Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-09
TELL-TALE PRINTS
Following Footmarks Across
the Snow.
FROM BIRDS TO DOGS
CROSS COUNTRY STILL HUNTS
FOR FOOD.
Big Animals Chasing Little Ones,
With the Usual Re-
suits.

| Written for The Evening Star.
| One morning last week there lay upon
the ground some three and half inches of
| newly fallen snow, and went out early to
see what my wild neighbors had been doing
| during the night. The first record I saw
| had been made by some crows, which had
been walking about in my neighbours barn
yard. Each footprint looked like the track
| of some pigmy snow-shoer, for the snow
was too soft and too deep to show the indi-
vidual toe marks. And I could see where
each bird had stood at the moment he flew
| away, for the imprints Of his primary
| feathers showed where he had struck the
| snow with his wings at the first downward
| stroke. In the next field there was
| brook and from large hole near the bank
I two muSkratS had wandered to a group of
| apple trees, though I could not discover
| that they had found anything to eat. The
| tracks Of the rats were not well defined,
| they did not show the well-known, bi-Sym-
metrical trail, the footprints on either side
separated by sharp line made by the tall
The little animals had ploughed through
the snow, leaving deep. irregular burrows
in the form of loops the ends of which ran
into the burrow near the bank. In a few
places the muskrats had ploughed through
without disturbing the surface, and at
these points small tunnels had been made,
and added interest to the appearance OF
the trail.
At Trot.
Not far away the Ice bound brook Joined
an ice-bound lake, and to this I came.
Across the great field Of snow which
stretched before me there was just one
trail-that Of some large dog-which ex-
tended in a regular zig-zag as far as the
eye could follow 1t. The footprints were seen
alternately right and left of an imaginary
median line. This arrangement showed
that the animal had not been bounding
along. and as the footmarks were too far
apart to have been made at walk, the
dog which made them must have been
travelling at trot. A quarter of a mile
further on the tracks were nearer together,
showing where he had slowed down to
walk that he might better examine and
sniff at old boat which had been frozen
in the ice. Then walked toward the shore,
with the intention of entering the woods
which skirted the lake on the west Close
| to the bank however, came upon the trail
of mink, so I followed that. It did not
show the individual footprints which may
be seen after mink has walked on light
snow, nor was 1t gutter, such as this
animal makes when struggling on it's short
legs through very deep snow. 1t consisted
of a succession of neat, Squarsh holes, oc-
curing at regular intervals, and had been
made by the mink while leaping along with
arched back, its hind feet coming down
close to its front ones, all four feet having
had share in the making of each hole.
A Leisurely Move.
The trail followed the shore closely for
perhaps a quarter of q mile, deviating here
and there, where the animal had stopped
to sniff at mouse burrow in the bank,
and then 1t struck across the lake, in a
slightly wavy line. It led me up the OPP
posite bank, through a narrow strip of
woodland, across a country road to another
lake. where again 1t followed the shore.
Then 1t turned into the woods again, show
ing the individual footprints where the 1.-THE
al lIrn hcd bod
bushes because 1t was impossible to proceed
at the leaping gait. Suddenly it ran into
another trail of a very different character.
The latter had been made by a rabbit, and
the depressions in the snow were in groups
of three, one small one behind, made by the
fore paws coming down close together, and
two large ones, one on either side, in front,
made by the hind feet, which are thrown
outside and beyond the front feet when a
rabbit Is going at any speed. Thereafter
the two trails took the same direction, and
often one of them covered the other. Over
the rocks and between the trees they ran
toward pile Of brush which had been left
by the lumbermen. And here the rabbit
tracks ended. and beyond the brush pile
for leap or two. the tracks of the mink
were bloody. The spaces between them
were shorter, too, for here the animal had
been travelling on full stomach.
Red Squirrel Prints.
On my way home saw the tracks of a
red squirrel. which were similar to the rab-
bits, but smaller, extending from tree to
tree In straight lines, forming a manner
of geometric figures upon the ground. Here
and there there was break In the line
showing where the squirrel had stopped to
scratch for nuts hidden away in the fall,
and in one place a sprinking of dark par
ticles on the snow indicated the branch on
which the little nutcracker had eaten his
breakfast.
Between two tiny holes, one under q stona
wall and the other beneath the roots of a
tree, ran two distinct trails, showing where,
for some purpose, white-footed mouse
had gone and returned. These trails were
fac-similes of those of the red squirrel ex-
cepting that the mouse, being so light. had
not sunk deep enough to obliterate the deli
cate outlines of it's toes. Yes, there was an
other difference, too, for here and there
along the trails between the footprints
there was fine line. as though made with
a pencil point, where the tail of the mouse
had occasionally touched the snow
Pussy Was Fooled.
And nearer home saw the tracks of tree
sparrows amongst the weed stalks in a
meadow, and the round holes made by a cat
which had been stalking the BIRDS But they
had escaped unframed for pussy's tracks
never reached theirs; doubtless they had
flown away. leaving her to pick her way
home in disappointment
ERNEST HAROLD BAYNES.