Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1912-03-06

twenty-four hours.
Across the snow-covered field at the
edge of the woods you trail the fa-
miltar&t tracks OF the little cottontail
rabbit. BY their. side, and occasional
~ Joining and obliterating them, are
( the accusing footprints Of that mis-
schievous pointer pup, who should
have been tied up in the barn. About
q small clump Of sWaying Weed-stalks
/ are the four-barred prints Of such
hardy birds as juncos. red-polls, and
I the larger blue-jays and crows. a pow
derry mass Of loosened snow comes
Sitting down from the topmost Dough
$of an evergreen at the forest edge as
9 large snowy owl flies noiseless1y
back into the silent woods Driven:
from his summer hunting grounds at
I the far: north, by the Icy hand Of win.
ter. he VIII levy toll from squirrels.
grouse and rabbits, before taking his
departure for more congenial climes
\ Ct the coming Of spring. His hunting
B 10 methodical and sconst ant. With set.
silent, wings, he awoops suddenly down
upon his victim like 81 some great
white specter OF the forest. Little
round pellets Of hair. II feathers and
bones found on the snow beneath his
favorite perch, indicate the fate Of his
unfortunate prey. Fierce. rapacious
and Unsuitable; he flies over the fields
and through the forest, ever ready To-
sfall like meteor on some unsuspect-
Ing bird or mammal. y; Unlike most of
{ his kind, this bold assassin from the
arctic does not confne; his hunting ex-3
cursions to the night time alone. but
hies abroad during certain hours OF
the dayias well Il thereby proving even
more destructive and dangerous than
\ his ally in crime, the northern Cos
hawk. B. sG.$ IS Il IA q
Over the whitened aisles OF the for
est wind the \ beautiful, delicately
traced trails OF the little wood-mices
%Nibbling daintily at dried grass and l
larger weed stalks, they wander
about during the coolest weather.
When the thermometer stands far be-
low zero and starvation often threat
ems them. these little mice, when IN \
{ the vicinity Of farms. make their way
to the granaries and barns In search
OF food. When wandering about the
woods, they often come upon, the
shed antlers fSa deer or moose they
I at once start to nibble and gnaw lat
the hard substance, until they finally
entirely destroy It. IN many instances
their winding trails disappear beneath;
the snow, to reappear some little dis
lance further. on, emerging ifromsa tiny
tunnel which they have dug ID search
Bof hidden seeds. 355 81
AT the base OF some forest tree Is
recorded the jump Of the gray SOUR
rel. In long undulating bounds. he;
makes his way over the snow. Often
times he pokes his nose beneath the
surface and pushes and roots in search
of acorns or nuts, which he knows are
somewhere beneath that cold white
covering. Some blue-5ays scream, and.
unwilling to betray his storehouse, he
runs quickly to a nearby trunk and ass
cends to the first limbs, where he sits
vociferously scolding the noisy intru-
/ ders. lSs}3; II d. ID X
Beneath the snow-laden branches Of
THE balsams. the round cat-ltke Inn
prints Of the lynx show forth. Bold
and prominent, they form an easily
followed trail through the woods. The
shalf-buried top OF a fallen tree. q
cavity left by the roots OF an upturned i
stump, a thick,grown mass Of rhodo-
demons, v have all been carefully ex-
amined by this soft-footed prowler in 4
his relentless search for food. Slight
Nv further on, his trail joins that OF the
varying hare, or white rabbit" and
his tread becomes measured and care
5ful, as he creeps forward on the hot
scent OF his intended victim. About
the edge of a dismal swamp the dis
sturbed snow shows where, coming on
the unwary hare, he has made his leap
and secured his prize. The line by
the side Of his trail marks the drag
OF his prey on, the snow as he has car
ried 1t to the top of an open knoll
Here are displayed all the evidences
OF his savage feast. Having satisfied
his hunger he has circled about and
several times walked to the point Of
his commanding elevation One can
almost t hear his weird, piercing
scream, uttered in bold defiance from
his prominence. Evidently satisfied
that nothing is to be gained by tarry-
ing longer in the vicinity, his restless
feet have been again turned toward
the denser forest in which direction
his trail disappears.
Il BY the side Of a gently murmuring,
ice.incrusted brook, appears the sinu-
Gus hunting trail Of the blood-thirsty i
mink The little footprints in sets of
two and two, register in the snow
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Thunder Scum