in all probability kill the first rabbit which they 
 met, and remain in the burrow for the purpose of sucking 
 its blood. They are purposely kept without their ordinary 
 meals before they are taken into the field, and are therefore 
 especially anxious to secure their prey. Several modes of 
 muzzHng the ferret are in vogue : some of them being as humane 
 as is consistent with the act of fastening together the jaws 
 of any animal, and Others being most shamefully cruel. Not 
 many years ago, it was the general custom to sew up the lips 
 of the poor creature every time that it was used for hunting, 
 and elaborate descriptions of this process are given in the 
 sporting books of the period. Leathern muzzles are made espe- 
 cially for the purpose, and are the best that can be adopted ; 
 but in their absence, the ferret's mouth can be effectually 
 closed by means of two pieces of string,, one of which is placed 
 round the neck and the other under the jaws, and the four ends 
 tied together at the back of the neck. 
 
 Almost any ferret will enter a rabbit-burrow and drive out 
 the inmates, for the rabbits do not even think of resisting 
 their pursuer, and flee before him with all their might. But 
 there are comparatively few ferrets that will venture to enter 
 a rat-hole, especially after they have suffered once or twice 
 from the sharp teeth of those voracious rodents. If the fer- 
 ret is accustomed to chase rabbits, it becomes totally useless 
 for the purposes of the rat-catcher, for it will not venture 
 even to face a well-grown and vicious old rat, and much less 
 will it dare to enter the burrow. After suffering from the 
 bite of a rat, the ferret is seized with a very great respect 
 for a rat's teeth, and will not willingly place itself within 
 reach of those sharp-edged weapons. As has been graphically 
 said by a practical rat-catcher, to force such a ferret into a 
 rat-hole is "like cramming a cat into a boot, and as for hunt- 
 ing, it is out of the question." 
 
 Two kinds of ferrets are employed for the purpose of hunt- 
 ing game ; the one, a creamy- white creature, with bright pink 
 eyes, and the other a much darker and fiercer-looking animal, 
 which is the mixed offspring of the polecat and the ferret. 
 
CO:\IPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 399 
 
 This is the animal which is called the Polecat-ferret in the 
 above-mentioned anecdote. 
 
 On account of its water-loving propensities, the Mink is 
 called by various names that bear relation to water. By 
 some persons it is called the smaller otter, or sometimes the 
 musk otter, while it is known to others under the title of 
 the water polecat. 
 
 The mink is spread over a very large extent of country, 
 being found in the most northern parts of Europe, and also 
 in North America. Its fur is usually brown, w'ith some white 
 about the jaws, but seems to be subject to considerable vari- 
 ations of tinting. Some specimens are of a much paler brown 
 than others ; in ^ome individuals the fur is nearly black about 
 the head, while the white patch that is found on the chin 
 is extremely variable in dimensions. The size, too, is rather 
 variable. 
 
 It frequents the banks of ponds, rivers, and marshes, seem- 
 ing to prefer the stillest waters in the autumn, and the rap- 
 idly flowing currents in spring. As may be supposed from 
 the nature of its haunts, its food consists almost wholly of 
 fish, frogs, crawfish, aquatic insects, and other creatures that 
 are to be found either in the waters or in their close vicinity. 
 The general shape of its body is not quite the same as that 
 of the marten or ferret ; and assumes something of the otter 
 aspect. The teeth, however, are nearer those of the polecat 
 than of the otter; and its tail, although not so fully charged 
 with hair as the corresponding member in the polecat, is 
 devoid of that muscular power and tapering form, which 
 is so strongly characteristic of the otter. The feet are well 
 adapted for swimming, on account of a slight webbing be- 
 tween the toes. 
 
 There is hardly any animal which, for its size, is so much 
 to be dreaded by the creatures on which it preys as the 
 common weasel. Although its diminutive proportions render 
 a single weasel an insignificant opponent to man or dog, 
 yet it can wage a sharp battle even with such powerful foes, 
 and refuses to yield except at the last necessity. 
 
 The proportions of the weasel are extremely small, the 
 male being rather larger tBan the opposite sex. In total 
 length, a full-grown male does ngt much exceed ten inches. 
 
400 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 of which the tail occupies more than a fifth, while the female 
 is rather more than an inch shorter than her mate. The 
 color of its fur is a bright reddish-brown on the upper parts 
 of the body, and the under portions are of a pure white, 
 the line of demarcation being tolerably well defined, but not 
 very sharply cut. This contrast of red and white renders 
 it an exceedingly pretty little animal. The tail is of a uni- 
 form tint with the body, and is not furnished with the tuft 
 of jetty hairs that forms so conspicuous a decoration of the 
 stoat. . 
 
 The weasel is specially dreaded by rats and mice, because 
 there is no hole through which either of these animals can 
 pass which will not quite as readily suffer the passage of the 
 weasel; and as the weasel is most determined and pertina- 
 cious in pursuit, it seldom happens that rats or mice escape 
 when their little foe has set itself fairly on their track. 
 
 Not only does the weasel pursue its prey through the 
 ramifications of the burrows, but it possesses in a very large 
 degree the faculty of hunting by scent, and is capable of 
 following its prey through all its windings, even though it 
 should not come within sight until the termination of the 
 chase. I^ will even cross water in the chase of its prey. 
 "When it has at last reached its victim, it leaps upon the de- 
 voted creature, and endeavors to fix its teeth in the back 
 of the neck, where it retains its deadly hold in spite of every 
 struggle on the part of the wounded animal. If the attack 
 be rightly made, and the animal be a small one, it can drive 
 its teeth into the brain, and cause instantaneous insensibility. 
 The gamekeeper has some reason for his dislike to the 
 weasel, as it is very fond of eggs and young birds of all 
 kinds, and is too prone to robe the nests of eggs or young. 
 It is said that an egg which has been broken by a weasel 
 can always be recognized by the peculiar mode which the 
 little creature employs for the purpose. Instead of breaking 
 the egg to pieces, or biting a large hole in the shell, the 
 weasel contents itself with making quite a small aperture 
 at one end, through which it abstracts the liquid contents. 
 
 So determined a poacher is the weasel that it has been 
 seen to capture even full-grown birds. A weasel has been 
 seen to leap from the ground into the midst of a covey of 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 401 
 
 partridges, just as they were rising on the wing, and to 
 bring one of them to the earth. When the spectator of this 
 curious occurrence reached the spot, he found the weasel in 
 the act of devouring the bird, which it had already killed 
 This adventure took place about the end of the month of 
 October. The birds were more than two feet from the 
 ground when the attack was made upon them. 
 
 Another weasel was seen to capture and kill a rook in a 
 somewhaf similar manner. The rooks had discovered the 
 weasel in a field, and after their custom on such occasions, 
 had gathered round it, and commenced mobbing it. Sud- 
 denly, just as one of the rooks made a lower stoop than usual, 
 the weasel leaped at its tormentor and dashed it to the 
 ground. The dissonant cries of the rooks as they scolded 
 the weasel attracted the attention of a horseman who was 
 passing by, who arrived at the spot just as the bird had been 
 killed. It lay on the ground dead, from a wound in its neck; 
 its murderer having taken shelter in a neighboring hedge. 
 As soon, however, as the horseman withdrew, the weasel 
 emerged from its hiding-place and dragged the dead rook 
 imder the shelter of the bushes. 
 
 At all times the weasels are'sufificiently precarious in their 
 temper, and extremely apt to take offence; but when a mother 
 weasel imagines that her little ones are likely to be endan- 
 gered by man or beast, she becomes a really dangerous op- 
 ponent. Even so small an animal is capable of inflicting a 
 very severe bite, and when she is urged by the desperate 
 courage which is implanted in the breast of every mother, 
 is not unlikely to succeed in her object before she is repelled. 
 Moreover, she does not trust to her sole efforts, but sum- 
 mons to her assistance the inhabitants of the same little com- 
 munity, and with their aid will drive away an unarmed man 
 from the neighborhood of their habitations. Several such 
 instances are on record, in one of which a powerful man was 
 so fatigued with his exertions in keeping off his assailants, 
 that he would soon have sunk under their united attacks had 
 he not been rescued by the timely assistance of a horseman 
 who happened to pass near the spot, and who came to the 
 rescue with his whip. Urged by their bloodthirsty instinct, 
 
402 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 the weasels all directed their efforts to the throat, ana made 
 their attacks in such rapid succession that their opponent 
 was solely occupied in tearing away the active little creatures 
 and flinging them on the ground, without being permitted 
 the necessary leisure for killing or maiming his pertinacious 
 antagonists. 
 
 The fur of the weasel is sometimes powerfully influenced 
 by the effect of the severe cold, and has been known to be- 
 come nearly white during a sharp and protracted frost. It 
 is worthy of notice that, in such cases, the tip of the tail 
 does not partake of the general change of tint, but retains 
 its bright red hue, precisely as the tail of the ermine retains 
 its jetty blackness while the remainder of the fur is either 
 white or cream-colored. Mr. Bell remarks that he has seen 
 a weasel which had retained its wintry whiteness in two spots 
 on each side of the nose, although the remainder of the fur 
 had returned to its usual reddish hue during the summer 
 months. This specimen was captured in the extreme north 
 of Scotland. While clad in the white garments of winter, 
 in which state it is frequently found in Siberia, it is the 
 animal which was called Mustela nivalis, or snowy Weasel, 
 by Linnseus. It is rather variable in tint, independently of 
 the influence of climate; some individuals being less brightly 
 tinged with red than others, while occasional specimens are 
 found in which the fur is of an exceedingly dark brown. 
 
 To persons who have had but little experience in the 
 ha'bits of wild animals, it is generally a matter of some sur- 
 prise that the celebrated Ermine fur, which is in such general 
 favor, should be produced by one of those very animals 
 which we are popularly accustomed to rank among "vermin," 
 and to exterminate in every possible way. Yet so it is. The 
 highly-prized ermine and the much-detested stoat are, in 
 fact, one and the same animal, the difference in the color of 
 their coats being solely caused by the larger or smaller pro- 
 portion of heat to which they have been subjected. 
 
 In the summer time, the fur of the stoat — by which name 
 the animal will be designated, whether it be wearing its 
 winter or summer dress, — is not unlike that of the weasel, 
 although the dark parts of the fur. are not so ruddy, nor the 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 403 
 
 light I'Ortions of so pure a white, as in that animal. The 
 toes a-id the edges of the ears are also white. 
 
 The change of color which takes place during the colder 
 months of the year is now ascertained, with tolerable ac- 
 curacy, to be caused by an actual whitening of the fur, and 
 not by the gradual substitution of white for dark hairs, as 
 was for some time supposed to be the case. 
 
 The hairs are not entirely white, even in their most com- 
 pletely blanched state, but partake of a very delicate cream- 
 yellow, especiall}'^ upon the under portions, while the slightly 
 bushy tip of the tail remains in its original black tinting, 
 and presents a singular contrast to the remainder of the fur. 
 In these comparatively temperate latitudes, the stoat is never 
 sufficiently blanched to render its fur of any commercial 
 value, and the hair appears to be longer, thicker, and whiter 
 in proportion to the degree of latitude in which the animal 
 has bee^n taken. As may be supposed, from the extreme 
 delicacy of the skin in its wintry whiteness, the capture of 
 the stoat for the purpose of obtaining its fur is a matter of 
 no small difficulty. The traps whach are used for the pur- 
 pose . of destroying the stoat arc formed so as to kill the 
 animal by a sudden blow, without wounding the skin; and 
 many of the beautiful little creatures are taken in ordinary 
 snares. 
 
 The object of the whitened fur of the stoat is popularly 
 supposed to 'be for the purpose of enabling the animal to 
 elude its enemies by its similarity to the snow-covered 
 ground on which it walks, or to permit it to creep unseen 
 upon its prey. It seems, however, that many animals partake 
 of the same tinting, some of which, such as the polar bear, 
 are so powerful, that they need no such defense against 
 enemies, and so active in the pursuit of the animals on 
 which they feed, that their success in obtaining food seems 
 to depend but little upon color. The Arctic fox, which has 
 already been mentioned, and the lemming, which will be 
 recorded in a future page, are examples of this curious 
 mutation of color. 
 
 Putting aside for the present the mode in which the fur 
 changes its color, the real object of the change appears to 
 
404 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 be for the purpose of defending the wearer against the 
 intense colds which reign in those northern regions, and 
 which, by a beautiful provision, are obliged to work the 
 very change of color which is the best defence against their 
 powers. It is well known that black substances radiate heat 
 more effectually than objects which are bright and polished. 
 This fact is popularly shown in the bright teapots with 
 which we are so familiar, and which are known, by practical 
 experience, to retain the heat for a much longer period 
 than if their surface had been roughened or blackened. 
 
 The reader will not fail to remark a certain coincidence 
 between the snowy hairs that deck the frosty brows of old 
 age with a reverend crown and the white fur that adds 
 such beauty to the frost-beset stoat. It may be that the 
 energies of the animal are forced, by the necessity which 
 exists for resisting the extreemly low temperature of those 
 icy regions, to concentrate themselves upon the vital organs, 
 and are unable to spare a sufficiency of blood to form the 
 coloring matter that tinges the hair. There is evidently an 
 analogy between the chilly feeling that always accompanies 
 old age and the frosty climate that causes the stoat's fur 
 to whiten. 
 
 It is well known that examples of albinos occur in almost 
 every kind of quadruped and bird, and it seems probable that 
 the deprivation of color is in very many cases owing to the 
 weak constitution of the individual. One of these albinos 
 was a bird, which was caught and tamed, and although it 
 was of a cream color when it was captured, yet assumed the 
 usual dark plumage of the species at the first moulting 
 season that occurred after its capture. As the bird also 
 appeared to be much more healthy and lively than when it 
 was clad in white feathers, it seems likely that the albino 
 state may have been caused by weakness of constitution. 
 
 It is clear that, whatever may be the immediate cause of 
 the whitening of the hair, the change of tint is caused by the 
 loss of the coloring matter which tinges the hair, and that 
 there must be some connection between the frost-whitened 
 stoat, and the abnormal whiteness of various albinos. 
 
 Where the lowest temperature is considerably above that 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 405 
 
 of the orinary wintry degrees, the stoat is very uncertain in 
 its change of fur, and seems to yield to or to resist the 
 effects of the cold weather according to the individuality 
 of the particular animal. 
 
 In the autumn, when the stoat is beginning to assume its 
 wintry dress, and in the spring, when it is beginning to lose 
 the snowy mantle of the wintry months, the fur is generally 
 found to be marked with irregular patches of dark and 
 white spots, the sides of the face appearing to be especially 
 variable in this respect. Sometimes the animal resists the 
 coldest winters, and retains its dark fur throughout the 
 severest weather, and it sometimes happens that a stoat will 
 change its fur even though the winter should be particularly 
 mild. 
 
 As, in the former of these examples, the weather is said 
 to have been extremely wet, it may be presumed that the 
 moisture of the atmosphere and ground may have some 
 connection with the whitening of the hair. On account of 
 the better radiating powers of dark substances, the dew 
 or general moisture is always found to be deposited in 
 greater quantity on dark or dull, than on white or polished 
 substances. Any one may easily prove this fact, by watching 
 the effects of the dew on a white and a red rose growing 
 in close proximity to each other. 
 
 The stoat is considerably larger than the weasel, measur- 
 ing rather more than fourteen inches in total length, of which 
 the tail occupies rather more than four inches. There is, 
 however, considerable difference in the size of various indi- 
 viduals. 
 
 It is a most determined hunter, pursuing its game with 
 such pertinacious skill that it very seldom permits its in- 
 tended prey' to escape. 
 
 Although tolerably swift of foot, it is entirely unable 
 to cope with the great speed of the hare, an animal which 
 frequently falls a victim to the stoat. Yet it is enabled, by 
 its great delicacy of scent and the singular endurance of its 
 frame, to run down any hare on whose track it may have 
 set itself, in spite of the long legs and wonderful speed 
 of its prey. When pursued by a stoat, the hare does not 
 t^eem to put forward its strength as it does when it is fol- 
 
 I 
 
406 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 lowed by dogs, but as soon as it discovers the nature of its 
 pursuer, seems to lose all energy, and hops lazily along as 
 if its faculties were benumbed by some powerful agency. 
 This strange lassitude, in whatever manner it may be pro- 
 duced, is of great service to the stoat, in enabling it to 
 secure an animal which might in a very few minutes place 
 itself beyond the reach of danger, by running in a straight 
 line. 
 
 Birds' nests of all kinds are plundered by this incorrigible 
 poacher, for its quick eye and keen nose enable it to discover 
 a nest, be it ever so carefully hidden; its agile limbs and 
 sharp claws give it the power of climbing any tree-trunk, 
 and of clinging to any branch which will bear the weight 
 of a nest and eggs; while its lithe and serpent-like body 
 enables it to insinuate itself into any crevice that is sufiti- 
 ciently large to afiford ingress and egress to the parent birds. 
 The pheasant and partridge are said to be sad sufferers from 
 the stoat, which is mercilessly slain by the keeper with 
 the aid of traps or gun, the former being the preferable 
 mode of destroying "vermin." The traps in which stoats 
 are to be caught are most ingeniously placed in certain 
 tempting "runs" to which the stoat, being a dark-loving 
 animal, is sure to be attracted. For several days the baits 
 are laid on the traps, which are left unset, so that the stoats 
 find out the locality, and think that they have fallen upon a 
 most hospitable ground. When they have accustomed them- 
 selves to eat the baits with impunity, the keeper sets the 
 traps, and immolates the hapless visitants. 
 
 Although the stoat is so formidable an enemy to rats t 
 and mice, and destroys annually such numbers of these 
 destructive animals, it sometimes happens that the pre- 
 daceous animal finds its intended prey to be more than its 
 match, and is forced ignominiously to yield the contest. One - 
 of these animals w^as seen in chase of a rat, which it was ^ 
 following by scent, and at a great pace. After a while, the 
 stoat overtook the rat, and would have sprung upon her, 
 had not its purpose been anticipated by a sudden attack from 
 the rat, which turned to bay, and fiercely flung herself with 
 open jaws on her pursuer. The stoat was so startled at 
 
 II 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 407 
 
 so unexpected a proceeding, that it fairly turned tail and 
 ran away. The rat now took up the pursuit, and chased 
 the stoat with such furious energy that she drove her enemy 
 far from the place. It is probably that the rat had a young 
 family at hand, and was urged to this curious display of 
 courage by the force of her maternal feelings. 
 
 The stoat is, like the weasel, possessed of a powerful and 
 exceedingly unpleasant odor; yet even this disagreeable ac- 
 companiment does not always suffice to preserve it from 
 being killed and eaten by predaceous animals more powerful 
 than itself. Even so fastidious an animal as the domestic 
 cat has been known to capture a stoat, to eat part of it 
 herself, and to distribute the remainder to her kittens, who 
 partook of the powerfully scented food without manifesting 
 any reluctance. 
 
 THE WOLVERINE. 
 
 The wolverene, more popularly known by the name of the 
 glutton, has earned for itself a world-wide reputation for 
 ferocity, and has given occasion to some of the older writers 
 on natural history to indulge in the most unshackled liberty 
 of description. 
 
 Voracious it certainly is, having been known to con- 
 sume thirteen pounds of meat in a single day, and it is 
 probable that if the animal had been living in a wild state 
 it could have eaten even a larger amount of food. It was 
 said by the older naturalists to prey upon deer, which it 
 killed by cunningly dropping on the ground a heap of the 
 moss on which the deer feeds, and then climbing upon a 
 branch v/hich overhung the spot. As soon as the deer passed 
 beneath the tree, the glutton was said to leap upon its 
 shoulders, and to cling there until it had brought the deer 
 to the ground. This and similar tales, however, rest on 
 no good foundation. 
 
 It is known that the glutton feeds largely on the smaller 
 quadrupeds, and that it is a most determined foe to the 
 beaver in the summer months. During the winter it has 
 little chance of catching a beaver, for the animals are quietly 
 
408 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 ensconced in their home, and their houses are rendered so 
 strong by the intense cold that the glutton is unable to 
 break through their ice-hardened walls. 
 
 The wolverene is an inhabitant of Northern x^merica, 
 Siberia, and of a great part of Northern Europe. It was 
 once thought that the glutton and the wolverene were dis- | 
 tinct animals, but it is now ascertained that they both be- 
 long to the same species. 
 
 ■ The general aspect of this animal is not unlike that of 
 a young bear, and probably, on that account it was placed 
 by Linnaeus among the bears under the title of Ursus luscus. 
 The general color of the wolverene is a brownish-black; 
 the muzzle is black as far as the eyebrows, and the space 
 between the eyes of a browner hue. In some specimens, 
 a few white spots are scattered upon the under jaw. The 
 sides of the body are washed with a tint of a warmer hue. 
 The paws are quite black, and the contrast between the jetty 
 fur of the feet and the almost ivory whitenes of the claws 
 is extremely curious. These white claws are much esteemed 
 among the natives for the purpose of being manufactured 
 into certain feminine adornments. 
 
 The paws are very large in proportion to the size of the 
 animal, and it is supposed that this modification of structure 
 is intended to enable the wolverene to pass in safety over 
 the surface of the snow. Indeed, the feet are so large that 
 the marks which they leave on the snow are often mis- 
 taken for the footprints of a bear. As the tracks of the 
 wolverene are often mixed with those of the bear, it is evi- 
 dent that the latter animal must often fall a prey to the 
 former during the winter months. When the animal which 
 it kills is too large to form a single meal, the wolverene 
 is in the habit of carrying away the remains, and of con- 
 cealing them in some secure hiding place, in readiness for , 
 a second repast. 
 
 The eyes of the wolverene are small, and of a dark brown, 
 and are not remarkable for their brilliancy. 
 
 In its native country, the animal is detested by the hunt-^ 
 ejs and trappers, whether they belong to Europe or America., 
 For the wolverene is in the habit of following the sable- 
 hunters on their rounds, and of detaching the baits from the 
 
 ♦I 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 409 
 
 traps, thereby rendering the whole circuit useless. If a 
 sable or marten should happen to be entrapped, the wol- 
 verene does not eat the dead animal, but tears it out of the 
 trap and carries it away. In America, it is specially ob- 
 noxious to the hunters, because its fine sense of smell 
 enables it to discover the storehouses of provisions — ''caches,'' 
 as they are technically termed — which the provident hunters 
 lay by in order to fall back upon in case of bad success. 
 If it should unfortunately discover one of these repositories, 
 it sets itself determinately to work, tears away all obstacles, 
 and does extreme damage to the provisions, by eating all 
 the meat, and scattering on every side all the vegetable food. 
 
 In captivity, its greatest dainty is said to be the body 
 of a cat, for which strange diet it will leave every other 
 kind of food. 
 
 The w^olverene is not a very prolific animal, as it seldom 
 produces more than two at a birth. The maternal resi- 
 dence is generally placed in the crevice of a rock, or in some 
 secluded situation, and the young wolverenes make their 
 appearance about May. 
 
 The Trapper's Wagon Outfit used where a line of 
 Traps covers many miles 
 
410 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 THE SKUNK 
 
 The skunk resembles the badgers in being nearly planti- 
 grade, and having the anterior claws long and adapted for 
 digging. There is a similarity also in the distribution of the 
 colors, the dark shades forming the ground, and the light 
 ones the markings. The hair of the body is long, and still 
 longer on the tail, which being carried erect, has a plume- 
 
 like appearance. Some of the species burrow in the ground, 
 and others live in the fissures of rocks, several of them often 
 associating together. They subsist chiefly on birds' eggs, 
 insects, small quadrupeds, and poultry; they also add frogs, 
 mice, and lizards to their bill of fare when opportunity offers. 
 Their size is about that of the badger. They move slowly, 
 and seldom attempt to escape from man by flight. The form 
 is elegant, and the colors, disposed in longitudinal bands, 
 are strikingly contrasted. These circumstances, with the 
 long, flowing hair, would give these animals a beautiful ap- 
 pearance, were not all agreeable associations rendered im- 
 possible by their abominable stench. The great distinction 
 of the genus is the possession of two glands beneath the 
 anus, from which they eject, to a considerable distance, a 
 liquid possessing the revolting odor of the polecat, with a 
 suffocating and overpowering smell of garlic. This is alike 
 to man and animals. Dogs retreat from this abominable 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 411 
 
 liquid, vomiting and rolling themselves, as if in agony, on 
 the earth, and it is said even cattle bellow with distress 
 when the air is strongly impregnated with it. A skunk 
 will taint the atmosphere for half a mile in every direction, 
 and clothes infested by the liquid are ruined, as they never 
 part with, the disgusting smell. This gift is the animal's 
 shield and buckler, and nature, in her infinitely diversified 
 arts of defense, appears nowhere — not in trenchent teeth, 
 or rending claws; not in overpowering strength, or ferocity. 
 
 Some Good Work with Bait Scent. 
 
 or even deadly venom — to have provided any creature with 
 more effective protection than is bestow^ed by this syringe 
 upon the skunk. 
 
 The Enfant du diable has a body about seventeen inches 
 long, with a tail, including the long hair, twelve inches. The 
 head is small, the forehead rounded, the body long, flesny, 
 and widening towards the hips; fur long and coarse, with 
 long, glossy hairs intermixed; eyes small, ears short and. 
 
412 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 rounded; feet broad, and nails of the fore-feet strong, curv 
 and sharp. The two anal glands are situated on each side 
 of the recturn; the sack is supposed to contain about three 
 drams of the offensive liquid. When this is ejected, the tail 
 is carried forward and nearly laid on the back. An experi- 
 enced person, perceiving this sign of preparation, is always 
 careful to put himself instantly out of shooting distance. It 
 is said that the scent is much stronger if the ejection takes 
 place when the animal is irritated, and that it is also stronger 
 at night than in the day-time. At night the liquid has a 
 luminous appearance, and a stream of it has been compared 
 to a stream of phosphoric light. It possesses a very acrid 
 quality, and dogs and persons into whose ej^es it has been 
 thrown have been rendered blind. , 
 
 The species vary much in the markings; indeed, as in the 
 case of striped grasses, it is difficult to find two precisely 
 alike. In general, the color is a blackish brown, with a nar- 
 row stripe of yellowish white along the nose to the head; 
 a large patch of white on the nape of the neck, and extending 
 downward in a stripe on each side of the back, and a stripe 
 of white on each side of the tail for three-fourths of its 
 length. The tail is often tipped with white. But as we have 
 said, these markings are variously modified. It is believed 
 that when both parents are alike in color and markings, the 
 young ones are similarly colored; but if the parents are dis- 
 similar, the offspring is diversified. 
 
 The skunk is a prolific animal, bringing forth from four 
 to eight at a birth. Sometimes as many as fifteen skunks 
 have been found in one burrow. During the winter, in the 
 cold parts of the country, these animals keep close in their 
 burrows, in a dozing but not torpid state. At the south, they 
 are active the year round. They are cleanly in their habits, 
 and never suffer themselves to be soiled by their own effluvia 
 any more than the rattlesnake by his own venom. This is 
 a common animal in nearly all the Atlantic States; depending 
 upon its peculiar battery for defense, it is often seen walking 
 slowly along, its tail erect, with an air of conscious security 
 or impudent defiance, and if it perceives a man it does not 
 always take the trouble to get out of his way; the man is 
 most likely to beat a retreat; indeed, a brave man is quite 
 
 ^1 
 
 ed || 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 413 
 
 as likely to run from a skunk as a lion. The fetid liquid is 
 ejected in small streams, sometimes to the distance of four- 
 teen feet, and usually with great accuracy of aim. As we 
 have stated, the odor is stronger at night than during the 
 day. 
 
 Striped or spotted skunks in America are different from 
 those in Europe. They are thicker and of a great many 
 colors; not all alike, but each differing from another in a 
 particular color. They smell like a fox, but ten times strong- 
 er. When a dog encounters them they make urine, and he 
 will not be sweet again in a fortnight or more. The Indians 
 love to eat their flesh, which has no manner of ill smell when 
 the bladder is out. They are easily brought up tame. 
 
 When one of them is attacked by a dog, to appear formid- 
 able it so changes its usual form, by bristling up its hairs and 
 contracting its length into a round form, that it makes a 
 very terrible appearance. This menacing behavior, however, 
 insufficient to deter its enemy, is seconded by a repulse far 
 more prevailing; for from secret duct it emits such fetid 
 effluviums, that the atmosphere for a large space round shall 
 be so infected with them that men and other animals are 
 impatient till they are quit of it. The stench is insupportable 
 to some dogs, and necessitates them to let their game escape; 
 others, by thrusting their noses into the earth, renew their 
 attacks till t'hey have killed it; but rarely care to have more 
 to do with such noisome game, which for four or five hours 
 distracts them. The Indians, notwithstanding, esteem their 
 flesh a dainty; of which I have eaten and found it tasted well. 
 I have known them brought up young, made domestic, and 
 prove tame and very active, without exercising that faculty 
 which fear and self-preservation perhaps only prompts them 
 
414 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 to. They hide themselves in hollow trees and rocks. Their J 
 food is insects and wild fruit. 
 
 A dead skunk, thrown over the stockades of a trading- 
 post produced instant nausea in several women in a house 
 with closed doors upward of a hundred yards distant. The 
 odor has some resem'blance to that of garlic, although much 
 more disagreeable. One may, however, soon become famil- 
 iarized with it; for, notwithstanding the disgust it produces 
 at first, I have managed to skin a couple of recent specimens 
 by recurring to the task at intervals. When care is taken 
 not to soil the carcass with any of the strong-smelling fluid, 
 the meat is considered by the natives to be excellent food. 
 
 Inhaling skunk's odor has been prescribed with good 
 effect in asthmatic affections. 
 
 TRAPPING THE SKUNK 
 
 The skunk is found in Mexico, almost throughout the 
 United States and in the British possessions. By many he 
 is called the polecat, but the name is erroneous. In spite 
 of the unfortunate odor which causes man. and -even beasts 
 to avoid him, the skunk is really a pretty animal. His 
 fur is long and glossy ("all black, with more white than 
 black"), and he has a bushy tail, which nearly covers his 
 back when raised and turned forward. He is a scavenger, 
 and eats much decomposed matter; he has a dainty appetite 
 besides, though, and preys on poultry and small animals. 
 Turtle eggs are on his bill of fare, and the little round tracks 
 of his chubby feet are often seen in the sand where he has 
 searched for them. Crickets and insects, however, form 
 the greater portion of his diet. Some say that the skunk 
 never digs a hole for himself, but drives the woodchuck from 
 his house with his usual defense. Though true in a measure, 
 the skunk is a persevering digger, often digging out his own 
 burrows, and unearthing mice, beetles, etc. The skunk 
 leaves his burrow soon after sunset; their holes are found 
 in fields, under fences and stone walls, and also in ledges, 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 415 
 
 and in the edge of woods. He lives only in fear of dogs, 
 and the great horned owl, which feeds upon his flesh, seiz- 
 ing him at night with an iron grip. A skunk caught in a 
 snare, or drowned when taken in a box trap, is scentless, 
 tinless having quarreled with his neighbors just before cap- 
 ture. The surest way of taking them is to set a No. 1 or 
 No. 2 steel trap in their hole; scoop out a hollow to place 
 the trap in, cover the chain and spring with soil and leaves, 
 and stake* the chain its full length away from the burrow. 
 If the weather is very cold, the dirt will freeze, and prevent 
 the trap from springing. The animal, when trapped, will 
 dig trp the dirt about the mouth of his hole, but keep it open 
 to retreat in as far as the chain will allow. When a skunk 
 is first seen in a trap, his large tail is raised over his 
 back, and his head is placed between the fore legs; although 
 his eyes are apparently hidden, he keeps a perfect watch of 
 the trapper's movements. It is never advisable to shoot 
 a skunk in the head, for, if blown to atoms, the body retains 
 its odor. He can be secured as follows: 
 
 Slip a noose over his head, with a long pole, making no 
 sudden movements, and run a string connecting with the 
 snare over the limb of a tree, gradually tightening it until 
 the skunk's hind feet are clear of the ground. Make the 
 cord fast to an}^ convenient object, and walk cautiously 
 away. When the skunk is dead, you can string him to your 
 belt without fear of his scent. 
 
 In fields it is sometimes necessary to strangle them 
 with a noose attached to a long pole, at arm's length. It 
 can be done successfully, though very tiring to the arms. 
 Should a skunk be scented, sink it in a cold, swift-run- 
 ning stream for several, days, and the greenish liquid from 
 which the odor arises will become chilled, and float in 
 drops on the surface of the water, leaving the fur but 
 slightly scented. If one is quick, he can take him una- 
 wares, and snatch a trapped skunk upward by the tail, 
 killing him by a blow on the occipital bone. We have often 
 done so when surroundings would admit. A long chain 
 should invariably be used, so as to give the trapper free 
 action in suspending the skunk by the tail. 
 
