New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-17

Ernest Thompson Seton told the children all
about the tracks left by the little folk of field and
forest the other day at the Brooklyn Institute Mr.
Seton keeps smooth patch of mud or snow near
his country home and in the morning he goes out
there and sees who has been along during the
night. Sometimes he does not know the tracks
and then he stays about and watches to see IL the
same visitor will not return second time. Mr.
Seton showed these little tracks the screen-sL
manner OF foot tracks OF birds and beasts photo
graphed in the soft mud or loose snow.
Il suppose" said Mr. Seton, there is scarcely
boy or girl in the United States who is not inter
ested less in nature study; in the birds
beasts and flowers that still left in many parts
of our country. although they have grown much
scarcer even in the last ten years
'One OF the fascinating and necessary ways
OF studying animals is to know their tracks. This
is so necessary for birds, because birds n.y.
and. therefore. they not afraid to show them
selves to by day. But the Quadrupeds have
learned we'll that men have guns that they never
let themselves be by day. So that IN many
cases the only way study them is by
examining the tracks they leave by night.
''One day was walking Goat Island above
Niagara Falls with my brother. And he said: I
never any of these things you talking about
seeing in the woods. 1 don't know where you find
them
Don't your said I. Look at your feet
He looked down. and this is what he saw"
Mr.. Seton threw upon the a picture of
tracks: the two front little round dots. the
hind broader like little paddles: the tracks
OF cottontan rabbit. Mr.. Cottontails footprints
across the until they Joined other tracks.
showing the print of little tail trailing along be-
tween the hind feet. These the tracks OF a
sly little mink, following the cottontail The mink
tracks followed the rabbit tracks. and Mr.. Seton
and his brother followed both. until they finally
traced them 10 a great pile OF logs and rubbish.
They searched round and round this heap of rub
bish. but not single footprint led away from It.
Now" said Mr.. Seton TO his brother. do you
know what that means? 1t means forest tragedy.
If you will remove this brush heap you will find
remains of a cottontai rabbit. partly devoured. In
another you will find a mink sleeping off the eff
fects OF a very hearty dinner"
The boy or girl who studies this little account
see how Mr. Seton gets the material TO make his
stories Of animal life.
A new set Of tracks thrown the screen,
very different from the others; large and broad.
'It is very hard" said Mr.. Seton, TO tell dog
tracks from wolf tracks"
Part Of these dog tracks and part are wolf
tracks Can you tell which which,"
All the children looked. but could see any
difference.
IF you examine these tracks very closely, con-
tnued Mr. Seton you will that a very ex-
perienced man could detect difference between
them Here is a spot where the dogs and the
wolves have both been. and tracked up the dust
This is an old buffalo skeleton. Every dog and
every wolf that came by bound TO go up and
smell Of that. But now. the difference One
line OF tracks walks straight UP to the bone heap
The other circles round and round stopping two or
three times before It goes up to the bones Now,
which are which. do you Think"