WW 1 / " w I Ell fM k lim vl H s fi of] r 1 i I i "nip ! , 11 ..... ■ - ,i3>-..cs.,> i . •."■» ; .'*!!? J '^* r. , i L .■*. Li*v .V'.';' .'!'.'.. '.'„'.'.' ";;'S . .'".'' r '. ; .: STfjc Hibrarp of tije SJnibersiir p of J^ortij Carolina Cnbotoeb bp tEfje ©ialectic •PjilanHjropic §?ociertcsi American a.niYv\».l i QJ5 90 Deming 183881 flmpT-ir.an fim'm ^l life M«2S ". OEC 1 5 136^ ' B&-! ] -,'63 ISSUED TO ' . y^g^-^t-S-g^x ~ s£2cIPHIlS!§lB,lLABB# ®(F¥KiiLfi(DmFM'ra!lB[I Printed in the United States of America BISON AND COYOTE HE only buffalo we know is found in Asia and Africa. He is not even a distant cousin to the noble animal that was known by the same name here. In our stories we will call every animal by its right name and instead of speaking' of the buffalo we will call it the bison. At one time the bison was found nearly all over the United States and Canada, especially on the great grazing plains of the West. He furnished the Red Men with food, clothes and tepee. On the Great Central Plain the herds were so large that the whole world (at least so far as you could see) seemed covered with an immense buffalo robe, as the bison migrated to the North in summer and to the South in winter. These great, lumbering creatures of the prairies traveled in beaten trails and seldom turned aside for anything: even the trains had to wait until the big herds should pass. If icy waters intersected their trail, no matter how wide, deep or cold the waters might be, the bison would plunge right in and swim across. Sometimes thev found the river frozen, but even that did not stop them. Often the weight of the immense herd would break the ice; then great numbers would drown. Such an accident meant food in great quantity for the animals which haunted the shores of rivers and fed upon carrion. In 1798 Alexander r Henry, a Hudson Bay factor, had his men count the dead bison as they floated down *> the Mouse River. Over seven thousand passed them in one day ; these had been * drowned while trying to cross farther up the stream. Whole herds of bisons some- BISON AND COYOTH times were burned to death by prairie fires, which had been caused, perhaps, by lightning. When flies and insects became troublesome, the old bison would roll and wallow in the soft wet clay. These mud-holes were called "wallows" and they are still to be found on the praries, even though the old bison has been gone for many years. The bison were stupid beasts; and their great curiosity was the cause of their being killed in great numbers. Like sheep, they followed their leader, and when frightened the whole herd would stampede. The Indians, knowing this failing, would build little piles of stone or buffalo chips, behind which the}' could hide, and when they located a herd of bison, a man, wearing a buffalo robe, would imitate the action of a bison, until he attracted the attention of the animals nearest him. These would begin to follow him, and gradually more and more would follow, until the leaders were enticed into the large opening of the V. As soon as the leaders entered the V, an Indian would run from behind a pile of stones, waving a buffalo robe, and soon the whole herd would be rushing toward the small end of the V, and over the cliff to death. Those coming behind pushed the leaders in; and soon most of the herd was being dressed for food, clothing and tepee for the Red Man. This was called a "piskin" among the Blackfeet Indians. The bison is a wonderful beast, with his great head, neck, rump, shoulders and fore leg- covered with a heavy mass of shaggy hair, dark brown above and black lower down; the hind quarters are of a light brown color. 1 he horns curve upward ; and at the end of his tail there is a great brown tassel. He carries his head well down below his shoulders. This beast was so important to the life of the Red people, that it does not seem strange to think that the old time Indian is passing away with his friend the bison, who has played such an important part in his life, and in his folk tales, which have been brought down BISON AND COYOTE from one generation to another, until now, at this late day, we are doing our best to preserve the wonderful stones of the old time, and to make a home for what is left of the bison, where he will be safe from harm. This great fellow shared his prairie home with the slinking little coyote, who lives in burrows. But he did not have to share his food; for this sly, cunning, greedy little fellow feeds upon rabbits, mice, ground-squirrels and birds, although he sometimes eats the fruit of the prickly pear and in winter he is glad to get the juniper berries or rose hips. This cowardly little creature has many enemies. The Indians say that is because he fell asleep when man awarded bows to the animal people and told them which was to be king. Had he not been such a swift runner, he would never have been able to catch man, when he awakened. Man had but one bow left, and that was the power of cunning. Now, though Coyote is a coward and afraid, he is so cunning that he knows just how to overcome all troubles, and be master of any situation. $ COYOTE PRONGHORN AND PRAIRIE-DOG HE beautiful little antelope, or pronghorn as he should rightfully be called, is one of our wild creatures of the West that, like the bison, is rapidly disap- pearing. He is one of the swiftest runners of all our animal people; and it is a good thing that he is, or we might have no pronghorn at all to-day. He belongs to a family all by himself in America, even though he sheds his horns and has to grow a new pair every year just as the other animal people of our hoofed family do. Still, his horns are different, for he has one prong over each eye. The Red people tell why this little fellow is different, in one way at least, and they know it is his own fault. When on the prairies, where the country is very flat, this little animal friend is very fleet of foot; and the Red people tell of the time, many years ago, when the animal people and man people were friends. The antelope was visiting the deer in his rocky home, and some of the little Red people came to play in the forest with the forest people. Antelope thought he would like to show these little playmates how easily he could beat his deer friend at running a race. I think he was a little too proud of himself, don't you ? "Friend deer," the antelope said, "I will bet my dew-claws that I can beat you at racing." The deer said he was willing to try; and off they started. Poor little antelope! He was not used to the thick timber, and the deer was, for he had «, .. mmk. PRONGHORN AND PRAIRIE-DOG been running in the forest all his lite. Of course, the little antelope lost! And of course he had to lose his dew-claws; and he has none to this day. When early Spanish explorers saw these little fellows, they spoke of them as "the stags with white patches." 1 heir hair is so harsh and brittle that it cannot be used for anything; but the summer hide makes a very soft leather and the Indians used it for making fine shirts. When the pronghorn is alarmed, he stamps his front feet and throws up the hair on his rump — perhaps he is telegraphing the sign oi danger to his friends. A hunter who kills this beautiful creature should surely be ashamed; for, unless allowed to live and grow in his wild state, the pronghorn will soon be only a memory. I lis yrcat curiosity often leads him to his death. Hunters take advantage of this strange trait and tie a rag to the end of a gun. This they wave back and forth for the pronghorn to see. The poor little fellow is afraid at first, and runs; but he turns to look again, stops, and comes closer; then runs again. Soon the curiosity gets the better of this creature's good judgment and he comes closer and closer until the poor beast is within range of his deceiver's gun. These animals travel in herds, like sheep, and they have a wonderfully keen sense of sight. They have to keep a sharp lookout for wolves, and on the broad plains where they make their homes they can see great distances. On account of this sly enemy, the prong- horn eats a moment and then raises his head to look around. But this little brother of the plains is not afraid of his small neighbors, the prairie-dogs, who build their homes in colonies or little dog-towns, sometimes many miles in extent. These dogs would be very happy in their prairie home — tor they never wander far from PRONGHORN AND PRAIRIE-DOG a hole to dive into at the approach of danger — were it not for the rattlesnake. That wicked fellow just takes any home he likes. He never knocks, but just crawls into the home of any little dog; and the poor fellow cannot drive him out. As soon as a prairie-dog finds that a snake has taken his home, he and his neighbors plaster the opening of that home shut; so the intruder has to find a way to escape or else dies. The little prairie-dog wants to stay; lor he and his pronghorn friends love the same great open plains, they eat the same food, and they fear the same enemy — the coyote. PRAIRIh DOG '•■; ■ fW^hU^ VlA: %\ %< DEER PEOPLE E graceful and beautiful mule deer roams from the valley, where the south wind breathes life into everything, to the mountain tops, where snow and ice are always found. The buck, or male deer, carries a pair of solid horns, which proclaim him head of his family, and he leads his small band, stopping to eat the fresh o'rass in the coulees and on banks of the streams or brooklets that wend their way down the mountain-side. During the summer the deer obtains food easily, as he feasts upon grasses, mosses, lichens, and berries; but when winter comes he has to dig through the snow and ice with his sharp hoofs, or browse upon the buds of trees. With the approach of February and March, the bucks leave their open and happy play- ground for the denser and overgrown woodlands. At that time of every year they lose their horns and hide from the female deer and from their greatest enemy, the wolf. They are too vain to let the doe see them without their crown. During this retreat the bucks become very docile and live at peace with their fellow deer while awaiting Dame Nature's pleasure to produce a new pair of horns with which to protect themselves. When the horns first appear they are covered with a very fine, velvety skin, which, after they are full grown, is rubbed off on saplings; but an extra prong has been added to the crown, which tells of an additional year for the wearer. DLER PEOPLE With his new set of horns, the buck resumes his warlike nature. He leaves his hiding- place and many and fierce are the battles he fights with his brother deer. He also resumes his leadership and is ever on the alert, listening and watching for approaching danger. 