416 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 POLECAT OR WEASEL 
 
 This genus includes the weasels, with the ermine or 
 stoat, as well as the polecat or fitchet, and the ferret; all 
 small, but distinguished for their long, flexible bodies, and 
 their destructive habits, surpassing even the cats in their 
 instinct for killing other animals. All are noted for a secre- 
 tion in an anal pouch, which, when they are irritated or 
 frightened, diffuses a more or less offensive odor. They 
 trace their prey by scent, take to the water readily, as they 
 have semi-palmated feet, and kill by inflicting a wound in 
 the neck. The female is commonly much smaller than the 
 male. j 
 
 This animal is stouter in proportion than either the com- [ 
 mon weasel or the ermine, and the head is broader; the 
 nose rather pointed; ears round, and not conspicuous; neck* 
 comparatively short; tail inclining to bushy, and rather* 
 more than a third of the length of the body and head. 
 There are two kinds of fur in this species — the short is 
 fulvous and woolly, the long is black, brownish black, and 
 shining. A brown color mingled with yellow, varying ac- 
 cording to the proportions of these two sorts of fur in the 
 individual, is the result. There are some white marks about 
 the mouth and ears, and the parts which are darkest in 
 color are the head, tail and feet. The length of the head 
 and body is, seventeen inches. The anal sack, situated 
 beneath the extremity of the rectum, contains a yellowish 
 fetid substance of the consistence of thick cream, which 
 has an odor inferior in intensity to that of the skunk, but 
 still proverbial for its offensive quality. 
 
 It is most destructive to the poultry-yard and the pre- 
 serve; its appetite for slaughter, which seems never to be 
 satiated as long as any living thing remains within its reach, 
 rendering it a most ruinous neighbor to those who rear fowls 
 or keep up a head of game. Not only the young birds fall 
 victims to it, but the parents also; nor are even geese 
 or turkeys safe. We have heard an instance of a hen and 
 a whole brood of chickens being killed by one of these 
 destroyers in a single night, and upon another occasion, 
 seven or eight nearly full-grown turkeys. The brain and 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 417 
 
 the blood seem to be the choicest portions. The bodies 
 of the dead are carried off to its haunts, which are generally 
 in some corps or wood near a farm, or in the heart of a 
 preserve, whence it issues on its deadly errand in the even- 
 ing, generally soon after sunset, or when it grows dusk. 
 
 No "vermin" is placed with more satisfaction upon "the 
 Keeper's Tree," for none commits more havoc, if so much, 
 among the game. Beginning with the egg, it persecutes 
 all the game birds through every period of life, and is a 
 far more determined enemy than the stoat itself to the 
 hare and rabbit-warren. The fox, as is well known, will 
 do much to keep down the birds, rabbits and hares; but 
 even this wily and powerful invader is not so mischievous 
 as the species of which we are treating. Where a fox will 
 kill one, a weasel will immolate ten, to say nothing of 
 eggs; no vertel)rated animal seems to come amiss to its 
 murderous nature. Bewick relates that during a severe storm, 
 a foumart was traced in the snow from the side of a rivulet 
 to its hole at some distance from it. As it was observed to 
 have made frequent trips, and as other marks were to be 
 seen in the snow which could not easily be accounted for, 
 it was thought a matter worthy of great attention. .Its 
 hole was accordingly examined, and live eels were dis- 
 covered to be the fruit of its nocturnal excursions. The 
 marks in the snow were made by the motion of the eels 
 in the quadruped's mouth. In Loudon's Magazine is an 
 account of a female polecoat that was hunted to her nest, 
 which held five young ones in a comfortable bed of withered 
 grass. From a side hole the narrator picked out forty large 
 frogs and two toads alive, but capable of sprawling only, 
 for the old polecat had stricken them all with palsy by a 
 bite through the brain of each! Whether she had put them 
 in this condition as a pickle, to preserve them for future 
 use, is not known. At all events, the fact suggests the 
 hideously destructive nature of these creatures. The nest 
 of this species is generally made in some rabbit-iburrow, 
 in the crevice of a rock, or where the tangled herbage and 
 brushwood overgrow loose heaps of stones; there the female 
 drops from four to six young in May, or early in June. 
 The courage of the polecat is great, and none of the tribe 
 
418 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 denominated by game-keepers ''vermin" so severely tries 
 the "pluck" of a terrier; for its flexibility, unless seized 
 in the right place and shaken to death at once, enables 
 it to turn and fasten upon the nose of the dog, so as lO 
 make the latter not unfrequently desist from the attack. 
 There is good evidence that the polecat will breed with the 
 ferret. Inferior to the fur of the sable or marten, that of 
 the polecat is nevertheless esteemed, and a considerable 
 exportation of the skins annually takes place from the north 
 of Europe, under the name of Fitch. 
 
 " Twixt Woods and Waters." 
 (Where Prime Furs are Found.) 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 419 
 
 THE OPOSSUM 
 
 There are very few of the marsupiated animals which 
 are more remarkable for their form, their habits, or their 
 character, than the Opossums of America. They are nearly 
 all admirable climbers, and are assisted in their scansorial 
 
 Opossum 
 
 efforts by their long, prehensile tails, which are covered with 
 scales, through the interstices of which a few short black 
 hairs protrude. The hinder feet are also well adapted for 
 clmbing, as the thumb is opposable to the other toes, so 
 that. the animal is able to grasp the branch of a tree with 
 considerable force, and to suspend its whole body, together 
 with the additional weight of its prey or its young. 
 
 The Virginian, or common opossum, is, as its name im- 
 plies, a native of Virginia, as well as of many other portions 
 of the United States of America. In size it equals a toler- 
 able large cat, being rather more than three feet in total 
 length, the head and body measuring twenty-two inches 
 and the tail fifteen. The color of this animal is a grayish- 
 white, slightly tinged with yellow, and diversified by occa- 
 sional long hairs that are white towards their base, but of 
 a brownish hue towards their points. These brown-tipped 
 
The Trapper's Guide-'Hints for, etc 
 
 f I'M 
 
 e 
 
 Secrets of Trapping, Aids, etc* 
 
 420 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 421 
 
 hairs are extremely prevalent upon the limbs, which are 
 almost wholly of the brown hue, which also surrounds the 
 eye to some extent. The under fur is comparativeh- soft and 
 woolly, but the general character of the fur is harsh and 
 coarse. The scaly portion of the tail is white. 
 
 It is a voracious and destructive animal, prowling about 
 during the hours of darkness, and prying into every nook 
 and comer in hope of finding something that may satisfy 
 the cravings of imperious hunger. Young birds, eggs, the 
 smaller quadrupeds, such as young rabbits, which it eats 
 by the brood at a time, cotton rats, and mice, reptiles of 
 various kinds, and insects, fall victims to the appetite of the 
 Virginian Opossum, which is often not content with the food 
 it finds in the open forests, but must needs insinuate itself 
 into the poultry-yard, and make a meal on the fowls and their 
 eggs. When it has once determined on making such a raid, 
 it can hardly be baffled in its endeavors by an\- defences 
 except those which consist of stout walls and closely-fitting 
 doors; for it can climb over any ordinary wall, or thrust 
 itself through any fence, so that there is but little chance 
 of preventing it from making good its entrance into the 
 precincts of the farm-yard. 
 
 Besides the varied animal diet in which the opossum 
 indulges, it also eats vegetable substances, committing as 
 much havoc among plantations and fruit-trees as among 
 rabbits and poultry. It 'is very fond of niaize, procuring 
 the coveted food by climbing the tall stems, or b}' biting them 
 across and breaking them down. It also eats acorns, beech- 
 nuts, chestnuts, and wild berries, while its fondness for the 
 fruit of the "persimmon" tree is almost proverbial. While 
 feeding on these fruits it has been seen hanging by its tail, 
 or its hinder paws, gathering the "persimmons" with its fore- 
 paws, and eating them while thus suspended. It also feeds 
 on various roots, which it digs out of the ground with ease. 
 
 Its gait is usually slow and awkward, but w^hen pursued 
 it runs with considerable speed, though in a sufficiently 
 clumsy fashion, caused by its habit of using the limbs of the 
 right and left side simultaneously in a kind of amble. As, 
 moreover, the creature is plantigrade in its walk, it may be 
 imagined to be anything but elegant in its mode of progress 
 
Favorite Traps and Their Uses. 
 
 'The Otter or Beaver trap with detachable Clutch. 
 
 The Bear trap, "offset and jaws' 
 
 The Muskrat Trap-This style and size used for. all small animals 
 
 by old trappers. 
 
 (It is used more than any other style or size.) 
 
 422 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 423 
 
 upon the ground. Although it is such an adept at "'possum- 
 ing," or feigning death, it does not put this ruse in practice 
 until it has used every endeavor to elude its pursuers, and 
 linds it has no possibility of escape. It runs sulkily and 
 sneakingly forward, looking on every side for some con- 
 venient shelter, and seizing the first opportunity of slipping 
 under cover. 
 
 If chafed by a dog, it takes at once to a tree, and unless 
 the dog be accompanied by its master, only climbs to a con- 
 venient resting-place, above the limit of the dog's leaping 
 powers, and there sits quietly, permitting the dog to bark 
 itself hoarse, without troubling itself any further about so 
 insignificant an enemy. If. however, as is generally the 
 case, the dog be accompanied by human hunters, the unfor- 
 tunate opossum has but little chance of safety. For as soon 
 as the creature is "treed," the quick, sharp bark of the dog 
 conveys to its master the welcome tidings, and he immedi- 
 ately runs towards the point from whence proceeds the well- 
 known voice of his dog. 
 
 Having reached the position of the enemy, he ascends 
 the tree in chase of the opossum, which begins to climb 
 towards the highest branches, followed by its pursuing foe. 
 At last it gains the very extremity of some branch, and 
 holds on with tail and claws, while the man endeavors to 
 dislodge it by shaking violently the bough to which it clings. 
 For a time it retains its hold, but is soon wearied by the 
 constant exertion, and falls heavily to the ground, where 
 it is seized and despatched by the expectant dogs. 
 
 The negroes are especially fond of this sport, and look 
 eagerly forward to the close of the day when they have been 
 promised a '"possum-hunt," as a reward for good conduct. 
 Not only do they very thoroughly enjoy the moonlight 
 sport, with its exciting concomitants, but promise themselves 
 a further gratification, after their return home, in eating the 
 opossums which have fallen victims to their skill. The 
 flesh of the opossum is white when cooked, and is considered 
 to be remarkably good, especially when the animal is killed 
 in autumn, for at that time of the year it is extremely fat. 
 
 Although, from the great accession of fat in the autumn 
 months, it might be thought a hibernating animal, it is found 
 
424 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE. 
 
 roaming the woods in search of food even in the coldest 
 night of winter. Still, the large amount of fat with which 
 the body is loaded is calculated to give the animal greater 
 powers of resisting hunger and the severity of the weather 
 than would otherwise have been the case, and enables it 
 to thrive upon the comparatively small amount of food which 
 it can obtain during the season of intense cold. 
 
 It is not a gregarious animal, and even the members of 
 the same family spread themselves widely apart when they 
 are in the open air. 
 
 The opossum, although so cunning in many respects, is 
 singularly simple in others. There is hardly any animal 
 which is so easily captured, for it will walk into the rudest 
 of traps, and permit itself to be ensnared by a device at 
 which a rat would look with contempt. Strange mixture of 
 craft and dullness; and yet one which is commonly found 
 in all creatures, whether men or animals, that only possess 
 cunning and no observance at all. For there are none so 
 prone to entangle themselves in difficulties as the over-artful. 
 They must needs travel through crooked by-ways, instead 
 of following the open road, and so blunder themselves stu- 
 pidly and sinuously into needless peril, from which their 
 craftiness sometimes extricates them, it is true, but not with- 
 out much anxiety and apprehension. 
 
 When captured it is easily tamed, and falls into the habit 
 of domestication with great ease. It is, however, not very 
 agreeable as a domestic companion, as it is gifted with a 
 powerful and very unpleasant odor, which emanates from 
 its person with great force, whenever the animal is irritated 
 or excited. 
 
 The nest of the opossum is always made in some pro- 
 tected situation, such as the hollow of a fallen or standing 
 tree, or under the shelter of some old projecting roots. In 
 forming an appropriate receptacle for her young, the opos- 
 sum is assisted by her fore-feet, which are well adapted for 
 digging. The nest itself is composed of long moss and 
 various dried leaves. Sometimes the creature has been 
 known to usurp the domicile of some other animal, not with- 
 out suspicion of having previously devoured the rightful 
 owner. On one occasion a hunter sent a rifle-ball through 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 425 
 
 a squirrel's nest, which was placed at some forty feet from 
 the ground, and was surprised to see an oposum fall dead 
 on the ground. This creature has also been known to possess 
 itself of the warm nest of the Florida rat. 
 
 When the young of the opossum are born, they are trans- 
 ferred by the mother to her cradle-pouch, where they remain 
 for some weeks. From repeated experiments that have been 
 made on this animal, it is found that the transfer is made on 
 the fifteenth day after the young have been called into ex- 
 istence, and that at that period they only weigh four grains, 
 their total length being under an inch, the tail included. 
 Their number is from thirteen to fifteen. After they are 
 placed in the pouch their growth is wonderfully rapid, for 
 in seven days they have gained so much substance as to 
 weigh thirty grains; and even at this early period of their 
 existence their tails exhibit the prehensile capacity, and are 
 often found coiled round each other's bodies. In four 
 weeks the little opossums have gained sufficient strength 
 to put their heads out of the pouch, and at the end of the 
 lifth week they are able to leave it entirely for a short time. 
 
 Very great trouble was required in order to ascertain 
 these particulars, as it was found that the opossum was 
 in the habit of hiding herself in her den until she had placed 
 her young in the pouch, so that it was needful to search the 
 cavity for these concealed females, and to watch their pro- 
 ceedings by night and day, without intermission. 
 
 There are one or two circumstances in connection with 
 this subject that are well worthy of attention. 
 
 The young opossums are not, as has been often asserted, 
 mere helpless lumps of animated substances, without sense or 
 power of determinate action, but are wonderfully active in 
 proportion to their minute size and their undeveloped state. 
 If placed upon a table, they can crawl about its surface, and 
 are sufficiently hardy to retain life for several hours after 
 their removal from the warm cradle in which their tender 
 bodies were shielded from harm, and the maternal fount 
 which poured a constant stream of nourishment into their 
 tiny systems. 
 
 Another singular circumstance is, that when they are 
 
426 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 first placed in the pouch, thc}^ are blind and deaf, the eyes 
 and ears being closed, and not opened until many days have 
 elapsed. With partial blindness at the time of birth we are 
 all familiar in the persons of kittens, puppies, and other 
 little animals, but that the tender young of the Opossum 
 should be deaf as well as blind, is truly singular. It appears 
 that in the case of the kitten or puppy, the presence of light 
 and the action of the atmosphere are needed in order to 
 withdraw the obstacles that obstruct the sense of vision.' 
 In the young opossum, however, it seems that the action 
 of the atmosphere is needed in order to fender the ears 
 sensitive to the sounds that are transmitted through its 
 mediumship, but that in most cases the little creature re- 
 quires the absence of light until the time comes for it to 
 open its eyes as well as its ears. 
 
 Animal Reason. 
 
 Who after this is there who'll say 
 
 That animals' sense aren't as good as theirs, 
 For by example clear and plain, 
 
 Each does what is right again and again, 
 They've senses to think, reflect and plan, 
 
 Things that credit's given only to man. 
 They scheme and reason, have likes and fears, 
 
 That comes of experience of many years, 
 Who says 'tis instinct blind — alone — 
 
 Has not the reasoning sense they own. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 427 
 
 THE MUSKRAT 
 
 Found only in North America. Its head, neck and legs 
 are short, and its thighs hid in its body. Its length is fif- 
 teen inches, its tail ten; its color reddish-brown above and 
 ashy gray beneath. The fur is short and downy, and was 
 formerly much used as a substitute for beaver; it is still 
 in demand, and the animal is everywhere more or less an 
 
 
 The Muskrat. 
 
 object of pursuit. It is endowed with a strong musky smell, 
 but not very offensive; the flesh is tolera'ble food. It lives 
 along the banks of ponds and rivers, somewhat in the man- 
 ner of the beaver, building its winter-houses of mud in a 
 conical form, with an entrance under water and a dry 
 chamber above. It is a good swimmer though its feet are 
 not webbed. In summer it digs burrows along the banks ol 
 lakes and streams, forming branched canals many yards in 
 extent, and making a nest at the extremity, where the young 
 are produced — three litters in a season, and three to five 
 at a time. It may be observed that their modes of build- 
 ing, burrowing and living vary considerably in different 
 localities — a fact no doubt owing to the varying necessities 
 of their situation. Their food consists of grasses, roots of 
 various kinds, tender shoots of the bulrush, and reed-mace, 
 acorns, spice-wood, and sometimes, when dwelling near 
 human cultivation, turnips, parsnips and carrots; they also 
 occasionally eat mussels. In winter, when hard pressed, 
 
Secrets of 
 
 ing==Art of Etc. 
 
 Sliding Ring and Chain used to drown trapped Water Animals. 
 
 Traps^for Water and Land Animals 
 
 "The Otter Slide" (at the foot trap is set) 
 
 428 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE . 429 
 
 they sometimes devour each other; when one is wounded 
 the rest set to and eat him. 
 
 This is doubtless a dark streak in their character: for the 
 rest, they are mostly a gentle folk, pursuing their avocations 
 by night in a manner so quiet that they seldom intrude on 
 the notice of mankind. They are of a sportive humor, and 
 in the mild season, when the lakes and ponds are open, they 
 may bd seen — especially if moonlight favors the observation 
 — disporting on the surface of the waters, swimming, diving 
 and circling, with all the frolicsome humor of children. 
 While some thus give themselves up to merriment, others 
 are occupied in the graver but not less agreeable task of 
 finding their food ahuig the banks. It is said that one o+ 
 them, at such a time, seated on a bank, looks exceedingly 
 like a ball of earth. It is noticed, too, that in diving they 
 make a smart stroke of the tail in tlie water, which seems 
 to be an imitation of one of tlie tricks of the beaver. They 
 do little damage to man. except in a few cases, when they 
 dig up the borders of streams and ditches, yet on account 
 of their fur they are objects of ceaseless persecution. A 
 multitude of devices are brought into requisition for their 
 capture; they are sometimes cau^iht in traps and sometimes 
 shot with guns; they are dug out and seized by dogs; the 
 Indians spear them in their beds. They are found through- 
 out the Atlantic States in more or less abundance, and are 
 distributed northward through the British territories to the 
 latitude 69° north. In the far Northwestern regions large 
 numbers are taken by the Indians, who make the hunting 
 of them a part of the business of their lives. 
 
 HOW TO HUNT AND CATCH THE MUSKRAT 
 
 The musquash, or muskrat, as it is often called, is another 
 peculiar American animal, which is so well known as scarce- 
 ly to require description. It is also very widely distrib- 
 uted over the United States, frequenting alike land border- 
 ing upon salt and fresh water, choosing sw^amps with dry 
 
430 . COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 sandy banks, or earth embankments, in which it burrows. 
 It is ten or twelve inches long, with a thick-set, arching 
 body; head short, but rat-like; and the gnawing or front 
 teeth very large, long and powerful. The hind feet are 
 very long, and a short web is found only between the 
 longest toes; yet the animals are rapid and strong swim- 
 mers. The tail of the musquash is compressed vertically, 
 that is, it is flat, the edges being above and below. The 
 beaver, which the muskrat greatly resembles in its hab- 
 its, and which is naturally close akin to it, has a broad, 
 horizontally flat tail. Like the beaver, the musquash builds 
 his dam-like house in the swamps, ponds and marshes, 
 setting the house upon the end of a log, or something 
 that will swim, in the event of a flood, "otherwise they 
 would be drowned out; and where they are frozen down 
 in time of low water, when the flood comes they have to 
 abandon the house and go to their holes in the banks, 
 or they drown in their houses, being shut in by ice. The 
 materials used in building are roots and grass, and mud, 
 carried together by mouthfuls and completely packed; pond 
 lily tops, where they grow, form a large part of the house. 
 They have a nice little chamber above the water, where 
 they sleep, with an aperture through which they can dive 
 into the water at 3.ny alarm from without; the house on the 
 outside has the appearance of a heap of half-rotten manure, 
 with some sticks in it. These houses they commence to 
 build about the first of October, or when frosty nights 
 begin to prevail, and they abandon them when warm weather 
 comes again. This house-building is a mutual thing; if there 
 were ten houses in a pond, and you should destroy nine of 
 them, they would all go the tenth, and there, by carefully 
 managing, you might catch the whole. They eat the roots 
 of aquatic plants, calamus, pond lilies, etc., and are very 
 fond of fresh water shell fish, especially the clam. So far 
 as their food goes, they do the farmer little damage. The 
 name muskrat is obviously derived from the strong odor 
 of musk. "Musquash" is said to be the Indian name, and 
 is preferable. I shall now try to tell you how to success- 
 fully hunt and trap him. As soon as the ice goes off in 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 431 
 
 the spring, you should commence, as his fur is then at its 
 best. 
 
 The muskrat drops his dung on old logs or sticks resting 
 on the bank, with one end in the water. When you find 
 his "sign" on a log, chop a notch in it and set your trap 
 about an inch under w^ter, putting the chain-ring over a 
 tally stick or over a stake driven into the log, in such a 
 positiort that the muskrat may get into water deep enough 
 to drown him. So go along near the marsh in your canoe, 
 hunting out these resorts of the muskrat, and set your 
 traps as directed. On a moonlight night at this season 
 of the year, you may go with your boat or canoe into 
 some sly place, and then set up a squeaking noise as much 
 like a rat as you can. If any are within hearing they will 
 soon make their appearance, and you may take aim at the 
 head and shoot. This is a good way to hunt them along 
 the edge of drowned land, and in ponds and lakes. An- 
 other good plan is to set your trap in two or three inches 
 of water, at the places where they crawl ashore to dig for 
 roots, and if you place a bit of parsnip, sweet apple, or 
 carrot, on the end of a stick just over the trap, you will 
 be quite sure of a catch. 
 
 Do not commence hunting too early in the fall; they do 
 not bring forth their kittens until midsummer, and about 
 the first of September they are but little things with very 
 black pelts, and hardly worth the catching. But as soon 
 as frosty nights come, and they begin to build their houses, 
 you may go to work setting your traps two or three inches 
 under water, at the place where they haul up their build- 
 ing material. At this season they feed chiefly on aquatic 
 plants, and form large beds of loose stuff at their feeding 
 places, and you may set your trap in these beds. 
 
 In winter, when the ice has made a bridge over all, go 
 to one of their houses, and on the south side make an open- 
 ing through the side directly into their chamber, and set 
 your trap at the entrance of the dive-hole. Close up the 
 opening that you have made, and you will soon catch the 
 rat. If there are other houses, destroy all but this one, 
 to which the whole colony will come, and you may catch 
 them all; or you may have a one-tined spear made of 
 
'i ' U^^''' 
 
 Niiwlt 
 
 
 o 
 X 
 
 '/, ,;^"^w..^A</ wv .^'a.M-iM^w l^f^ 
 
 432 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 433 
 
 round three-eighths rod, about eighteen inches long, with 
 a strong beard near the point. Have this fixed to a han- 
 dle, say four feet long. Go very softly up to the south 
 side of the house, and drive in your spear in a slanting di- 
 rection, a few inches above the ice. You will often transfix 
 two at a time. Or you may demolish the house and watch 
 the dive-Jiole, spearing the animal when you see his nose 
 come up. 
 
 You may use a scent to call the muskrat in the begin- 
 ning of the year. There are various things that will do 
 it. Perhaps the strongest is found in the female rat, in a 
 small bag which holds from thirty to forty drops, and lies 
 near the vagina. Carrying theis scent in a vial, go to a 
 log which lies with one end in the water, set your trap aijd 
 fasten it as above directed, and put a drop or two of oil 
 on the log just above the water. The first rat that comes 
 along will be yours. The oils of rhodium and amber can 
 be used in the same manner to advantage. 
 
 TO CATCH MUSKRATS WITHOUT TRAPS. 
 
 It is a mystery to many how muskrats, beavers, and other 
 animals are able to stay so long under water, apparently 
 without breathing, especially in winter. The way they man- 
 age is, they take a good breath at starting; and then remain 
 under water as long as possible. Then they rise up to the 
 ice and breathe out the air in their lungs, which remains in 
 a bubble against the lower part of the ice. The water near 
 the ice is highly charged with oxygen, which it readily im- 
 parts to the air breathed out. After a time this air is taken 
 back in the lungs, and the animal goes again under water, 
 repeating this process from time to time. In this way they 
 can travel almost any distance, and live almost any length 
 of time under the ice. The hunter takes advantage of this 
 
454 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 habit of the muskrat in the following manner: When the 
 marshes and ponds where the muskrat abounds are first 
 frozen over, and the ice is thin and clear, on striking into 
 their houses with his hatchet, for the purpose of setting his 
 trap, he frequently sees a whole family plunge into the 
 water and swim away under the ice. Following one for 
 some distance, he sees him come up to recover his breath, 
 in the manner above described. After the animal has breathed 
 against the ice, and before he has time to take his bubble 
 in again, the hunter strikes with his hatchet directly over 
 him, and drives him away from his breath. In this case 
 he drowns in swimming a few rods, and the hunter, cutting 
 a hole in the ice, takes him out. 
 
 A Secluded Nook 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 435 
 
 THE BEAVER 
 
 This animal is furnished with two incisors and eight 
 molars in each jaw, twenty in all; and is particularly dis- 
 tinguished from all the rest of the rodentia by a broad hori- 
 zontally-fattened tail, which is nearly oval and covered 
 with scales. There are five toes on each of the feet, but 
 those of the hinder ones — somewhat resembling those of a 
 goose — only are webbed, the webs extending beyond the 
 roots of the nails. The second toe of these last is fur- 
 
 The Beaver at Work 
 
 nished vs'ith a double nail, or rather two, one like those of 
 the other toes, and another beneath it, situated obliquely, 
 with a sharp edge directed downward. There is also a less 
 perfect double nail on the inner toe of the hind-feet. 
 
 The incisor teeth of the beaver are broad, flattened, and, 
 as in most of the order, protected anteriorly by a coat of 
 
436 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 very hard orange-colored enamel, the rest of the tooth being 
 of a comparatively soft substance, whereby a cutting, chisel- 
 like edge is obtained; and, indeed, no edge-tool, with all its 
 combinations of hard and soft metal, could answer the pur- 
 pose better. In fact, the beaver's incisor tooth is fashioned 
 much upon the same principle as that followed by the tool- 
 maker, who forms a cutting instrument by a skillful adapta- 
 tion of hard and soft materials till he produces a good edge. 
 But the natural instrument has one great advantage over the 
 artificial tool; for the former is so organized that as fast 
 as it is worn away by use, a reproduction and protrusion 
 from the base takes place, and thus the two pairs of cljisel- 
 teeth working opposite to each other are always kept in 
 good repair, with their edges at the proper cutting angle. 
 When injury or disease destroys one of these incisors, its 
 opposite, meeting with no check to resist the protrusion 
 from behind, is pushed forward into a monstrous elonga- 
 tion. So hard is the enamel, and so good a cutting instru- 
 ment is the incisor tooth of the beaver, that, when fixed in 
 a wooden handle, it was used by the northern Indians to 
 cut borte, and fashion their horn-tipped spears, etc., till 
 it was superseded by the introduction of iron, when the 
 Jaeaver tooth was supplanted by the English file. 
 
 The power of these natural tools is such that a beaver 
 will bite off a sapling of the size of a walking-stick at a 
 single effort of its teeth. 
 
 When the beaver cuts down a tree it gnaws it all round, 
 cutting it, however, somewhat higher on the one side than 
 the other, by which the direction of its fall is determined. 
 The stump is conical, and of such a height as a beaver sit- 
 ting on his hind-quarters could make. The largest tree 
 I observed cut down by them was about the thickness of a 
 man's thigh — that is, six or seven inches in diameter. Beavers 
 have no canine teeth. 
 
 The length of the head and body of a beaver is thirty- 
 six to forty inches; the tail is about eleven inches. In the 
 pairing season it utters a kind of cry resembling a faint 
 groan. Owing to the shortness and inequality of its limbs, 
 the gait is waddling and ungraceful; this effect is increased 
 by the clumsiness of its figure, and the difficulty it seems 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 437 
 
 to have in dragging- after it its cumbrous tail. The latter, 
 however, becomes useful in the water, where the animal 
 spends the greater part of its time, sometimes being employed 
 as a paddle, and sometimes as a rudder. The color is a red- 
 dish-brown: there are varieties, however, some of which are 
 flaxen-colored, and some black. There are albinos which 
 are white. 
 
 The young of the beaver, five to seven at a birth, are 
 produced, in April or May, the eyes being open; in a month, 
 they follow their mother into the water, but remain with 
 her a year, sometimes two y^ars, being kept in a place of 
 safety. Sometimes a dozen beavers dwell together. They 
 are caught at all seasons, being fat in autumn, but falling 
 off in winter. They have been found weighing from thirty 
 to sixty pounds. Their common food is the bark of trees 
 — birch, willow and cotton-wood — and the roots of aquatic 
 plants, especially the pond-lily; in summer they wander some 
 distance from the water, and feed on berries, leaves and 
 various kinds of herbage. They are said occasionally to 
 devour fish, but this is not probable. Their fur consists 
 of two sorts, one composed of long, stifif and elastic hair; 
 the other, of a fine, soft, compact down, which gives ex- 
 traordinary value to the skin. 
 
 It appears that among the beavers there are some lazy 
 ones which do not, or will not, assist in the general labors 
 of the association. These, as might be expected, are all 
 males, and are beaten off by the community, and often are 
 injured by having their tails cut off, and by other wounds. 
 It has been suggested that they are disappointed lovers, 
 and strange as it may appear, there seems some reason for 
 this idea. They are called old bachelors. They do not 
 build dams, but dig holes from the water, running obliquely 
 toward the surface of the ground. ' From these they emerge, 
 when necessity requires, to obtain food. They do not seem 
 to set much value on life, and are easily caught by the 
 hunters and trappers. 
 
 The drug called castoreum, and which is an unctuous 
 substance, of a strong, musky odor, is obtained from two 
 glandular sacks, situated near the anus. In dissecting a 
 beaver, both males and females are furnished with one pair 
 
438 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 of little bags containing castoreum, and also with a second 
 pair of smaller ones betwixt the former and the anus, which 
 are filled with a white fatty matter, of the consistence of 
 butter, and exhaling a strong odor. This latter substance 
 is an article of trade; the Indians occasionally eat it, and also 
 mingle a little with their tobacco when they smoke. From 
 the circumstance of small ponds, when inhabited by beavers, 
 being tainted with its peculiar odor, it seems probable that 
 it affords a dressing to the fur of these aquatic animals. 
 Ihe castoreum in its recent state is of an orange-color, 
 which deepens as it dries into bright reddish-brown. During 
 the drying, which is allowed to go on in the shade, a 
 gummy matter exudes through the sack, which the Indians 
 delight in eating. The male and female castoreum is of 
 the same value, ten pairs of bags of either kind being once 
 reckoned to an Indian as equal to one beaver skin. The 
 castoreum is never adulterated in the fur countries. 
 
 The castoreum, which is called bark-stone by the traders, 
 is used by the hunters in baiting their traps, because the 
 beavers are exceedingly fond of the odor. The end of a 
 small stick, chewed or crushed, is dipped in the castoreum, 
 which is kept in a horn; it is then set in the water, with the 
 anointed end above the surface, and the trap beneath. The 
 beavers scent the castoreum for a hundred yards or more, 
 and so much are they delighted, that they draw in a long 
 breath, and utter a cry of joy as they imbibe the delicious 
 fragrance. On approaching the delusive bait they are caught 
 in the trap. 
 
