Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1906-03-07
THE WINTER WOODS
OBSERVATIONS MADE IN PER
Feet SNoW-SHoE WEATHER.
SUN Bright and Snow Firm-First
Creature Discovered Snow Shoe
Hare-Trail of White-Footed
Mice-A Deer Trail.

Inc thermometer SuOOQ at ten below,
as, kneeling, l frightened the last strap
of my snOwshoes, pulled on my nit
tens, and started for 9 tramp through
the woods. At each breath drawn
through the nostrils, the sharp air bit
like ammonia fumes. Absolutely pure,
too, it was. for the ground was hidden
under two feet of spotless, unbroken
snow. The sun had just risen, there
was no wind, and the snow was firm
but not glassy-the snow-shoeing was
perfect.
AS | entered the woodland, some
thing moved in the underground;
heard it, for the movement was close
to me, but l could not see a living
thing. Quietly, l stood there, watch
ing, and presently 1 saw bright, dark
eye, something larger than a shoe but
ton, watching me closely from beneath
the lower branches of a white pine.
At first l could not see the owner Of
that eye, but by and by | made out a
wobbly nose, and some dark lines
which proved to be the outlines of 4
pair of ears. Then 1 saw that it was
a snowshoe hare in his white winter
coat, which rendered him practically
Invisible on a winter day like this.
moved quietly toward him, and then
he jumped and went away in a series
OF wonderful leaps, and was soon
lost to view among the trees. But his
shallow trail remained, sharply out
lined on the hard surface of the snow.
The mark of each of his four feet was
distinct and separate and together
they formed perfect letter "Y" The
imprints of the two small fore feet, one
directly in front of the other, made the
stem of the letter, and something in
advance of these, the much larger
marks left by the hind feet, the toes
pointing outward, made the branches
of the 'Y."
Not caring to follow the trail of the
hare, l kept on my way, and before
long l came to level space quite clear
OF trees and somewhat higher than the
ground about it. When l was quite
near it, a small, dark, mouse-like crea-
ture hurried across this open space,
and was followed Immediately by an
other. Evidently they were shrews,
and as they disappeared at once, was
naturally curious to see what they had
been doing and where they had gone
to. The first thing to do, of course,
was to find their footprints; but alas!
this first thing was just what couldn't
do. The snow was so firm that the
delicate feet of the tiny creatures had
do
to my eyes, whatever a microscope
might have revealed.
The trails of white-footed mice were
visible everywhere l went, but even
these were much less conspicuous than
they would have been in softer snow.
A few minutes later l crossed an
other trail of quite different charac-
ter. 1t consisted of two parallel lines
of holes. Each hole was dumb bell
shaped; man might make such
hole by plunging his cienched fist into
the snow twice, making two round i'm
pressions, one directly in front of the
other, and then connecting these by
drawing a walking stick through the
snow between. Plainly enough this
fOrefOOt had made two holes - one
where it went into the snow and the
other where it came out; between was
a line made by the slender leg as it
moved forward before it was with
drawn.
Taking up the trail of the deer. I
soon reached belt of young spruces
OH WI hn
| was walking as quietly as possible,
and as parted the branches with nv
hands, two mice darted almost from
under my snow-shoes, and leaped awav
at high speed across the snow. Both
made straight for a particular white
pine growing not far away, and ran
nimbly up the trunk of it. Then 7 lost
sight of one while watching the other
which ran out onto branch. twined
his long silky tail spirally round a
twig, and sat peering at me from bo
hind a bunch of pine needles. All this
was more or less of an old story. what
/ wanted to know was what mischief
they were up to when I almost stepped
on them. l stopped down. and. part-
VOvlnO
spruce, found close to the toe of INV
snow-shoe, the antler of a white-tailed
deer. 1t had five points, some of
which were partly buried in the snow
1t had probably belonged to the animal
/ was trailing, and having become
ready to drop, it had doubtless done
so at the touch of the spruce boughs.
On the "beam'' fhara xx,oro i, g.
allel cuts, evidently made by the teeth
of mice; the little rascals had begun
to eat it, though it could not have
been on the snow more than a few
hours. And yet, how often are we
asked: eff it is true that deer shed
their antlers every year, why don't we
find the antlers that are shed?"
Love and Eyes.
"Oh, I'm just in love with football.