1 Ie hears the slightest noise. Raisin"- his head, he makes good use of his acute sense of hearing and smelling. If the noise be repeated, he snorts, stamps his cloven hoofs, and calls Ins family of does and fawns to retreat. A hunter will often shoot a fawn, then await the mother's return; for the mother-love in the deer family is so great that she will come back to find her lost baby — and so lose her life. The wind is the trusted friend of the animal people, and will always warn them, if it be possible, of the enemy's approach. The wind carries the scent of the hunter to the delicate nostrils of the deer; and if, by chance, the hunter makes even the slightest noise, the wind carries the sound to their sensitive ears. On account of this knowledge gained by his enemy, man and animal, the deer is often surprised, as the hunter tries to approach his game against the wind. Among the Cherokee Indians the deer was never killed except when the Red people were in need of food. These Indians tell of the long ago, of the time when the Red peo- ple and the animal people lived and talked together. Little Deer was chief of the deer people at that time; and when the Red people began to kill deer and other animals with the bow and arrow, for food and clothing, the animal people declared war against the Red people and went into the forest to live, away from the haunts of man. The deer people called a council, and it was decided that if man killed deer for food, he would be forgiven, provided he apologized and begged pardon of the drops of blood ; but if he should forget to ask pardon, Little Deer would follow the hunter into the settlement and make him a helpless DEER PEOPLE They have been known, with the aid cripple with rheumatism. When the Red hunter forgets to ask pardon for an offense against the deer people, he builds a fire on his home trail ; for that alone will make the Spirit of Little Deer turn back. The Red people used the deer for food and dress, of a lew inches of snow, to run down a deer within twenty-four hours. In America we have three kinds of deer: the black-tail, the white-tail, and the mule deer; but each has chosen a home for himself, and did we not know they were cousins we would wonder it they were related at all, they have chosen homes so far apart. The black-tail deer has selected the land of big trees and rain for his home; the white- tail lives in the timber and brush, where he can hide easily from his enemies; while the mule deer lives in the foot-hills and open country, where he can see for a great distance. He is the largest of these three members ol the deer family. -. DEER MOOSE AND BEAVER ^TyN the evergreen forests of Canada, northern United States, and Alaska, lives the / largest member of the deer family. He is so big, so homely, and so differ- ent from any wild beast of to-day, that one wonders if he is not of the pre- historic times. His ears are long, his tail is short, and his great upper lip protrudes well over the lower. Poor beast, his legs are so long that it he wants to feed upon grass or herbs growing on level ground, his short neck won't reach down, and lie has to kneel or find a more hilly feeding-ground; but, then, he is not a grazing animal, like his deer cousins, but browses upon leaves, bark, or twigs of trees, and also eats the lichens and mosses that hang from the trees. Strange to say, this great, almost prehistoric, creature loves the water, and his choicest dainty is said to be the roots of the yellow spatter-docks. Surely, he must love the busy little beaver, which lives in all the streams, for it builds dams and makes lakes where the lily pads will grow. lave you ever seen the little beaver? He loves the water as well as the land, and his hind feet are completely webbed. He is not very large, though, he is one of the largest rodents. He can, with his big teeth, cut down a tree for building a dam. He has a broad, flat tail, but he uses it only to help him swim, or sometimes when danger is approaching he slaps the water with it, and instantly all his brothers disappear. Wherever the beaver builds his dam, the water is less swift, and the lily pads grow more MOOSE AND BEAVER thickly. The moose loves to wander through the dense thickets that grow around the lakes, bogs, and streams of the forest; but when he hears a sound he holds his great muz- zle up, lays his massive crown of palmated horns back on his shoulders — to avoid the branches — and then runs, with a clumsy, shuffling gait. To increase his speed he simply lengthens his stride; and his hoofs make a queer, clanking noise as he trots along. When he finds a log in his way, no matter how high it may be, he does not stop to jump over; he never changes his gait, but steps a little higher. These same long legs help him when he reaches up to peel the bark from young trees, or to bite off the tender shoots. In winter the moose live in the pine woods in the hilly country, where they can browse upon the bark and the juicy evergreens. Several families live together; and when the snow begins to get very deep they break trails over several acres, where they can travel to find food. These places are called "moose yards"; and here they pass the hardest part of the winter, sometimes enlarging their yards as food becomes scarce. With the coming of spring, they start for the lakes and streams again. In the fall, when the bull moose bugles for a mate, the cow moose answers with a low call. Her call is imitated by hunters, who use a birch-bark trumpet, and the poor bull moose comes on, to answer the call. Many times the moose, called in this way, rushes through the woods and is almost upon the hunter before he is ready. Then the hunter becomes the hunted and flees for safety. The moose is the main support of the Indians in the Northeast; and they waste no part of him. His own shin bone supplies the scraper with which to scrape his own hide. From the neck of this strange beast hangs a pendent mass of hair, called a bell. The Indians tell how the Evil Spirit, trying to convince the Indians that he was stronger than MOOSE AND BEAVER the Great Spirit, struck a moose which had rushed into the circle, and pulled a piece of skin from the poor fellow's chin. "You will always carry that mark," he said, "so these people cannot iorget how strong I am!" And the moose always carries his bell. Then the Evil Spirit put his hand against the poor animal's face and pushed him out of the ring. The push he gave the beast was so awful that he flattened the face; and that is why the moose is so ugly. Just then the Good Spirit heard. He sent a tremendous flash of light- ning and a great peal of thunder. When the Indians could see again, they looked for the Evil Spirit; and all they saw was a small pile ot ashes. But they could never forget him nor his strength, for when they hunt the moose they always see his homely face and the bell which hanos from his chin to this very daw BtAVEK I :J ■ ■ .,..,■,,;.. .^.f^.- ■ l _ , - : .