 The flesh of the beaver is much prized by the Indians 
 and Canadian voyagers, especially when it is roasted in the 
 skin, after the hair has been singed off. In some districts 
 it requires all the influence of the fur-trader to restrain the 
 hunters from sacrificing a considerable quantity of beaver 
 fur every year to secure the enjoyment of this luxury; and 
 Indians of note have generally one or two feasts in the 
 season, wherein a roasted beaver is the prime dish. It re- 
 sembles pork in its flavor, but the lean is dark-colored, 
 the fat oily, and it requires a strong stomach to sustain a 
 full meal of it. The tail, which is considered a great luxury, 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 439 
 
 consists of a gristly kind of fat, as rich, but not so nauseat- 
 ing, as the fat of the body. 
 
 Where the beavers are numerous they are found to in- 
 habit lakes, ponds and rivers, as well as those narrow creeks 
 which connect the numerous lakes with which this country 
 abounds: but the two latter are generally chosen by them 
 when the depth of water, and other circumstances, are suit- 
 able, as they have then the advantage of a current to con- 
 vey wood and other necessaries to their habitations, and 
 because, *n general, they are more difficult to be taken than 
 those that are built in standing water. They always choose 
 those parts that have such a depth of water as will resist 
 the frost in winter, and prevent it from freezing to the 
 bottom. The beavers that build their houses in small rivers 
 or creeks, in which water is liable to be drained off when 
 the back supplies are dried up by the frost, are wonderfully 
 taught by instinct to provide against that evil by making a 
 dam quite across the river, at a convenient distance from 
 their houses. 
 
 The beaver-dams differ in shape according to the nature 
 of the place in which they are built. If the water in the 
 river or creek_ have but little motion, the dam is almost 
 straight; but when the current is more rapid, it is always 
 made with a considerable curve, convex toward the stream. 
 The materials made use of are drift-wood, green willows, 
 birch and poplars, if they can be got; also, mud and stones, 
 intermixed in such a manner as must evidently contribute 
 to the strength of the dam; but there is no other order or 
 method observed in the dams, except that of the work 
 being carried on with a regular sweep, and all the parts 
 being made of equal strength. In places which have been 
 long frequented by beavers undisturbed, their dams, by 
 frequent repairing, become a solid bank, capable of resist- 
 ing a great force, both of water and ice; and as the willow, 
 poplar and birch generally take root and shoot up, they by 
 degrees form a kind of regular planted hedge, which I 
 have seen in some places so tall that birds built their nests 
 among the branches. 
 
 The beaver houses are built of the same materials as the 
 dams, and are always proportioned iji size to the number 
 
440 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 of inhabitants, which seldom exceeds four old and six or 
 eight young ones; though by chance I have seen above 
 double the number. Instead of order or regulation being 
 observed in rearing' their houses, they are of a much ruder 
 structure than their dams; for, notwithstanding the sagacity 
 of these animals, it has never been observed that they aim 
 at any other convenience in their houses than to have a 
 dry place to lie on, and there they usually eat their victuals, 
 which they occasionally take out of the water. It frequently 
 happens that some of the large houses are found to have 
 one or more partitions, if they deserve that appellation, but 
 it is no more than a part of the main building, left by the 
 sagacity of the beaver to support the roof. On such occa- 
 sions, it is common for those different apartments to have 
 no communication with each other but by water; so that, 
 in fact, they m3.y be called double or treble houses, rather 
 than different apartments of the same house. I have seen 
 a large beaver house built in a small island that had near 
 a dozen apartments under one roof; and, two or three of 
 these excepted, none of them had any communication with 
 each other but by water. As there were beavers enough 
 to inhabit each apartment, it is more than probable that 
 each family knew their own, and always entered at their 
 own doors, without any further connection with their neigh- 
 bors than a friendly intercourse, and to join their united 
 labors in erecting their separate habitations, and building 
 their dams where required. 
 
 They lay most of the wood crosswise, and nearly hori- 
 zontal, and without any other order than that of leaving a 
 hollow or cavity in the middle. When any unnecessary 
 branches project inward,, they cut them oft" with their teeth 
 and throw them in among the rest, to prevent the mud from 
 falling through the roof. It is a mistaken notion that the 
 wood-work is first completed and then plastered; for the 
 whole of their houses, as well as their dams, are, from 
 the foundation, one mass of mud and wood, mixed with 
 stones, if they can be procured.. The mud is always taken 
 from the edge of the bank, or the bottom of the creek or 
 pond near the door of the house; and though their fore- 
 paws are so small, yet it is held close up between them 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 441 
 
 under their throat; thus they carry both mud and stones, 
 while they always drag the wood with their teeth. All 
 their work is executed in the night, and they are so expedi- 
 tious that in the course of one night I have known them to 
 have collected as much as amounted to some thousands 
 of their little handfuls. It is a great piece of policy in 
 these animals to cover the outside of their houses every 
 fall with iresh mud, and as late as possible in the autumn, 
 even when the frost becomes pretty severe, as by this 
 means it soon freezes as hard as a stone, and prevents their 
 common enemy, the wolverine, from disturbing them during 
 the winter; and as they are frequently seen to walk over 
 their work, and sometimes to give a flap with their tail, 
 particularly when plunging into the water, this has, with- 
 out doubt, given rise to the vulgar opinion that they use 
 their tails as a trowel with which they plaster their houses; 
 whereas, that flapping of the tail is no more^'than a custom 
 which they always preserve, even when they become tame 
 and domestic, and more particularly so when they are startled. 
 Their food consists largely of the root of the common 
 yellow water-lily. They also eat the bark of trees, particu- 
 larly those of the poplar, birch and willow; but the ice 
 preventing them from getting to the land in the winter, 
 they have not any bark to feed on in that season, except 
 that of such sticks as they cut down in summer, and throw 
 into the water opposite the doors of their houses, and as 
 they generally eat a great deal, the roots above mentioned 
 constitute a principal part of their food during the winter. 
 In summer they vary their diet by eating various kinds of 
 herbage, and such berries as grow near their haunts during 
 that season. When the ice breaks up in the spring, the 
 beavers always leave their houses, and rove about until a 
 little before the fall of the leaf, when they return again to 
 their old habitations, and lay in their winter stock of wood. 
 They seldom begin to repair their houses till the frost com- 
 mences, and never finish the outer coat till the cold is pretty 
 severe, as has been already mentioned. When they erect a 
 new habitation, they begin felling the wood early in the 
 summer, but seldom begin to build until the middle or 
 
443 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 latter end of August, and never complete it till the cold 
 weather sets in. 
 
 Persons who attempt to take beaver in winter should be 
 thoroughly acquainted with their manner of life, otherwise 
 they will have endless trouble to effect their purpose, be- 
 cause they have always a number of holes in the banks 
 which serve them as places of retreat when any injury is 
 offered to their houses, and in general it is in those holes 
 that they are taken. When the beavers which are situated 
 in a small river or creek are to be taken, the Indians some- 
 times find it necessary to stake the river across, to prevent 
 them from passing; after which, they endeavor to find out 
 all their holes or places of retreat in the banks. This re- 
 quires much practice and experience to accomplish, and is 
 performed in the following manner: every man being fur- 
 nished with an ice-chisel, lashes it to the end of a small 
 staff about four or five feet long; he then walks along the 
 edge of the banks, and keeps knocking his chisel against 
 the ice. Those who are acquainted with that kind of work 
 well know by the sound of the ice when they are opposite 
 to any of the beavers' holes or vaults. As soon as they 
 suspect any, they cut a hole through the ice big enough 
 to admit an old beaver, and in this manner proceed till 
 they have found out all their places of retreat, or at least 
 as many of them as possible. While the principal men are 
 thus employed, some of the understrappers and the women 
 are busy in breaking open the house, which at times is no 
 easy task, for I have frequently known these houses to be 
 five or six feet thick, and one in particular was more than 
 eight feet thick in the crown. When 'the beavers find that 
 their habitations are invaded, they fly to their holes in the 
 banks for shelter; and on being perceived by the Indians, 
 which is easily done by attending to the motion of the 
 water, they block up the entrance with stakes of wood, 
 and then haul the beaver out of its hole, either by hand, 
 if they can reach it, or with a large hook made for that 
 purpose, which is fastened to the end of a long stick. 
 
 In this kind of hunting every man has the sole right 
 to all the beavers caught by him in the holes or vaults; 
 and as this is a constant rule, each person takes care to 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 443 
 
 mark such as he discovers by sticking up a branch of a 
 tree, by which he may know them. All that are caught in 
 the house are the property of the person who finds it. 
 The beaver is an animal which cannot keep under water 
 long at a time, so that, when their houses are broken open, 
 and all their places of retreat discovered, they have but 
 one choice left, as it may be called, either to be taken in 
 their house or their vaults; in general, they prefer the lat- 
 ter, for where there is one beaver caught in the house, 
 many thousand are taken in the vaults in the banks. Some- 
 times they are caught in nets, and in summer very fre- 
 quently in traps. 
 
 In respect to the beavers dunging in their houses, as 
 some persons assert, it is quite wrong, as they always 
 plunge into the water to do it. I am the better enabled to 
 make this assertion from having kept several of them till 
 they became so domesticated as to answer to their name, 
 and follow those to whom they were accustomed in the 
 same manner as a dog would do, and they were as much 
 pleased at being fondled as any animal I ever saw. 
 
 The beaver is instinctively led to build his house near the 
 banks of lakes and rivers. He saws with his teeth 'birch 
 trees, with which the building is constructed; with his 
 teeth he drags the wood along to the place destined for 
 building his habitation; in this manner one piece of timber 
 is carried after another where they choose. At the lake or 
 river, where their house it to be built, they lay birch- 
 stocks or trunks, covered with their bark, in the bottom it- 
 self, and forming a foundation, they complete the rest of 
 the building with so much art and ingenuity as to excite 
 the admiration of the beholders. The home itself is of a 
 round and arched figure, equaling in its circumference the 
 ordinary hut of a Laplander. In this house the floor is for 
 a bed, covered with branches of trees, not in the very 
 bottom, but a little above, near the edge of a river or lake, 
 so that, between the foundation and flooring, on which 
 the dwelling is supported, there is formed, as it were, a 
 cell, filled with water, in which the stalks of the birch tree 
 are put up: on the bark of this the beaver family who in- 
 habit this mansion feed. If there are. more families under 
 
444 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 one roof, besides the laid flooring, another, resembling the 
 former, is built a little above, which you may not im- 
 properly name a second story in the building. The roof 
 of the dwelling consists of branches very closely compacted, 
 and projects out far over the water. You have now, reader, 
 a house consisting and laid out in a cellar, a flooring, a 
 hypocaust, a ceiling and a roof, raised by a brute animal. 
 
 While the beaver has thus been exterminated in Europe, 
 except that a few linger along the borders of the rivers in 
 the more thinly settled portions, and somewhat greater 
 numbers exist in the forests of the north, in North America 
 a similar process has been going on. Where, half a century 
 ago, a hunter or trapper could kill four hundred in a year, 
 they are already scarce, and are only to be found in suffi- 
 cient numbers to make the pursuit a profession in the dis- 
 tant solitudes of the extreme northwest. 
 
 TRAPPING THE BEAVER 
 
 The beaver has been practically exterminated in all the 
 Atlantic and in the Western States, as far as the middle and 
 upper waters of the Missouri; while in the Hudson Bay 
 possessions they are becoming annually more scarce, and 
 the race will eventually be extinguished throughout the whole 
 continent. A few individuals may, for a time, elude the 
 immediate violence of persecution, and like the degraded 
 descendants of the aborigines of our soil be occasionally 
 exhibited as melancholy mementos of the tribes long previ- 
 ously whelmed in the fathomless gulf of avarice. The busi- 
 ness of trapping requires great experience and caution, as 
 the senses of the beaver are very keen, and enable him to 
 detect the recent presence of the hunter by the slightest 
 traces. It is necessary that the hands should be washed 
 clean before the trap is handled and baited, and every pre- 
 caution should be employed to elude the vigilance of the 
 animal. 
 
 The bait which is used to entice the beavers is prepared 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 443 
 
 from the substance called castor, obtained from the gland- 
 ulous pouches of the male animal, which contains some 
 times from two to three ounces. This substance is called 
 by the hunters barkstone, and is squeezed gently into an 
 open-mouthed phial. The contents of tive or six of these 
 castor bags are mixed with a nutmeg, twelve or tifteen 
 cloves, and thirty grains of cinnamon, in fine powder, and 
 then the whole is stirred up with as much whiskey as will 
 give it tke consistency of mustard prepared for the table. 
 This mixture must be kept closely corked up, and in four 
 or hve days the odor will become more powerful; with 
 care it may be preserved for months without injury. Various 
 other strong aromatics are sometimes used to increase the 
 pungency of the odor. Some of this preparation, smeared 
 upon the bits of wood with which the traps are baited, will 
 entice the beaver from a great distance. 
 
 The castor, whose odor is similar to tanners' ooze, gets 
 the name of barkstone from its resemblance to finely pow- 
 dered bark; the sacks that contain it are about two inches 
 in length. Behind these, and between the skin and root 
 of the tail, are found two other oval cists, lying together, 
 which contain a pure, strong oil of a rancid smell. 
 
 During the winter season the beaver becomes very fat, 
 and its flesh is esteemed by the hunters as excellent food, 
 but those occasionally caught in the summer are very thin 
 and unfit for the table. They lead so wandering a life at 
 this season, and are so much exhausted by the collection 
 of materials for building, or the winter stock of provisions, 
 as well as by suckling their young, as to be generally, at 
 that time, in a very poor condition. Their fur, during the 
 summer, is of little value, and it is only in winter that it 
 is to be obtained in that state which renders it so desirable 
 to the fur traders. 
 
 Beaver hunting is a laborious occupation. With your 
 beaver traps on your back you start into the wild woods 
 and go to some small branches or creeks that empty into 
 lakes or large streams. Follow these up until you dis- 
 cover small trees, cut down by the beaver. It is not ex- 
 actly like chopping done with an axe, but it is fairly chopped 
 after all — cut smoothly from above and below, lengthwise 
 with the grain. If the cut seems fresh and new, the beavers 
 
446 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 are close by. Don't make much noise, nor leave much sign 
 behind you, if you intend to catch them in a trap. 
 
 We will suppose this is late in the fall, just before the 
 winter sets in, and that you suddenly come upon a dam 
 as you travel up the little stream, and it proves to be an 
 old dam of long standing with a large pond of water 
 above it. You may naturally conclude that there is a large 
 family of beavers, say eight or ten in number. Of course 
 you want to catch them all in your trap, so hunt carefully 
 around the pond and you will find their feeding place, 
 where they have eaten the bark off from their feed wood. 
 Here set your trap in four inches of water, with a twelve- 
 pound stone fastened to the end of the chain. Fasten to 
 it also a piece of bark twelve or fourteen feet long, the 
 other end being fastened to the shore. When the beaver 
 is caught he will make for deep water, and the stone will 
 sink him and drown him. The bark will let him go far 
 enough, and will enable you to trace the trap and pull him 
 out. The bark should be fastened to a stake under water, 
 and the slack should be coiled up and put under the stone. 
 The whole apparatus, except the trap, should be nicely 
 covered with mud. If you find the place where they haul 
 in their tim-ber, set a trap there in the same way. Also just 
 at the mouths of their holes, under water. Always have 
 the trap sufficiently weighted, or the beaver will come 
 ashore and amputate his leg. When you set the trap at 
 the feeding place, smear the wood around it with the castor 
 scent before described. 
 
 Don't imagine any old scent will do for beaver, or, for 
 that matter, any animal. Scent to be right must be for that 
 particular kind, else it makes them suspicious, and when 
 you use bait or feed scent don't use too much of it. Many 
 trappers use so much that they make the place fairly stink, 
 and it's like posting a sign^ keep off; in fact, a dead give- 
 away and makes them alarmed and suspicious. A few drops 
 suffices if it is good and strong or made right. 
 
 When you cut a beaver dam, don't make a hole more 
 than six inches deep. Wade in the water while you are 
 doing it; don't step on the land, and don't spit on it; neither 
 handle it with dirty hands. Set the trap as before directed 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 447 
 
 in about four inches of water, where they would naturally 
 swim up to the gap in the dam, and you will be sure to 
 catch them. 
 
 Another mode is to take a poplar or alder stick or pole, 
 and stick it in the water in a slanting direction near the 
 feeding place. Set the trap near the bottom of the stick, 
 and as they work down in gnawing ofT the bark for food, 
 they will get into the trap. This plan works well after 
 the watei^ is frozen over. In fact, one wants to study out 
 conditions and make their sets according to things as they 
 find them. There is no cut and dried system in any kind of 
 trapping. Hardly any two animals are caught under exactly 
 the same conditions (except in the same set). Personally 
 I have always found that I had to use different methods. 
 In every part of the world I have hunted and trapped in, 
 whether in the Arctics, Antarctics, Alaska, Norway, Green- 
 land, Hudson Bay or Spitzbergen, and nearly every state in 
 the Union, one most judge largely, by conditions, season, 
 weather, foods, habits and peculiarities of the animals, and 
 if they have been hunted or trapped much one will have 
 to be mighty careful, as the old ones are very shy and 
 suspicious of everything strange. 
 
 The Xo. 3 Newhouse trap is the best size for the beaver. 
 Some trappers use the Xo. 4, but we have found the Xo. 3 
 to work most effectually, it being more easily handled 
 than a larger trap. There is no regular rule for setting 
 traps for beaver, as they must be arranged in accordance 
 with the nature of the trapping ground. It is not best to 
 put traps in beaver holes, as they become wary and sus- 
 picious; but to drown the beaver should always be made a 
 point, else an amputated foot is all that the trapper will 
 get for his trouble. 
 
 When searching for "sign," find a slide if possible, and 
 set the trap at the foot of it, about four inches under water; 
 bury the trap lightly in the mud, except the pan, which 
 should be free, and lightly covered with dirt or leaves; leave 
 as little trace as possible, and fasten in the middle a stick 
 about three feet long to the ring in the end of the chain; 
 then tie a rope or light chain to the ring long enough to 
 let the beaver reach deep water when caught. If the 'bank 
 
448 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 is steep and water deep, drive a long pole in the bottom, and 
 stake the large end down under water near the trap. Ad- 
 just the chain about the pole so that it will slide easily, 
 fasten the end of the rope or long chain to a stake under 
 water where it can be easily reached; cover all traces of the 
 fastenings as nearly as possible with mud or dead leaves, 
 and throw water where you have been standing, or upon any 
 object handled. If stones are about, it is well to weight a 
 trap, though it is but seldom a beaver makes his way to the 
 surface of the water when once reaching the bottom of the 
 pole; here he is sure to go when trapped, in attempting 
 to reach deep water. When a trapped beaver is able to reach 
 his hole, or get loose from the pole, he will enter a burrow 
 the length of the short chain only, and the cross-pole will 
 stop him in season to be easily drawn from the hole. 
 
 In small dams, rig the trap with cross-pole and buoy 
 only, having the trap lightly weighted; a beaver will be 
 drowned in the entrance of a hole, or in deep water, when 
 the buoy will indicate the position of the trap. In thick 
 willows, where one has no canoe to find suitable places 
 for setting traps, it is best to place them at crossings, or 
 where the beavers are at work. Should a dam be com- 
 pleted (which is usual before cold weather), make a ditch 
 where the water will run over, and set a trap the same as 
 at the foot of a slide. It is seldom that beavers are taken 
 on successive nights in one dam, as the first capture general- 
 ly alarms the rest. The castoreum, or beaver medicine, 
 can be made after the first pelt has been stretched. The 
 proper way to prepare it is to take the contents of the four 
 glands and mix with enough alcohol to preserve it. Most 
 trappers use whiskey to preserve the beaver medicine; we 
 have questioned many, and they all give the same receipt; 
 we have heard of some more fastidious than practical, who, 
 with the pen, mix all kinds of strong scents with the 
 castoreum. hut it over-powers the odor that should be pre- 
 served—the natural scent of the beaver. The medicine must 
 be used above the traps as much as possible. For instance, 
 if a trap was set under a log in the water, the lower 
 surface of the log should be rubbed with the castoreum. 
 
 A good trapper never skins a beaver near a dam, as 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 449 
 
 everything left behind suggests an enemy in the camp to 
 the rest of the sagacious beavers. 
 
 Although the haunts and habits of the beaver are all the 
 necessary details to be given in trapping, the anatomy 
 of the skull is so peculiar that it cannot fail to be of interest 
 to the reader. 
 
 The skull of the average beaver is 5 inches long, 3.50 
 inches wide, with a circumference over the eyes of 11 inches. 
 The heavy structure indicates great strength, and the under 
 jaw is remarkably thick and strong. The brain is medium 
 in size. The upper portion of the skull is broad and flat, with 
 a slight rise from nose to occiput, broken only by a slight 
 depression between the eyes. The ears in life are attached 
 to bone tubes, wdiich project 0.25 of an inch from the skull 
 and run to the drums; these are large, rather near to- 
 gether, and rest just forward of the occipital bone. There 
 are two incisors on each jaw, the superior ones curving in- 
 ward, and the lower ones slightly outward; the latter are 
 the longest, measuring 1.25 inch. The front surface of the 
 incisors are covered with plates of thick enamel, which form 
 the cutting edges. It is very hard, and the outer surface is 
 of an orange color. The teeth are shaped precisely like a 
 carver's gouge, being slightly convex on the face, sharpened 
 by a Concave slant from a point scarcely half the length 
 of the teeth to the edges. 
 
 The grinders are eight on a side (four upper, four 
 under), and are regularly grooved like the ruminant's. The 
 fore part of the upper jaw is so narrow that the width 
 of the roof of the mouth is but 0.25 of an inch between the 
 first two teeth; all of the upper grinders slant backward, 
 while those of the lower jaw incline forward, and both 
 meet with evenness and precision. 
 
 The Beaver. 
 
450 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 THE PORCUPINE 
 
 This includes certain rodents whose covering consists 
 for the most part of a kind of offensive and defensive armor, 
 in the shape of spines or quills, instead of hairs, somewhat 
 after the manner of the hedge-hogs. Their molars are 
 four in number, with a flattened crown, variously modified 
 by layers of enamel, which leave deep intervals; their tongue* 
 is rough, with spiny scales; the tail is short, and the feet 
 plantigrade. Many of the species live in burrows, and 
 have much the habits of rabbits. Their grunting voice, 
 joined to their large and truncated muzzle, has caused 
 them to be compared to the hog, whence their French 
 name, Pore-Epic, meaning Spiny-pig. 
 
 When full grown it is about one foot in length, the 
 longest spines exceeding a foot. The general color is griz- 
 zled dusky-black, resulting from an intermixture of vari- 
 ous shades of white, brown and black; upper part of the 
 head and neck furnished with a crest of long lighter-colored 
 hairs, capable of being raised or depressed at pleasure; hair 
 on the muzzle and limbs very short, almost black on the 
 limbs; that of the neck and under parts brownish, and of 
 considerable length; on the fore-part and sides of the neck 
 a whitish band; all the remaining parts of the back and sides, 
 including the rump and upper parts of the hinder-legs, armed 
 with spines, which are longest on the center of the back. 
 The spines, almost of the thickness of a goose-quill in the 
 middle, are supported at the base by a slender pedicle, and 
 terminating in very sliarp points, striated longitudinally, 
 and ringed alternately with black and white; the rings an 
 inch or more broad. Their usual position is lying nearly 
 flat upon the body, with the points directed backward; 
 when the animal is excited, they are raised by means of the 
 subcutaneous muscles almost at right angles with the body, 
 and then present a very formidable appearance. They are 
 not capable of being detached by the animal. The tail- 
 quills are, as it were, cut off in the middle, and are conse- 
 quently open at the end, and produce a loud rustling noise 
 when the animal agitates its tail. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 451 
 
 The porcupine is a nocturnal animal, sleeping in the 
 burrow which it digs, and to which there are several open- 
 ings, during the day, and coming forth at nightfall to seek 
 its food, consisting principally of roots, fruits and tender 
 leaves Its usual food near the Cape, where it is called 
 Yzer-Varken, is the root of that beautiful plant, the Calla 
 -(^thiopica, which grows even in the ditches about the 
 gardens; but it will frequently deign to put up with cab- 
 bages and other vegetables, and sometimes commits great 
 depredations in the gardens themselves. It undergoes a 
 partial hibernation, but its sleep is not of long duration, for 
 it ventures abroad again at the very commencement of 
 spring. The young are produced in August, and have very 
 small spines. 
 
 The use of the quills is simply that of a defensive armor, 
 but as this seems a cumbrous device for such a purpose, 
 we are led to insist on finding other advantages to be de- 
 rived from them. Hence, Thunberg tells us that he was 
 informed that the Ceylonese porcupine had "a very curious 
 method of fetching water for its young, namely, the quills 
 in the tail are said to be hollow, and to have a hole at the 
 extremity, and that the animal can bend them in such. a 
 manner as that they can be filled with water, which after- 
 ward is discharged in the nest among the young." Such 
 inventions, to help nature out, so as to satisfy a narrow 
 conception of her works, are doubtless the source of many 
 of the common-place errors in respect to animals of peculiar 
 organization; but the truth certainly is, that the porcupine 
 finds his quill armor an exceedingly convenient, useful and 
 effective defense, and he would be as imperfect without it 
 as a wasp without its sting, or a cock without his spurs. The 
 porcupine is an exceedingly stupi<l creature, and hence, no 
 doubt, nature supplied him with his formidable covering as 
 a compensation for his lack of brains; as an indispensable 
 provision in order to put him on a level with other brutes 
 of his order. The mode by which nature equalizes her 
 favors are infinitely diversified: some animals she endows 
 with instincts, some with gifts analogous to reason, some 
 with strength, some with dexterity, some with defensive or 
 offensive weapons. The hare has speed, the squirrel activity, 
 
452 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 the marmot caution, the beaver ingenuity, the rat most or 
 all of these qualities; the porcupine, destitute of all, has 
 his quiver of arrows, which he shakes in the face of his 
 
 The Porcupine 
 
 foe, to frighten him if he is a coward, and to pierce him if 
 he has the courage to make an attack. In case of need, 
 he will run backward at his enemy, and thus strike his sharp- 
 pointed arrows into him. Without his quills, the porcupine 
 would seem to be a singularly unmeaning, uncouth and 
 helpless sot; with them, he has a position in history, and 
 figures in literature as the emblem of human fretfulness and 
 conceit. 
 
 THE MARTEN 
 
 The marten includes several remarkable species, all of 
 which climb with facility, and having long, lithe bodies, with 
 short legs, are able to enter holes and wind through pas- 
 sages from which even the smallest cats are excluded. 
 They are all endowed with voracious appetites, and devour 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 453 
 
 great numbers of eggs, birds and small quadrupeds. Some 
 of them introduce themselves into the poultry-yards, and 
 make immense havoc among the feathered inhabitants. Most 
 of them are noted for their valuable peltry, and some pro- 
 
 The Marten. 
 
 duce the finest and most luxurious furs that are known. 
 Though nearly allied to the weasels and polecats, which 
 are distinguished for their offensive odor, the martens only 
 diffuse a musky and not disagreeable scent. 
 
 Its head is somewhat triangular, the muzzle pointed, the 
 eyes prominent and lively; the body much elongated and 
 very flexible; the tail long, thick and bush}'; the toes naked, 
 but at times, probably in the winter, covered beneath with 
 thin soft hair. The fur is of two sorts — the inner extremely 
 soft, short, copious and of a light yellowish-gray color; 
 the outer very long, shining, ash-colored at the roots, brown 
 at the extremity, but of different degrees of intensity at dif- 
 ferent parts of the body; the middle of the back, the tail, 
 the outer parts of the legs and the feet, being darker than 
 the other parts; the belly lighter and more gray; the throat 
 white. Length of head and body one foot six inches; of the 
 tail, nine inches six lines. 
 
 This marten is found more remote from woods, though 
 it is often met with in them, and more frequently in moun- 
 tainous and stony places, and nearer the habitations of man 
 than the pine marten. It prefers the vicinity of farm-yards 
 and homesteads, and is a ruinous visitor to them and the 
 game-preserve. It is an expert climber, and is lively, active 
 and graceful in its movements. The nest of the female is 
 constructed of herbage, straw or grass, sometimes in the 
 
454 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 hollow of a tree, sometimes in the crevices of rocks, not 
 unfrequently in a ruin, .and occasionally in granaries or 
 barns. The fur is considered very far superior to that of 
 the pine marten, and is known in the trade as the skin of 
 the Stone Marten. Many are imported from the north of 
 Europe, and dyed to represent sable. The comparatively 
 poor quality of the fur, however, is immediately perceptible 
 to the experienced eye, although, as is the case with most 
 of the animals which are used for their fur, the northern 
 skins are fuller, richer in color and more lustrous than those 
 from more temperate climates. 
 
 The Pine Marten 
 
 Of this species the general color is brown, though as in 
 the case of the preceding, subject to variation in the depth 
 of the tint; throat yellow; toes naked beneath; legs longer 
 and head smaller than in the beech marten. This is the 
 Marte of the French; Marta, Martura, Martora and Mar- 
 torello of the Italians; Marta of the Spanish; Feld-Marder 
 and Wild-IMarder of the Germans; Marter of the Dutch; 
 Wawpeestan of the Cree Indians; Wawbeechins of the Al- 
 gonquins; Sable of the American fur dealers, though Dr. 
 DeKay thinks the American sable a distinct species, and 
 Marten of the Hudson's Bay Company's Lists. It is found 
 in Europe and North America. In its habits it resembles 
 the beech marten in many respects, but it shuns the neigh- 
 borhood of man — living in Europe in deep forests, and prey- 
 ing on birds and the smaller animals. The female deposits 
 six to eight young ones, in a nest of moss and leaves, formed 
 in some hollow tree, when she does not take possession of 
 that of the squirrel or the woodpecker. 
 
 In America it inhabits the woody districts in the northern 
 parts, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, m great numbers, 
 and has been observed to be particularly abundant where 
 the trees have been killed by fire, but are still standing. 
 It lives in the trees, is nocturnal in its habits and destroys 
 great numbers of the smaller squirrels. The limit of its 
 northern range in America is like that of the woods, about 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 455 
 
 the sixty-eighth degree of latitude, and it is said to be 
 found as far south as New England. Particular races of 
 martens, distinguished by the fineness and dark colors of 
 their fur, appear to inhabit certain rocky districts. The 
 rocky and mountainous but woody district of the Xipigon, 
 on the north side of Lake Superior, has long been known for 
 its black and valuable marten skins. 
 
 Length of the head and body from eighteen to twenty 
 inches, ^'he fur loses all its luster, and consequejitly 
 much of its value, upon the falling of the first shower of 
 rain for the season. This animal preys on mice, hares and 
 partridges, and in summer on small birds' eggs. etc. A bird's 
 head, with the feathers, is the best bait for the long-traps 
 in which it is taken. It does not reject carrion, and often 
 destroys the hoards of meat and fish laid up by the natives, 
 when they have accidently left a crevice by which it can 
 enter. When its retreat is cut off, it shows its teeth, sets 
 up its hair, arches its back, and hisses like a cat. It will 
 seize a dog by the nose and bite so hard that, unless the 
 latter is well used to the combat, it escapes. Easily tamed, 
 it soon becomes attached to its master, but is not docile. 
 The flesh is occasionally eaten, but not prized, by the Indians. 
 The females are smaller than the males, go with young about 
 six weeks, and produce from four to seven at a time, about 
 the end of April. 
 
 The fur of this animal is much esteemed, and the ex- 
 portation of skins from the territories of the Hudson's Bay 
 Company and Canada is very great. 
 
 The Pekan, Fisher or Pennant's Marten, called Black Fox 
 and Black Cat in some parts of the United Stated, has a 
 head somewhat resembling^ a cat, eyes small and oblique, 
 body long, and formed for agility and strength; general color, 
 grayish brown; length of the body, twenty-four inches. 
 It runs with rapidity, and climbs trees with facility. When 
 attacked by dogs it fights ferociously. Though nocturnal 
 in its habits, it is frequently seen abroad in the day. It 
 prefers low, swampy ground, and being partially web-footed, 
 probably preys occasionally on fish; it generally feeds on 
 mice, rabbits, grouse and the like. It is said to have re- 
 ceived the name of Fisher from a taste for fish used to bait 
 
456 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 traps. It has a fondness for the Canada porcupine, which 
 it kills by turning it over and biting it on the belly. 
 
