e ice at which they
come up to devour their prey. Where the water is a foot deep beneath
any of these holes the trap may be set in the bottom, the chain
being secured to a heavy stone. When the otter endeavors to emerge
from the hole he will press his foot on the trap and will thus
be caught. If the water is deep beneath the hole the trap may be
baited with a small fish attached to the pan, and then carefully
lowered with its chain and stone to the bottom. For this purpose
the Newhouse, No. 3, is best adapted, as the otter is in this case
caught by the head.

The beaten track of the animal may often be discovered in the snow
in the winter time, and a trap carefully sunk in such a furrow
and covered so as to resemble its surroundings, will be likely
to secure the first otter that endeavors to pass over it. A trap
set at the mouth of the otter's burrow and carefully covered
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is also often successful, using the sliding pole, page 145, to lead
him into deep water.

Every trapper has his pet theories and methods of trapping all
the different animals, and the otter has its full share. We have
given several of the _best_ methods; and anyone of them will secure
the desired result of capture, and all of them have stood the test
of time and experience.

The skin of the otter should be removed whole, and the operation
may be performed in the following manner: Slit down the hind legs
to the vent; cut the skin loose around the vent, and slit up the
entire length of the tail, freeing it from the bone. With the aid
of the knife the skin should now be peeled off, drawing it backward
and carefully cutting around the mouth and eyes before taking it
from the head.

With the fur thus inside, the skin is ready for the stretcher as
described on page 273, and the tail should be spread out and tacked
around the edges.

THE MINK.

This animal, as will be seen by our illustration, has a long, slender
body, something like the weasel, to which scientific family it
belongs. It inhabits the greater part of North America, and is also
found abundantly in Northern Europe. The color of its fur varies
considerably in different individuals, the general tint being a rich,
dark brown. The chin and throat are light colored, sometimes white,
and this spot varies considerably in size in different individuals,
sometimes extending down on the throat to a considerable distance.
The total length of the animal is from thirteen to sixteen inch