-; ,*_ i _^_ — ^J ELK AND SABLE CK there roamed over three-fourths of this great America the beautiful, graceful elk, king of all the deer family, with his wonderful crown ot horn; but, like all other things of the very old time, he has been driven back to the fastnesses of the Rocky Mountains, where he still lives, and where he herds his bands and watches for all the dangers that threaten his family. Like many of our wild animals, he was misnamed by early explorers and set- tlers; for the elk of the Old World is just like our moose, and our elk claims to be a cousin of the stag or red deer of Europe. Our Indians called the beautiful elk. Wapiti, and if our country were not so full of people it might be easy to give the graceful creature that beautiful name, because it belongs to him. We will call him Wapiti in our story. If we could stop all hunters who kill him, we would not have to fear that sometime this great creature will be gone like the bison. Wapiti, the master, gathers together a little herd of cows, and these are his family. He leads them to the best feeding-grounds and watches and listens for all dangers. He fears, among other things, that a bull larger and stronger than he might come along and take the band away. When this happens, the master must fight, and it he proves the weaker, he has to give up his band, and the family has a new master. In the summer these animal people are greatly worried by flies and mosquitoes; then they will rush for water and stand in a stream for hours, to protect themselves from these ELK AND SABLE little pests. The old bull will roll and wallow in mud-holes — and then King Wapiti does not look so kingly ! Toward winter, the master gathers his band together and they wander about until they find a good sheltered spot for a winter feeding-ground. Wapiti has a good appetite and is not too particular about what he finds for dinner. He eats all the grasses, herbs, lichens, and most of the weeds, but he loves the leaves and twigs of trees. Wapiti's deer cousins feed mostly at night, but Wapiti prefers to rest at night and eat his meals in the daytime. While the family feeds, the master of the herd watches and listens for any danger that might threaten his cows, and if he hears, smells, or sees anything strange, he calls his family together and drives it to safety. All the lawns of the deer family wear little spotted suits of baby-clothes, and even the male has no horns; but when the little fellow i^ets to be about two vears old he is the proud possessor of two long spikes. He shows them to all his sisters and his mother, and tries them on his brothers, he is so proud of them. You may well imagine, then, the surprise of this proud fellow when he loses his spikes completely, about March. The little fellow is so much ashamed of himself that he hides in the dense forests, where he finds many other brother Wapiti without the crown they had worn all winter. There these brothers live at peace with each other. They are so weak and so much strength is used up to grow a new pair that they do not care to be quarrelsome. Soon the horns begin to grow again, but they are covered with a soft skin, and then the horns are said to be in velvet. (Jan you guess what has happened? Wapiti has had a new prong added to his crown, and all this has taken only tour months! Now \\ apiti is proud again. He goes forth to find a new family, and forgets the tragedies he saw in the pine ELK AND SABLE woods, where the pine-marten or American sable jumps from tree to tree in pursuit of the little tree-dwellers or chases a poor little hare, which knows there is little hope for its life, as the sable is of the weasel family and does not rest until it has caught its prey. The sable's coat is so valuable that he is trapped and killed to furnish furs to keep man warm in winter. w * ., "vWJH SABLE CARIBOU AND ARCTIC HARE 'HEN you open your geography to the map of the North and begin to study of the Arctic, do you not wonder how the men who go so far up there to make these maps, live? Of course, you will say, they take all sorts of provisions with them. They must do that; but, in addition, they must have fresh meat, and for this they have to depend upon what- ever animals make that country their home. One of our greatest explorers went into this cold, unknown country, carrying with him pro- visions for sixtv days and plenty of ammunition ; he stayed there for nearly two years, living' upon what the country afforded. One of the most curious animals which have chosen this country for their home is the barren-ground caribou. To the Eskimo and also to many other Indian tribes, the caribou is most important, as it furnishes food and clothing for them. Our boys and girls will be interested to know that the caribou is the reindeer of America; although the real reindeer has been brought over from Lapland and thrives in our North Country. The caribou is a member of the deer family; but the mother caribou earn' horns, too, though very much smaller than those of the male caribou. The horns of these queer animal people are very much alike and yet no two pairs seem the same. The horns are partly palmated, which means broad and flat, with projections QegiOEMMUi -.-1 CARIBOU AND ARCTIC HARE like fingers; the legs are thick and strong; and the hoofs expand and flatten, so that they act almost as snowshoes. The caribou walk and run with a slow, swinging gait; and as they roam about, the dew-claws and hoofs strike together, making a queer, clanking sound. The heavy coat is almost like a soft, warm mat near the body; and the long, coarse hair, growing through, acts as a raincoat. These strange people of the Arctic gather in great herds and, on account of the climate, migrate in the spring far to the North, where they wander over the great frozen regions, keep- ing 1 to the low, barren grounds all summer and feeding upon such things as grow on these desolate shores. In the fall they begin traveling southward, to spend the winter in the forests, which afford some protection from the bitter winds and the fierce storms of this cold coun- try. Here they eat the mosses that hang from the trees, and browse upon the branches of the juicy evergreens. The caribou changes his clothing twice a vear. He must be very vain! In the summer he wears a suit of brown, to match the colors in the barren marshes where he loves to live; but in the fall his hair grows longer, thicker, and much lighter. By midwinter and toward early spring the coat is smoky white, very nearly the color of a snowstorm in the woods, or of the mosses that hang from the trees, while the great horns look almost as if they might be dead branches of trees in the woodlands. This is Mother Nature's way of giving each animal a chance to protect himself from his enemies. For this very same reason the little Arctic hare keeps on its coat of white all the year round. This little fellow, who shares the wintry, frozen Northland with the caribou, burrows a hole in a snowdrift for his home, or crawls under a friendly ledge of rock which seems to be waiting to protect the pretty, timid creature. CARIBOU AND ARCTIC HARE During the long, dim winter the Arctic hare stays close to a snowdrift. This is for pro- tection from the great Arctic owl, who is always ready to pounce upon and carry him off. Still, this little fellow can run very swiftly; and his gift from the Great Spirit was a keen sense of sight, scent, and hearing. ARCTIC HARE SEAL AND SEA-LION )EALS arc meat-eating animals, with bodies more suited for life in the water than on land, yet they often come out of the water and make a strange picture trying clumsily to paddle their way over land. Seals live in almost all oceans, but are more plentiful toward the Poles than anywhere else. 1 heir young wear a white, woolly coat and live on an ice-cake with their mother, read}' to jump into the water at the first sign of danger. The fur seal is not plentiful, being greatly reduced by the hunters, who kill him for his wonderful coat; but he is not the seal so important to those who make their home or work in the frozen North, nor is he found as near the Poles. Many an explorer would have starved to death were it not for the seal and the polar bear. The seal furnishes light, heat, lood and clothing tor these North people. An Eskimo will sit on a cake of ice, near the breathing-hole of a seal, and with the point of his spear will scrape the ice. The seal is a most curious creature and must find out what the strange noise may mean. He will come up, a long way off, and try to find out it the strange object on the ice be friend or foe. If the Eskimo should be wearing a white suit, the seal will dive under the water and not come up again until he is at least one hundred and fifty yards away ; because he is sure his Northland enemy, the bear, is hunting him; but if the P^sknno should be dressed in a dark suit of fur, the seal will think he may be a brother, and swim within fifty yards to find out what the strange hummock on the ice really is. He will swim slowly all around the object, looking at it all the time. SEAL AND SEA-LION When the seal is fat he will weigh about two hundred pounds; one hundred pounds of this being- blubber and the other hundred flesh and bones. The Eskimo sometimes go to the edge of the ice and set nets to catch seals, and often five or six are caught in a single night. A great deal of this catch is prepared for the long winter. To do this the Eskimo carefully skin a seal, making as small a cut in the hide as possible. This bag, or "poke," is filled as tightly as they can pack it with seal blubber cut up into small pieces; then it is set aside until it. is ready for use. This is considered a great delicacy among the Eskimo. After the seal poke has been standing all summer and become oil-soaked it is called an Av-wa-tah-pak and is waterproof. When the oil-soaked bag is empty the women scrape the inside until it is clean, but they leave the hair on the outside, and of this they make the win- ter boots. Some of the Eskimo like these boots made with the hair inside, as this keeps the feet very warm. Others prefer leaving the hair outside; but when worn this way the hair gathers snow and ice and makes traveling very hard. These are the boots for winter wear; to make the summer boots the women carefully scrape the sealskin both inside and outside. This makes a very thin and pliable boot, which, after it has soaked in seal-oil, is also water- proof. The Ugruk, or walrus hide, is used for making the soles of their boots. This walrus is a very large fellow, and is not very common. To get the greatest amount of work out of their dogs, explorers feed them as much blub- ber as they will eat. This gives heat and strength and enables the dogs to travel faster with the sleds. In the summer months, when the seals are very thin, they sink