 The Sable, or Zibeline Marten, M. zibellina; the Sobol 
 
 of the Poles and Russians. — This is by far the most highly 
 
 esteemed of all the martens; it ranks higher in respect 
 
 to its fur than even the ermine. In form and size it does 
 
 not differ greatly from the other martens, and there is also 
 
 a slight resemblance in the character of the fur, though 
 
 that of the martens is very inferior in all those qualities which 
 
 are valued in furs. Though the fact is sometimes stated 
 
 otherwise, the teeth of the sable are of exacth' the same 
 
 character as those of the martens, which indicates the same 
 
 kind of living, and the capacity of partially subsisting upon 
 
 vegetable matter when animal food is not to be had. But 
 
 there is one character of the sable which points it out as 
 
 belonging to a different locality, and that is, the feet being 
 
 completely covered with fur down to the claws. Thus the 
 
 sable is a more northerly animal than any of the martens, 
 
 and much more a creature of the wilds. Accordingly, it 
 
 is never met with in warm places, but only in the extremest 
 
 wilds of Siberia and the vicinity, beyond the positive forests, 
 
 and on the margins of the polar ice. 
 
 The skin of the sable is exceedingly valuable; and though 
 a very small one, a single skin fetches a large price. The 
 animal is accordingly sought after with the greatest assiduity, 
 and it may be said, that the desire of procuring sable skins 
 has conduced more than anything else to the discovery 
 of the extreme north and northeast of Asia. It is during 
 the winter that this hunting is carried on, and it is described 
 as being more severe than the hunting of the fur animals in 
 America, because of the vast accumulations of broken ice, 
 covered with snow, which skirt the shores of the sea, and 
 contain between them the most dangerous pitfalls, concealed 
 by snow. In America, the margin of the Polar Sea is no 
 doubt as wild in itself as it is in Asia; but the American 
 hunting-ground does not come up into so high latitudes as 
 the sable ground in Siberia; and thus, though the American 
 hunter has long roads and severe cold, he is not beset by so 
 many dangers. We need hardly mention that the fur of the 
 sable, in its perfection, is a rich brown, marked with some 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 457. 
 
 white spots on the chin and sides of the head. The part 
 where these spots are is not as much valued as the rest, and 
 the furriers work it up separately, and give it the name of 
 "sable gill." 
 
 Like the ermine, the sable is subject to an annual change 
 of color. In summer it is black, and the change to brown 
 that it undergoes in winter naturally follows the general law 
 of being more perfect in proportion as the cold is more 
 severe. The cold of the sable's country, however, is suffi- 
 cient every winter for accomplishing any thing that cold can 
 accomplish, whether it reside in the places which we have 
 mentioned close by the Polar Sea, or on the cold heights 
 of the mountains further south; and, therefore, the sable 
 skins obtained during the winter are more uniform in color 
 than those of animals which inhabit less rigorous localities^ 
 
 In many places in Siberia, the hunting of the sable is a 
 duty imposed by the Russian government upon the exiles 
 of that country; and to them, when they first enter upon it, 
 it is the most dreadful to which human beings can be sub- 
 jected. They are unacquainted with the country, and in- 
 stead of knowing where to discover and how to procure the 
 animals, of which they are compelled to find a specified 
 number, they can hardly make their own way across the 
 rocks and chasms, fallen trees, and countless other irregulari- 
 ties, all hidden under the snow; and thus many of them 
 perish in that dreadful wilderness. 
 
 The sable, as we might expect, partakes of the characters 
 of a tree animal and a ground animal jointly. It can climb, 
 and it is understood to climb for those wild berries which 
 remain upon the branches in winter, as well as for birds 
 and their eggs and young during the summer. It also 
 hunts prey upon the ground, and though it is, of course, 
 not capable of running down a hare in fair chase, it is very 
 capable of dispatching one if it come upon it 'by surprise. 
 It is also sure to follow the more powerful predatory ani- 
 mals, the polar bear, the wolf, and the glutton, in order to 
 obtain a share of their prey. In its disposition it is not a 
 ferocious animal, but can be tamed, and will show some 
 affection in a domestic state. In this condition it subsists 
 
458 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 indiscriminately upon animal and vegetable matter, and is 
 said not to be so prone to make its escape to the wilds as the 
 other martens. 
 
 HOW TO CATCH THE MARTEN* 
 
 The pine marten, a native of the north, and an inhabi- 
 tant of the pine forests, whence it derives its name, is 
 abundant in the northern portions of British America, and 
 is not uncommon among the wooded ravines of the north- 
 ern United States. It builds its habitation chiefly on the 
 tops of the fir, or seizes on the already formed nest of the 
 squirrel, or some bird, whence it drives the owner, and 
 enlarges for its own convenience. It is of rather less size 
 than the common marten, but its fur is finer and darker, 
 and the throat and breast yellow, instead of white. In 
 summer it assumes a lighter tinge, and its hair be- 
 comes shorter; in winter its toes are well protected by 
 long wool, which drops ofif as the weather gets warm. Its 
 habits are similar to the common marten, but it is more 
 fierce; it never meets the wild-cat without a deadly en- 
 counter and is sometimes victorious even over the eagle, 
 when that bird pounces on its prey, seizing the aggressor 
 by the throat, and bringing it lifeless to the ground. 
 Formerly, the fur of this species formed a lucrative article 
 of export from the United States. At present immense 
 quantities are brought from Siberia, and in one year the 
 Hudson Bay Company alone sold fifteen thousand skins. 
 
 The sable inhabits the same countries in the north, 
 and has sometimes been confounded with the former, 
 which it strongly resembles in structure and habits. It is 
 somewhat larger in size than the pine marten; its head is 
 rather more slightly depressed, and its muzzle more elon- 
 gated, the soles of the feet more villous, and finally, the 
 fur on its body is more beautiful, soft, long, black and 
 shining, and the hair turns with ease either way. The skin 
 is consequently more valuable, and one of them not ex- 
 ceeding four inches broad has sometimes been valued as 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 459 
 
 high as seventy-five dollars. The tails are sold by the 
 hundred at from twenty to forty dollars. The exiles in 
 Siberia are required to furnish a certain number of skins 
 annually, from w^hich the Russian government is said to 
 derive a considerable revenue. The smell of the marten 
 tribe is rather agreeable. They are taken in traps, and 
 also hunted with the musket. 
 
 The marten is easly caught. The common way is to 
 set dead-falls a quarter of a mile apart on the banks of 
 streams, or through brook and wilderness, hauling a trail 
 of liver, or the body of roasted crow from one to the other. 
 The dead-fall is so well known that it is not necessary to 
 describe it. 
 
 In using the steel trap, bait with the bodies of crows, 
 chickens, partridges, fresh fish, liver or entrails. Stake the 
 bait in the hollow roots of trees, under logs, or under the 
 edges of rocks; then set your trap in such a manner that 
 they will have to go over it to get the bait; fasten it with 
 chain and stake, and cover it up with moss or leaves. 
 Or set your trap in some convenient place, where you can 
 suspend the bait eighteen inches above it in such a man- 
 ner that they cannot possibly climb up to it, for they 
 will certainly do this when they can. 
 
 The marten may be caught in a wooden trap in the fol- 
 lowing manner. In the side of a tree, with its bottom 
 about eighteen inches from the ground, cut a square hole 
 six inches wide, eight inches high, and five or six inches 
 deep. Cut a pole about twelve feet long, and square ofif 
 one end so that it will play up and down easily in the 
 hole, and so that when it is raised against the top there 
 will be five inches space below it; that is, have the squared 
 end only three inches thick, and a little narrower than the 
 width of the hole. Let the other end rest on a forked 
 stick, so as to hold it in a horizontal position. Raise the 
 squared end against the top of the hole and set it with a 
 standard and spindle near the back of the hole. Bait the 
 spindle with any of the meats named above. The marten, 
 in trying to get the bait, pulls out the standard, and lets 
 down the pole, which catches him by the head. 
 
460 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 The marten may be followed by his tracks, which are 
 about the size of a small cat's. He always travels on a 
 jump, making only the mark of two feet close together, 
 the pairs being about two feet and a half apart. When 
 closely pursued he takes to a tree, and is a splendid climber. 
 You will find his tracks in my chapter on tracks and trailing. 
 
 THE FERRET 
 
 The ferret is of a light yellowish color, dififerent parts 
 being more or less white, for the long fur is partly white, 
 and the short almost entirely yellow; the ej^es are pink, 
 length of head and body fourteen inches; of the tail six 
 inches. It is supposed to be a native of Africa, but is not 
 found there in a v/ild state; it is domesticated in Europe, 
 and, by some, is regarded as a variety of the polecat, pro- 
 duced partly through albinism. This, no doubt, is an error. 
 Its habits are similar to those of the European weasels, 
 but more blood-thirsty. 
 
 This species, whose whiteness and red eyes may, per- 
 haps, be the result of a long period of domestication, can- 
 not bear cold, and should be kept warm to insure its healthy 
 condition. It is said to breed twice a year in a state of 
 domestication, unless it devours its offspring, which it some- 
 times does, and then it has three litters. The gestation of 
 the female continues six weeks, and she then produces gen- 
 erally six or seven young — sometimes even nine. These 
 are blind for a month, and at the end of two more are con- 
 sidered fit for service. 
 
 It is very bold, however, and its disposition to kill rab- 
 bits is most inveterate. It is chiefly used for rabbit-hunt- 
 ing, not for killing them: for if it were allowed to do that, 
 it would soon dispatch a whole warren, and leave the 
 owner to dig out the dead bodies at his leisure. It is used 
 to "unearth" them, or drive them out of their holes, and 
 it is carefully muzzled to prevent it from biting. The rab- 
 bits are not, of course, aware of the perfect harmlessness 
 of the muzzled ferret, and so they scamper out, and are 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 461 
 
 caught, generally by watch at the mouths of the holes, 
 and at another time in a net, if the object is to keep the 
 rabbits alive. It is also the very prince of rat-catchers; 
 and, as it is not muzzled for this sort of occupation, it 
 slaughters away in a dashing style, and might be very use- 
 ful in places infested with rats, were it not for the atten- 
 tion and trouble which it requires. In corn-stores and 
 mills it might be advantageously kept; and if a snug berth 
 could aiways be provided for it, it would be very valuable 
 at sea. The ferret, as is the case with most animals when 
 transported to a climate colder than their natural one, spends 
 a great deal of its time in sleep; but the moment that it 
 awakens, it is in a state for action; and slender as it seems, 
 it is capable of undergoing a great deal of fatigue. 
 
 It is distinguished b}^ the long, flexible, worm-like form, 
 the nimble gliding movements, the sanguinary tastes and 
 destructive habits of the genus; and, indeed, possesses all 
 their qualities in the highest perfection. It is ten or eleven 
 inches long, the body reddish brown above, and white 
 beneath; extremity of the tail black. The most remarkable 
 fact in its history is, that the dark part of its fur turns white 
 in winter, in northern climates, but generally remains, the 
 same in southern latitudes, as in Virginia, for instance. 
 Even in the state of New York, shades of brown frequently 
 remain blended with the white. The change from brown to 
 white takes place in October and November; the change 
 from white to brown in March. These alterations are not 
 effected by shedding the coat, but by changes in the color 
 of the hair itself. The young are four to seven in number, 
 and are produced in April. 
 
 "It appears that in England, generally," says Mr. Mac- 
 gillivary, "the ermine is less common than the weasel; but 
 in Scotland, even to the south of the Frith of Forth, it is 
 certainly of more frequent occurrence than that species; 
 and for one weasel I have seen at least five or six ermines. 
 It frequents stony places and thickets, among which it finds 
 a secure retreat, as its agility enables it to outstrip even 
 a dog in a short race, and the slimness of its body allows 
 it to enter a very small aperture. Patches of furze, in particu- 
 
462 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 lar, afford it perfect security, and it sometimes takes pos- 
 session of a rab'bit's burrow. It preys on game and other 
 birds, from the grouse and ptarmigan downward, some- 
 times attacks poultry or sucks their eggs, and is a deter- 
 mined enemy to rats and moles. Young rabbits and hares 
 frequently become victims to its rapacity, and even full- 
 grown individuals are sometimes destroyed by it. Although 
 in general it does not appear to hunt by scent, yet it has 
 been seen to trace its prey like a dog, following its track 
 with certainty. Its motions are elegant, and its appearance 
 extremely animated. It moves by leaping or bounding, 
 and is capable of running with great speed, although it 
 
 "Shaw's Drowner" Ready for Use. 
 
 seldom trusts itself bej^ond the immediate vicinity of cover. 
 Under the excitement of pursuit, however, its courage is 
 surprising, for it will attack, seize by the throat, and cling 
 to a grouse, hare, or other animal strong enough to carry 
 it off, and it does not hesitate, on occasion, to betake itself 
 to the water. Sometimes, when met with in a thicket or 
 stony place, it will stand and gaze upon the intruder, as if 
 conscious of security; and, although its boldness has been 
 exaggerated in the popular stories which have made their 
 :^ay into books of natural history, it cannot be denied that, 
 
 I! 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 463 
 
 in proportion to its size, it is at least as courageous as the 
 tiger or the lion." 
 
 In Siberia, ermines are taken in traps baited with flesh; 
 and in Norway they are either shot with blunt arrows, or 
 taken in traps made of two flat stones, one being propped 
 up with a stick, to which is fastened a baited string. This 
 the animal nibbles, when the stone falls and crushes it. 
 Two logs of wood are used for the same purpose, and in the 
 same nranner, in Lapland. 
 
 Not that a weasel will do one-third the mischief that a 
 stoat will, nor upon animals of such large growth, but it 
 will do enough. It is a most active and persevering hunter; 
 few trees will stop it when in search of bird's nests, which 
 it robs not only by sucking the eggs, but by carrying ofif 
 the young. It will hunt the mole, the field-mouse and other 
 small quadrupeds in their usual haunts, not only by the eye, 
 but by scent, like a stoat, and most amusing it is to see 
 one of these flexible, agile little creates tracing up the scent 
 when it is at fault. They will quarter the ground like a 
 dog till they hit it ofif, and to lose no help from the eye. will 
 occasionally sit up, raising themselves on their hind-quarters 
 to gain a more extended view around them. Their persever- 
 ance will tire down animals larger and stronger than them- 
 selves, nor will water stop them when their prey takes 
 to it for safety. In they plunge, and seldom quit their 
 object till the fatal bite is inflicted. The brain is generally 
 first eaten, and the body of the victim kept as a supply 
 near the haunt of the little hunter; but it seems very ques- 
 tionable whether they are addicted to the blood-sucking 
 propensities which the vulgar attribute to them. 
 
 With similar courage the weasel will attack dogs, and even 
 men, when its nest is invaded. This is formed of dry leaves 
 and herbage, and is generally lodged in some snug locality, 
 such as a crevice in a bank, the hollow of a tree, or a dry 
 ditch, which keeps it warm and comfortable. Here four or 
 five young are brought up from each birth, the number of 
 these litters being two, and even three, in the year. 
 
464 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 THE MINK 
 
 The mink has the long, slender body of the genus; the 
 color, varying in different species, is generally dark brown, 
 with a light spot under the throat. When seen in the woods 
 or fields the animal appears black, and hence "black as 
 mink" is a proverbial expression among us. There is con- 
 siderable difference in the size; thirteen inches is, however, 
 the average length of the body and head. The mink has 
 
 The Mink. 
 
 not only the form of the weasels, but much 'of their 
 activity and voracity. They frequently take up their abode 
 near the poultry-yafd, where they make great havoc. They 
 frequent the streams, where they swin well, and prove 
 themselves to be expert fishermen. They not only eat fish, 
 but frogs and crawfish, besides mice and rats, the latter 
 furnishing a good part of their' living. They have a good 
 nose, and follow their prey by scent with the certainty of a 
 hound. They are fond of water, preferring small streams; 
 they delight in rapids and waterfalls, and often make their 
 residence at their feet. Many of them frequent the marshes 
 of the Southern States, where they feed on small shell-fish 
 and aquatic insects, with such shore birds as they can seize. 
 The marsh-hen frequently becomes their prey. They some- 
 times ascend trees, but not often; they are neither sus- 
 picious nor cunning, and are easily caught in traps. The 
 young are produced in April, and from four to six at a time. 
 The fur was once much esteemed, but it is now of little 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPE'RS GUIDE 465 
 
 value; some specimens, however, of peculiar fineness, and 
 of a beautiful silver-gray, stil bring large prices. This ani- 
 mal is peculiar to North America, and is distributed through- 
 out nearly its whole extent, being rare, however, in the 
 more settled parts. 
 
 The Mountain Brook Mink, P. nigrescens, is somewhat 
 smaller than the preceding, the body being about eleven 
 inches long. In color and habits it resembles the vison. 
 It is found in the mountainous regions from Canada to 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 The mink unquestionably belongs to the weasel family, 
 from which it is distinguished only by a few slight struc- 
 tural modifications and some aquatic habits. There is not 
 much difference between them and the so-called polecats, 
 stoats or weasels, the facial expression and skull being a 
 trifle narrower, somewhat like the marten. Its toes, too, 
 are partly webbed. It resembles much the marsh otter of 
 eastern Europe, Finland, Siberia and Russia. 
 
 In size it much resembles the English polecat — the length 
 of the head and body being usually from 15 to 18 inches, 
 that of the tail to the end of the hair about 9 inches. The 
 female is considerably smaller than the male. The tail 
 is bushy, but tapering at the end. The ears are small, low, 
 rounded, and scarcely project beyond the adjacent fur. 
 The pelage consists of a- dense, soft, matted under fur, mixed 
 with long, stiff, lustrous hairs on all parts of the body and 
 tail. The gloss is greatest on the upper parts; on the tail 
 the bristly hairs predominate. Northern specimens have the 
 finest and most glistening pelage; in those from southern 
 regions there is less difference between the under and over 
 fur, and the whole pelage is coarser and harsher. In color, 
 different specimens present a considerable range of varia- 
 tion, but the animal is ordinarily of a rich dark brown, scarce- 
 ly or not paler below than on the general upper parts; but 
 the back is usually the darkest, and the tail is nearly black. 
 The under jaw, from the chin about as far back as the 
 angle of the mouth, is generally white. In the European 
 mink the upper lip is also white, but, as this occasionaly 
 occurs in American specimens, it fails as an absolutely dis- 
 tinguishing character. Besides the white on the chin, -there 
 
466 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Head Habits and Peculiarities of 
 Wild Animals. 
 
 The Mink at Home in Winter. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 467 
 
 are often other irregular white patches on the under parts 
 of the body. In very rare instances the tail is tipped with 
 white. The fur, like that of most of the animals of the 
 group to which it belongs, is an important article of com- 
 merce. 
 
 The principal characteristic of the mink in comparison 
 with its congeners is its amphibious mode of life. It is to 
 the water what the other weasels are to the land, or martens 
 to the trees, being as essentially aquatic in its habits as the 
 otter, beaver or musk-rat, and spending perhaps more of its 
 time in the water than it does on land. It swims with most 
 of the body submerged, and dives with perfect ease, remain- 
 ing long without coming to the surface to breathe. It makes 
 its nest in burrows in the banki of streams, breeding once 
 a year about the month of April, and producing five or six 
 3-oung at a birth. Its food consists of frogs, fish, fresh- 
 water molluscs and crustaceans, as well as mice, rats, musk- 
 rats, rabbits and small birds. In common with the other 
 animals of the genus it has a very peculiar and disagreea'ble 
 effluvium, which, according to Coucs, is more powerful, 
 penetrating and lasting than that of any animal of the coun- 
 try except the skunk. It also possesses the courage, ferocity 
 and tenacity of life of its allies. When taken young, how- 
 ever, it can be readily tamed, and lately minks have been ex- 
 tensively bred in captivity in America both for the sake of 
 their fur and for the purpose of using them in like manner 
 as ferrets in England, to clear buildings of rats. 
 
 The result of my observation during twenty-five years 
 spent in the woods and fields in a good game country, is 
 that the weasel is the most destructive enemy the small game 
 has to contend against. Dogs that are allowed to run at 
 large, cats, hawks and foxes all kill game; but there is a 
 chance to escape from all these by hiding in holes in the 
 ground or in hollow trees; but a weasel will follow a track 
 like a bloodhound, and can enter anywhere. It is no un- 
 common thing to see a rabbit running through the woods, 
 squealing with terror, a weasel in close pursuit; and well may 
 the rabbit squeal, for his chances of escape are not one in a 
 hundred. If anyone doubts this, let him find the track of a 
 weasel on a fresh fall of snow. The track, I may remark. 
 
468 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 resembles that of a fox — though, of course, smaller — and it 
 will be seen that the prints are made by two feet striking- 
 side by side like this: 
 
 instead of a single footprint, as in the fox track. If the 
 track is followed a few hours in a country where there 
 are plenty of rabbits, it is not unusual to find that from ten 
 to twenty rabbits have been killed by a single weasel in a 
 night, while a fox will rarely kill more than two or three. 
 A fox will eat the carcass of animals, scraps from camp, 
 or offal where big game has been butchered; a gray fox 
 will not decline apples, nuts and berries. There are many 
 nights, during heavy snows or storms, when the rabbits do 
 not venture from their holes and the foxes have no chance 
 to catch them. I have often seen where a fox had lain 
 in wait at a rabbit burrow as a cat watches for a mouse, 
 but in the end was compelled to go away without his game. 
 
 A weasel, on the contrary, can follow a rabbit wherever 
 he may choose to go. The fine sport that fox hunting af- 
 fords, together with the commercial value of their skins, will 
 prevent foxes from increasing in numbers very rapidly; but 
 the pelt of the weasel is not worth taking, and the animal 
 itself is seldom encountered by hunters. So it goes on 
 destroying the game and has no enemies to hinder its natural 
 increase. A small deadfall, baited with a rabbit-leg or a 
 bird-head, will often secure the little pest, while it will not 
 catch so large an animal as a dog or cat. Foxes and rabbits 
 are often abundant in the same locality, but where you see 
 weasel tracks the rabbits soon disappear. 
 
 They are prime from November to January. Foods used: 
 Birds, mice, rabbits, squirrels, musk-rats, etc. Use water 
 sets whenever possible on banks and sand bars, arranging 
 bait sufficient distance away so as the animal will have to 
 step on trap to reach it. Bait can be fastened securely on 
 a pointed stick as if floating, and stick to trap. If they re- 
 fuse bait try scent only. If stream is frozen set your trap 
 at crossings or natural bridges, enclosures, gullies, etc., 
 formed by dead limbs, brush, etc., where it will be protected 
 from snow drifts, etc., and depend upon scent to lure them 
 that way. Minks, as a rule, like to investigate and sneak 
 
 I 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 469 
 
 around every likely hole and corner, and can be easily led 
 to the trap or snare by scent or blood trails. 
 
 HOW TO CATCH THE MINK 
 
 This little animal, which is much like the weasel, has, 
 of late years, become so valuable that no pains is spared 
 to obtain his hide. It is but a few years since that a mink 
 skin would not bring above twenty cents. The mink is 
 shaped much like the otter, and although he appears to be no 
 more Rtted for swimming than the weasel, yet the water is 
 his home. He eats fishes and frogs, and craw-fish, and now 
 and then gets into the farm and steals chickens, and goslings, 
 and ducks, and whatever he can lay his jaws to. He is a 
 pilfering little rascal, and yet so simple and foolish that he 
 Avill run into a naked trap for the sake of something to eat; 
 he runs up streams of water and crosses the land from one 
 lake to another — a regular renegade. He burrows in steep 
 banks, or under old roots, or in the rocks. The young are 
 brought forth in ]May or June, in litters of five or six — black 
 looking little things, 
 
 To catch this animal, you have only to be acquainted 
 with its habits. Pie follows streams of water, hunting every 
 nook and corner for something to eat. Place j^our trap near 
 the edge of the water (so that it will be covered about an 
 inch deep),, directly in front of a steep bank or rock, or 
 something on which you can hang your bait, about eighteen 
 inches above the level of the trap, which must be so close 
 to the shore that the mink cannot get to the bait without 
 stepping on it. The bait should be fresh fish or frogs, or 
 the head of some bird or fowd. He is very fond of brains. 
 
 Another plan is to set your trap on the land about two 
 feet from the shore, covering it with a few leaves, moss, 
 grass, or loose dirt, or anything that will not prevent the 
 jaws from closing. Hang the bait about eighteen inches 
 above it, and scent it with a mixture made of equal parts 
 of honey, sweet oil and essence of peppermint. About six 
 drops of this on the bait will cause them to come from a 
 
470 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 long distance. Some use wooden traps, with which they are 
 quite successful, if they round regularly. 
 
 The following is a good plan: Set your traps about two 
 feet back from the water, and from forty to eighty rods 
 apart, up or down the stream. , Then walk over the line, 
 drawing after you the carcass of a muskrat, or almost any 
 fresh meat; and any mink that crosses this line or trail will 
 follow it to the trap. It is also a good plan to set your 
 trap where the mink must walk over it to get at the bait. 
 He is a great fellow to catch muskrats, which he loves to 
 eat, and you may bait the trap with muskrat and set it in a 
 rat house, where you will often find handfuls of little fish 
 that the mink has brought there. In the winter time he 
 travels along springy brooks, pulling out frogs, and here he 
 may easily be caught. You may also catch them in winter 
 at the sides of big springs, or along the springy sides of 
 ponds and swamps, where they like to roam. 
 
 The Author's Pack Tent and Bedding, which can be carried 
 
 in the pack. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 471 
 
 THE WOLVERENE 
 
 The glutton, gulo, carcajou, quickhatch wolf-bear are some 
 
 of the common names of this interesting creature whose 
 form indicates strength without corresponding activity. 
 Body is heavy, clumsy like; legs, thick, short and low; back, 
 high arched, form drooping before and behind; tail and head 
 carried low; general appearance like a bear cub; head broad 
 
 Wolverine 
 
 and rounded; short pointed muzzle; eyes wide apart, small 
 but crafty; ears low, shaggy appearance; legs stout, feet 
 large; track like a small bear, but not quite so' flat; palms 
 and soles furry, but pads naked; color, blackish to deep, 
 dusky or yellowish 'brown fading to gray; legs and feet dark; 
 claws curved, strong and whitish; old ones show more mark- 
 ings than the young and include white stripings on back, 
 rump and throat. Color varies according to habitat and 
 age. Animal or scent glands about the size of a walnut; 
 fluid yellowish brown, strong to a high degree; discharge by 
 glands without the verge of the anus. Massive skull, hyena- 
 like; jaws strong and powerful. 
 
 Probably no animal has a greater reputation, superstitious 
 reverence and traditional history, which pictures it as a raven- 
 ous monster, a terror or bloodthirsty brute or glutton, than 
 the wolverene, which is said to resemble a very large, clumsy 
 marten or weasel, of great strength, but not corresponding 
 activity, displaying great intelligence, perseverance, sagacity; 
 
472 COMPLETE TRAPPERS, GUIDE 
 
 it lives in dens or burrows, holes up periodically, but does 
 not hibernate; it feeds on carcasses of any animal which 
 it can find dead, or which it kills. It ordinarily feeds 
 on small animals. It is an extraordinary thief or robber, 
 and this fact has led to exaggerations of its abilities. It 
 does not climb trees, but will steal and rob stores or caches 
 of meat, fish and provisions laid up; steals the bait from 
 traps or anything it can carry away and avoids the most 
 experienced ■ trappers' sets or snare with almost human in- 
 telligence. Hence, the very many stories as to its super- 
 human feats of strength and craftiness. 
 
 Alluding to the wolverene's notorious habit of following 
 marten roads, Mr. Graham remarks that the animal tears 
 the captured martens to pieces or buries them at a distance 
 in the snow. "Drifts of snow often conceal the repositories 
 thus made of the martens from the hunter, in which case 
 they furnish a regale to the hungry fox, whose sagacious 
 nostril guides him unerringly to the spot. Two or three 
 foxes are often seen following the wolverene for this 
 purpose." 
 
 "The wolverene is a dangerous foe to many animals 
 larger than itself, and by the professional hunter it is looked 
 upon as an ugly and dangerous customer. There are several 
 methods of trapping this horrid creature, and in many locali- 
 ties successful trapping of other animals will be impossi'ble 
 without first ridding the neighborhood of the wolverenes. 
 Dead-falls of large size will be found to work successfully, 
 baiting with the body of some small animal, such as a rat 
 or squirrel. A piece of cat, beaver or muskrat flesh is also 
 excellent, and by slightly scenting with castoreum suc- 
 cess will be made sure. Several of these traps may be set 
 at intervals, and a trail made by dragging a piece of smoked 
 beaver meat between them. The gun-trap will also do 
 good service in exterminating this useless and troublesome 
 animal. Steel traps of size No. 3 or 4 are commonly used 
 to good purpose. In all cases the trap should be cov- 
 ered with leaves, moss or the like, and the bait slightly 
 scented with castoreum. Like all voracious animals, the 
 perpetual greed of the wolverene completely over-balances 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 473 
 
 its caution, and thus renders its capture an easy task." — 
 No trapper or hunter may safely leave an animal he has 
 killed for one night, but never for a second time, without 
 placing it in a strong cache of logs. The first night the 
 wolverene is pretty sure to visit the place, but will touch 
 nothing. The next night he is certain to return,^ and, if he 
 can possibh^ get at the meat, he will gorge himself, and then 
 make away with the rest, which he cunningly hides, piece 
 by piece* under the snow, in different directions. At every 
 cache he makes he voids his urine or drops his dirt, probably 
 to prevent foxes, martens or other animals from smelling 
 the hidden meat and digging it up. Caches must be made 
 of green wood, and be exceedin.>ly strong, or the animal 
 will certainly break into them. He has been known to gnaw 
 through a log nearly a foot in diameter, and also to dig 
 a hole several feet deep in frozen ground, to gain access to 
 the coveted supply. Should he succeed in gaining entrance 
 for himself, an3 yet be unable to displace the logs sufficient- 
 ly to permit of removal of the meat, the 'brute will make 
 water and dirt all over it, rendering it wholly unfit to be 
 used: even a dog will then scarcely touch it. 
 
 To the trapper, the wolverenes are equally annoying. 
 When they have discovered a line of marten traps, they will 
 never abandon the road, and must be killed before the trap- 
 ping can be successfully carried on. Beginning at one end. 
 they proceed from trap to trap along the whole line, pull- 
 ing them successively to pieces, and taking out the baits 
 from behind. When they can eat no more, they continue 
 to steal the baits and cache them. If hungry, they may 
 devour two or three of the martens they find captured, the 
 remainder being carried off and hidden in the snow at a 
 considerable distance. The work of demolition goes on as 
 fast as the. traps can be renewed. 
 
 The propensity to steal and hide things is one of the 
 strongest traits of the wolverene. To such an extent is it 
 developed that the animal will often secrete articles of no 
 possible use to itself. Besides the wanton destruction of 
 marten traps, it will carry off the sticks and hide them at a 
 distance, apparently in sheer malice. The desire for ac- 
 cumulating property seems so deeply implanted in this 
 
474 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 animal, that, like tame ravens, it does not appear to care 
 much what it steals so that it can exercise its favorite 
 propensity to commit mischief. "An instance occurred with- 
 in my own knowledge in which a hunter and his family 
 having left their lodge unguarded during their absence, 
 on their return found it completely gutted — the walls were 
 there but nothing else. Blankets, guns, kettles, axes, cans, 
 knives and all the other paraphernalia of a trapper's tent 
 had vanished, and the tracks left by the beast showed who 
 had been the thief. The family set to work, and by care- 
 fully following up all his paths recovered, with some trifling 
 exceptions, the whole of the lost property. 
 
 Though very clumsy animals, the wolverenes manage to 
 capture, at times, such prey as hares or grouse, and they 
 successfully attack disabled deer. We have already seen how 
 they destroy foxes in their burrows; and they are usually 
 found in excellent condition. They also teed on offal or 
 carrion; in fact, anything that they can catch or steal. Their 
 own flesh is only eatable in the extreme of starvation. They 
 bring forth in burrows under ground, probably old bear 
 washes, and have four or live young at a birth. It is very 
 rarely that they are discovered at this period or whilst suck- 
 ling their young. One reason, however, may be that they 
 reproduce late in June and early in July, when the mos- 
 quitoes are so numerous that no one who can avoid it 
 goes abroad in the woods. The rutting season is in the 
 latter part of March. The female is ferocious in the defense 
 of her young, and if disturbed at this time will not hesitate 
 to attack a man. Indeed, Indians have been heard to aver 
 that they would sooner encounter a she-bear with her. cubs 
 than a carcajou under the same circumstances. In October, 
 when the rivers set fast, the wolverenes reappear in families, 
 the young still following their dam, though now not much 
 her inferior in size. They are full grown when about a year 
 old. In early infancy, the cubs are said to be of a pale cream 
 color. 
 
