The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-12-24
Nature Study.
AN1MA1s-PREPARAr1OH FOR WINTER

Correspondence OF The Progressive Farmer.
1t always adds to the zest of a
walk at any season to have some
particular quest in view. A wild
flower, a bird or a stone perhaps.
Now when the woods are compare
lively Q and few objects Of life
are In the open, q closer look into
the winter habits Of SOM of our
animal friends is sure to have it's re-
ward.
ConspicuOusly absent are our bird
friends; yet many birds stay with US
during the enIire winter. A few
observa6tons on their lite and hahi s
may have intere st. Are the birds
that migrate superior in intelligence
TO those that remain? Are they
winter residents? Have they been
here or have they come from ANOTHER
locality? What is their food? How
do they fnd p]roteotlon from the
storms? Where do they stay at
night? Is their winter garb different
from that of summer? Are they
mated, in focks, or solitary?
Not less~ interesting will be a search
for insect life. Now is the time TO
lay in u stock of COCOON looking to
those beautiful )ths of neat June
For weeks they have b9en most
tfrctually hidden by the foliage /;
but nov the thickets are full of
them in PLAIN sight. The twigs of
most thickets are now quite bare
with only what might appear u
strong determined Leaf or cluster
here and there. Sometimes this
cluster will have a suspicious look
and a closer examination discloses
that they are but the artful disguise
IF II living secret within. Securely
attached to the twig hidden by the
d lusive cluster may be found the
cocoon of one of our commonest and
most beautiful moths, AItdcUS CecrO-
ptG
There is much besides the cocoons
TO tempt our search among the tAigs
of the wood, a great variety of inter
esting gals are now 30 be found.
There is the bulby stemmed golden.
rod and it will be well to gather d
few Of them t. keep until the spring
when the WINGED tenant may be seen
as he emerges from his resting place
thrOu b n tiny hole which may be
seen beneath the bark even now If
your eyes are sharp enough to find
1t One very noticeable distortion
of the birch tHigs where tn branches
all run together Ike bro ms may
now be seen. These clusters in early
times were known "a "witohes'
brOoms" and many wierd stories are
told of them. The witch" has long
since baen discovered in the tiny
mite that dwells in the branches
year after year and causes the NAL
formation of the wigs.
After the search through the
branches has been rewarded, a look
under the stones, boards and leaves
for winter homes of other inse ia
and creeping things will have in
terest. Are their nests lined in anv
way IA IA protection against the GOLD?
1t might be interesting to carry
some of these inhabited nests into a
warm 70 IN. Do thev then show
any signs of life? A search for earth
worm burrows in the same way will
d sclose some interesting things in
their nature and habits.
All animals that pass the winter
in "a dormAnt state are said t. hiber-
nate A most interesting and edu
9 tive experiment. along this line and
one which will have great interest
fer the ,hiliren vii be to car y Il
common mud turtle into the hOuse
Place him in a box of wet sand,
cover loosely with II lid, keep the
-and moist. Note the time he dis
appears. He will probably not be
~een again for m pnths,
Along the banks of streams buried
in the mu may b9 found crAwi+h,
frogs and fish. In what condition do
these amin Ia spend the winter?
Compare the life of a ~hibernating
animal with shat of a migrating one