one minute after they have SEAL AND SEA-LION been killed. If the Eskimo are hunting in kyaks, it is easy to reach a seal before he goes clown, but when the Eskimo are sitting on a cake of ice it is difficult to get their game; so they use a "nixy," which they have become very expert in throwing. A nixy is a long rope with a hook at one end, and it is used in very much the same way that a boy throws a sling. The Eskimo are so expert at throwing the nixy and catching the seal with the hook before he can go down, that they seldom lose their same. The sea-lion and the seal are very different animals. The seal has a short neck, while the sea-lion's neck is long. His front flippers are simply paddles while his hind flippers are web toes. These fellows are not only more active in the water than the seals, but they can climb rocks and high cliffs with the greatest ease. They are the animals we always see in the zoological parks. The largest sea-lions in the world are found in a few isolated spots. Some oi the male specimens are from ten to eleven leet in length, weighing about fourteen hundred pounds, and are known as Steller's sea-lions. Among themselves, these great fel- lows fight awful battles; but, like all other wild folk, they have learned to fear man. At the sight of a human being they have been known to jump into the water from cliffs sixty feet high, to escape their enemy. SEA-LION MUSK-OX AND WHITE WOLF AY up in the frozen North, where the long, dark nights are cold and fierce, there lives the strangest of all our large animals. I lis body looks like an oblong mass of very long, wavy, brown hair, supported upon short legs, that look like posts, partly hidden by his long hair. His tail. is only three ¥ inches long and almost invisible. The top of his head is covered by a pair of enormous horns, flattened at the base and meeting in the center of his forehead; from here they cross the head and curve downward, close to the cheek, and finally upward to a point. It is hard to imagine how these animals get food in the dark months. Of course there are ridge crests kept clear of snow by blizzards and heavy winds, and the}' probably dig through snow and ice for grass, willow, and saxifrage, but when spring comes these strange creatures look as if they had been well fed. Like the caribou this creature has a fine, soft, dense, light brown wool next to his skin, for warmth, through which neither cold nor wet can penetrate, as the long, coarse hair sheds the ram and snow. This long woolly coat of the musk-ox is highly valued by the Eskimo, who use it for main' things. '1 he legs of the musk-ox are very short, with the queerest of hoofs. Each hoof is divided into two parts, the two hoofs of each foot are not symmetrical, and the lower surface is par- tial!}' covered with hair. U4D&iftyn4 MUSK-OX AND WHITK WOLF The musk-oxen travel in bands of from twenty-five to fifty; many times in greater numbers, especiallv in winter. In summer the bulls travel alone, while the cows and calves wander about in small bands. At this time of year, their food consists almost exclusively of the leaves of small willows, scattered about here and there over the Barren Ground, but, also, they eat grass, lichens, mosses, and probably bark. The musk-ox, when hunted by man or beast, turns to challenge his enemv, and stands perfectly still, facing him. This habit, so fatal to the poor beast when hunted, is all that saves him from destruction. The cow musk-oxen gather in a circle about the calves, to pro- tect them and defy their natural enemy, the white wolves (who infest the Barren Ground m big packs) to attack. In spite of their short legs, the musk-oxen can run with considerable speed; they are even said to climb steep cliffs and then turn around to defy the hunters. This wonderful inhabitant «>f the far North is looked upon as a god by the Kskimo, and they feel sure that if the white man be allowed to carry off a live musk-ox, the musk-oxen will disappear and never come back again. One year a white man was sent to get some calves for a museum. He worked hard, roped four calves and was bringing them home safely when some of the Eskimo crept upon their camp at night, while they were asleep, and killed every calf. They would not dare allow a live musk-ox to go out of the country. The worst enemy the musk-ox has is the great white wolf. These wolves travel about in packs and attack the cakes. Then the musk-oxen gather in groups around the calves and protect them. This savage beast will attack even man and dog when he is desperately MUSK-OX AND WHITE WOLF hungry. Dogs are invaluable to the Eskimo, and when they are attacked and bitten by wolves it means death inside of three days, as the} 7 are sure to get rabies. This great wolt slinks along like a shadow and, like all other Arctic folk, he wears a dress of pure white. The Eskimo dread him and always try to kill him before he has a chance to destroy their dogs. WHITE WOLF 2 it / >EMi()Em*7U, TIMBER-WOLF AND BADGER ^LINKING, creeping along, like great ghostly shadows, the wandering, unsettled, restless, gray wolves hunt up and down the country, in great packs. They prefer the wind-blown prairies of the West, where they followed the herds o{ bison in the old time, when the bison and Indians owned all the great West, but now they follow the cattle. They rarely attacked the old bulls or cow bison, unless these happened to be wounded or crippled, but they were after the calves. Sometimes in the winter when the snow was deep the very old bulls used to wander off all by themselves ; these the wolf pack would attack and hamstring. The pack generally consisted of the old female, the most savage of the pack, and her lull- grown family. If one of the pack scented a game trail, that one would give the hunting call, and others would join him from all around, to give chase. It the game should be a deer, the wolves would hamstring him, or the}' would pimp at his throat, and kill him. They will even attack a big moose when he is alone, just as they would a bison. This large, powerful beast is savage, and he will follow herds ot sheep, killing twenty or thirty at a time, just to satisfy his terrible love lor killing. The wolf also loves to hunt in the shadows of the dense, dark swamps and tamaracks of the North, and in the heavy tim- ber of the Rockies, where game is plentiful. When hungry, tins gray, ghostly shadow will sometimes slink along for hours, following a hunter carrying game; but he will seldom attack a man, unless he should run or try to get away. Sometimes the hunter will drop TIMBER-WOLF AND BADGER his game; then the cowardly fellow will stop to devour it; and if the hunter were to fire a shot into the pack and wound one of the wolves, the others would jump upon the wounded brother and tear him to pieces. Some ol the old Indian dogs were pure gray wolves and some were coyotes. The mother wolf usually has four or five and sometimes six young; these she cares for very tenderly, while the father wolf provides food for her. He is one of the most cunning of animals, and therefore the hardest to catch. I Ie knows better than to be caught in a trap; and he has been known to carry for a long distance a piece of meat into which poison has been put, and then drop it. lie is such a ghostly beast, that the old Indians tell a tale which would almost make us believe the Indians knew all about "keeping the wolf from the door." They tell a folk- tale of an old Indian woman with her pack of phantom wolves. She leads them out of her cave, and then they gradually spread and spread, until they devastate the country, and the Indians suffer famine The raven is her forerunner, and when the Indians see a big raven flying along the)' look sharply for tear they will see the old woman and her wolves following. This great big wolf goes slinking about at night, trying to catch the wise little badger; but the badger also travels at night, and if he should be far from his home when he sees his wolf enemy he just flattens his short-legged, broad, flat body, and lies close to the ground, where only the keenest-sighted will see him. (He does not dare- run: lie is so fat that he is very slow.) I lie badger is an underground, burrowing animal; and the holes he has dusf for his home have been the cause of many a horse breaking his leg, for the horse steps into the hole before he can avoid it. TIMBER-WOLF AND BADGER The badger's cousin in the Old Country was looked upon as a game animal, and a favorite sport was hunting him with dogs. But the dog found a good enemy, for the badger has a real bulldog grip, and his jaws seem to lock after he has taken hold. If this slow, sullen fellow with his savage disposition is left alone he is very harmless and does good. At night, during the summer, he hunts for gophers, field-mice, ground-squirrels, prairie-dogs; in fact, he eats all the small ground folk. Through the long winter he sleeps; but the Indians know he is a very wise person, and that the spirit of the badger, if he should come to any of them, will bestow the gift of wisdom and make the Red Man he visits wiser than all others. Those who belong to the badger clan would never think of killing that animal, as he is their totem. BADGER WOLVERINE AND FISHER HE greatest thief, the biggest glutton, and the most sullen beast of our smaller animals is the wicked wolverine, or Indian devil, as he is named by the northern trappers. He is hated by explorers, as he breaks into their caches and destroys everything; what he does