 The wolverene may be captured in wooden traps similar 
 to those used for martens, ibut of course made on a much 
 larger scale, as the animal's strength is enormous, even for 
 its size. The traps are sometimes built with two doors. 
 But so great is the cunning and sagacity of the beast that 
 
COMPLETE 'TRAPPE'RS GUIDE 475 
 
 the contrivance for its destruction must be very perfect. The 
 traps are covered up with pine-brush, and made to resemble 
 a cache as much as possible; the wolverene is then likely 
 to break in and get caught. The bait, ordinarily the con- 
 spicuous feature of a trap, must in this instance be concealed, 
 or the animal will either break in from behind, or, failing 
 in this, will pass on his way. It is sometimes also taken in 
 steel traps, or by means of a set gun; but both these meth- 
 ods are uncertain, great "medicine" being required to outwit 
 the knowing and suspicious beast. 
 
 The eyesight of the wolverene is not very bright, but his 
 sense of smell is extremely acute. 
 
 One winter passed at Fort Simpson I had a line of marten 
 and fox traps, and lynx snares, extending as far as Lac de 
 Brochet. Visiting them on one occasion I found a lynx alive 
 in one of my. snares, and being indisposed to carry it so far 
 home, determined to kill and skin it before it should freeze. 
 But how to cache the skin till my return? This was a seri- 
 ous question, for carcajou tracks were numerous. Placing 
 the carcass as a decoy in a clump of willows at one side of 
 the path, I went some distance on the opposite side, dug a 
 hole with my snow-shoe about three feet deep in the snow, 
 packed the skin in the smallest possible compass, and put 
 it in the bottom of the hole, which I tilled up again very 
 carefully, packing the snow down hard, and then strewing 
 loose snow over the surface till the spot looked as if it had 
 never been disturbed. I also strewed blood and entrails in 
 the path and around the willows. Returning next morning, I 
 found that the carcass was gone, as I expected it would be, 
 but that the place where the skin was cached was ap- 
 parently undisturbed. "Ah, you rascal." said I, addressing 
 aloud the absent carcajou, "I have outwitted you for once." 
 I lighted my pipe, and proceeded leisurely to dig up the 
 skin to place in my muskimoot. I went clear down to the 
 ground, on this side and on that, but no lynx skin was there. 
 The carcajou had 'been before me, and had carried it off 
 along with the carcass; but he had taken the pains to fill 
 up the hole again and make everything as smooth as before! 
 
 At Peel's River, on one occasion, a very old carcajou dis- 
 covered my marten road, on which I had nearly a hundred 
 
476 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 and fifty traps. I was in the habit of visiting the line about 
 once a fortnight^ but the beast fell into the way of coming 
 oftener than I did, to my great annoyance and vexation, 
 I determined to put a stop to this thieving and his life to- 
 gether, cost what it might. So I made six strong traps at as 
 many different points, and also set three steel traps. For 
 three weeks I tried my best to catch the beast without suc- 
 cess; and my worst enemy would allow that I am no green 
 hand in these matters. The animal carefully avoided the 
 traps set for his own benefit, and seemed to be taking more 
 delight than ever in demolishing my marten traps and eating 
 the martens, scattering the poles in every direction, and cach- 
 ing what baits or martens he did not devour on the spot. As 
 we had no poison in those days, I next set a gun on the bank 
 of a little lake. The gun was concealed in some low bushes, 
 but the bait was so placed that the carcajou must see it on 
 his way up the bank. I blockaded my path to the gun with 
 a small pine tree which completely hid it. On my first visit 
 afterward I found that the beast had gone up to the bait and 
 smelled it, but left it untouched. He had next pulled up the pine 
 tree and blocked the path, and gone around the gun and cut 
 the line which connected the bait with the trigger, just behind 
 the muzzle. Then he had gone back and pulled the bait 
 away, and carried it out on the lake, where he laid down 
 and devoured it at his leisure. There I found my string. I 
 could scarcely believe that all this had been done designed- 
 ly, for it seemed that faculties full}^ on a par with human 
 reason would be required for such an exploit, if done in- 
 tentionally. I therefore rearranged things, tying the string 
 where it had been bitten. But the result was exactly the 
 same for three successive occasions, as I could plainly see 
 by the footprints; and what is most singular of all, each time 
 the brute was careful to cut the line a little back of where 
 it had been tied before, as if actually reasoning with him- 
 self that even the knots might be some new device of mine, 
 and therefore a source of hidden danger he would prudently 
 avoid. I came to the conclusion that that carcajou ought 
 to live, as he must be something at least human, if not worse. 
 I gave it up, and abandoned the road for a period. 
 
 On another occasion a carcajou amused himself, much as 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 477 
 
 usual, by tracking my line from one end to the other and de- 
 molishing my traps, as fast as I could set them. I put a 
 large steel trap in the middle of a path that branched ofif 
 among some willows, spreading no bait, but risking the 
 chance that the animal would "put his foot in it" on his way 
 to break a trap at the end of the path. On my next visit 
 I found that the trap was gone, but I noticed the blood and 
 entrails of a hare that had evidently been caught in the trap 
 and devoured by the carcajou on the spot. Examining his 
 footprints I was satisfied that he had not been caught, and I 
 took up his trail. Proceeding about a mile through the woods 
 I came to a small lake, on the banks of which I recognized 
 traces of the trap, which the beast had laid down in order 
 to go a few steps to one side to make water on a stump. 
 He had then returned and picked up the trap, which he had 
 carried across the lake, with many a twist and turn on the 
 hard crust of snow to mislead his expected pursuer, and then 
 again entered the woods. I followed for about half a mile 
 farther and then came to a large hole dug in the snow. 
 This place, however, seemed not to have suited him, for 
 there was nothing there. A few yards farther on, however, 
 I found a neatly built mound of snow on which the animal 
 had made water and left his dirt; this I know was his cache. 
 Using one of my snowshoes for a spade I dug into the hillock 
 and down to the ground, the snow being about four feet 
 deep; and there I found my trap, with the toes of a rabbit 
 still in the jaws. Could it have been the animal's instinc- 
 tive impulse to hide prey that made him carry my trap so 
 far merely for the morsel of meat still held in it? Or did 
 his cunning nature prompt him to hide the trap for fear 
 that on some future unlucky occasion he might put his own 
 toes in it and share the rabbit's fate? 
 
 The ferocity of the wolverene, no less than its cunning. 
 is illustrated in some of the endless occasions on which it 
 matches its powers against those of its worst enemy. A man 
 had set a gun for a carcajou which had been on his usual 
 round of demolition of marten traps. The animal seized 
 the bait unwarily, and set ofif the gun; but owing to care- 
 less or improper setting, the charge missed or only wounded 
 it. The carcajou rushed upon the weapon, tore it from its 
 
478 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 fastenings and chewed the stock to pieces. It is added to 
 the account of this exploit that the beast finished by plant- 
 ing the barrel muzzle downward upright in the snow; but 
 this may not be fully credited. The stories that pass cur- 
 rent among trappers in the north would alone fill a volume, 
 and they are quite a match for those that Olaus Magnus 
 set down in his book centuries ago. How much wiser are 
 we in our generation? Is there anything new under the sun? 
 But we need not go beyond the strict fact to be impressed 
 with the extraordinary wit of the beast, whom all concur 
 in conceding to be "as cunning as the very devil." 
 
 With so much for the tricks and the manners of the 
 beast behind our backs, roaming at will in his vast solitudes, 
 what of his actions in the presence of man? It is said that 
 if one only stands still, even in full view of an approaching 
 carcajou, he will come within fifty or sixty yards, provided 
 he be to windward, before he takes the alarm. Even then, 
 if he be not warned by sense of smell, he seems in doubt, and 
 will gaze earnestly several times before he finally concludes 
 to take himself off. On these and similar occasions he 
 has a singular habit — one not shared, so far as I am aware, 
 by any other beast whatever. He sits on his haunches 
 and shades his eyes with one of his fore paws, just as a 
 human being would do in scrutinizing a dim or distant ob- 
 ject. The carcajou then, in addition to his other and varied 
 accomplishments, is a perfect skeptic — to use this word in 
 its original signification. A skeptic, with the Greeks, was 
 simply one who would shade his eyes to see more clearly. 
 To this day, in sign language among some of the North 
 American Indians, placing the hand to the forehead signifies 
 "white man"— either in allusion to this ha'bit, or to the shade 
 given the eyes by the straight vizor of the military cap, 
 which the Indians see oftener than they desire. Mr. Lock- 
 hart writes that he has twice been eye-witness of this 
 curious habit of the wolverene. Once, as he was drifting 
 down stream in a small canoe, he came within a short dis- 
 tance of one of the animals on the bank; it stopped on per- 
 ceiving him, squatted on its haunches, and peered earnestly 
 at the advancing boat, holding one fore paw over its eyes 
 in the manner described. Not seeming to take alarm, it 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 479 
 
 proceeded on a few paces, and then stopped to repeat the 
 performance, when Mr. Lockhart, now sufficiently near, fired 
 and killed the beast. On another occasion, when the same 
 gentleman was crossing the Rocky Mountains, a wolverene, 
 which had become alarmed and was making off, stopped 
 frequently and put up his paw in the same manner, in order 
 to see more clearly the nature of tljat which had disturbed 
 him. 
 
 The Warmest Dugout Shanty or Shack 
 that can be easily built. 
 
 The Trapper's Winter Ground Hut. 
 
480 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 The Correct Way to Prepare Pelts 
 or Skins. 
 
 Trappers can Materially Increase Their Profiti 
 
 by a Study of This Reproduction of 
 
 Prime Furs or Pelts. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 4St 
 
 HOW TO HANDLE THE PELTS. 
 
 The following kinds of furs should be taken off cased^ 
 that is, NOT cut open down the belly: Mink, IMarten, Skunk, 
 Opossum, Land Otter, all kinds of Foxes, Ermine (or White 
 Weasel), Lynx, Civet, Ring Tail Cat, Fisher, Sea Otter, 
 Muskrat and House Cat. 
 
 Wolf may be either cased or open. The fine skins from 
 mountain or northern sections sell better cased, while the 
 Wolf and Coyote skins from western and southwestern prai- 
 rie sections sell better open. 
 
 To remove skins that are taken off cased, a cut should 
 be made crosswise just under the tail, and lengthwise down 
 the back of the hind legs, so as to get the skins free from the 
 legs ; then peel the skin right off. pelt side out. See that the 
 skin is free from fat or meat by scraping if necessary, but do 
 not cut or damage the skin. Use fur stretchers if yoa have 
 them; if not, cut a thin board to the natural shape of the skin, 
 but a trifle larger, and put inside the skin so as to stretch it. 
 See picture which suggests the popular shapes to stretch the 
 various skins. Do not stretch skins too much with the hope 
 of getting a large skin out of a small one; too much stretch- 
 ing spreads the fur over a larger surface and makes it ap- 
 pear thin and lacking in richness of color. 
 
 Note — Cut tails off of Opossum and Muskrat ONLY. 
 Leave all other tails on, removing the bone by splitting the 
 tail part of the way down if necessary. It is best to remove 
 the tail bone to prevent tail from becoming tainted. Espe- 
 cially on fine or high priced skins. Leave all legs on Lynx. 
 
 The following kinds of skins should be taken off OPEN: 
 Raccoon, Bear, Badger, Beaver, Wolverine and Wild Cat 
 (Mountain Lion or Lynx Cat may be taken oft" either open 
 or cased). In taking off skins OPEN, they should be cut 
 down the center of the belly from chin to tail. See that no 
 fat or meat is left on the skin. Stretch respective skins to 
 shapes shown in picture and dry carefully. 
 
 Raccoon — Should be taken off open. This style of handl- 
 ing is popular with the northern trappers. 
 
482 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Mink — Should be cased pelt side out, but suggest casing 
 the tine dark skins from extreme north fur side out. 
 
 Black Skunk Short Stripe Skunk 
 
 Narrow Stripe Skunk Broad Stripe Skunk 
 
 All skunk should be cased pelt side out. 
 Oppossum — Should be cased pelt side out. 
 
 Square Handled Coon — This is one of the best shapes for 
 Coons, especially for central and southern sections. It is 
 very popular with all manufacturers. 
 
 Land Otter — Should be cased pelt side out, except we 
 suggest that tine dark skins be cased fur side out. 
 
 Silver Fox — Should always be cased fur side out. 
 
 Red Fox — Should be cased fur side out. 
 
 Ermine (or White Weasel) — Should be cased fur side 
 out. 
 
 Beaver — Should be open and stretched as nearly round 
 as possible. 
 
 White Fox — Should be cased fur side out. 
 
 Cross Fox — Should be cased fur side out. 
 
 Lynx — Should be cased fur side out. Leave all legs on. 
 
 Civet — Should be cased pelt side out. 
 
 Ring Tail Cat — Should be cased' pelt side out. 
 
 Fisher — Should be cased fur side out. 
 
 Wolf — Should he cased fur side out from mountain and 
 northern sections, and taken off open from western and 
 southwestern sections. 
 
 Sea Otter — Should always be cased fur side out. 
 Muskrat — Should be cased pelt side out. 
 Marten — Should be cased fur side out. 
 
 How to Judge Why Prices Fluctuate. 
 
 Raccoon — Suitable for coat-making, are selling well to 
 Canadian manufacturers, where most of the coon are con- 
 sumed. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 483 
 
 'Mink — Is an article of merit, especially fine, dark skins, 
 and at the reduced prices ought to move freely, though it has 
 had a long run with fashion. They should continue steady 
 on present 'basis. 
 
 Skunk — Are still in big supply in Europe, but with the 
 low prices it is to be hoped it will move the article more 
 freely, and with better results. A good trade is looked for. 
 
 Opossum — Like Skunk, have lacked support, but at pres- 
 ent figures should prove an attractive article for low-priced 
 manufactured goods. A steady demand at present prices is 
 expected. Don't ship trash opossum. 
 
 Red Foxes — Are in right good demand, both for America 
 and Europe for dying. Cross Foxes are doing fairly well, 
 but not so well as Red Foxes. 
 
 Black and Silver Fox — Of fine dark color and rare speci- 
 mens, are wanted, and such skins bring fancy prices. There 
 is an over supply of inferior skins that sell only at reduced 
 prices, and dull at that. 
 
 White and Blue Fox — Full furred, clear-colored skins, in 
 good demand at very good prices. 
 
 Wolf — Is in good demand, especially full furred North- 
 ern skins, at good prices. 
 
 Lynx — Has been one of ne best sellers on the list. 
 Fashion has favored it materially. Dyed and tipped, it 
 makes a fine-looking garment, as well as a reasonable one 
 in price. 
 
 Beaver — Is practically unchanged. Demand is princi- 
 pally for pale sorts. Dark skins do not sell as well. 
 
 Otter — At the present values ought to move freely, and 
 prove a better article. The dark skins are in best demand. 
 
 Muskrat — Has been a great seller in Europe, and in 
 America, too. The prices are high and should be a profitable 
 skin for trappers this season. An increase in catch is looked 
 for. 
 
484 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Wild Cat, Badger and Ringtail — Are lower, but not in 
 excessive supply. Last year's prices were unreasonably 
 high. 
 
 White Weasel — Has been more or less overestimated, 
 and will doubtless rule lower in price. It does not com- 
 pare with genuine Ermine, which it is used to imitate. 
 
 Marten — With other fine, high-ipriced furs, have been 
 somewhat neglected. Prices are necessarily lower. Cau- 
 tion should be used in buying new catch, especially poor, 
 pale skins. ^ 
 
 Wolverine, Fisher and Sea Otter — Are limited in supply 
 and prices practically unchanged. 
 
 Variation in prices depend largely upon demand and 
 supply, overstock of certain grades — ^lowest prices; while 
 where the demand exceeds the supply, it boosts them. 
 
 HINTS IN TRAPPING AND SELLING FUR. 
 
 The current high prices for furs have started out a good 
 many men and boys as trappers who hitherto have given 
 little attention to the matter. Customarily we associate the 
 idea of the trapper's art with wide reaches of wilderness 
 country; but, as a matter of fact, a very large percentage 
 of the commercial fur supply comes from countries that may 
 be called civilized and long-settled. Especially is this true 
 of such furs as those of the fox, muskrats, mink, skunk, 
 raccoon and opossum. Otters and beavers are usually 
 found in remote districts and the same is true of the mar- 
 ten. The farmer boys of the Middle and Eastern States, 
 who put in odd hours during the winter, produce in the 
 aggregate a vast amount of fur and their catch today runs 
 into a lot of money. 
 
 The farmer boy, or even the old professional trapper, 
 would make more money if he could get a square deal from 
 some of those who buy his furs. The buying side of the 
 fur trade is unique. The shipper is obliged to depend upon 
 the honesty of the dealer, and some dealers have no hon- 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 485 
 
 esty. This, of course, is not in the least true of reputable 
 firms. It does not apply to the great fur companies which 
 today collect their furs at their own outlying posts and 
 ship them to themselves at their foreign depots, as they 
 did a century or more ago. None the less the country is 
 full of fly-by-night dealers who advertise in most alluring 
 fashion. There are peripatetic fur collectors whose methods 
 are not much different from or better than those of the men 
 who reraain in the big cities and send out gold-brick litera- 
 ture. 
 
 The dishonest commission man has stolen millions of 
 dollars from the producers and shippers. This is true in 
 farm products, fur products and pretty much everything 
 else that offers any opportunity for fraud. The methods 
 vary slightly, but the result to the shipper is pretty much 
 the same. Some of these fur houses have been known to 
 never make any returns whatever to a shipper, but simply 
 disappear. If they have succeeded in deluding a dozen or 
 two of trappers to send in their year's take they have done 
 a good business at the modern prices. Others, again, give 
 the trapper a little something to keep him encouraged. Of 
 course one of their common customary dodges is to re- 
 port that the goods were badly damaged when received. 
 The shipper cannot prove anything to the contrary and is 
 entirely in the hands of the dealer whom you must know is 
 reliable. 
 
 The Work of the Grader. 
 
 A good grader is the moneymaker in an}- fur-buying 
 house, as he is in any concern that buys the products of 
 farm or wilderness. It is an easy thing to send out cir- 
 culars to trappers, quoting prices a third higher than those 
 that honorable dealers offer. Of course such prices cannot 
 be paid on the market, hence the necessity for the grader. 
 When the trapper gets his returns on his shipment he finds 
 fhat all of his dark mink and marten were graded Light or 
 pale-dark, although he himself knew very well that he had 
 a lot of fine prime dark skins in his shipments. Again, 
 perhaps the shipper may not know the distinction between 
 
486 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 light, pale-dark, medium and dark, and he may think that 
 his skins ought to have been graded higher than they were, 
 when, as a matter of fact, the expert could not fairly classify 
 them higher. 
 
 The matching and grading of furs is an art in itself, at 
 which the amateur can readily find himself inexpert. The 
 tare, however, has to come out of the shipper. If a big 
 house that makes up fur garments buys five hundred marten 
 skins it may offer a flat price of thirteen dollars for the 
 lot, including all skins, from those of the prized blue shade 
 to the coppery ones only suitable for blending or dying. 
 Nearly all marten or sable garments are blended and are 
 very much darker than any natural fur. Perhaps the coun- 
 try shipper may take that flat price. Yet in the lot there 
 may be a few dark skins worth twenty-five dollars each and 
 perhaps twice that many that will be graded medium. Out 
 of these dark skins the manufacturer will make up his 
 fancy pieces — say, a stole and muff composed of twelve 
 skins, retailing at several hundred dollars. These prices are 
 a long wa}'- from what the original producer of the fur got. 
 About the only recourse he has is that which is left to any 
 other man engaged in business in this vale of tears. He 
 must learn the values in his own business from the ground 
 up and he must invoke the aid of competition. Co-opera- 
 tion is not possible for him. When once he has found a 
 dealer who treats him squarely he should stick to that dealer. 
 When he knows that he has a choice piece of fur he ought 
 not to be in a hurry to sell. Sometimes it pays a trapper 
 to get on the train with his catch and go to the city himself. 
 When he has had several graders pass on his catch he can 
 have a better idea what he should get for it. 
 
 The time has gone by when a fur collector can buy a 
 choice marten for a string of beads. The average trapper 
 is getting educated; even the Indians of Alaska and the up- 
 per wilderness now hold out for big prices for their fur. 
 None the less, some houses, widely known as buyers and 
 called honorable, take junt a little from the trapper both in 
 grading and in pricing. A few cents held out on each skin 
 make a handsome total when the receipts are many hun- 
 dreds each day. The big houses usually work to a certain 
 scale of profit and their graders must make this good. The 
 
COMPLETF TRAPPERS GUIDE 487 
 
 unscrupulous ones have all kinds of systems for beating 
 the shipper. For instance, if the latter makes a howl about 
 being told that his goods were received in poor condition, 
 sometimes inferior furs are substituted and returned to him 
 in place of those that he shipped. What chance has the 
 traprper to prove the facts in a court of law? Suppose a 
 shipper turns in a fine bunch of rat — call it a hundred skins 
 — on each of which he expects to net fifty cents. The 
 dealer jeturns him forty-seven cents a pelt, knowing that 
 the skins grade high. It is not much of a steal and very 
 likely the trapper stands for it; but this, kept up all day 
 when thousands of ratskins are coming it, makes a lot of 
 money. Some of these rapacious dealers grow bolder and 
 bolder in their stealing. Again, some dealers advertise 
 that they will pay the expressage on all shipments of furs 
 sent to them. This looks good to the trapper or farmer 
 boy, and he does not stop to reflect that, as a matter of 
 fact, he himself is going to pa}' that expressage, somehow 
 or somewhere, either in grade or price. 
 
 Hence when you seek a dealer, be sure it is the most 
 reliable old-time house that can absolutely be depended 
 upon. 
 
 Tricks of the Trade. 
 
 Considerable fur is collected by country storekeepers. 
 They buy the chance pelts brought in iby farmers, who also 
 turn in wool, beefhides, rabbit skins: and the like. The 
 hides have grades the same as furs, and it is not in the least 
 unusual for unscrupulous dealers to falsify grades in hides 
 and to make substitutions in shipments to brokers. Some- 
 times a shipment of wool or hides is purposely thrown in 
 with a lot of other stuf¥ of much inferior grade. The re- 
 turns are then made on the average, or on the inferior grade, 
 and not on that of the higher-priced shipment. In other 
 words, the great commercial institutions of the city are play- 
 ing for safety all the time and averaging their grades, offset- 
 ting one shipper against the other. This means that the 
 receipts of John Smith, in Ohio, are less than they ought 
 to be because John Smith, in Oklahoma, has sent in furs 
 of a poorer quality. There is, of course, no justice in this 
 sort of thing. 
 
488 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 The Deadly Skunk Trap. 
 
 A death-dealing trap is a good thing in handling a skunk, al- 
 though sometimes a deadfall will not prevent the animal from 
 emitting the efifluvium, A choking trap very often will leave the 
 animal odorless. The banks of streams are usually desirable for 
 the trapping of this animal. You will probably place your mink 
 traps along the edges of little creeks, in paths in the grass, or 
 around heaps of driftwood, where you find signs. A mink is 
 a great creature to run into hollow logs, holes and cavities of 
 all softs. You can even dig a hole in which to set your trap, 
 although, if you change the earth much, it is better to throw 
 water over your operations. A trap set at the openings to cul- 
 vert drains has a big percentage of success. Mink also live 
 under newly broken sods which the plow has left thrown up in 
 ridges. 
 
 The mink is a great traveler, especially after the late days in 
 February, which is the running season for this animal. As it is 
 hard to trap out all the mink in the country, even though it be 
 in a long-settled farming region, the mink is well worth figuring 
 on in the winter's profit list. After the running season begins 
 it is desirable to use mink scent. This can be made from the 
 musk-glands of the mink, which should be preserved and bot- 
 tled. A small twig dipped into the liquid and dropped below or 
 near the trap will be found sufficient. Of course, any flesh bait, 
 like the head of a bird, a piece of rabbit or of fish, is attractive 
 to the mink, but a little scent will usually help. A good way to 
 use scent is to take elder-pith and drop on it a few drops of the 
 liquid. A little piece of pith left around a trap or along the line 
 will attract animals from great distances. The mink is easy to 
 fool in this way. He will run up a log or a stump very readily. 
 A good way to catch him is to set your trap on a little log, put 
 on end so that it will never be buried by the snow. The trap 
 is protected on top of this by a little house to keep out the snow. 
 The trap that you set for mink and bait with pieces of meat has 
 a good chance of getting a skunk, although the ground-set is 
 better for this animal. 
 
 It is very well known that most fur-bearing animals are them- 
 selves hunters and all hunting animals would rather eat live bait 
 than dead. Here we come into the nice question of what is and 
 is not crueltv. Anglers for ages have used minnows and frogs 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 489 
 
 as bait and we have become accustomed to that practice. Some- 
 times a hve frog or even a hve minnow can be used as bait in 
 a water-set ; and if you can keep aHve until winter — in a live- 
 box — a lot of frogs, minno\v's, crawfish, and the Hke, you will 
 find them very good for use in wintertime, even if you have 
 to freeze them then. One trapper, who counsels this, advises the 
 use of sparrows as live bait. He also counsels the employmeni: 
 of field mice, and suggests calmly that these can be secured as 
 bait and kept ahve by running a wire through the gambrel of 
 the leg. ^The brutality and absolute lack of humaneness in this 
 suggestion find little condonement in the retort that still more 
 cruel things are done in fishing and shooting. If live bait is 
 used it should be used unconfined and unharmed. There seems 
 to be nothing intolerable in the thought of taking a rabbit in a 
 box trap or even of taking a mink in a steel trap, but when it 
 comes to using a live rabbit in a swing-door trap, as a bait for 
 mink, a sort of sense of horror comes upon one at once! ]\Iost 
 trappers, thank Providence, do not care to bother with live bait, 
 although there is no doubt of its attractiveness. 
 
 A marten is another predaceous little traveler, more of a 
 climber than the mink, but also a great hunter among thickets, 
 logs, and such things. In very cold weather it is well to pad 
 your steel traps with deer hair, if you have any, to keep them 
 from freezing or from stiffening up with snow. Throw a .few 
 leaves or trash over the trap and house it so that it will not be 
 buried in the snow. Bait with pieces of fish or bird and, when 
 possible, use a spring pole to throw the marten in the air when 
 it is caught. This is better with skunk, also, although not for 
 the same reason. A suspended skunk is more apt to be peace- 
 able, and a suspended marten is less apt to have its twenty-dollar 
 coat eaten by some other animal. A fisher, or black-cat, or 
 fisher-cat is larger than either of these animals, but in habits 
 not very dissimilar; and the set for this animal should be about 
 the same as the ground-set for marten or mink, although it is 
 very much more powerful than either. 
 
 Trapping Water Animals. 
 
 Large water animals, like the beaver or otter, ought to be 
 trapped in such a way that they will drown themselves promptly 
 after being caught. The old way of setting an otter trap was 
 
490 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Trappers Huts — Ho>v to Build. 
 
 The Picture Tells the Story — 
 
 A Few Tools and Plenty of Hard Work 
 
 Does the Rest. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 491 
 
 to press down into the water a long pole, along which the ring 
 of the trap-chain played freely. A crotch or two was left stick- 
 ing out under water, so that when the ring of the chain slipped 
 down over the crotch it would not pull upward again. The ani- 
 mal, thus held under water, would soon drown. Sometimes it is 
 not easy to get a pole of this kind. To supply this deficiency 
 an ingenious trapper has put on the market a substitute that is 
 superior to the old device. This is simply a piece of wire that 
 runs from the trap down into the water, where it is stretched 
 by a stifk or by heavy !:tones. Toward the lower end in the 
 water a sort of spearhead or barb of metal is laid, which pre- 
 cisely takes the place of the old crotch. The trap-ring slips 
 down the wire, of course, very readily, but not back. 
 
 Probably rats and mink will make the best average profit for 
 the boy or man who likes to get out in the wintertime. He can 
 get baits enough from the home kitchen in default of anything 
 better — fresh meat, chicken heads, and the like: Muskrats can 
 be attracted with a mussel, left with the shell open. Sweet- 
 flagroot, pieces of cornstalk, apples, parsnips, carrots, turnips — 
 all will attract the muskrat. One trapper even suggests thorn 
 apples. The muskrat is very liberal as a signmaker and is easy 
 to trap, whether at houses or at runways and landing places. 
 You can use vegetable bait, such as apples or persimmons, as 
 well as fresh meat or pieces of fish, to catch the opossum. It 
 prowls arouiMl logs and tree-tops, something like a raccoon, 
 which latter animal is also easy to inveigle with vegetable bait. 
 In these days even raccoon and opossum work up handsomely 
 into near-sable, although the trapper very probably will not get 
 nearly a sable price for them. 
 
 The Muskrat and the Parsnip. 
 
 Ferguson led the way to a small vine leading down to 
 the river. There he pointed out a half sunken coal oil 
 barrel which held four muskrats. The fuzzy creatures be- 
 gan a terrible scrambling as the trapper leaned over the 
 barrel. But they could not leap out, neither would their 
 claws catch and hold in the oily sides. Over the barrel 
 was suspended a lone parsnip. 
 
 "That's the cause of their downfall," he said. "Muskrats 
 
492 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 will smell a parsnip 500 yards, and if there's anything they 
 like better 'n parsnips it's more parsnips. They come to 
 this barrel, crawl up on the outside, lean forward to get 
 hold of that parsnip, and fall in. I've caught as many as 
 nine in a barrel in one night. Their furs bring the most 
 money in February and March, because the hair is tighter 
 in the skin during that time. 
 
 "Now, the coon is the cut-up of the woods. He has 
 more deviltry in him than all the other animals put to- 
 gether. He's always meddling into something he knows 
 nothing about. Knowing that meddlesomeness, we catch 
 him without trouble." 
 
 Ferguson led the way to a log on the side of a hill. In 
 it he had bored a hole about an inch in diameter and had 
 poured some honey into the oipening. Then he had driven 
 horseshoe nails in a slanting direction, so that the points 
 extended into the hole. A coon might shove his foot into 
 the hole with ease, but when he tried to pull it out again, 
 the points of the nails caught in the flesh. Then Mr. Coon 
 was a prisoner. 
 
 "He'll eat off his foot to release himself from a steel trap," 
 Ferguson said. "Did you ever set a ^bucket of water down 
 beside a pet coon and watch his antics? The first thing he'll 
 do will be to climb on the side of the bucket and feel all 
 around the bottom for crawfish and mussels. If you tie a 
 piece of tin or anything bright to a steel trap, he'll go to 
 fooling around it to see what the bright thing is. He just 
 can't keep from meddling. 
 
 "The most plentiful of all animals in the Ozarks Is the 
 'possum. Trappers watch it for weather signs. If, its fur 
 is thick and heavy, they say it indicates that a heavy win- 
 ter is coming. If it is light and loose, the winter will be 
 light. When it is seen taking great loads of leaves into 
 its hole, it is an indication that a hard winter is ahead. 
 
 "During extremely cold weather men frequently skin 'pos- 
 sums down here and slip their feet into the hides, wearing 
 them instead of shoes. Those 'possum hides are warmer 
 than the warmest shoe ever made. Does look queer, though, 
 seeing a man come down the road wearing a pair of 'pos- 
 sum hides for shoes." 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 493 
 
 The "Carpenter of the Woods." 
 
 The hardest animal to hold after it is caught, is the 
 beaver. This "carpenter of the woods," as it is called, will 
 eat off the lower part of its legs to escape from a steel 
 trap. 
 
 "The best system Pve ever found," the old trapper said, 
 "is to set a steel trap on a dam, one end wired to a big 
 stone and the other to a log. When the beaver is caught 
 and is. thrashing around the trap he'll push the stone into 
 the river, be dragged in himself, and drown while trying 
 to eat his foot off. Unless the trap snaps him far up on the 
 leg, he's bound to get away if you give him time." 
 
 Almost any day during the week the hunters and trap- 
 pers may be seen going into Lebanon with packs of skins 
 for market. 
 
 "We get fully o,000 skins each season, We get as many 
 more of muskrats, coons, and 'possums. Probably a dozen 
 otter are brought in to us and some 400 or 500 mink. One 
 man caught twenty-nine mirik last winter, and another came 
 in with eighty, but I think he had 'bought most of them 
 from other trappers. Fox and wolf hides are fairly plenti- 
 ful. Once in a while we get catamounts, and very often 
 wild cats. We will handle between $15,000 and $25,000 
 worth of furs in this locality each season. The Ozarks 
 are teeming with valuable furs, and I believe fully 500 
 men su-pport t^eir families each winter by trapping." 
 
