The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-11-09
B
YEA Frs.

Y La 4 y Y 4 l q, ~
y Rirds and Beasts Prepare
;;iEssir inter Clothes and Bed
lii, Field Stories.
his ine of the year the birds
a beasts OF the woodlands are lay
S8Sina IN their Winter colthes and beds
ssgtII1i Not merely The extra thlc!;
sssIifts of fur orr feathers that grows on
Then Il al ,irall in autumn, but ali
of arti fcfal rugs and blankets
thai make themselves F'ield
sssSnaies wlicf swarm every meadow,
aTesY busy now gathering in sheets
"A and ssrug that viii keep out the colo
q ana Hing their my underground
n houses M tn all sorts of luxurious
badaing. says the ST.. Louis Globe
Dsmocrar. ''
EThey dig out an underground SIT
tin room at tn end OF one OF their
i5arroWs and line it, to begin WIFI
til fine, dry grass, smelling sweet
%ofsnewS hay. This is healthy tou.'
a4ion; and next they pad it with
#soft dead leaves, beech or lilac 10:
Ea$sohcice especially The latter, when they
IN can find any. "a little raised bunch
S5of moss here and there is also point
S4nS the field mouse household, though
they do not care to be bothered with
FL summer. But anything to keep
ont Of the cold.
Next they search in the neighbor-
" hoodkfor feather or two, II such
Things are to be had. 1ney will not
s8aIioW4 wool in the blankets, or any
animal covering, but are great on the
white fluff of the cotton grass, WhicH
makes a most luxurious mattress
They VIII hunt the meadows a long
way round, at the risk of hawks and
otter enemies, to find a crop Of this
s8treasUre, even travelling over half
mile which equals a 50-mile journey
Tor man
Cottons grass does not grow every
where. however and they often nave
no withoutSit and make their mat
fress and blankets of fine hay. Whom
sstfis is done, "a field mouse's winter
sparIor, with the store cupboard rounc
s#t corner IS as coy place as one
B#co1Iid7aEVa an go
eas1ess are great sticklers for com
Hort though they go out in winter
more han the field mice. They line
theirSwinte parlors with thistle and
sdespise feathers. But they like wool
Il andSd n ct turn mp their nose at an
ssiIna1 furs as do the mice-thouSh
sfney haven SO much nose to turn
q HI . sTh ey som etimes lay down
Sort Of mattress of thistle, collected
tn great pains, upon the hay, and u
makes avery soft, springy bed. Then
ssthey search the low-srowinS DramblcS
ssfor bits of wool, which have stuck .
the tIlorns from the feeces of passing
Isheep; take the bits home. They
s thread them out, and make them as
ssli ghtsand soft as possible, then work
CAREFUL into the texture Of th@:
III n fha5 and hair, and make UP an eA-
tremely snug bed.
takes a lot of weather to tur2:
the weasel out of his couch, and 1t
Ms sone place where he can sleep
%soundly. He never brings anything
None to eat, but sucks the blood of
Mis- victims when ne kills them and
en- goes home and turns in.
Vater rats are famous blanket
makers. They fill their bedrooms in
autumn with sheets of the gray veSe-
table down that grows on various
d plants in the marshes and by the
blanks of the streams. The bed and
s8$$snlattress of Mrs. Rat is generally
ss5mades ofSdry rushes, which form
pita1 couch, if you know how to ar
range them. The big, fat water rats
hat live$in fenny districts have very
* good way of making a bed from the
reed heads that have been dried and
ripened by the autumn sun The
breeds are very high, but the water
IN "a ts gnaw them through the stem
~ and then nip the heads off and carry
$ them home. where they furnish the
with them. These, with
some sheets Of the dry flags, compose
astne warmests couch possible, and it
II takesSa great deal to make water rat
cold when well wrapped in the
S$blankets:
IN But the oldest of all autumn clothes
makers are the winter gnats. who
come in little parties even in the cold