not care to eat or cannot eat, he soils so it cannot be used. Yet the fur oi this hated wolverine is the only r that explorers and Eskimo can use close to the face with comfort, as frost from the breath will not cling to it. The wolverine is hated by everybody and everything. In Wyoming he is called the skunk bear; and in Washington, Indians call him the mountain devil. lie is a member of the weasel family; he never risks his life, but always manages to get a good meal, and just slinks about through the forest, robbing traps, and getting at the trappers' stores. He steals not only from man hunters, but from animal hunters as well. Many animals hide or bury what food they can for winter use, but the wicked wolverine finds it and eats all he can, then destroys what he cannot eat, so no other animal can get it. This fellow is so sly and clever that he springs traps and eats the bait without so much as hurtino- a hair. Trappers have found that the only way to trap him is to bury the traps deep down under the snow and smooth over the place as if they were hiding food from him. Then he will dig, to steal from the cache, and so get caught in the trap. When a trapper gets a wolverine, he is very happy and seems to gloat more over capturing this a in \MmmxmmimmmKimmmmMB^KmKmmmmmfK?mm^mamHmmmmi WOLVERINE AND FISHER wicked-tempered, destructive little glutton than he does over the possession of the hide. The fisher, like the wolverine, belongs to the weasel family, lie is as strong as his cousin the wolverine, but he is very much more spry and has more courage. He travels at night, loves the dark evergreen woods, and he is as much at home in the tree-tops as on the ground. He eats all kinds of flesh, from the deer to the hare, and has been known to kill even the porcupine with its terrible armor of spines. He is .it home in the swamps as well as the mountains; and, like his wolverine cousin, he helps the trappers look after their traps. They hate the fisher as much as they do the wol- verine, as he sleeps all day and does all his dam- age at night. Trappers will walk many miles, in deep snow and terrible weather, to gather skins, only to find that the fisher has been there first. Perhaps he has sprung the traps and stolen the bait, but most likely he has taken out the animal caught and torn it to shreds. If a trapper suc- ceeds in outwitting this slv hunter, he feels that O J he has won a hard-earned victory, for he has tri- uiii| 'bed over a most cunning and sly creature i ISHHK and one of the wildest of all our wild folk. The fisher is larger and has a more bush)' tail than the weasel or mink. He is of a grayish brown color, and the tip of his bushy tail is black. WOl.VHRfNE AND FISHER One of the fisher's worst enemies is the crane The fisher loves to rob the nests of these birds, and eat the young; but the old crane is too much lor him. She: will drive her long' bill into his eyes or into his brain, and kill him. That is why the fisher is always very careful to visit the crane's nest when the mother is away. wvmm GRIZZLY BEAR 'N deep, dark canyons, where the rugged and frowning rocks shelter him and the great old trees forbid civilization to enter, lives old Ephraim, the savage, but ever interest- ing, grizzly bear. He was at one time master of the entire region west of the Missis- sippi; but he has gradually been exterminated, or driven back into the mysterious and picturesque fastnesses of the Rocky Mountains. This t>reat grizzly bear fears nothing, and few dare attack him m his canyon home, where lie is king. 1 Ie travels about, with his slow, swinging gait, looking for his prey, always carrying his weapons with him; and the}' are ever ready to assume the offensive, for, armed with his sharp, strong claws, old Kphraim fears nothing. When night overtakes him, he does not have to beg a shelter; for all the caves, the roots of fallen trees, and the ledges of rock are friendly. The}* afford him hiding-places from whence to spring upon Ids prey. He kills the animals he surprises, by striking them with his huge paws and then tear- ing them with his powerful jaws and claws. These weapons he wields, also, with terrible- results, upon the unwary hunter who may carry war against him in his own domain. These same caves, and roots of fallen trees, and ledges of rock protect the grizzly bear from the passing storm. But old hphraim is not afraid; he ventures out to feed upon the birds and animals that cannot withstand the force of the storm. Though he shows partiality for the boulder-covered canyons, where rocks on either side rise, like huge monuments, to shelter and protect nature from greedy man, he issues forth GRIZZLY BEAR to feed upon herbs, berries, and fruits that grow on the mountain-side and to quench lus thirst with the waters of the mountain streams. When summer is dying and autumn awakens in her gorgeous garments <>t bright hues, when the birds seek a warmer climate and the mosses and lichens that cover the great boulders and tree-trunks sleep, when the north wind rushes and roars through the canyons, frightening animal lite away, then the grizzly leaves his rocky home, and the mother bear wanders about with her cubs. While the little fellows roll, toss, and play amid the vari- colored and beautiful growths on the sunny mountain-side, tin- mother turns over stones and digs great holes, to see if a gopher or a marmot be hidden away there. At last Dame Nature puts in a more somber line and falls asleep. I hen the griz- zly returns to his canyon home for his win- ter's sleep. After the mother bear has made her cubs snug in a sheltered cave, she crawls into another cave near by, and soon all are hushed to sleep by the great deep voice of North Wind, who alone is able to soothe the ferocious spirit of this strong wild creature. The grizzly hes dormant from dawn to darkness and then to dawn again, of the main' short da\ T s and long nights, through storm and sunshine. If his winter's sleep be not MAKMUl GRIZZLY BEAR disturbed, he issues forth in good condition, but soon grows thin and scrawny in his search for food. Should the long sleep be broken or disturbed, the bear grows thin and emaciated before spring comes to awaken Mother Nature. BLACK BEAR WELL-SHAPED, smooth-coated, timid fellow is the old black bear that, at one tunc, inhabited nearly all of North America. He is the commonest and best known of all the bear family. He lives in regions where he can find plenty of thick tim- ber to hide him from man -but not to hide man from him, for he is most curious, and when he can get a chance to watch man without being noticed, he is careful to take advantage of it. It probably is his terrible fear of man that has saved him from extermination. He seems to have little or no tear, though, of little people. Perhaps they remind him of playful cubs. \\ hen the twins, to whom this book is dedicated, were four years old, they went on an expedition to Montana. They traveled over a blazed trail, with saddle, pack-horses, and a wagon, way back into the mountains of Montana, where they were going to camp at the base of old Chief, a wonderful pile oi huge rocks that stands as a landmark and can be seen for many miles. At one place, where we were trying to make a very steep climb, the horses stopped, refusing to go any farther. The two little boys, who already had climbed to the top, were put in a little clearing, in the pine woods, and told to stay there quietly until the horses came to the top ol the hill. They were told that the horses would rush up and they must stay in their safe place. Then they were left to each other's company. In about half an hour all was ready to start the horses and I went to the top to see if the BLACK BEAR four-year-olds were all right. When I reached the clearing, one of the twins said, " Mother, see that bear! lie has just gone into the woods." I did not pay any attention, but went back down the hill, warning the pair that the horses were now coming. When I reached the bottom and reported, "All is well," the horses started; and I won- dered if, perhaps, there had been a bear watching the little fellows. But there was work to be done, and when we finally reached the top, I said, "Well, boys, where is the bear?" They answered, " I guess the noise of the horses frightened him away; he's gone now." It must have been true, tor just then the father, who is an old-time hunter, came over to them and called my attention to some fresh tracks. "A bear must have just passed through here," he said. "Yes, Daddy," the boys answered, "he has been looking at us a long time, but he is gone now." The black bear lives principally upon vegetable food; blueberries are a favorite diet, though he will eat any kind ot fruit. When he can find plenty of fruit, grubs, worms, grasshoppers, and crickets, together with good roots, he will pass oxer a freshly killed deer or sheep without noticing it; but when this favorite food is scarce the sheep-herders have trouble, for Bruin will help himself to as many members of the flock as he cares to kill. When fall comes, he loves to visit cornfields at night, eating the juicy cornstalks and ears, almost ruining the patch; and then, though he is very timid, he cannot resist visiting the pig-pen and helping himself to a pig. Bear cubs are very playful little fellows, full of all sorts of mischief, teasing the old mother until she gets very angry; then she will box the little fellows' ears, to teach them respect for their elders — even the little animal people must be