 The flesh of few of these beasts is good to eat. The 
 'possum is supposed to be savory, but, on account of the 
 excessive amount of fat, a few "messes" will do for a sea- 
 son. The flesh of the muskrat, wild cat, catamount, wolf, 
 fox, and beaver is unfit for use. However, a trapper in the 
 Ozarks has no trouble while tending his traps in killing 
 enough squirrels, rabbits and other small game to keep 
 the larder stocked. Here and there throughout the forests 
 you find a lone cabin, rustic, comfortable, and crude. 
 
 "If we get enough hides to bring $25 a month we live 
 just as easy and a blamed sight more happy than yoii fel- 
 lows who make your hundreds in the city. We feel just 
 as much out of place and lonely when we get to town as a 
 catamount in a cage. The open air, freedom of the woods, 
 enough to eat, and clothes to keep us warm, will do. You 
 fellers may have the rest." 
 
404 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 TRAPPING IN THE OZARKS. 
 
 Down in the Ozark mountains 500 families, probably 
 more, are living this winter on the sale of furs and hides. 
 Five hundred men are trapping for animals whose skins go 
 to warm the arms and throats of women and make over- 
 coats for men. Mink and beaver and otter are being caught, 
 and hundreds of martens, muskrats, civet cats, possums, and 
 coons are going into market. 
 
 Trapping in the Ozarks is, to the outside world, an un- 
 appreciated industry. Not many people know that some of 
 the finest Western mink furs, the softest otter and beaver, 
 come from the hills of southern Missouri. Down in those 
 tangled forests along the Niangua and Osage rivers wild 
 animals abound. 
 
 Fully fifty men m.aking and laying traps for game, catch- 
 ing otter and mink and beaver. 
 
 "They charge the city women $200, they tell me, for a 
 little bunch of mink furs. The most we ever get for one 
 of the critter's skins is $4. Who gets the profit?" 
 
 The following table tells what the trappers receive for 
 "green," or untanned furs: 
 
 Otter, $2 to $15. 
 
 Beaver, $1 to $10. 
 
 Mink, 50 cents to $4. 
 
 Wolf, 50 cents to $2. 
 
 Red fox, 50 cents to $2. 
 
 Skunk, 25 cents to $1.50. 
 
 Coon, 20 cents to $1. 
 
 Gray Fox, 25 to 75 cents. 
 
 W^ild Cat, 10 to 60 cents. 
 
 Catamount, 10 to 60 cents. 
 
 Opossum, 10 to 60 cents. 
 
 Civet Cats, 10 to 20 cents. 
 
 Muskrats, 5 to 20 cents. 
 
 Deer, $1.50 to $2.50, bought by weight, usually at 25 cents 
 a pound. 
 
COAIPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 495 
 
 The range in prices is occasioned by the varying quality 
 of the furs. 
 
 Near Ha-ha-tonks, - the estate of the late Snyder, many 
 trappers are staying this winter in their quest of furs. Ha- 
 ha-tonka is in the wildest part of Camden county, thirty 
 miles from a railroad. It is reached only by a rocky, tor- 
 tuous road, that winds out from Lebanon and is a good day's 
 drive from the town. The roughest of the Ozark hills and 
 the deepest of the canyons are in this vicinity. Wild deer 
 roam these hills. 
 
 Spending much of his time in the heart of these woods, 
 is a hunter, fisher and traipper, who for the greater part 
 of forty years has made that country "home." He knows 
 each cut and hill. He knows the haunts of the wild tur- 
 key and the deer, and the likeliest places where other game 
 is found. He has trapped in all parts of southern Mis- 
 souri. He talks interestingly of wild animals and how they 
 are caught. 
 
 "Trappin's not what it used to 'be .down here, People 
 coming in on all sides have driven the game back. Still, you 
 can get track of deer and wild turkey and wild chicken, 
 too. The otter are rapidly disappearing, as are the mink 
 and beaver. A few more years and the trapping days in 
 Missouri will be over. 
 
 "The hardest thing in all the Ozarks to catch is the 
 otter. Its burrow begins beneath the water's edge and 
 slants upward, and there is no way to tell where these bur 
 rows are. But if you watch closely along the river bank 
 you'll see a smooth slide leading down into the water. Ir-. 
 the winter these slides become covered with ice. Set a 
 steel clutch trap on this slide and wait. In a few days an 
 otter will dart down it. He'll bump into the jaws of that 
 clutch and have business there until you release him. A 
 trapper will do well if he catches four or five otter in a 
 season. 
 
 "It is hunger that brings most animals into traps. Curi- 
 osity gets some. A piece of rabbit or bird will lead a mink 
 beneath a deadfall. The same bait will attract the civet cat 
 and the groundhog. But this kind of game won't go with 
 a dozen other animals down here, you got to know what's 
 what." 
 
496 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 TRAPPING IN ILLINOIS. 
 
 Fur Bearing Animals That Are Caught East of the 
 
 Mississippi. 
 
 The "varmints" are by no means exterminated in the 
 territory east of the Mississippi river. Morgan county is 
 the center of the trapping industry of Illinois. Four men 
 Avho have their headquarters near the Illinois river handle 
 $100,000 v^orth of pelts each year, all going to London and 
 other European points. 
 
 These skins come from all sections of central Illinois, 
 and the annual shipment numbers about 150,000, principally 
 of raccoon, skunk and muskrat. About 500 fox hides are 
 received each year. The number of mink skins runs up to 
 10,000. 
 
 Wolf pelts and skins from the common house cat, the 
 latter being used in the cheapest class of coats. Muskrats 
 are the most common fur-coated animal and over 75,000 
 meet an untimely fate every year in this state. 
 
 Trappers find that the muskrats are the most easily 
 caught, and they help to increase the hunters' income when 
 more profitable animals are scarce. The Morgan county 
 firm ships no less than 30,000 skunk skins abroad each year. 
 When the hides are purchased from the trappers they are 
 fitted over a pole resembling an ironing board and the 
 cleaners scrape off with drawing knives the bits of flesh 
 which adhere to the skin. These scraps form a big source 
 of profit, for from mixture of skunk, raccoon and opos- 
 sum flesh is boiled a harness oil which nets about 40 cents 
 per gallon. The pelts are packed in bales five feet long and 
 contain all the way from 800 to 2,000 pelts, according to 
 size. 
 
 The shipping charge is a heavy item of expense, owing 
 to the distance. Many attemipts have been made in various 
 parts of Illinois to establish skunk farms and raise the 
 animals for their hides, but it is said that this scheme has 
 never proved profitable for the reason that the cannibalistic 
 instincts of the parents cannot be restrained, the young 
 being eaten by the old animals soon after they are born. 
 It is also difficult to prevent the animals from escaping by 
 ^burrowing under the wire inclosures. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 497 
 
 Steel traps are the common means of taking fur today. 
 There is a steel trap on the market, or rather a trap made 
 of steel, which catches an animal around the neck and 
 chokes it to death; and there are one or two traps made 
 that deal the animal a blow upon the dead at the moment 
 the trap springs. This is something like the principle of 
 the old deadfall, which always was far more merciful than 
 the stee] trap. These different forms of death-dealing traps 
 are worth investigating, if only for the reason that the live 
 animal will sometimes eat ofif its own foot and escape from 
 the trap. 
 
 Water animals, like muskrats, otters, mink, and the like, soon 
 drown when held below the surface of the water. You can 
 make for yourself, out of wire screening, a trap with a swing- 
 ing gate, like the multiple rat trap. By using this at the en- 
 trance of rat houses or channels you can very often catch a num- 
 ber of rats at once or sometimes more than one mink. The 
 rats very soon drown. You can use box traps of this sort, 
 made out of screening, to catch land animals, but then you must 
 cover up any metal parts with dirt, leaves or trash as much as 
 possible, excepting the body of the trap itself, which will be all 
 the better for the light shining through it. 
 
 TRAPPERS' AND HUNTERS' SECRETS 
 
 The following secret applies to all animals, as every ani- 
 mal is attracted by the peculiar odor in a greater or less 
 degree; but it is best adapted to land animals, such as foxes, 
 minks, sables, martens, wolves, bears, wild cats, etc. 
 
 Take one-half pound strained honey, one-quarter drachm 
 musk, three drachms oil of lavender, and four pounds of 
 tallow; mix thoroughly together. The above preparation 
 will attract all kinds of animals. 
 
 TO CATCH FOXES 
 
 Take oil of amber and beaver's oil, each equal parts, and 
 i^ub them over the trap before setting it. Set in the usual 
 way. 
 
498 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 TO CATCH MINK 
 
 Take oil of amber and muskrat's oil, and rub over the 
 trap. Bait with fish or birds. 
 
 SCENT BAIT FOR CATCHING FISH 
 
 Put tlie'oil of rhodium on the bait, when fishing with a 
 hook. 
 
 TO CATCH FISH 
 
 Take the juice of smallage or lovage, and mix with any 
 kind of bait. 
 
 CHINESE ART OF CATCHING FISH 
 
 Take Cocculus Indicus, pulverize and mix with dough, 
 then scatter it over the still water where fish frequent. Fish 
 will seize it with great avidity, and will become so intoxi- 
 cated that thej^ will turn belly up on top of the water, and 
 as you gather them put them in a tub of clean water, and 
 presently they will be as lively and healthy as ever. 
 
 This means of taking fish, and the manner of doing it, 
 has, heretofore, been known to but few. The value of such 
 knowledge admits of no question. This manner of taking 
 fish does not injure the flesh in the least. 
 
 RATES OF SPEED AT WHICH BIRDS FLY PER 
 
 HOUR 
 
 Birds Miles. 
 
 Hawks 150 
 
 Sparrows 92 
 
 Ducks 90 
 
 Falcon 74 
 
 Crows 25 
 
 Fair winds make their flight much more rapid. ' 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 4&9 
 
 BROWNING AND BRONZING LIQUID FOR 
 GUN BARRELS 
 
 Aqua Fortis and Sweet Spirits Xitre each half an ounce, 
 Sulphate Copper 2 ounces, Water 30 ounces, Tincture Muriate 
 Iron one ounce. 
 
 Mix and appl}' as above. 
 
 STAIN FOR TWISTED GUN BARRELS 
 
 Take of Tincture of Sesquichloride of iron half an ounce, 
 corrosive sublimate one drachm, sulphate of copper half a 
 drachm, nitric acid one drachm to one drachm and a half, 
 spirits of wine six drachms, water eight ounces. Dissolve 
 the corrosive sublimate in the spirits of wine, then add the 
 solution to the other ingredients, and let the whole stand for 
 a month or six weeks, when it will be ready for use. 
 
 The barrels to be stained should first be carefully cleaned 
 with lime, and, this being removed, the browning mixture 
 is laid on with a sponge five or six times a day, till the color 
 is dark enough to suit the fancy. Once or twice a day a 
 scratch-brush should be used to remove the rough oxide, 
 and allow the acid to get a deeper bite. When it is con- 
 sidered that enough has been done, boiling water must be 
 poured over the barrels for several minutes, and, while hot, 
 rub them with flannel, and finish with a leather and a little 
 beeswax and turpentine. 
 
 WOODS FOR FUEL 
 
 Taking shellbark hickory as the highest standard of our 
 forest trees, other trees will compare with it in real value, 
 
 for fuel, as follows: 
 
 Shellbark Hickory 1067^ 
 
 Pignut Hickory 95% 
 
 White Oak ■ 84% 
 
 White Ash 77% 
 
 Dogwood 75% 
 
 Scrub-Oak 73% 
 
500 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 White Hazel 72% 
 
 Apple Tree 70% 
 
 White Beech 69% 
 
 Black Birch 65% 
 
 Hard Maple ' 65% 
 
 Black Walnut 62% 
 
 Yellow Oak 60% 
 
 White Elm 58% 
 
 Red Oak 56% 
 
 Red Cedar 56% 
 
 Wild Cherry 55% 
 
 Yellow Pine 54% 
 
 Chestnut 52% 
 
 Yellow Poplar 51% 
 
 Butternut 43% 
 
 White Birch 43% 
 
 White Pine 30% 
 
 CHARCOAL POULTICE 
 
 Make a bread and water poultice in the usual way, then 
 sprinkle finely powdered charcoal over it, and apply. Valu- 
 able for cleansing old sores, and for arresting mortification. 
 
 MUSTARD POULTICE 
 
 Mix ground mustard with boiling water to the consis- 
 tency of paste; spread on thick linen, or brown paper, cov- 
 ered with thin muslin. Apply for a few minutes only, unless 
 it is necessary to produce a blister. Used chiefly as a 
 counter-irritant in acute pain and congestion. 
 
 SLIPPERY-ELM POULTICE 
 
 Powdered elm bark and boiling water formed into a 
 thin paste. Sometimes a small portion of laudanum is 
 added, which makes a grateful application to abscesses, 
 felons, painful bruises, etc. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 501 
 
 STARCH POULTICE 
 
 Make a smooth, moderately thick paste of starch and 
 boiling water in the usual manner, and spread upon linen 
 cloth. Useful in cases of irritable and inflamed skin erup- 
 tions. 
 
 POISON IVY AND SUMACS 
 
 Tlrcre are two poison Sumacs — the Poison Ivy and 
 the Swamp Sumac. Poison Ivy can be told from Wood- 
 bine, because it has three leaflets instead of five. 
 
 The Sumac which bears its red fruit aloft is harmless. 
 The Sumac which has drooping greenish-white flowers is 
 poison. 
 
 Note — The specific cure for Ivy and Sumac poisoning is 
 a saturated solution of sugar of lead in a 75 per cent, solu- 
 tion of alcohol. 
 
 Poison mushrooms all have the bulbous enlargement at 
 the base of the stem; some have cup-like joints, and most 
 are showy and flaunting, with white gills. 
 
 The common meadow mushroom is small and modest, 
 has pink or purple gills, and never has bulbous enlargement 
 or cup-like joint. 
 
 THE TALE OF A WOLVERINE 
 
 Oh, woful the wail o' the wanderin' wolf 
 
 When the pack hez scattered afar. 
 An' they turn to the shades from their midnight raids 
 
 At the glint o' the mornin' star! 
 An' thrillin' withal the amorous call 
 
 Of the moose to his mate unseen! 
 But these all pale at that horrible wail — 
 
 The cry o' the wolverine! 
 
 We've trapp'd an' tracked, canoed an' packed 
 
 This Northland everj'where, 
 Hev made our bed with th' furs o' the dead 
 
 An' th' robes o' the grizzly bear. 
 We've shot the 'coon when the light o* the moon 
 
502 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Threw his form on the leafy screen, 
 But our trusty gun has got but one 
 Square crack at a wolverine. 
 
 It was Kootenay like, if we don't mistake, 
 
 Saw our camp in eighty-five. 
 An' the fust three weeks brought nine bear steaks 
 
 An' beaver forty-five; 
 Till our line o' traps — too long, perhaps — 
 
 In miles some seventeen — 
 Was robbed each night, be it dark or light, 
 
 By a cuss of a wolverine. 
 
 Then we swore by the sling ol' Nimrod swung 
 
 An' the ball pouch o' Napper Bill — 
 Blow high or low, no rest we'd know 
 
 Till the varmint w^e should kill! 
 An'' nex' night's snow did plainly show 
 
 Where our enemy had been. 
 For that thievin' chap had cleaned each trap — 
 
 That gluttonous wolverine! 
 
 We followed his trail by hill an' dale 
 
 The best of a winter's day, 
 Till our faithful dog by a swampy bog 
 
 Brought the crafty beast to bay! 
 How he yowled an' yapped an' snarled an' snapped, 
 
 As we wiped the peep sight clean! 
 Then a sure soft point threw his neck out o' joint 
 
 An' that settled that wolverine! 
 
 By the camp fire's roar on the lake's wild shore 
 
 The trapper counts his spoil 
 An' views with pride each well trimmed hide 
 
 As he rests from his hardy toil. 
 Ah! those care free days o' the woods an' their ways 
 
 Still live in our memory green. 
 Like the pride we felt with his pelt at our belt — 
 
 The hide o' that wolverine. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 503 
 
 POISONOUS REPTILES IN THE UNITED 
 
 STATES 
 
 Compared with the number of species of harmless 
 snakes, the poisonous species are much in the minority; 
 yet it should be understood that the United States is won- 
 derfully rich in reptile life. One hundred and eleven spe- 
 cies of snakes are found in this country; of this number 
 seventeen are poisonous. Besides, there are ninety-seven 
 species of lizards; but of the latter only a single species 
 is venomous, and this is the Gila Monster, of the South- 
 west. 
 
 Practically every portion of the United States is inhab- 
 ited by poisonous snakes. The majority of the species are 
 found in the southern latitudes, though the few northern 
 species are so abundant that venomous snakes are actually 
 more common in some sections of Pennsylvania and New 
 York than in the South. 
 
 Despite the general occurrence of dangerous reptiles in 
 this country, accidents to man are rarely recorded. This 
 may seem remarkable in the fact of an explanation, that 
 there are over twenty thousand deaths annually in India 
 from the bites of serpents. But it should be realized that 
 in India a large part of the population goes about bare- 
 legged, while the poisonous snakes prowl into the imme- 
 diate domains of man — even into the gardens and under 
 houses. 
 
 List of North American Poisonous Serpents 
 
 From the standpoint of classification the venomous 
 snakes of the United States fall into several groups. Fol- 
 lowing is a list to show their arrangement and kind: 
 
 Elapine Snakes 
 
 Common Coral Snake, elaps fulvius, the Southeast. 
 Sonoran Coral Snake, elaps euryxanthus, the Southwest. 
 
504 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Crotaline Snakes 
 
 1. The Moccasins 
 
 Copperhead Snake, ancistrodon contortrix, eastern U. S. 
 Water Moccasin, ancistrodon piscivorus, the Southeast. 
 
 2. Dwarf Rattlesnakes 
 
 Massasauga, sistrurus catenatus, Central Region. 
 Pigmy Rattlesnake, sistrurus miliarius, the Southeast. 
 
 3. Typical Rattlesnakes 
 
 Tim'ber Rattlesnake, crotalus horridus, eastern U. S. 
 
 Diamond-Back Rattlesnake, crotalus adamanteus, the 
 Southeast. 
 
 Prairie Rattlesnake, crotalus confluentus, Prairie Region. 
 
 Pacific Rattlesnake, crotalus oregonus. Pacific Region. 
 
 Texas Rattlesnake, crotalus atrox, Texas to California. 
 
 White Rattlesnake, crotalus mitchellii, the Southwest. 
 
 Tiger Rattlesnake, crotalus tigris, the Southwest. 
 
 Black-tailed Rattlesnake, crotalus molossus, the South- 
 west. 
 
 Price's Rattlesnake, crotalus pricei, the Southwest. 
 
 Green Rattlesnake, crotalus lepidus, the Southwest. 
 
 Horned Rattlesnake, crotalus cerastes, the Southwest. 
 
 From the preceding list of the typical rattlesnakes it will 
 be seen that the Southwest forms the headquarters of these 
 characteristic serpents. 
 
 Classification of Our Poisonous Snakes 
 
 As will presently be explained, the North American dan- 
 gerous snakes may be easily distinguished — except two, and 
 these are the Coral Snakes, having a slender body and a 
 head not at all distinct from the neck; in fact, looking pre- 
 cisely like the harmless reptiles. And they actually belong 
 to the same family as the innocuous serpents — the Colu- 
 bridae. This family is divided into a number of subfami- 
 lies. The cobras and their deadly allies of the Old World, 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 505 
 
 and the Coral Snakes of the New World form one of these 
 subfamilies — the Elapinae. From the typical harmless snakes 
 they differ only in the possession of a very short, fixed pair 
 of venom-conducting teeth in the forward part of the upper 
 jaw — and by the absence of a small scale on each side of 
 the head (the loreal plate), between the eye and the nostril. 
 Fortunately, such deceptive-looking reptiles are limited to 
 two species in the United States. As they are peculiarly 
 f colored,- they may be recognized with little diiTficulty. 
 
 How to Tell the Coral Snakes 
 
 Both of the species of the Elaps inhabit the southern 
 part of the country. The Common Coral Snake or Harle- 
 quin Snake occurs from southern North Carolina to Florida 
 and westward to Texas. It is most abundant in Georgia, 
 Florida, Alabama and Louisiana. The Sonoran Coral Snake 
 is restricted to Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico. 
 Both of the species are vividly ringed with scarlet, yellow 
 and black — the red and black rings the broadest. Their 
 pattern is wonderfully beautiful, imparting a really artifi- 
 cial aspect, like a gaudy necklace. 
 
 Described in detail, the pattern of the Coral Snakes may 
 be given as broad, alternating rings of red and black, the 
 latter bordered with very narrow rings of yellow. And here 
 we encounter a difficulty: for several harmless snakes 
 "mimic" these species in displaying exactly the same colors 
 and arranged in ring-like fashion. Yet there is one un- 
 varying difference that will always distinguish the danger- 
 ous reptile from their innocuous "imitators," as the yellow 
 rings of the poisonous snakes always border the black 
 rings, while among the non-venomous snakes there zie pairs 
 of black rings bordering a yellow one. 
 
 The Coral Snakes are rather secretive in habits and are 
 often ploughed up in the fields. They feed mostly upon 
 small species of innocuous serpents. 
 
506 complIete trappers guide 
 
 The Poison Apparatus 
 
 The Crotaline Snakes, the Rattlesnakes, Copperhead and 
 the Moccasin may be easily told. Before dealing with their 
 characters let us understand what kind of apparatus figures 
 in the formidable injuries they inflict, sometimes causing 
 death, with man in a few hours — and, more rarely, within a 
 few minutes' time. 
 
 These snakes do not sting. The injury they inflict is a 
 bite, dealt with a pair of hoUov/ teeth on the upper jaw. 
 These teeth have an opening at their tip for the ejection of 
 venom. They are exactly like the hypodermic needles, and 
 mankind has, in fact, copied the structure of the serpent's 
 fangs in manufacturing that invaluable instrument of medical 
 surgery. 
 
 Each fang connects with a gland behind the eye, and this 
 secretes a poison which nature has intended to be used in 
 purposes of killing the prey — incidentally for self-defense. 
 When the mouth is closed the fangs fold back against the 
 upper jaw. 
 
 Thus we may understand the venom apparatus. It is in 
 no way connected with the forked tongue. That organ is 
 used solely for the purpose of feeling; hence it is not 
 a sting. 
 
 How to Distinguish the Crotaline Snakes 
 
 As will be seen on the list, we have three groups of ven- 
 omous snakes in North America — the coral snakes, the 
 moccasins and the rattle-snakes. The characteristics of the 
 coral snakes have already been treated, while we may dis- 
 pose of the rattle-snakes with a simple suggestion and that 
 is to look for the rattle, a prominent ^nd an absolutely unique 
 organ among snakes. Its presence immediately brands the 
 owner. There is no possibility of making a mistake. While 
 there are a number of species of rattle-snakes, the charac- 
 teristic naturally appeals to all. The amateur naturalist, 
 prospector or the farmer is not so particular as to the exact 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPE'RS GUIDE 507 
 
 species; what they are desirous of ascertaining is, whether 
 a snake is dangerous; and the possession of a rattle shows 
 this to be invariably the case. 
 
 Thus we understand how to recognize all of the North 
 American poisonous snakes except the moccasins — two spe- 
 cies; they must be treated with more detail. 
 
 It is a mistake to think that a poisonous snake may be 
 told by a, thick body and a flat, triangular head that is quite 
 distinct from the neck. Many wholly innocuous species have 
 exactly these outlines and many of them are proportionately 
 stouter of body and uglier in appearance than the danger- 
 ous copperhead snake or highland moccasin. 
 
 The Moccasin and the Copperhead Snake 
 
 The two North American moccasins — the water moccasin, 
 Ancistrodon piscivorus and the copperhead snake (Highland 
 Moccasin or pilot snake), Ancistrodon contortrix, belong, 
 as do the rattle-snakes, to the sub-family of pit vipers — Cro- 
 talinae. On each side of the head, between the eye and the 
 nostril, is a deep pit. Here we have a character by which 
 to immediately determine them. But there are other points: 
 while our harmless snakes have two rows of plates on the 
 under surface of the tail, these two poisonous species have 
 a single row of plates for the greater length of the tail. Our 
 harmless snakes have the pupil of the eye round; the water 
 moccasin and the copperhead snake have an elliptical — cat- 
 like — pupil. 
 
 The moccasin is dull olive, with wide, black transverse 
 bands. It abounds in the swamps and sluggish waterways 
 of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Louisiana. 
 The copperhead snake is pale, hazel brown; crossing this 
 ground color are rich, reddish brown bands, narrow on the 
 back and very wide on the sides — appearing, when examined 
 from above, to have the outlines of an hour-glass. The top 
 of the head often shows a decidedly coppery tinge, hence the 
 popular name. 
 
508 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 Poisonous Snakes in the Eastern States 
 
 1 
 
 In the New England States and the Middle Atlantic 
 States, there are but two species of poisonous snakes. 
 These are the timber rattle-snake and the copperhead 
 snake. The black snake, water snake, flat-headed "Adder," 
 checkered "Adder," and other serpents with formidable 
 titles found in those areas are absoluely harmless. If we 
 include the lake region and the Ohio valley we must in- 
 clude another poisonous species, the Massassauga; this is 
 a small rattle-snake of a slaty gray hue marked with a 
 chain of deep brown blotches. 
 
 South of central North Carolina, thence throughout the 
 Gulf States, we find several more venomous species, as 
 follows: 
 
 The diamond rattle-snake. Largest and most deadly of 
 any of the North American serpents. It attains a length 
 of eight feet and is beautifully marked with a chain of yellow- 
 ish rhombs on an olive ground-color. 
 
 The pigmy rattle-snake. A diminutive, slaty-gray species, 
 closely related to the Massassauga. There are jet black 
 blotches on the back and a reddish band on the neck. 
 
 The water moccasin. A semi-aquatic species. 
 
 The coral snake. Previously described. 
 
 Thus we have an idea of the various dangerous snakes 
 of the eastern states. Incidentally it might be said that 
 the timber rattle-snake and the copperhead snake range 
 southward to the northern portion of the Florida peninsula. 
 In the extreme south the copperhead also extends its range 
 westward to the Rio Grande, in Texas. The distribution of 
 the western poisonous snakes may be at once appreciated 
 by an examination of a list on a preceding page. 
 
 Erroneous Theories Concerning Poisonous Snakes 
 
 It is quite wrong to imagine a poisonous snake springs 
 at an enemy. It never jumps from the ground and seldom 
 strikes more than a third its length. Poisonous snakes 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 509 
 
 never chase an enemy. Their attitude toward man is merely 
 that of self defense. 
 
 It is not necessary for a rattle-snake to coil before strik- 
 ing. It can strike from .a crawling position, provided the 
 neck can be doubled into an S-shaped loop to lurch the 
 head forward. 
 
 It is impossible to render a venomous snake permanently 
 harmless by extracting the tangs, as a number of auxiliary 
 fangs are ready to take the place of the functional pair 
 within a 'couple of weeks. 
 
 Treatment of Snake Bite 
 
 What to carry in the field: Every field naturalist and 
 prospector venturing into regions known to be the lurking 
 places of venomous snakes should carry certain articles to 
 be used in case of accident. These are comparatively simple. 
 Following is a list of them: 
 
 A hypodermic syringe, a rubber ligature, several sharp 
 scalpels (or a razor), a jar of antiseptic gauze, material for 
 outside bandage (boiled cheesecloth), a jar of permanganate 
 of potassium (crystals), several tubes of anti-toxin (anti- 
 venomous serum), some strychnine tablets, a flask of 
 whiskey. 
 
 The entire outfifit can be carried in the capacious pockets 
 of an ordinary khaki shooting jacket, if necessary. The 
 writer speaks from experience: 
 
 What to do^if bitten: Invariably, the injury is upon some 
 part of the arm or leg. Everything depends upon the 
 promptitude in performing the first two precautions. 
 
 1st. Apply the ligature a short distance above the bite. 
 Thus the ligature should be carried in a pocket that is im- 
 mediately available, without a second's loss in a fumble. 
 
 2nd. Enlarge the punctures by cutting into them, at 
 least as deep as they are. Make two cuts over each, these 
 cuts crossing one another. This cutting starts a flow of the 
 poisoned blood, which should be accelerated in every way 
 possible. It is not dangerous to suck the blood away pro- 
 
510 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 viding there are no cuts or fresh abrasions in the mouth or 
 on the lips. In this way much venom may be drawn from 
 the wounds. If a stream is nearby, wash the wounds 
 thoroughly, then bathe them repeatedly in a solution com- 
 posed of permanganate of potash crystals in water to pro- 
 duce a deep wine color. 
 
 If no doctor is near'by, the antitoxin should be injected 
 by means of the hypodermic sj^ringe, in some part of the 
 body where it will gain the general circulation — preferably 
 under the skin of the abdomen. In a succeeding para- 
 graph it will be explained where this product may be 
 obtained. 
 
 If constitutional symptoms develop — weakness and giddi- 
 ness, a hypodermic injection of strychnine must be adminis- 
 tered. As a stimulant, taken in very moderate quantities, 
 brandy is invaluable. 
 
 After the wounds have been thoroughly bled and washed 
 with the permanganate, the ligature may be removed, but 
 not until every measure has 'been employed to draw the 
 venom from the bitten part; these measures including suc- 
 tion and massage. 
 
 At this stage there is but one thing to do if that is pos- 
 sible. Journey to the nearest doctor of repute; for grave 
 symptoms, beyond the power of any but a medical man to 
 combat, may possibly develop. 
 
 If a doctor is out of the question, keep your head. You 
 will need to think, and with great care. Take a cathartic. 
 Keep the wounds absolutely clean and remember that tissue 
 that has been weakened by snake poison is peculiarly sus- 
 ceptible to common blocd poisoning. Pack small bits of 
 gauze into the wounds to keep them open and draining, 
 then dress over them with gauze saturated with any good 
 antiseptic solution. Keep the dressing saturated and the 
 pounds open for at least a week, no matter how favorable 
 may be the symptoms. 
 
 The writer has talked with many men of good, practical 
 reasoning powers, who have been bitten by snakes and en- 
 tirely recovered while miles from civilization. They have 
 employed methods similar to those described. 
 
 Before leaving the town behind you, consult a good doc- 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 511 
 
 tor. Learn how to properly use a hypodermic syringe and 
 the amount of strychnine your system will endure. 
 
 The anti-toxin, technically known as anti-venine, is a 
 foreign product and apparently the best of the so-calted 
 antidotes for snake bite, as it is manufactured and does 
 its work along lines well understood and practical. It may 
 be obtained from the agencies of the Pasteur Institute, one 
 of which is situated in New York City. 
 
 Once again let the writer advise the sufferer: 
 Keep your head. Do not give way to despondency. There 
 is every reason why a healthy man should recover, and 
 quickly, too, from a bite from any of the greater number 
 of the venomous snakes in the United States. But the 
 proper means to save life should be executed promptly and 
 systematically. 
 
 Rattlesnake Poison Remedy 
 
 Bromine gr. 100 
 
 Diluted Alcohol fl. oz. 8 
 
 Potassium Iodide gr. 4 
 
 Corrosive Sublimate gr. 2 
 
 Mix the bromine and alcohol, place the other ingredients 
 in a vessel and add sufficient of the bromine-alcohol solution 
 to dissolve them. 
 
 American and Canadian Trappers Association Badges. 
 
 Fnmished by the Pnblishers. 
 
512 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 TRAPPERS CAMP KITCHEN AND COOKERY 
 
 Genuine Montana Steak 
 
 One pound lean mutton free from bone, 1 egg, ^*cup milk^ 
 
 1 teaspoon salt, ^-g teaspoon pepper, few drops onion juice. 
 
 Chop the meat finely, add the other ingredients, form into 
 small cakes, and either broil or fry them. While this dish is 
 more delicate if the egg and milk are used, it can be made 
 without them. In this case it resembles very closely Ham- 
 burg steak as it is ordinarily prepared from beef. It may be 
 made with or without onion. 
 
 Beef or Mutton Broth 
 
 Three pounds beef or mutton from the neck, 2 quarts cold 
 water, 3 tablespoons rice or barley, 1 teaspoon salt. 
 
