The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-05-11
HUNTING THE POLECAT.
Popular Sport Among the Boys of Con
necticut,

necticut,
From the 18th of November till the
| LIST of March a good many of the dwell
ers in the rural districts of Connecticut
and especially in the Connecticut river
valley, find profitable employment in
trapping polecats.
The occupation is not pleasant one
for a person whose sense of smell is
toned up to the point of fastidiousness,
but it pays far better than farming or
any other vocation that offers itself to
the back-country dweller.
The trapper, about the middle of No
vember, sets stone traps and bats them
with pieces of fresh meat. A chicken 5
wing, the hind quarter" of a musk
-at, or piece of fresh rabbit, is con-
sidered fetching bait. The trap is a
heavy fiat stone, supported by notched
sticks that are held in place by a
spindle, upon the end of which the bait
Is placed. In attempting to take the
meat from the spindle the trap is
tripped and the stone falls on the ami
NAL.
The most favorite localities for set
ting these traps are under the walls
around pasture lots and near lodges
and old cellars or chimney stacks
Steel traps are sometimes used. They
are placed in burrows; but it is neces-
sary to carefully conceal them, or the
animal will dig around the trap and es-
cape.
When deep snow covers the ground
the skunk remains in its burrow and
the trappers are obliged to wait until
the ground is bare again before hunt
ing the animal.
When the polecat is stirring, his
favorite stamping ground is easily
found, for the soil will be turned up as
if by pigs. The animal roots in the
ground for worms and roots of grass
and certain shrubs. He is also fond OF
eggs and chickens, and he makes bad
work for the farmer when he manages
to get into his chicken house. He
seems to hold the flesh of the fowl in
a lower estimation than its blood
When a skunk finds himself in a we'll
filed chicken house he proceeds to kill
the fowls, and as he does so he drinks
their blood, sometimes so gorging him.
self as to be unable to get away, and
he falls into the hands of the person
whose property he has destroyed.
In the fall skunk hunting is quite a
popular sport among the men and boys
of the back-country. The hunt usually
takes place on the young o. the
moon" The participants clothe them
selves in raiment for which they care
but little, and, armed with a stout club
or pole, from eight to twelve feet long,
they take to the field about 9 O'Clock
in the evening.
The polecat has an uncanny prefer
ence for cemeteries, and, if moving at
all, he will be found burrowing around
graveyard oftener than anywhere
else. If there is a cemetery within a
reasonable distance, the hunter makes
it his objective point.
When the game is sighted, the
hunter, moving as stealthily as posi-
Bile, advances upon it, and if he man
ages to get within striking distance OF
it without having been noticed, he
stamps on the ground. The animal, on
hearing the sound, Immediately faces
the enemy. There is a quick blow of
the club, carefully aimed, and the pole
cats days are ended. 1t sometimes hap
pens that the aim of the hunter is faulty
and the animal is not seriously hurt
| Then it is that the man takes to his
heels and beats an inglorious retreat.
From the fatty substance taken from
the animal the country people try an
oil, which they believe possesses won
derful medicinal properties, and it is
freely used by them in severe cases OF
Group, Inflammation of the lungs and
rheumatic affections.
The true value of the animal lies in
its pelt, which finds a ready market
The pelts are graded in three classified
tions, viz: Stripe, half stripe and black
In the ajority of skunk pelts there is
| a white stripe running from the head
| to the tail These are classed as striped
skins. When the white stripe extends
only half way along the back it is a
half stripe" skin. A black pelt has
but very little white in it, and it brings
a much higher price than either of the
other classifcations.
Within the past few years skunk
skins have made wonderful increase
in value. Formerly the hides went
slowly at ten cents apiece; but the de-
mand has grown for them, and a stripe
and half stripe pelt now brings the
trapper from eighty cents to one dollar
and black skin goes at one dollar and
half.
The skins are used extensively in the
manufacture of fur garments. The
monkey skin capes and muffs that were
SO popular year ago were largely
made of black skunk skins. Large
numbers of them are annually exported
to Europe, where they are manufact,
ured into caps and other articles OF
wearing pparel.-Thomas Holmes, in
Scientific American.
A shopping Exploit.
"Do you think it will fade?" she
asked anxiously, as she chewed a
mouthful of the goods.