taught obedience and respect. When the old mother meets an enemy, or is surprised, she will drive her cubs up a tree BLACK BEAR and watch. At this time she is savage and will make a desperate fight to protect her young. She teaches her cubs to catch mice and to dig ants and grubs out ol rotten logs. Sometimes a cub is caught by Indians and taken home as a playfellow for some little Red babv, where he soon forgets his forest home and lines his adopted one. I he black bear is passionately fond of honey and will dig up any nest of wild honey to get the sweets, regardless of the punishment he will surely receive, lie is as clever as a human in locating a bee tree. lie climbs to the opening and attacks it so savagely with Ins teeth and (daws that he soon has a hole large enough to reach the honey. The angry bees sting his nose, mouth, and, in fact, his whole body; but he stops only long enough to brush some of them off, or, it the hole is near the ground, he rolls over and over, trying to get rid of his tormentors. But he keeps right at his task, knowing that before long the comb will be broken and the bees will leave him in peace while thev hasten to gather enough of their honey to store away for their winter's use. With the approach of winter, the mother bear takes her cubs into the woods, where they feed upon nuts and acorns. But soon these are gone, and winter's bleak, cold winds send the whole bear family to seek sheltered caves. Then they and all Dame Nature are wrapped in a winter mantle and many of the wood folk have gone to sleep, to wait tor the cheery springtime to come and awaken them. BLAl_K BhAK KT « ■ h '■ vr on the ice she finds a mother seal with her babies. It is not long before the old mother bear begins to get strong after her long winter's fast, while at the same time she is teaching her cubs to hunt. The cub is no more afraid than the mother to plunge into the icy Arctie water and swim, and he will follow the mother and go wherever she may lead. The baby bear is not used to swimming and gets tired if the mother takes too long a water trip; but he knows how to rest himself. When he begins to get tired he swims up behind his mother and takes hold of her tail with his teeth, and holds on tightly. In this way he can rest and is in no danger of bring drowned. But the mother drives him off; perhaps she, also, gets tired, for she may have two cubs, each taking his turn. Were it not for these great bears, many of the explorers — who live in the North two or three years at a time, so we can know something of the frozen part of our country- -would starve to death. The Polar bear has a little shadow. It follows wherever he leads, to feed upon whatever this great fellow leaves behind. This little shadow is ealled the Arctic fox. He is a simple- minded creature, easily caught in a trap, and willing to accept food left by man. 'Way up in the far North the Arctie fox is white all the year round; it he were not, he could be seen by all the animal people, as he hunts for food over the lee and snow. A little farther south, he is snow-white in winter and bluish-brown in summer; while still far- ther south, this curious chap is dark all the year round, because he hunts in wooded country, and if he were white in the woods everything could see him. I le must be dark here for the same reason that he is white in the North. 1 1 is color is so different, from the Arctie to the south, that you would never believe him to be the same little creature. POLAR BEAR AND ARCTIC FOX These little people of the wild burrow in the earth for their homes, and they live in little fox villages. They dig down to almost freezing point and here they hide many lem- mings and other small dwellers of the Arctic for their winter supply oi meat. They know that the long winter will soon he upon them; and though they hunt hard and often to find the Arctie hare, this swift runner is not easily caught, as he has longer legs, and there is little chance for a fox to creep upon and surprise him, over the great sheet of white snow. «*£ . <^M»m^' mgl ARCTIC FOX RED FOX AND COTTONTAIL way, t o and ED fox is one of the wisest and most cunning <>t little creatures, with so little fear oi man that he prefers to live near settlements, where he can poach upon the tanners chickens and fowl to help out his menu of mice and rab- bits, birds and other wood folk. I he foxes make dens in the midst of big tree forests, or in crevices among the rocks, where the vixen (mother) hides her tour or five cubs while she goes out to find food to bring home. She always travels in a roundabout from her den, so that her enemies cannot find the way. She never leaves any refuse about her doorway that might attract the attention of man or animal folk who may be hunting about her domain. On sunny days the vixen takes her fox cubs out into the sunshine to play. They may never have seen man, yet they run and hide at his approach; but if caught, they make very lovely little pets. Some friends, hunting in New Brunswick, caught a little fox cub and put him into a box cage. I hey shot Canadian jays for their little captive, and the cunning little fellow carried each one into his box to hide it, until he had his box so full that he could not get into it himself. lie became very tame and played all day; hut at night the hunters would awaken to hear his plaintive little bark, then off in the distance would come the answer from the poor old vixen, who was mourning the loss of her little one, while the screech-owl RED FOX AND COTTONTA1 flew from limb to limb, seeming to laugh at the troubles of the poor mother trying to quiet her lost one. During the nesting" season, the red fox destroys quantities of quail and partridge nests. He is hunted with hounds and seems to enjoy the sport as much as his pursuers, leading them a merry chase, often running the top rail of a fence or jumping from stone to stone. Should he get far ahead, he will stop and wait for the hounds to catch up, then off he runs again and often gets away finally, to hide and rest in his den. If he should suddenly come upon a hunter, he will show no signs of fear, but just pretend he never saw him, and grad- ually work away until he is over some small hill, then he will run as fast as he can, to get out of the way. He is the handsomest and most valuable fox from the Southern Alleghanies to Point Bar- row, wearing man} 7 different suits in different parts of the country, from yellow-red to the palest of bleached-out colors on the sun-kissed desert, and very bright colors in the forest regions of Alaska. He is so cunning and so well able to care for himself that it is not so easy to exterminate him as it is other animals less wise. The black-cross fox and the silver fox are just two different phases of the same red fox. The red fox has a very keen sense of hearing. He depends more upon his ears and nose than upon his eyes in detecting the approach of danger or in locating his prey. When he gets scent of a rabbit, he is happy; for rabbits are his favorite food, and poor little molly- cottontail must always be watchful or she will be caught. Should she not see her enemy until he is almost upon her, she will he very close to the ground, behind a bunch of grass RED FOX AND COTTONTAIL or a bush, and never move. Often the hunter will pass her by; but sometimes she has a hard run to save her life, and many times, poor thing, she is caught. The cottontail is the smallest of the rabbit family and is found all over the country. She burrows in the ground for a home; but, unfortunately, she has not learned to make herself a back door, to escape in time of danger, for members of the weasel or marten families follow this creature into her home. Like all rabbits she has regular runways or trails through the woods; but on moonlight nights she will come out into the clearings, with her relatives, and romp, play and frisk about in the moonlight, having a lively time. Suddenly one of the brothers will stamp his feet, and in a second all have disappeared and run for safety. Most people might have wondered what the mat- ter was. Little Brother Rabbit knew, for almost instantly, Ko-Ko-Kas, the big brown owl, flew over the clearing and each little rabbit was glad he had heard and obeyed the warning. Had he not he would have suffered more than when Chief Rabbit refused to go to a council called by Owl. Owl was chief then, and called four times, but the Rabbit did not answer. Then he told the Rabbit his ears would grow until he came to the long his ears grew; and they might have been much longer had not the Rabbit answered and run to the council as fast as he could 20. COTTONTAIL council. We all know how • ;■■ ■ \ - r other beast, he will jump up and keep watching his pursuer, but if lie finds he is being chased by a greyhound, Mr. Rabbit will get right down and run for the first place that will afford him a good protection. The Indians of the Northwest use the jack-rabbit skin to make robes. They cut tin- skin into narrow strips and twist these so the fur is 'on both sides; then the strips are fastened together. This makes a very light, durable and warm robe for the North country. JACK-RABBIT MOUNTAIN-SHEEP AND LITTLE CHIEF HARE IpIAYout in the Rocky Mountains, bold, strong and active, climbing from tl it.