 Wipe the meat, remove the skin and fat, and cut the meat 
 into small pieces. Put into the kettle with bones, and cover 
 with the water. Heat gradually to the boiling point and 
 season with salt and with pepper if liked. Cook slowly until 
 the meat is tender, strain, and remove the fat. Rehea-t to boil- 
 ing point, add the I'ice or barley, and cook until the rice or 
 barley is tender. If barley is used, soak it over night in cold 
 water. 
 
 Curry of Mutton or any Meats 
 
 Two pounds meat from the fore quarter, 1 onion, 1 table- 
 spoon vinegar, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon curry powder, 
 salt, boiling water. 
 
 Cut off small portions of the fat and try them out. Re- 
 move the unmelted portions, and in the remainder fry the 
 meat until it is a delicate brown. Add the onions and pour 
 over all enough boiling water barely to cover. Cook until 
 the meat is tender. Add the curry powder, vinegar, and salt. 
 Remove the meat, reduce the broth to one cup, and thicken it 
 with flour diluted with cold water. Add the meat to the 
 gravy and reheat. Serve with rice. 
 
 Syrian Stew 
 
 Two cups raw meat or mutton cut into cubes, 2i table- 
 spoons fat, 3 tablespoons flour, 2 cups string beans, 2 onions^ 
 
 2 cups tomatoes, salt, water. 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 513 
 
 Dredge the meat with the flour and brown it in the fat. 
 Put all the ingredients in a stewpan, scraping from the fry- 
 ing pan all of the flour and fat, and add enough water barely 
 to cover. Cook slowly until the meat is tender. 
 
 Meat and Potato Pie 
 
 One pound meat from the shoulder, 1 onion, i^ cup flour, 
 1 carrot, 6 medium-sized potatoes, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 
 1 tablespoon butter, salt. 
 
 Cook the onions, carrots, and meat together in water 
 enough to cover. Boil the potatoes separately. Reserve 
 enough of the potatoes to make a cup of mashed potatoes. 
 Cut the remaining potatoes and the other vegetables and 
 meat into small pieces, and place in a baking dish. Cover 
 with some of the broth thickened with flour. Mash the re- 
 maining potatoes. Add butter and salt. Mix this with the 
 flour which has been thoroughly sifted with the baking pow- 
 der. Spread this mixture over the ingredients in the bak- 
 ing dish, and bake in a hot oven until the crust is brown. 
 To remove the odor of mutton soak in vinegar over night 
 especially if an old male. 
 
 Stewed Sheep's Hearts 
 
 Two sheep's hearts, 2 ounces fat salt pork, 2 tablespoons 
 minced onion, 2 tablespoons flour, ^4 teaspoon pepper, 1V2 
 pints boiling water, salt. 
 
 Split and wash the hearts, season them with the salt and 
 pepper, and roll them in the flour. Try out the pork, and add 
 the onions to the pork fat and cook them 10 minutes. At the 
 end of that time, remove the pork and onions to a stewpan 
 and fry the hearts in the fat. Transfer hearts to the stew- 
 pan. Rinse the frying pan with the water, which should then 
 be poured over the hearts. Use the flour that remains after 
 the hearts are rolled to thicken the broth. Cook the hearts in 
 the grav}' for three hours. 
 
 Brown Gravy for Roast Meat 
 
 In making gravy for roast mutton or any other roast meat, 
 allow 2 level tablespoons of fat for each cup of gravy desired, 
 pouring ofiF any in excess of this amount. To the fat add 3 
 
514 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 tablespoons of flour and cook thoroughly, browning it, but 
 being very careful not to burn it. Add boiling water or broth 
 and boil for a short time, stirring constantly. Add salt and 
 pepper. The proportions are 2 tablespoons of fat, 3 table- 
 spoons of flour, and 1 cup of water or stock. If the flour is 
 not browned, only 2 level tablespoons are needed for each cup. 
 
 Currant-Jelly Gravy 
 
 A gravy flavored and made acid with currant jelly is often 
 served with roast meats. To each cup of brown gravy made 
 from the fat of roast meat add a glass of currant jelly or less. 
 As noted elsewhere, the addition of currant jelly is specially 
 suitable when cold meat is to be warmed up in gravy. 
 
 Mint Sauce and Mint Jelly 
 
 One-fourth cup finely chopped mint leaves, 1 tablespoon 
 powdered sugar, J^ cup vinegar, J/2 teaspoon salt. 
 
 Combine the ingredients and let the mixture stand in a 
 warm place until the flavor of the mint has penetrated the 
 liquid. 
 
 Mint sauce, which is so generally relished with roast 
 meats, may be made from, either the fresh or the dried spear- 
 mint. Mint jelly, which is also popular, can be made by 
 stiffening mint sauce with gelatin. For this purpose one- 
 half tablespoonful of gelatin soaked in cold water enough 
 to cover it may be used with a cup of mint sauce made as 
 above from freshly chopped mint. 
 
 Tomato Rarebit. 
 
 Two tablespoonfuls of butter, 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, 
 ^i cupful of milk, 34 cupful of stewed and strained toma- 
 toes, % teaspoonful of soda, 1 pound of cheese, 2 eggs 
 slightly beaten, salt, mustard, cayenne pepper. 
 
 Cook the butter and the flour together, add the milk, and 
 as soon as the mixture thickens add tomatoes and soda. 
 Then add cheese, eggs, and seasoning. Serve on toasted 
 whole wheat or Graham bread. 
 
 Green Corn, Tomato, and Cheese 
 
 One tablespoonful of butter, 2 cups of grated cheese, ^ 
 
•COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 515 
 
 cup of canned or grated fresh corn, 1 ripe pimento, ^ cup 
 of tomato puree, 2 egg yolks, 1 teaspoonful of salt, V2 tea- 
 spoonful of paprika, 1 clove or garlic, 4 slices of bread. 
 
 Into the melted butter stir the cheese until it, too, is 
 melted. Then add the corn and pimento, stir for a moment 
 and add the egg yolks beaten and mixed with the tomato 
 juice and the salt and paprika. Have ready the bread 
 toasted on one side and very lightly rubbed on its un- 
 toasted* side with the garlic cut in two. Pour the mixture 
 over the untoasted side of the bread and serve at once. A 
 poached egg is sometimes placed on top of each portion, 
 making a very nutritious combination. 
 
 Macaroni and Cheese No. 1 
 
 One cupful of macaroni, broken into small pieces; 2 
 quarts of boiling salted water, 1 cupful of milk, 2 tablespoon- 
 fuls of flour, % to ^/^ pound of cheese, >^ teaspoonful of salt, 
 speck of cayenne pepper. 
 
 Cook the macaroni in the boiling salted water, drain in 
 a strainer, and pour cold water o\fer it to prevent the 
 pieces from adhering to each other. Make a sauce out of 
 the flour, milk, and cheese. Put the sauce and macaroni in 
 alternate layers in a buttered baking dish, cover with but- 
 tered crumbs, and heat in oven until crumbs are brown. 
 
 Macaroni and Cheese No. 2 
 
 ' A good way to prepare macaroni and cheese is to make 
 a rich cheese sauce and heat the macaroni in it. The mix- 
 ture is usually covered with buttered crumbs and browned 
 in the oven. The advantage of this way of preparing the 
 dish, however, is that it' is unnecessary to have a hot oven, 
 as the sauce and macaroni may be reheated on the top of 
 the stove. 
 
 Macaroni with Cheese and Tomato Sauce 
 
 Boiled macaroni may be heated in tomato sauce and 
 sprinkled with grated cheese just before serving. 
 
 Spaghetti or ItaUan Macaroni and Cheese 
 
 One cupful of macaroni broken into small pieces, 2 quarts 
 of boiling saUed water, V2 onion, 2 cloves, l^/^ cupfuls of 
 tomato sauce, ^ cupful or more of grated cheese. 
 
516 
 
 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE ' 
 
 Cook the macaroni in the boiling salted water with the 
 onion and cloves. Drain, remove the onion and cloves, re- 
 heat in tomato sauce, and serve with grated cheese. 
 
 SELF-RAISING FLOUR (to make) 
 
 Reduce separately by grinding, to impalpable powders: 
 Bicarbonate of Soda, 1 pound; Cream of Tartar, 2^/3 pounds; 
 Salt, 1% pounds. These should be intimately mixed to- 
 gether, with 100 pounds of fine flour. 
 
 FILLING FOR PIES 
 
 Pumpkin — One pound stewed pumpkin, three spoons of 
 sugar, one tablespoon molasses syrup, y^ spoonful of gin- 
 ger, cinnamon, nutmeg, pinch of salt, and ^ cup milk or 
 cream. 
 
 Custard — Five tablespoonfuls sugar, three eggs, 1^ cups 
 milk, tablespoonful cornstarch or flour, pinch nutmeg and 
 salt. 
 
 POINTERS 
 
 If Cooking is Too Salt — If your soup or stews become 
 too salty put in a few sliced raw potatoes. They will take 
 up the salt. 
 
 To Preserve Bread — Scorch or charcoalize the exterior 
 and it will keep fresh inside. The baking of the outside 
 keeps the air from entering and preserves it. This is useful 
 when going on a long trip or journey as it may be wrapped 
 in paper that has been oiled, greased and dried, then wrapped 
 in a damp cloth so as to keep a fairly moist exterior. In 
 certain countries this charred bread is kept for years. 
 
 Bread Baked on Hot Stones — Take a flat, thick stbne, 
 have your bread dough thin and very stiff and bake over a 
 very slow fire in a large flat cake. If the heat is right it 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 517 
 
 will take nearly half a day, but needs no attention except 
 turning occasionally and a regular, steady, slow heat. If 
 flour is scarce, coarse ground meal, corn, nuts, grains, rice, 
 beans, seeds, peas, bran, etc., can be used, merely mixed into 
 water and salt without yeast or baking powder and as the 
 unleavened bread of olden times. 
 
 Leavened Bread is simply the fermented, or partly fer- 
 mented, dough which is put aside until it becomes partly 
 sour — in this case a little sugar is added — and a little more 
 water to expedite the formation of gas or sourness — (see 
 sour dough bread). Thus as Scripture says "A little leaven 
 leaveneth a whole lump." 
 
 As a rule good cooks are rare (camp cooks especially), 
 hence the following instructions will have to be carefully 
 followed: 
 
 Young Growing Lads require good substantial foods. 
 
 Fresh milk, cream, eggs and good butter should be pur- 
 chased from the Scout fund — whenever available for camps. 
 The following recipes are for both conditions, and when 
 eggs, milk, creani or butter are not available, they can be 
 omitted or proportionately used. Thrift and economy 
 should be rigidly practiced always; expenses reduced to a 
 minimum. The success of a trip depending largely on the 
 least expense — the greatest pleasure or profit accrues from 
 the result. 
 
 What to do with Stale Bread, Broken Pieces, Cracker 
 Dust — Crackers, crumbs, etc.. can be used for breaded chops, 
 meat, fish, toast cut in dice size pieces to garnish or thicken 
 soups, stews, or for puddings, milk toast, etc. They should 
 not be throv/n out, allowed to mold or waste. 
 
 Stale Loaves can be freshened (like new bread almost) if 
 placed in a hot oven a few minutes — crackers also. 
 
 Fried Egg Bread can be made of stale sliced bread. 
 Beat up two eggs, add cup of milk. Dip the slice therein 
 and fry. brown on both sides with a little hot fat. A fine 
 breakfast dish with a rasher of bacon. 
 
518 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 If milk and eggs are unavailable dip once only in salted 
 water and fry as above. 
 
 A thick batter of flour, salt water,- or eggs and bread 
 crumbs, cracker dust, or corn meal is excellent for chops, 
 steaks, fish, fowl, or game. 
 
 Simplest Bread Made — The simplest form of bread, and 
 the rudest baking, are seen in the Australian "Damper," a 
 cake made from dough composed of flour, salt, and water, 
 baked in the dying embers of a wood fire. The dough is 
 laid on a flat stone, covered with a tin plate, and the hot 
 ashes heaped around and over it, care being taken not to 
 expose it to a heat of more than 212° Fahr, Passover cakes, 
 scones, and "bannocks" are prepared from a similar dough, 
 and fired on hot plates or in ovens, and form an agreeable 
 and nutritious food. When such dough is exposed to a high 
 heat, so that the resulting cake is hard, dry, and resonant, 
 biscuits (hard bread, twice baked) are formed, which are ideal 
 for transportation a long distancCc 
 
 Lemon Vanilla Pudding Sauce — One cup barley water, 
 two tablespoonfuls corn starch, six spoonfuls sugar, one 
 half nutmeg grated or one-half spoonful spice, stir until 
 thick, boil up once and take off, flavor with spoonful lemon, 
 vanilla or vinegar — try it. 
 
 To Color Soups, stews or gravies a rich brown, brown a 
 little sugar real dark, dissolve this in a little water and use 
 to color with. Carrots grated give amber color to soups or 
 stews; tomatoes strained give it a red color; Spinach leaves 
 pounded and the juice used, green; black beans make a 
 brown soup or stew; white vegetables only, white soup. 
 To thicken soups or stews use a. batter of flour and water, 
 rice, barley, etc., etc. 
 
 Rich Salad Dressing — Yolks of two hard boiled eggs 
 rubbed fine and smooth, one teaspoonful mustard, tea- 
 spoonful salt, teaspoonful sugar, y^olks of two raw eggs, 
 beat into this drop by drop, sweet or olive oil to taste — 
 last of all, thin with vinegar and beat to desired consistency. 
 If you leave out the eggs it is good for cold slaw. 
 
 Plain Salad Dressing — Vinegar, salt, pepper, hot bacon 
 fat. Excellent for camp greens. See recipe elsewhere.- 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 519 
 
 Clam Chowder — Layer of clams, seasoning, crackers, 
 clams again, crackers, salt and pepper, little butter, parsley 
 if you have it, cup of milk or cream, and cook slowly until 
 done. 
 
 Meat Stew and Dumplings — Take old meat cut fine, sliced 
 onions, sliced or quartered potatoes, salt, pepper. Put some 
 fried bacon strips in bottom of pot, then add onions and 
 allow them to brown, then add meat, potatoes, a little meat 
 gravy dt* water to cover pot. Stew slowly until potatoes 
 are done. Last of all mix up a cup of flour, spoonful of 
 salt and pepper mixed, 1 tablespoon baking powder with 
 enough water to make a fairly stiff batter. Drop in pot by 
 the spoonful, cover, boil slowly for 15 minutes and serve. 
 
 Potato Salad — Cut cold boiled potatoes in slices, an 
 onion or two according to amount. Fry a few pieces of 
 bacon — mix in hot fat with a little vinegar and a few spoon- 
 fuls olive oil. Stir all together, season with salt and pep- 
 per to taste and garnish with hard boiled eggs. Leave 
 vinegar out if desired. 
 
 Camp Pot Pie — To apply when a good stew is done. Mix 
 up a thick batter as follows: 1 quart flour, 1 tablespoon 
 baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper mixed; drop in 
 by the spoonful on top of stew. Cover and boil slowly 
 for 15 minutes, then serve. A little sugar and butter sauce 
 for the above and the Dope can be served as a pudding. 
 
 Rice Puddings — Boil one quart rice in plenty water, a 
 little salt. When you can mash a grain between thumb and 
 forefinger it is done. Then strain and if cooked right each 
 grain will be separate, then add milk and a teaspoon butter, 
 eggs and nutmeg heated up together so as to barely cover 
 rice and bake slow until done. The secret of cooking rice is 
 to have plenty boiling water, then strain it when done. 
 
 Baked Fish — Clean, rinse and wipe dry, rub or sprinkle 
 salt, pepper and a little flour. Put a few spoonfuls of water 
 in pan and a few strips of bacon or salt pork on top ac- 
 cording to size. Bake one hour or until done. Serve with 
 cream sauce. Parsley or onion flavor. 
 
 Fried Fish— ^Clean, dredge into flour or roll in flour. 
 Sprinkle little salt and pepper over it, fry in hot lard or 
 
520 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 bacon fat, if lard is used put on a teaspoon salt. Fry one 
 side brown then turn over. 
 
 Fish Chowder — Cut up small pieces salt pork or bacon. 
 Try them out in kettle. Put in layer of fish, layer of onions, 
 layer of sliced (thin) potatoes, then first onions, potatoes 
 again, salt and pepper to taste, last of all a few crackers, 
 cover with water and cook slowly until potatoes are done, 
 then add a little milk or cream to thicken and serve. Don't 
 boil fast or use a heavy fire or it will scorch. All kinds of 
 fish, oysters, clams, lobsters can be used. 
 
 Fried Oysters — Drain and dry, roll in crackers, bread, 
 cracker crumbs, corn meal, flour (or a little of each), 
 sprinkle a little salt and pepper in the mixture, then fry in 
 hot fat but not boiling hot unti-1 brown. Don't fill the pan 
 or you will cool the fat. Work according to 3^our fire and 
 heat. 
 
 Hard Gingerbread (Fine) — 1 cup molasses or syrup, Yi 
 cup sugar, small cup of water with a teaspoonful of soda 
 dissolved in it — stiff dough. 
 
 Brown Pudding Sauce — 1 cup milk, 1 tablespoonful but- 
 ter, 2 of sugar, 2 of flour, 2 of molasses. 'Stir all together 
 and boil 10 minutes. Flavor to taste. 
 
 Corn Bread — One-half flour, one-half corn meal. Use 
 warm water to mix in which has been dissolved 2 table- 
 spoonfuls molasses, 1 teaspoonful baking powder,! pinch of 
 salt. Mix to a medium batter and bake in hot oven until 
 done. 
 
 If Oven is Too Hot place pie plates under baking pan 
 and one over it. Pie plates are excellent for this purpose. 
 Biscuits and pies need a quick oven; cake and bread a 
 moderate one. 
 
 Pancakes — Two cups flour, one tablespoonful baking 
 powder with three tablespoonfuls syrup, a pinch of salt and 
 one tablespoonful baking powder dissolved in a little warm 
 water. Mix to a smooth stiff batter and fry on hot pan, 
 well-greased. Drop by large spoonful to size cake desired. 
 
 Molasses Cake — One cup molasses syrup, one-half cup 
 sugar, half cup hot water with a teaspoonful of baking 
 
 I 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPE'RS GUIDK 521 
 
 powder dissolved in it, a teaspoonful of ginger, one of cin- 
 namon. Stir in flour to make a soft smooth batter. Bake 
 in moderate oven 15 minutes in well-greased pan, filled 
 about one-fourth full. 
 
 Corn Cake — One and one-half cup flour, three-fourths 
 cup corn meal, one-fourth sugar, three spoonfuls butter, lard 
 or bacon fat, one-fourth teaspoonful salt, four teaspoonfuls 
 baking powder, one cup milk or water. Bake in hot oven 
 in well-greased pan about one-fourth full. 
 
 Good Pie Crust — Use cold lard or fat, flour one cupful, 
 lard one cupful. Chop with knife all up together until 
 thoroughly mixed, then add just enough cold water to roll 
 easy. Roll out with bottle on a floured board and don't 
 use the hands at all, never knead it. Camp cooks use a 
 rubber cloth or oil cloth instead of a board. Any fruit in 
 season mixed with sugar makes good pie filling. Add a 
 little spice to the fruit. 
 
 For Meat Pie Crust add more flour, less fat and a spoon- 
 ful of baking powder, pinch of salt and pepper. 
 
 Candy Fudge — Two cups sugar, 1 cup syrup, 1 cup water, 
 1 pinch soda. 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon vinegar.* 
 Boil until it sticks to fork or solidifies in water. Pour out 
 and allow to cool. Add cracked nuts if desired. 
 
 Simple Biscuit or Bread — 1 quart flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 
 teaspoon sugar, 3 of lard, 3 of baking powder, cold water or 
 milk to make a medium dough. Press out to about ^ inch 
 size, cut with baking powder lid biscuit size, place in greased 
 pie plate or pan. Bake in quick oven 10 to 15 minutes. 
 
 Note — Biscuits require a hot (but not fierce) oven — time 
 according to fire or heat of oven, in forming them dust a 
 little flour on the hands over and under the biscuit dough 
 so they will not stick. If desired they can be baked in round 
 loaf form. Allow for sw^elling and bake 15 to 20 minutes or 
 until done. To test bread run a sliver of wood in center, if 
 it comes out clean bread is done, if dough sticks to sliver 
 it is not done. This rule applies to all bread, biscuits, cake, 
 etc. As a rule camp cooks have too much fire and beginners 
 are prone to burn the food. In bread, biscuit or cake bak- 
 
522 COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 
 
 ing a steady regular heat and clean fire or live coals should 
 be used. 
 
 Pancakes (1) — 1 quart flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 of syrup, 1 
 of lard or bacon grease, 2 of baking powder, water or milk 
 to make a medium batter. Fry in hot fat, turn and fry both 
 sides. Small cakes are better than large ones. Eat with 
 sugar and butter or syrup. 
 
 Pancakes (2) — ^Same as above except use molasses, 2 
 spoonfuls, and one-half teaspoonful of soda in a little warm 
 water (no baking powder or lard). Sour milk can be used 
 with above. 
 
 Army Biscuit or Bread — 1 quart flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 
 teaspoons sugar, 2 heaping teaspoonfuls baking powder, 1 
 of lard or bacon fat, water to mix to a smooth dough (do 
 not knead). Form into biscuits or loaves and bake as di- 
 rected. 
 
 Army Hardtack Bread (this will keep) — 1 quart flour, 1 
 tablespoon salt, 1 ta.blespoon sugar; mix to stiff dough, roll 
 or pat out thin and bake in large sheets. A bottle makes a 
 good rolling pin, an empty baking powder can a fine cake or 
 biscuit cutter — hole in top for vent — (In army camps the 
 author has often made bread and cakes for a battalion of 
 nearly 300 men), A flour sack is all the table one needs — 
 or a piece of canvas, oilcloth, heavy paper, — rubber blanket, 
 (Poncho). 
 
 Yeast Bread (Ranchman's style) — Most excellent yeast 
 bread, buns or biscuits can be made by mixing a quantity of 
 flour, water and a few teaspoonfuls of sugar and setting aside 
 in a warm place until it ferments or sours, then take one- 
 half, mix with flour a little sugar and salt, teaspoon of each, 
 and a quarter teaspoonful baking soda (not baking powder), 
 add a teaspoonful of lard or fat. Knead into biscuits 1 inch 
 thick, set aside a few moments to raise a little and bake in 
 hot oven. These are excellent. Stir a little flour into remain- 
 ing batter and set aside for next day and it is ready again. 
 Ad infinitum. 
 
 Soft Gingerbread — 3 cups flour, ^ cup sugar, 1 of mo- 
 lasses (or iy2 syrup), 1 cup of milk or cream, ^ cup lard 
 
COMPLETE TRAPPERS GUIDE 523 
 
 or butter, 2 teaspoonfuls ginger, 1 of baking soda dissolved in 
 little hot water. Bake in moderate oven until done. 
 
 Cookies — 1 cup sugar, 1 cup lard, 1 cup molasses, ^ cup 
 boiling water, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon each 
 cinnamon and ginger, flour enough to make a medium dough. 
 Roll out, stamp with baking powder cover, cut cookies and 
 bake 10 minutes. 
 
 Layer Cake — 1^ cups flour, Y^ cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 
 tablespoon baking powder, 2 eggs. Mix and cream butter 
 and eggs. Add water, ^ cup to flour. Last of all well 
 beaten whites of two eggs. Bake in moderate oven. 
 
 Note 3 — All mixed cakes should be placed in well- 
 greased tins and filled only about half full so as to allow for 
 raising. Cake requires moderate oven. 
 
 Meats to Be Boiled should be placed in boiling water so 
 as to retain the juices — for soups or stews where extract of 
 juice is desired, should be put in cold water. To boil meat 
 fast toughens it — to simmer slowly tenders it. 
 
 Worry — In all camp cooking the tendency is too much 
 fire, too quick cooking. Cook and bake slow with even, 
 steady fire and prevent burning, which is the bane of camp 
 cooks as a rule. Regulate your fire to a steady regular heat, 
 not a roaring hot fire. Read carefully camp fires, how to 
 make and use. 
 
 Fish Cakes — Any cold fish and potatoes heated in a little 
 salt, pepper and a bit of parsley with a chopped onion forrn 
 into Fish Balls, roll in flour, cracker dust or bread crumbs 
 and fry in pan with a little fat and brown both sides. 
 
 Scones — Use a large flat, smooth stone, well heated in 
 camp fire — then place on hot coals near to fire. Flatten out 
 bread or biscuit dough to cover the stone — turn until each 
 side is done. Indians bake all their bread cakes on flat, 
 smooth stones, well heated first. 
 
 Slippery Elm Bark Tea — Break the bark into bits, pour 
 boiling water over it and infuse or steep until cool like tea. 
 Excellent for summer disorders or bad colds. 
 
 Toast Water — Slices of brown toast, boiling water and 
 barely cover. Steep till cold; strain and use. If cream or 
 milk is used with a little butter and salt it is creamed toast. 
 
524 GINSENG AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 
 
 WILD AND VALUABLE ROOTS AND DRUGS. 
 
 Although not generally known over one-half of the known 
 drugs are prepared exclusively from wild roots, seeds, bulbs, 
 etc., which the scout or trapper ought to recognize and col- 
 lect in season; indeed, many old trappers more than pay 
 their entire season and outfit expenses by knowledge of 
 plant, seed and root craft. As a rule, generally speaking, 
 the roots of plants should be dug just before flowering. 
 Those of the biennial or perennial kind late in autumn or 
 spring. The object being to collect them at a period when 
 there is a cessation of growth (in the prime so to speak), then 
 they are the strongest. When the roots are dug they should 
 be cleaned of dirt, washed and carefully dried. Sliced or 
 split in many cases to facilitate drying (if the roots or bulbs 
 are large), spread out on racks or shelves. Exposed to dry 
 air and light, but not sunshine and never left in the damp, 
 wet, rain or dew. They generally take about six weeks to 
 dry properly and when rightly seasoned are brittle, snap 
 or break easily when bent. They should be dried all the way 
 through, and shipped' in sacks, boxes or barrels. A sample 
 being sent to the dealers and prices and terms arranged be- 
 fore the shipments are forwarded. Of the quantity procured, 
 word should be stated in the correspondence. And as I 
 give herewith the average price of them, a fair estimate of 
 their value can be obtained. It being remembered, however, 
 that the market prices are controlled by supply and dernand, 
 shortage increasing the value. Over stock decreasing it, as 
 the case with fur, hides and pelts exactly. 
 
 Ginseng. 
 
 As a rule, "GINSENG" can be found growing wild, yet 
 on account of its value has been sought for and killed out 
 in many of the places, yet in marshes or unfrequented 
 locations many rich finds are made, and frequently twenty 
 (30) or thirty (30) pounds of root gathered in one small 
 spot, where they seem to thrive, much as do dandelion in 
 certain favorable locations. The Chinese regard it as of 
 extraordinary quality. A universal remedy or panacea for 
 mental or physical exhaustion and as a sexual stimulant, in 
 decline of age. Claiming its property is such as to invig- 
 orate or renew the entire system. As it has been used for 
 
GINSENG AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 525 
 
 thousands of years and by millions of people, rich and 
 poor, its reputation is certainly founded on experience, and 
 the fact that we do not use it is to be accounted for by 
 ignorance of its uses and properties. Certain so-called scien- 
 tific experts scoff at its value or curative properties, but 
 to my mind the ancient method of using root is far superior 
 to the dope using they themselves commend, which is about 
 as useless as they ignorantly contend. Ginseng is certain, 
 as no Chinese is going to pay dollars for what is valueless, 
 and we have much to learn from them. I predict there will 
 be a Ginseng craze for using the plant, as there is for find- 
 ing and selling now; in brief, we will be using the medicine 
 instead of selling it at $4.00 to $8.00 per pound, and you will 
 see prices soar as we realize its value and efficiency. 
 
 It can be cultivated and the roots find as ready a market 
 as those of the wild variety. A thousand pounds being 
 valued from $2,000.00 to $5,000.00 according to grade. The 
 seed alone being valued at $200.00 to $400.00 per pound. Its 
 home is in forest ridges where sunlight and shade exist 
 in patches. Where rich well drained soil exists that is 
 covered with mulchy leaves, as they do not thrive in open 
 sunlight or exposed places. I have seen wild animals dig 
 up the roots and eat them as if they were aware of their 
 value. Wild boars are very fond of them in the rutting 
 or breeding season especially, seeming to indicate that they 
 have sexual or ophrodisiac qualities attributed to them by 
 the Ancients. 
 
 A patch of ground 15 by 20 feet will often yield a few 
 hundred dollars worth of roots which is a small gold mine 
 to the finder. Healthy plants indicate healthy roots, but if 
 the stalks and leaves are wilted, straggly or half deadlike, 
 its roots will be similarly affected. Insects and fungi para- 
 sites affecting it mostly, leaf blight, stem rot, asserting it- 
 self and affecting its entire growth, and of course depreciat- 
 ing the value of its roots, causing the leaflets to droop and 
 fall. Heavy rainy seasons affecting it mostly with a sort of 
 black or soft rot, which attacks the stalk and crown, as well 
 as the end of the roots, itself. Plants thus affected have a 
 straggly, shrunken appearance, galls or nut like warts upon 
 them, or are worm or germ eaten, rust or scab appears, 
 too, frequently, all of which affects the market value of the 
 
526 GINSENG AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 
 
 root itself, hence like pelts or hides, one must grade high 
 or low accordingly and not mix together. By many authori- 
 ties healthy wild root is considered the more valuable and 
 esteemed variety and the older the plant the better the 
 quality. It is best collected in the fall when the top plant 
 dies off, then it is considered prime. The Chinese macerate 
 the roots, pound and grind them like tea leaves, make an 
 infusion which they drink, much as we do tea. The taste 
 is mucilaginous, slightly aromatic and bitter. The root when 
 dried perfect, is somewhat brittle. The finest quality of 
 roots (exceptional ones) are worth in China $12.00 to $100.00 
 an ounce. And it is claimed there is no medicine so restora- 
 tive of virile or sexual power to the aged and impotent, 
 animals even seeking it out only during the rutting season. 
 It is kept in moist proof boxes, wrapped in silk in China, 
 that is the finer kind, used as a medicine night and morn- 
 ing. The only drink permitted (except water) the dose 
 being from 30 to 50 grains (more or less). It is claimed 
 to be the root similar to the Mandrake of the Hebrews of 
 the ancient times, mentioned in the Scriptures, and its use 
 has been going on for thousands and thousands of years. 
 In view of the fact the Chinese claim it as the plant of the 
 Gods. The ideal restorative tonic or Multum in Parvo of 
 root drugs. 
 
 I 
 
 HISXpRY AND VALUE OF GINSENG, ONE OF 
 THE BEST DRUGS KNOWN 
 
 American Ginseng is of a family closely related to the 
 Wild Parsnip and Carrot family. It is a root or drug highly 
 prized by the Chinese and Asiatics as one of the most highly 
 valued of all roots. It can be identified by its three stalks 
 and stems about one foot long, oval in shape, tapering at 
 the point and toothed along the edges. When in blossom, 
 about July, it bears a cluster of greenish white flowers, clover 
 like somewhat, which later become berries or seeds, at first 
 green then red and scarlet when ripe in August or Septem- 
 ber. The berries are eatable, taste of the root and the size 
 of a small pea, each containing one to four seeds. The root 
 stalk usually is marked by a number of scars which show the 
 
GINSENG AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 527 
 
 age of the plant, being formed by stems which die off each 
 year, many are found witli forty to fifty and even more of 
 these scars. The roots are twisted into peculiar shapes, 
 sometimes like the human form, looks like parsnip some 
 what, and is found in nearly all forests, appearing about 
 May or April and disappearing about September. In June 
 and July they are full grown. As much of the Ginseng is 
 affected by various diseases, rot, smut, etc., which depre- 
 ciates its value, care must be taken to secure good healthy 
 roots, and large plump, smooth and clean, color light but not 
 pure white, nor dark. The larger the better especially if 
 they have a good medium color, and are sponge like to the 
 touch. Bunches of small roots which grow together are not 
 as valuable as the few big ones which come from a single 
 root, short stubby ones have the preference over thin long 
 ones. The fibres and hair should be removed, dried and 
 shipped separately as they are valuable. 
 
 Also look for them on the ridges of forests where Butter- 
 nut, Sugar, Maple, Rock and Slippery Elm, Birch, Whiteoak, 
 Linden and Basswood trees abound. 
 
