Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1915-07-15
Sheherdaown Jefferson Thursday July 49, 1915
Winter Garments.

In the far Northwest, everything, ami
mate and inanimate, makes due prepara-
tion for the coming of winter. The ma
ture lover will find much 10 interest him
when he walks abroad in the late autumn
through the woods. Instead Oft the leaves
falling from the trees as they do in the
East and South, the foliage becomes
brighter and greener. The great white
cedars hang heavy curtains OF gray-green
moss on their exposed limbs. The moss
on the yellow pines is black, and covers
the limbs and trunk with warm, furry
robe. The pines also grow thicker and
darker bark on the north side. The FIR,
spruce, hemlock, and balsam trees, grow
ing deeperin the sheltered ravineS, simply
take on denser growth of foliage.
OF all the animals, the bears are the
most knowing. Early in the summer
bruin begins to accumulate fat. When, in
July, the huckleberries on the mountain
sides are ripe, he repairs to the berry
field, selects a favorable spot near water,
and eats and eats until he can hold no
more. Then he creepS away into some
thicket to sleep few hours, and issues
forth TO eat again. He eats great deal
and exercises very little, so that before
long he is so fat that il is painful for him
to move. About the middle OF October
he begins 10 brush up his overcoat for the
winter. The summer hair is replaced by
a longer and thicker coat. beneath which
springs up dense thatch of shorter fur.
When the whole coat is complete, il must
be fierce cold indeed thatcan penetrate it.
Before the snow comes. or shortly
thereafter, bruin finds convenient spot
beneath an over-hanging bank, under a
fallen log or a hollow tree, and lines the
den with pine needles, dried grass, moss,
and similar materials. About Christmas
he creepS into his den; the snow comes
and covers him. OF course he sleeps
warm. You would, too, with all that fat
and fur wrapped about you. Bears do
not sleep the entire time of their hiberna-
ton, contrary TO the general opinion.
One OF the singular and necessary
Northern winter changes occurs in the
feet OF the Canada lynx. The foot hair
grows 10 such an enormous length that it
forms admirable snowshoeS. Nature has
taught the lynx that he must seek his prey
in winter over the loose snow, and with
out some means OF fwalking on il he would
be helpless. With the great hairy loot
pads, however, he moves swiftly over
the looSeSt and softeSt snow, creeping
upon his unsuspecting prey as stealthily
and silently as shadow.
Frequently during the winter Nature
plays joke on the lynx. Mr.. Lynx does
his hunting at night, and lies outstretched
on some horizontal limb during the day.
Some day, while the lynx is dreaming,
the sun comes out bright and warm, and
softens the surface OF the snow to such
extent that when the animal climbs down
and starts in search of his supper, the
soft snow collects in great clumsy balls
on the long foot hairs. The lynx sits
down, and with his sharp teeth gnaws
away the accumulated snow, gets up and
starts on, only TO find that the balls have
collected again. Again he sits down, a
little less patiently this time, and gnaws
the snow away. In short time it has
accumulated once more The infuriated
animal tears at the persistent snow with
his sharp teeth, and wounds his feet until
they bleed. You can often track the ami
NAL by the bloodstains on the snow.