- snow-covei 'l'<1 crown, where snow is everlasting, to the base, where spread green pastures, lives the majestic mountain-sheep or bighorn. He fears nothing but man with his firearms, and no storm is big enough to drive him from his rocky home. I his splendid creature, with his strong legs, scales the most rugged cliffs, and jumps from rock to rock, over deep precipices, with a grace and agility that are grand. His favorite feeding-ground is above timber-line, on the treeless slopes, where he finds grasses and wild flowers. It is surprising how many different, won- derful Mowers grow about the glaciers. Once, while spending a while on the glaciers in Glacier National Park, we picked twenty-four different varieties of flowers in halt an hour, inside of a few yards; the abundance of vegetation in these ice-bound fields is remarkable. The mother sheep stays in the most inaccessible places with her lambs, far up above timber-line, so that they can, at the least sign of danger, get out of reach of the foe. The worst enemy of these people of the wild is the eagle ; but the mother can guard her babies from him. In the spring the flocks will venture down to find better feeding-grounds in the valleys; but it is not long before they return to the rocky fastness of their mountain home, out of the way of the wolves and the mountain-lions, their greatest enemies on the plains below. MOUNTAIN-SHEEP AND LITTLE CHIEF HARE It is good that the mountain-sheep knows the great mountains arc his friends and his protectors, for, from this fortified home, his keen sense of sight, hearing, and smell helps him to detect an enemy at a long distance. His horns, great, massive, wonderful things, are the crowning glory of a hunter; though the Indians see in them only a big soup-ladle! Even the females have horns. Fortunatelv, it is unlawful, in many states, to kill this majestic creature, and he will con- tinue to grace our great western country. His general color is gray, with a large white patch on his hmd quarters. When this war}- creature sees a hunter at a great distance, he starts up the well-beaten, steep trail. These favorite trails lead up the slopes of high mountains, rugged and jagged, to above timber-line, on into the land of perpetual snow. Here the sheep find plenty of gray mosses, and, many times, large patches of splendid grass. In winter there is an abun- dance of gray mosses to eat, and they are glad to find protection in the great pine woods; but they always stay in a forest where the woods tall away into perpendicular, rugged cliffs, with acres of slide rock below, to afford away of escape from the many enemies that trouble them, especiallv from man hunters. The old ram keeps his Hock of ewes and lambs together, and will not allow voung rams near his herd. I Ie has many fierce fights to show he is master. Early explorers and hunters thought these wild brothers one variety; but since they have been studying this creature we know that there are seven varieties, although all have nearly the same habits, and are found all the way from the Alaskan mountains clear down into Mexico. Little Chief hare, or pika, a queer little fellow, shares this rugged home with the mountain- sheep. He is a tiny creature and belongs to no family but his own, though he looks enough MOUNTAIN-SHHhP AND I. MILL CHIhF HARE like the little gray rabbit to be a cousin. He lives above timber-line, in the land of perpetual snow. All summer he carries grasses and many kinds of Alpine plants for his winter sup- ply of food. With these he builds almost a haystack. The pikas also love the rock slides, where they find shelter in the crevices, among the boulders. The)' are always watchful and alert, and when they see any danger they run as fast as their short leg's can carry them. This queer little creature, with little activity, and the great mountain-sheep, who is an agile climber, share this rocky home, and neither has any cause to fear the other, though both fear many of the wood folk hunters. LITTLE CHIEF HARE r " 4 ■ % iU/MPiM^ MOUNTAIN-GOAT AND WEASEL R up in his Rocky Mountain home, where you find the wildest scenery, surrounded by glaciers, climbing almost inaccessible places — particularly dangerous, ice-covered mountain-sides — the mountain-goat has his strong- hold. Only the boldest, most daring hunter may follow him into his rocky fastness. They say he is the most stupid of all animals, and you might sup- pose him slow and clumsy; but in reality he is the most expert and the swiftest climber of all hoofed animals. Do you know why? Mother Nature has provided him with a peculiar set of hoofs, padded in the center, to catch hold of and cling to the rocks, and sharp and knifelike around the edges, to cut into the ice and hold him, when he is passing over slippery places. Perhaps he is stupid because he feels so secure in his almost inapproachable home that he need fear nothing; but he always keeps a sharp lookout for the approach of an enemy. His eyes are very keen, and he can see long distances; but he has never learned that an enemy may hunt him from above as well as from below. Nothing that passes beneath him escapes his sharp eves. Should he see a strange object he will watch it until the danger passes out of sight, perhaps around a little rise, then he will go on; and when next you see him he is almost at the top oi a high mountain. All his enemies know they cannot approach him from below, and animal hunters, as well as man hunters, start lor this game from above. MOUNTAIN-GOAT AND WEASEL If the hunter pn >ve to be steady enough oi nerve to follow this beast as he travels over the little ledges ol rock, lie will find no difficulty in killing him; lor he is known to be one of the most stupid of our game animals, and will stand still and watch the hunter come on. II you should see a goat in his rocky home, you would think him the queerest, strangest beast imaginable. I lis shoulders are high and his hind quarters low, and he is covered with long, wiry hair ol cream-white color. I his is his outside coat. Inside he wears a woolly coat, next to his skin. The inside coat keeps him warm, while the outside coat sheds all the ram and sn< »w. His lour short, stocky legs carry him along in a slow, lumbering gait. He has a pair oi very black horns almost sharp-pointed spikes. They are not very imposing; and the square, short beard which reaches straight across his chin does not add to his beauty. Ills flesh is not good to eat, unless you can get no other food; it tastes musty and dry. He is hunted for his he, id and hide. But he need not leave his rocky home to get his food, as he finds great patches of lovely grass just above timber-line, and he loves the short, almost hchen-hke, moss that grows on the face or at the base and between the crevices of the rocks. When the hunter starts in search of this Rocky Mountain game he often runs across the bloodthirsty little .weasel, who changes his suit of fur from a reddish brown in summer to one of pure white in winter. He is a wicked little murderer, and often kills to satisfy a vicious desire. He may not be hungry, but he will kill ten or fifteen small animals, one after another, and just let them lie where they died, while he goes on in search of new prey. MOUNTAIN-GOAT AND WEASEL His white fur resembles that of the beautiful ermine; in fact, he is called the ermine of America, lie has even the black tip to his tail. Weasels will often kill ground-squirrels and then take possession of their burrows; although they also make their homes under stumps and in the hollows of old trees. WEASEL MINK AND OTTER ^r ^ ^223i\ I K (j nick, graceful little brown mink is found all over this country and is as happy in the water as he is on land. I hough he has many enemies, he fears none, as he can always find a hiding-place. 1 le can climb a tree with the agility of a eat, or he can dive into a stream and swim almost as well as a fish, lie loves to dodge and suddenly disappear into a hole perhaps no bigger than a rat hole — or to hide under a lot of fallen leaves and glide along so quietly that the hunter just stands still and wonders into what hole he has disappeared. I hen, way off in the distance, the saucy little mink will sit up to get a glimpse of his enemy, probably laughing to himself and enjoying the fun he is hav- ing at the hunters expense. 1 hen off he scampers again. 