 In many cases freshly dug roots, which are small or poor 
 can be freshly transplanted until they mature, often trebling 
 in value. Care, however, must be taken not to injure them. 
 It grows best in damp, moist, rich, but not muddy soil, and 
 is to be found in all the eastern or southern states, such as 
 Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, ^Michigan, Minnesota, 
 Iowa, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, 
 North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, or anywhere between the 
 37th to 47th degree of Latitude, or between the 125th to 135th 
 degree of East Longitude, particularly about hardwood for- 
 ests where rotted leaves, form as a mulch or winter cover 
 to keep the roots from freezing, and the summer to keep 
 the ground moist, cool and shady like, as the sun does not 
 facilitate its growth. 
 
 Its use is a secret with the Chinese who have used it for 
 thousands of years, and who regard it as no other drug, from 
 high officials to the lowest coolie, as the one universal pana- 
 cea whose virtues are extraordinary, particularly for exhaus- 
 tion of body or mind, tonic, stimulant or curative of debility 
 and even rheumatism, nervousness and constipation. There 
 is no drug esteemed so valuable a remedy, its use being uni- 
 
528 
 
 GINSENG AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 
 
 Fig I. 
 
 Fig. I. Showing fourteen ordinary grain sacks full of freshly dug 
 matured ginseng roots ; total green weight 840 pounds, after drying 252 
 
 pounds. These roots 
 were grown from the 
 seed, on a piece of 
 ground 56x56 feet. 
 They were dug at the 
 end of their fifth year's 
 growth and sold for a 
 little over $1,700.00. 
 
 Fig. II. A dried gin- 
 seng root, fibres removed 
 and ready for the mar- 
 ket. This root shows 
 the typical transverse 
 wnnkles by which the 
 mature age, can be dis- 
 tinguished. The roots 
 showing these transverse 
 wrinkles, short and 
 chunky, similar to the 
 one here shown, and 
 weighing from three- 
 fourths of an ounce and 
 over, are very desirable 
 and bring a good price. 
 
CxINSENG AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 
 
 529 
 
 Roots of Ginseng ShoM^in^ A^es. 
 
 Fig. III. Freshly dug roots of ginseng from cultivated plants, a. One 
 year old; b. two years old; c. three years old; d. four years old; 
 e. bud; f. lea^ -scar (about three-fourths natural size.) 
 
530 
 
 GINSENG AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 
 
 versal and its merits conceded by all to be remarkable. The 
 roots are dried, pounded and ground like fine coffee, made like 
 tea, sweetened or with milk or in the pure state. It has a 
 pleasant aromatic taste, and certain it is, its medicinal proper- 
 
 Fig IV. 
 
 Fig. IV. Showing twelve, freshly dug, matured ginseng roots. Total 
 green weight 3 pounds 1 3 ounces, after drying 1 pound and 4 ounces. 
 These roots are wild ones which had been transplanted to a garden for 
 four years ; which accounts both for their spranglyness and also for the 
 many small branches. 
 
 ties once America realizes it, will result In its universal adop- 
 tion here. In price it averages from $4.00 to $8.00 per pound, 
 the finer, better roots often exceeding this value and the mar- 
 ket continually short. In point of fact fifty times more than 
 we can obtain could be marketed, hence its cultivation is a 
 paying one. The supply is fast diminishing, hence its value 
 is increasing yearly, and there is hardly a Chinaman poor or 
 rich, who does not use it, and it is as staple a drug as is 
 known. It is only cultivated by roots or its own seed, and 
 
GINSENG AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 
 
 531 
 
 the pure seed is difficult to obtain even at $100.00 to $250.00 
 per pound. The cultivated roots are as much in favor as the 
 wild. 
 
 In odd times trappers and scouts can dig up and transplant 
 rootlets, later finding a crop that pays 1,000 per cent on the 
 investment, and many is the trapper or hunter who chases a 
 
 
 Fie. V. 
 
 Fig. V. Ginseng plants "coming uj:)." 
 
 ten cent hide over a thousand dollar carpet of Wildroots 
 which he is ignorant of and which if stored or dug up 
 would net him more than his entire season's catch of furs. 
 The best soil to cultivate or replant in is that coarse, rich 
 soil of clay, loam and sand, which is mellow, porous and 
 well drained. It does not thrive in extremely wet or ex- 
 tremely dry places. Work the ground deep, twelve to 
 fourteen inches, spade and fork it all over well and enrich 
 it with good soil, break all lumps up fine and remove all 
 stones and plant with seedlings or one 3^ear old long thin 
 roots. Leave on the fibrous roots and plant so that their 
 top roots are not bent. Leaf mould is an excellent fertilizer, 
 as is broken sod grass, compost, well rotted manure, or bone 
 meal fertilizer. Plant in beds and keep free from weeds, 
 partly shading the young plants from the extreme sun rays 
 or heat. From May to September the roots should l)e gathered, 
 and from September to May they should be cultivated, if 
 the climate allows, and as it takes eighteen months for the 
 seed to germinate, it is best to plant rootlets when they are 
 
532 GINSENG AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 
 
 dormant (from September to May, or in the spring) if done 
 before the seed or roots begin to sprout. If raised from 
 seed transplant seedlings from nursery beds to permanent 
 ones after the second season, using a mulch to keep the 
 ground moist in summer and warm in winter. As a rule 
 roots will even stand freezing solid and thaw out again in the 
 spring without damage. Ginseng is a very hardy plant and 
 yet they are affected by frost or sun heat. In transplanting 
 keep the rootlets moist and away from sun or wind and do 
 not break or bruise them. They will not thrive either in 
 open or dense shady spots, hence seek or plant them in the 
 partly shaded places, as some of the better roots are of 
 ten to fifty years growth. It is easy to see that cultivation 
 is not a hasty method only a cheap one. It takes as a 
 rule five to ten seasons to produce the right size and 
 kind, both seeds and roots are valuable. The former ripens 
 August to 'September, Red Berries which must be gathered 
 when ripe. Good seed alone is worth $50.00 to $200.00 a 
 pound. It must not be allowed to dry, but kept moist until 
 it sprouts or germinates in from twelve to eighteen months 
 after gathering, sprouting usually April to June. Seed is 
 best planted immediately after picking (nature's way) or the 
 seed may be removed from the berries by removing the pulp 
 and separating them by water and light pressure. The seed 
 sinks to the bottom of the water and the pulp and waste 
 floats on the surface. Moist sand is good to keep the seed 
 in, and then buried in a moist place in the ground. A quart 
 of berries contains about 1,500 seeds and there are about 5,000 
 seeds to the scant pound. 
 
 In the fall is the time to gather the roots — about Septem- 
 ber to October — when the tops begin to wither and the roots 
 cease to grow. Dig them so as not to cut or injure the root, 
 shake out the dirt, wash and dry them in the shade. Dam- 
 aged roots decrease the value, do not break the skin, and dry 
 in a temperature about 70 degrees by the thermometer, after 
 they wilt more heat can be used, and the better they, are 
 dried the more valuable they are, especially if big white 
 chunky ones. Then remove the fibrous rootlets to keep them 
 separate to sell. Store in paper boxes, air tight, mice or 
 vermin proof until marketed. Ship in boxes or sacks and 
 use several so as to protect them somewhat, broken roots 
 
GINSENG AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 533 
 
 are less valuable. It takes about three pounds of green 
 roots to make one dry, as they lose about 75% in drying. 
 The odd shaped roots, like a human form, are the most 
 valuable. Those of about ^ of an ounce bring the best 
 price, — long thin roots the least. It is said that a half acre 
 of ground will yield or raise $50,000.00 worth of Ginseng in 
 five (5) years. Root plants should not be allowed to go to 
 seed. By removing the buds the roots grow larger. In 
 China they never allow them to go to seed (except those 
 desired for seed). 
 
 A splendid place to transplant and make a small patch 
 is where others (wild ones) are found. Do not try to raise 
 Ginseng unless you are patient and persevering and know 
 soils and drainage, etc., as they are apt to wilt, blight or 
 c>pot, or rot, or be attacked by fungus, in which case you lose. 
 Diseased roots are recognized by their lumps and scars or 
 scabby appearance, black soft red gall and crown rot as it 
 is called, warty growths or excrescences. 
 
 ABOUT THE HABITAT AND RANGE OF 
 GOLDENSEAL. 
 
 Goldenseal occurs in patches in high open w^oods where 
 there is plenty of leaf mold and usually on hillsides or 
 bluffs affording natural drainage, but it is not found in very 
 moist or swampy situations, on prairie land, or in sterile 
 soil. It is native from southern New York to Minnesota 
 and western Ontario, south to Georgia and Missouri, ascend- 
 ing to an altitude of 2,500 feet in Virginia. It is now be- 
 coming scarce throughout its range. Not all of this region, 
 however, produces goldenseal in abundance. Ohio, Indiana, 
 Kentucky and West Virginia have been the greatest golden- 
 seal-producing states, while in some localities in southern 
 Illinois, southern Missouri, northern Arkansas and central 
 and western Tennessee the plant, though common, can 
 not be said to be sufficiently plentiful to furnish any large 
 quantity of the root. In other portions of its range it is 
 sparingly distributed. 
 
534 GINSENG AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 
 
 Goldenseal. 
 
 A Fruiting Plant and a Fruiting Branch of Goldenseal. 
 
GINSENG AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 535 
 
 Description of the Plant. 
 
 In addition to "goldenseal," many other common names 
 have been applied to this plant in different localities, most 
 of them bearing some reference to the characteristic yellow 
 color of the root, such as yellowroot, yellow puccoon, orange- 
 root, yellow-paint, yellow Indian-paint, Indian-paint, golden- 
 root, Indian-dye, curcuma, wild curcuma, Ohio curcuma, 
 wild tuwneric, Indian turmeric, jaundice-root and yellow- 
 eye; other names are eye-balm, eyeroot and ground-rasp- 
 berry. Yellowroot, a popular name for it, is misleading, as 
 it has been applied to other plants also, namely, to gold- 
 thread, false bittersweet, twinleaf and the yellowwood. The 
 name goldenseal, however, derived from its yellow color 
 and the seal-like scars on the root, has been generally 
 adopted. 
 
 Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.) belongs to the 
 same family as the buttercup, namely, the crowfoot family 
 (Ranunculaceje). It is a perennial plant, and the thick yel- 
 low rootstock sends up an erect, hairy stem about a foot in 
 height, around the base of which are two or three yellowish 
 scales. The stems as they emerge from the ground are bent 
 over, the tops still remaining under ground, and sometimes 
 the stems show some distance above the surface before the 
 tops are brought out from the soil. The yellow color of the 
 roots and scales extends partly up the stem so far as it is 
 covered by soil, while the portion of the stem above ground 
 has a purplish color. Goldenseal has only two leaves (rarely 
 three), the stem bearing these seeming to fork at the top, 
 one branch supporting a large leaf and the other a smaller 
 one and a flower. Occasionally there is a third leaf, much 
 smaller than the other two and stemless. The leaves are 
 prominently veined on the lower surface, and are palmately 
 5 to 9 lobed, the lobes broad, acute, sharply and unequally 
 toothed. The leaves are only partially developed at flow- 
 ering time and are very much wrinkled, but they continue 
 to expand until they are from 6 to 8 inches in diameter, be- 
 coming thinner in texture and smoother. The upper leaf 
 subtends or incloses the flower 'bud. 
 
 Early in spring, about April or May, the flower appears, 
 but few ever see it, as it lasts only five or six days. It is 
 
53G GINSENG AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 
 
 greenish white, less than half an inch in diameter, and has 
 no petals, but instead three small, petal-like sepals, which 
 fall away as soon as the flower expands, leaving only the 
 stamens — as many as 40 or 50 — -in the center of which are 
 about a dozen pistils, which finally develop into a round, 
 fleshy berry-like head. The fruit ripens in July or August, 
 turning a bright red and resembling a large raspberry, 
 whence the common name "ground-raspberry" is derived, Each 
 fruit contains from 10 to 20 small, black, shining, hard seeds. 
 
 If the season has been moist, the plant sometimes per- 
 sists to the beginning of winter, but if it has been a dry 
 season it dies down soon after the fruit is ripe, so that by 
 the end of September no trace of the plant remains above 
 ground. In a patch of golden seal there are always many 
 sterile stems, simple and erect, bearing a solitary leaf at 
 the apex, but no flower. 
 
 Mr. Homer Bowers, of New Ross, Ind., who propagated 
 goldenseal from seed for the purpose of studying its ger- 
 mination and growth, states that the plant grown from nat- 
 urally sown seed often escapes observation during the first 
 year of its existence owing to the fact that in this entire 
 period nothing but two round seed leaves are produced, and 
 at this stage the plant does not look materially different 
 from other young seedlings. During its second year from 
 seed one basal leaf is sent yp, followed in the third year 
 by another smaller leaf and the flower. 
 
 DESCRIPTION OF THE RHIZOME, OR 
 ROOTSTOCK. 
 
 The rhizome (rootstock) and rootlets of goldenseal, or 
 hydrastis, as it is also known in the drug trade, are the parts 
 employed in medicine. The full-grown rhizome when fresh 
 is of a bright yellow color, both internally and externally, 
 about iy2 to 2>2 inches in length and from one-fourth to 
 three-fourths of an inch in thickness. Fibrous yellow root- 
 lets are produced from the sides of the rhizome. .The 
 fresh rhizome contains a large amount of yellow juice 
 and gives ofif a rank, nauseating odor. When dry the rhi- 
 
GINSENG AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 537 
 
 zome measures from 1 to 2 inches in length and from one- 
 eighths to one-third of an inch in diameter. It is crooked, 
 knotty, wrinkled, of a dull brown color outside, and breaks 
 with a clean, short, resinous fracture, showing a I'emon- 
 yellow color if the root is not old. If the dried root is kept 
 for a long time it will be a greenish yellow or brown inter- 
 nally, and becomes inferior in quality. On the upper sur- 
 face of the rhizome are several depressions, left 'by former 
 annual stems, which resemble the imprint of a seal; hence 
 the name goldenseal. The fibrous rootlets become very wiry 
 and (brittle in drying, breaking off readily and leaving only 
 small protuberances, so that the root as found in commerce 
 is sometimes almost bare. The dried rhizome also has a 
 peculiar, somewhat narcotic, disagreeable odor, but not so 
 pronounced as in the fresh material, an exceedingly bitter 
 taste, and a persistent acridity which causes an abundant 
 flow of saliva when the rhizome is chewed. The most im- 
 portant constituents of the rhizome are the three alkaloids 
 — hydrastin, berberin and canadin. It contains also starch, 
 albuminous matter, resin, sugar, fatty matter, and inorganic 
 salts. 
 
 Hydrastis acts chiefly upon the mucous membranes and 
 glandular system, and to some extent upon the nervous sys- 
 tem. It is a valuable drug in disordered conditions of- the 
 digestive organs and in catarrhal affections of any of the 
 mucous membranes when unaccompanied with acute inflam- 
 mation. In the various diseases of the mucous membranes 
 it is administered both internally and locally. Hydrastis im- 
 parts its properties to water, glycerin, or alcohol. 
 
 Collection and Preparation of the Root. 
 
 The root should 'be collected in autumn after the plants 
 have matured seed. Spring-dug root shrinks far more in 
 drying and always commands a lower price than the fall- 
 dug root. After the roots are removed from the earth they 
 should be carefully freed from soil and all foreign particles. 
 They should then be sorted, and small, undeveloped roots 
 and broken pieces may be laid aside for replanting. After 
 the roots have been cleaned and sorted they are ready to be 
 dried or cured. Great care and judgment are necessary in 
 drying the roots. It is absolutely necessary that they should 
 
538 GINSENG AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 
 
 be perfectly dry before packing and storing, as the presence 
 of moisture induces the development of molds and mildews, 
 and of course renders them worthless. The roots are dried 
 by exposure to the air, being spread out in thin layers on 
 drying frames or upon a large, clean, dry floor. They should 
 be turned several times during the day, repeating this day 
 after day until the roots are thoroughly dried. If dried out 
 of doors they should be placed under cover upon indication 
 of rain and at night so that they may not be injured by dew. 
 After the roots are thoroughly dried they may be packed as 
 tightly as possible in dry sacks or barrels, and they are then 
 ready for shipment. 
 
 VALUE OF PRESSED WILD DRY BARKS, 
 
 FLOWERS, HERBS, LEAVES 
 
 AND ROOTS. 
 
 Trappers as a rule acquire much that could be turned to 
 good account and add to their income considerably did they 
 but study and collect the valuable weed roots, herbs, leaves 
 and barks which can be found in the various woods and 
 forests in their respective locations. Men versed in such 
 woodcraft and knowledge of the values very frequently pay 
 the entire expenses of a season by judicious gathering of 
 such and I append herewith a list and give Jhe prices of 
 many which can be found growing wild, and add to it the 
 average prices paid which rise and fall according to the 
 market, just as do furs, hides and pelts. 
 
 (Prices quoted are for Herbs and Flowers in ounces; Roots 
 and Barks in pounds.) 
 
 Almrps^ root 
 
 $0 40 
 25 
 
 Althea flowers 
 
 Angelica leaves 
 
 55 
 
 Aconite leaves . ' 
 
 25 
 
 Aconite root 
 
 30 
 
 Angelica root 
 
 20 
 
 Adder's Tongue leaves 
 
 40 
 
 Angostura bark 
 
 50 
 
 Agrimony herb 
 
 30 
 
 Apple Tree bark 
 
 25 
 
 Alder bark, black 
 
 23 
 
 Arbor Vitae leaves. . . . 
 
 28 
 
 Alder bark, red or tag. 
 
 20 
 
 Arnica flowers 
 
 30 
 
 Alkanet root 
 
 18 
 
 Arnica root 
 
 30 
 
GINSENG AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 
 
 539 
 
 Ash bark, black 
 
 Ash bark, mountain.... 
 
 Ash bark, prickly 
 
 Ash bark, white 
 
 Asparagus root 
 
 Avens root, true 
 
 Balm, Lemon, herb.... 
 
 Balm, Sweet, herb 
 
 Balmony leaves 
 
 Barberry bark 
 
 Basswood bark 
 
 Bay leaves 
 
 Bayberry bark 
 
 Bayberry leaves 
 
 Bearsfoot root 
 
 Beech bark 
 
 Beech Drops, Cancer root 
 
 Beech leaves 
 
 Belladonna leaves 
 
 Belladonna root 
 
 Bellwort herb 
 
 Bellwort root 
 
 Benne leaves 
 
 Berberis Aquifolium root 
 
 Beth root 
 
 Birch bark 
 
 Bistort root 
 
 Bitter root 
 
 Bittersweet bark, Cclas- 
 triis, false 
 
 Bittersweet leaves, Dul- 
 camara 
 
 Bittersweet twigs. Dulca- 
 mara lbs. 
 
 Black Haw, bark of root. 
 
 Blackberry root 
 
 Blackberry root bark.... 
 
 Bladder Wrack, I's 
 
 Blazing Star root 
 
 Blessed Thistle leaves... 
 
 Blood root 
 
 20 Blue Flag root 25 
 
 24 Boneset herb 20 
 
 24 Boneset leaves 22 
 
 20 Borage leaves 38 
 
 30 Boxwood bark 18 
 
 35 Boxwood flowers 30 
 
 40 Broom Top, Scotch 25 
 
 35 Bryony root 30 
 
 25 Buchu leaves 45 
 
 30 Buckbean leaves 37 
 
 20 Buckbean root 35 
 
 20 Buckhorn Brake root 28 
 
 18 Buckthorn bark, Rham. 
 
 35 Frang 20 
 
 30 Bugle, Bitter, herb 30 
 
 28 Bugle, Sweet, herb 30 
 
 25 Burdock leaves 30 
 
 28 Burdock root 18 
 
 33 Butternut bark 16 
 
 30 Butternut leaves . 28 
 
 40 Calendula flowers, for- 
 
 45 eign 90 
 
 60 Canada Thistle root 40 
 
 25 Canella bark 40 
 
 30 Cannabis Indica 90 
 
 24 Cardinal, Blue, herb 34 
 
 34 Carpenter Square herb.. . 30 
 28 Carpenter Square root... 30 
 
 Cascarilla bark 25 
 
 30 Cascara Sagrada bark 20 
 
 Catnip herb 20 
 
 45 Catnip leaves 24 
 
 Celandine, garden, herb.. 34 
 
 25 Celandine, wild, herb 35 
 
 30 Centaury, American, herb 24 
 
 18 Centaury, European, herb 40 
 
 20 Chamomile flowers, Ger- 
 
 30 man 40 
 
 35 Chamomile flowers, Ro- 
 
 32 man 35 
 
 20 Cherry bark, wild 20 
 
540 
 
 GINSENCx AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 
 
 Chestnut bark 20 
 
 Chestnut leaves 24 
 
 Chickweed herb 34 
 
 Chickweed, Red 40 
 
 Chiretta, I's 34 
 
 Cicely, Sweet, root 45 
 
 Cicuta leaves 30 
 
 Cinchona, pale 35 
 
 Cinchona, red 35 
 
 Cinchona, Calisaya 35 
 
 Cinquefoil herb 34 
 
 Cinquefoil root 35 
 
 Clarry herb 55 
 
 Cleaver's herb 35 
 
 Clover heads, red 24 
 
 Clover heads, white 
 
 Clover, sweet 30 
 
 Coca leaves 50 
 
 Cohosh root, black 15 
 
 Cohosh root, blue 18 
 
 Cohosh root, red 35 
 
 Cohosh root, white 30 
 
 Colchicum root 30 
 
 Columbo root, American. 28 
 
 Columbo root, foreign... 18 
 
 Coltsfoot leaves 26 
 
 Coltsfoot root 34 
 
 Columbine herb 40 
 
 Comfrey root 25 
 
 Condurango bark 40 
 
 Conium leaves 30 
 
 Consumption Brake, herb 65 
 
 Coolwort herb 30 
 
 Cotton root bark 24 
 
 Cramp bark 24 
 
 Craneshill root 26 
 
 Crawley root 
 
 Culver's root 24 
 
 Daisy flowers 30 
 
 Damiana leaves 35 
 
 Dandelion root, true 25 
 
 Dandelion herb 30 
 
 Dittany herb 2s 
 
 Dog-grass 2 1 
 
 Dwarf Elder root 40 
 
 Elder bark 30 
 
 Elder flowers 26 
 
 Elecampane root IS 
 
 Eucalyptus Globulus 
 
 leaves 25 
 
 Evening Primrose herb. . 32 
 
 Eyebright herb 40 
 
 Fern, Male, root 30 
 
 Fern, Sweet, leaves 30 
 
 Feverbush ■ leaves 30 
 
 Feverfew herb 45 
 
 Fever root 35 
 
 Fireweed herb 25 
 
 Fit Plant herb, ^/^'s and 
 
 %'s 34 
 
 Five Finger herb 34 
 
 Five Finger root 34 
 
 Fleabane, Canada, herb.. 34 
 
 Foxglove leaves 36 
 
 Fringe Tree, bark of root 30 
 
 Frostwort herb 30 
 
 Galangal root 20 
 
 Gentian root, American. . 35 
 
 Gentian root, foreign.... 16 
 
 Gold Thread herb 
 
 Golden Rod herb 30 
 
 Golden Seal root 90 
 
 Gravel Plant herb 20 
 
 Grindelia Robusta 25 
 
 Grindelia Squarrosa .... 40 
 
 Gromwell herb 65 
 
 Ground Pine leaves 34 
 
 Guaiac Wood, I's 17 
 
 Hair Cap Moss 28 
 
 Hardback leaves 30 
 
 Heartsease herb 40 
 
 Hellebore root, American 24 
 
GINSENG AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 
 
 541 
 
 Hellebore, black 20 
 
 Hellebore, white 25 
 
 Hemlock bark 15 
 
 Hemlock leaves, Abies 
 
 Can 30 
 
 Henbane leaves 34 
 
 Hoarhound herb 22 
 
 Hoarhound leaves 23 
 
 Hollyhock flowers 30 
 
 Hops, 1901 crop, ounces. 35 
 
 Horsemint herb 30 
 
 Horse Radish root 26 
 
 Horse Radish leaves 30 
 
 Hound's Tongue leaf. ... 30 
 
 Hydrangea root 20 
 
 Hyssop herb 30 
 
 Indian Hemp, black, root 40 
 
 Indian Hemp, white, root 30 
 
 Indian Physic root 25 
 
 Indian Turnip root 30 
 
 Indigo, wild, root 20 
 
 Ivy, American, bark of 
 
 root 25 
 
 Ivy, ground, herb 25 
 
 Jaborandi leaves, Yz's and 
 
 54'S 34 
 
 Jacob's Ladder herb 30 
 
 Jamaica Dogwood bark. . 30 
 
 Jersey Tea, bark of root. 30 
 
 Johnswort herb 30 
 
 Kidneywort 34 
 
 Labrador Tea herb 50 
 
 Lady Slipper root 45 
 
 Larkspur herb 
 
 Laurel leaves 28 
 
 Lavender Flors 28 
 
 Lettuce, wild and garden 30 
 Life Everlasting (Swt. 
 
 Bals.) herb 25 
 
 Life Root herlb 30 
 
 Linden flowers 50 
 
 Linden flowers w i t h 
 
 leaves 40 
 
 Liverwort leaves 30 
 
 Lobelia herb 28 
 
 Lobelia leaves 40 
 
 Lovage leaves 45 
 
 Lovage root 28 
 
 Lung Moss 30 
 
 Lungwort leaves 34 
 
 Magnolia bark 35 
 
 Maiden Hair herb.... 25 
 
 Mallow, Low, herb.... 34 
 
 Mandrake root 15 
 
 Man in the Ground 
 
 root 30 
 
 Marigold flolwers (do- 
 mestic) 'J'O 
 
 Marjoram, German.,.. 36 
 
 Marshmallow leaves... 30 
 
 Marshmallow root 34 
 
 Marsh Rosemary root. 40 
 
 Masterwort leaves 30 
 
 Masterwort root 40 
 
 Matico leaves 40 
 
 iMay Weed herb 35 
 
 Meadow Fern leaves.. 34 
 Mellilot (see Clover, 
 
 Sweet) 30 
 
 Mezereon bark 30 
 
 Milkweed root 30 
 
 Mistletoe, I's 30 
 
 Moosewood bark 30 
 
 Motherwort herb 30 
 
 Mountain Mint herb.. 45 
 
 Mugwort leaves 34 
 
 Mullein leaves 20 
 
 Nervine (see Lady 
 
 Slipper) 45 
 
 Nettle Flor's 1 75 
 
 Nettle leaves 30 
 
 Nettle root 24 
 
542 
 
 GINSENG AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 
 
 Oak bark, black 20 
 
 Oak bark, red 20 
 
 Oak bark, white 20 
 
 Oak, Jerusalem, leaf... 33 
 
 Osier bark, green 30 
 
 Osier bark, red 30 
 
 Pasony root 46 
 
 Pansy herb 42 
 
 Pareira Brava, root.... 34 
 
 Parilla, Yellow, root.. 30 
 
 Parsley leaves 40 
 
 Parsley root 40 
 
 Peach bark 30 
 
 Peach leaves 30 
 
 Pellitory root 40 
 
 Pennyroyal leaf 20 
 
 Peppermint herb - 24 
 
 Persimmon bark 30 
 
 Pimpinella root 45 
 
 Pine bark, white 20 
 
 Pink root 40 
 
 Pitcher Plant root 35 
 
 Pitcher Plant leaves... 30 
 
 Plantain leaves 30 
 
 Pleurisy root 30 
 
 Poison Oak leaves.... 40 
 
 Poke root 15 
 
 Polypody root 34 
 
 Pomegranate, bark of 
 
 root 35 
 
 Pond Lily root, white.. 33 
 
 Pond Lily root, j'ellow. . 30 
 
 Poplar bark, white.... 15 
 
 Poplar bark, yellow... 18 
 
 Poppy flowers, red.... 65 
 
 Poppy leaves 34 
 
 Prairie Pine Weed 
 
 root 40 
 
 Princes' Pine, leaf 30 
 
 Privet leaves 45 
 
 Pulsatilla herb 40 
 
 Quaking Asp 25 
 
 Quebracho bark 35 
 
 Queen of M ea d o w 
 
 herb 20 
 
 Queen of M ea d o w 
 
 root 20 
 
 Ragweed herb 30 
 
 Raspberry leaves 25 
 
 Rhatany root 32 
 
 Rosemary flowers 40 
 
 Rosemary leaves 25 
 
 Rose Petals, damask.. 1. 50 
 
 Rose Petals, pale 45 
 
 Wahoo, bark of root.. 38 
 
 Rose Willow bark 30 
 
 Rosinweed root 25 
 
 Rue, herb 34 
 
 Saffron, American 35 
 
 Sage, domestic, ozs... 35 
 Sage, domestic, J^'s and 
 
 %'s 30 
 
 Sage, Ital., leaf, ozs... 18 
 Sage, Ital., ^'s and ^'s 
 
 Sage, Mountain 30 
 
 Sanicle root, black.... 70 
 Sanicle root, white.... 32 
 Sarsaparilla root, Amer- 
 ican 25 
 
 Sarsaparilla rdot, Hon- 
 duras 55 
 
 Sarsaparilla root, ]\Iex.i- 
 
 can 28 
 
 Sassafras bark 20 
 
 Savine leaves 28 
 
 Scouring Rush 30 
 
 Scullcap leaves 45 
 
 Seneka root 90 
 
 Senna, Amer., leaves.. 50 
 
 Senna, Alexandria 34 
 
 Senna, Tinnevella 28 
 
 Sheep Laurel 35 
 
GINSENC -AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 
 
 543 
 
 Sheep Sorrel, herb.... 35 
 
 Silkweed root 30 
 
 Simaruba -bark 34 
 
 Skunk Calbbage root... 28 
 
 Smartweet herb 24 
 
 Snake root, Button.... 34 
 
 Snake root, Canada.... 40 
 
 Snake root, Sampson..' 30 
 
 Snake root, Virginia... 70 
 
 Soap Tjree bark 16 
 
 Soapwort herb 35 
 
 Soapwort root 34 
 
 Solomon's Seal root... 30 
 
 Southernwood herb.... 45 
 
 Spearmint herb 30 
 
 Speedwell herb 30 
 
 Spikenard root 24 
 
 Squaw Vine leaves.... 25 
 
 Stillingia root 25 
 
 Stone root 22 
 
 Stramonium leaves.... 24 
 
 Strawberry leaves 30 
 
 Sumach bark 20 
 
 Sumach leaves 30 
 
 Summer Savory, leaf.. 30 
 
 Sweet Basil herb 60 
 
 Sweet Flag root 20 
 
 Sweet Gum bark 35 
 
 Tamarac bark 24 
 
 Tansy herb 25 
 
 Thimbleweed herb .... 40 
 
 Thyme, leaf 26 
 
 Tormentilla root 32 
 
 Trailing Arbutus (see 
 
 Gravel Plant) 20 
 
 Turkey Pea root 28 
 
 Twin Leaf root 18 
 
 Unicorn root, Alctris ... 40 
 Unicorn root, false Hclo- 
 
 nias 48 
 
 Uva Ursi 22 
 
 Valerian root, German, 26 
 
 Valerian root, Vermont 25 
 
 Valerian root, English. 35 
 
 Vervain herb 24 
 
 Vervain root 34 
 
 Violet flowers 80 
 
 Wafer Ash, bark of root 30 
 
 Wahoo, bark of tree... 26 
 
 Wall Pellitory henb 60 
 
 Walnut bark 18 
 
 Walnut leaves . . . , 30 
 
 Watercup plant 35 
 
 Water Pepper herb .... 24 
 
 Wickup herb 35 
 
 Wild Carrot herb 35 
 
 Wild Yam root 20 
 
 Willow bark, black 18 
 
 Willow bark, white.... 25 
 
 Wintergreen leaves.... 24 
 
 Winter's bark 75 
 
 Witch Hazel bark 22 
 
 Witch Hazel leaves.... 24 
 
 Wood Betony, leaf.,.. 40 
 
 Wood Sanicle, herb.... 50 
 
 Wormwood herb '30 
 
 Yarrow herb 28 
 
 Yarrow flowers 35 
 
 Yeliow Dock root 18 
 
 Yellow Jessamine root. 18 
 
 Yerba Santa 26 
 
 Zedoary root 26 
 
Retail Price of This Book is 
 $l./0 prepaid 
 
 TRADE SUPPLIED 
 
 Copies of this book no\v in its 
 
 First Edition 
 
 can be obtained from 
 
 McMains & Meyer 
 
 PUBLISHERS 
 
 MILWAUKEE, WIS. 
 
 544 
 
 3477 4