Evening star., 1946-02-22
This and That
By Charles E. Truce1DeH.
DARLINGTON "
Dear Sir.

bcdf OH.
Il have been amused at different peo-
Piles reactions to snow.
Myself, I hate it.
Snow, in and around large city,
Is danger and nuisance
ITO me the beauty is lost, but I have
found so many persons who rave about
the beautiful snow that I am begin
ming to wonder if am growing old.
1.-The moment think that, though,
remember all the bored-looking young
sters I see, and then feel better
The kids do not even throw snow
balls with the old-time vigor, it seems
to me. Why, when I was lad, I not
only threw snowballs at the deacon, but
put stones in them, and they really
hurt when they landed.
Il wonder If the boys today know that
trick.
Some people have talked to about
the snow pretend to love it above every
other weather manifestation.
"They quote approvingly the old verse
about Snow, snow, beautiful snow and
when I point out to them that in a few
hours their beautiful snow is soiled and
dirty, they pretend that it isn't so.
II believe that such people are living
In memory, and do not realize that
snow, too, like everything else. has
changed, some believe for the worse.
Sincerely, M. McM."
X X
Animal tracks in the snow are among
the most beautiful manifestations.
Certainly even the person who does
not like snow can admire them
The tracks vary with the animal,
ranging from squirrel to rabbit, and in
the country many other creatures whose
paw prints impress themselves in the
soft surface.
Unsullied snow, not yet walked on by
that prime disturber, man, is the only
medium which shows animal prints at
their best.
The moment there is cross trail of
man, the pristine beauty of the ami
NAL track begins to be lost.
Crossing of other animals also con-
fuses the trail
What strikes the new watcher is the
delicacy of the footballs, as planted
there in the dark, in all likelihood.
He may forget that even the human
foot leaves distinctive print as 1t
goes through the snow where no foot
has trod. A shoe offers no distinction.
We are used to seeing shoe prints.
The animal track made by natural
Shoes" better fits the scene.
Most wild animals do not mind snow
in the least, but are able to glide over
1t, on snowshoes, as it were
Each creature leaves behind his own
tread, as distinctive to the woodsmans
eye as anything we'll could be- There
is not much chance of confusion here.
Even small boys today, through Boy
Scout and other training are able to
tell most Of the tracks of the more COM
mon wild animals
In suburban sections tracks in, the
snow will be mainly made by dog, cat,
squirrel, rabbit, or an occasional
opossum or even raccoon
No one who tries to get the most out
of suburban living should miss looking
the yard over closely in the very early
morning after a snowfall during the
night.
By Every early morning" we mean
just after first light, when one may
feel reasonably sure that nothing but
four footed animals have been around.
Then the trails of beautiful prints may
be seen unmarried.
Look carefully on the lawn. and along
sidewalks. Prints left at such times
show every little depression and ridge
in the animal foot
In time 1t will be easy to distinguish
one from another, with a little study,
and in this way one may build up new
line of knowledge in a world which
often strikes one as chiefly diStincuished
by its stupidity.