1 he mink is both a land and a water hunter. He loves to explore swamps, to find frogs and lizards, or turn over dead leaves to see if any snakes or insects have hidden themselves awav there. Though he loves to live on the banks of rivers, where he can find all sorts of good things and splendid hiding-places, he also wanders into the wild woods, where lie can find birds; these he catches in great numbers, to satisfy his love for killing. I he mink digs a home for himself in the ground, but often he steals the muskrat's home. One day a hunter saw a mink run into a muskrat's hole. lie dug out the place and found ten dead muskrats in the hole the mink had appropriated for his own home! The mink hunts without fear, even after Jack Frost has closed his icy fingers over every- MINK AND OTTER thing. He will look for an air hole, jump into the icy water, and hunt for the little mice that run along the shore space at the edge of the water; then out he will come and follow a rabbit-track in the snow. He is a busy fellow and hunts the wood folk, upon which he preys, both night and day. Once upon the trail of the wild folk, the mink keeps right after his prey until he catches it. He sleeps whenever he is tired. While sitting before his campfire one evening, a hunter friend was suddenly surprised by a rabbit, which jumped out of the bushes and almost into the fire, but he rushed right ahead, as fast as the poor frightened little creature could go. Almost immediately a mink jumped out of the same bushes, hurrying after his game ; but the surprise party was such a surprise that it separated the hunter and the hunted and saved the rabbit's life. The mink and his otter cousin are hunted and trapped for their fur, which is very valu- able. The poor otter, though larger than the mink, is almost gone, just because people like to wear his fur. The otter loves the water better than the land ; although originally he was a land animal, belonging to the marten or weasel family. Now, after having been a splendid fisherman for so long, he is gradually getting to look like a small seal and has become a semi-water ani- mal. Strangely enough the baby otters are afraid of water and have to be taught by their parents to swim. The body is long and flat, with very short legs and webbed toes. The otter's home is a den under the bank of a stream, with the opening under the water, for he knows that is the safest place. But some of the otter people select a deep cave high up on the bank of a river for a nest ; and even the bottom of hollow trees are sometimes used. I he otters often travel over land for great distances, from one body of water to another, but their legs are so short that traveling on land is very slow. In winter they have great MINK AND OTTER 8 fun traveling; they slide down every snow-bank they come to and in this way save a great deal of walking. The otters love to romp and play on the grassy hank oi a stream, or in the pines, like lit- tle puppies. When they hnd a stream with a steep hank, they make a path to the top, so as not to disturb the sink'. Then they lie flat on their stomachs and slide down the muddy, slippery bank into the water. I hey go one after the other, sometimes racing, and often just missing a collision before they get to the bottom. 1 hear fur seems to be so oily that the water can never reach the skin. 1 he fur is very dark and the Indians say that is because, man_\' years ago, an Otter and his three brothers, who were very light, stole the sister of three brothers, who always lived in the woods upon thi' earth. I hey took her into their dark den to live, and when her brothers finally found where she was they went down to rescue her. I he sister told her brothers how unkind all the Otters but the darkest had been. 1 he brothers were very angry and, as the Otters came into their den, one by one, the brothers killed .ill but the dark and homely one. That is why all Otters are dark to this day; and if the dark one had not been so kind and good, we might not know anything about the Otter to-day. At least, that is what the Indians say. •-..•■ , ^^u^ 1 OTTER RACCOON AND OPOSSUM (ROWLING about in wet places, along the edges oi swamps, with his clumsy yet deliberate ""ait, never discouraged in his hunt, we find the little raccoon. He is always ready to eat anything, from a hare to the green corn which the weary farmer tries so hard to protect, first from the crows and in the fall from the raccoon. But the raccoon is a clean little fellow. When he kills his meat he will not eat it until he has taken it down to the water to wash. He takes the meat in his two forepavvs and drags it about in the water until the meat is white and flabby; then he will eat it. In the South the negro hunts this fellow for food and calls him "Brother 'Coon." His general color is gray and black; the fur is soft and long; while his very bushy tail has alternate black and gray rings, from the base to the tip. A live 'coon is one of the most interesting pets a boy could have. All he wants is enough to eat and a good big place to hide away in. He loves a hollow tree; but he prefers living in a cave in the rocks, if he can find a large one. How the farmers hate the raccoon ! He loves "Teen corn and he will ruin all the ears he can reach. Some say the raccoon is related to the bear family, though he is much smaller. He does have a great deal of the bear about him, and the Indians tell of a time when he was as big as a bear. At that time, he was traveling through the woods and came to the home of a poor old woman. As it was very cold, he went into the house; ami after he had got warm, I RACCOON AND OPOSSUM he said : "Old woman, it you will rid me of the insects on my hack, I will give you my mitttens." 1 he old woman did as the Coon asked, because she needed the mittens to trade for food for her babies. Alter she had finished, the ( oon gave her his mittens and the old woman started ofl right alter the Raccoon left the house. You remember it was very cold; soon the Raccoons hands were nearly frozen and hi' started back to make the old woman give him back his mittens; hut she had gone to exchange them tor food. When the Rac- coon reached the house and the children would not give up the mittens, he was very savage and killed all hut one ol the babies; then he became frightened and ran away. When the mother reached home, she saw 'coon tracks all around the house, and when she went inside she found all her babies dead but one. She ran alter the 'Coon, following his tracks, until she caught him. I hen she whipped and whipped him, until the Raccoon became one oi the small animals; and all the stripes on him now are the black-and-blue marks from the whipping that was given him. I he Indians are sure that is the reason lor the. Raccoon s being so small ; and suivlv the Raccoon deserved being punished tor his ingratitude. Like the bear, too, this little fellow eats animals as well as vegetables. lie shuttles through the woods eating berries, opossum nuts, frogs, serpents, and anything else he- can find. Me • I RACCOON AND OPOSSUM catches fish, waiting at the edge of a stream for a fish to swim by, when Mr. 'Coon reaches down and grabs it with his sharp claws. He prowls about at night, frightening the tree-dwellers; for they are blind at night and the raccoon can see everything. But the raccoon babies are blind, just like kittens, and then Mr. Coon must be careful or some other prowling forest-dweller will give him a scare. When cold weather comes on, the raccoons curl themselves up and go to sleep; but they do not sleep all winter as the bears do. I hey sleep a week or so at a time. When a warm spell comes on some of them will venture out, only to go to sleep again with the next cold spell. At the first sign of spring, the raccoon is out in the bogs ami swamps, hunting snakes and frogs. The raccoon is not the only night prowler the tree-dwellers have to fear, for the opossum also sleeps all day and hunts at night. Yet the two are entirely different. The opossum has a tail which he can twist around the limb of a tree, while he hangs down to rob nests or gather fruits. He lives principally upon insects, fruits, nuts, berries, mice and bugs; but he loves sweet potatoes and other things that he can steal from the farmyard. No wonder farmers e'et discouraged when the wild folk make their homes on his farm! CANADA LYNX AND PORCUPINE I IK flat-faced, savage Canadian lynx, with its great muscular legs, travels with silent leaps over the snow in winter or amid dry leaves, without making the slight- est noise, in summer and fall. His soft, gray fur hides him so well that it is hard to see him, even at short distances; but the wood folk know they have him to fear, and as they love their wild lite as well as their enemy, the lynx, loves his, they keep a sharp lookout for this silent shadow oi death. Like all the cat family, he can climb any tree, and he feasts upon squirrels and birds; or he stretches himself upon the limb, among the lower branches, and pounces upon any unwary creature that passes his way. During the long, cold winters he almost starves; for days he can find nothing but scraps that have, perhaps, been cast aside by some hunter during a more plentiful season. The lynx wanders through the dense, dark northern forests, through the long, cold nights and the short clays, starving, sometimes for days at a time, but never losing courage, know- ing that pretty soon the birds will come hack from their warm home in the South, and the animal people will venture out again; then there will be plenty for .ill to eat. During the whole year in the North, the lynx depends a great deal upon rabbits; but every few years the rabbits seem to disappear. Nobodv knows why; it may be from dis- ease. At this time, however, many lynx starve to death. Often in their desperate effort to get food they pounce upon the porcupine; but then they get their mouths so lull of quills that thev cannot eat and starve to death. ^EWMFflrtfUj CANADA LYNX AND PORCUPINE Porcupines are of a dark brown or nearly black color. 1 hey are burrowing animals, though they sometimes make homes in rocky caves, and are as much at home in the tree- tops as on the ground. They strip the pine-trees of their bark, killing them for a meal. The porcupine's Hesh is sometimes eaten; though there is a preju- dice against it as food. In one of our trips in the \\ est, we killed and ate a young porcupine, and the meat was tender and juicy, very much like young pork. I lis sense ol sight is very poor and he seems dull-witted. lie moves about slowly, perhaps because with his spmcs as weapons he fears nothing. He does not throw his spines, as is generally sup- posed, but when attacked by an enemy he erects his quills and then gives a strong sidewise slap with his tail. I his drives the < j mils mto his enemy. The porcupine quills are very dangerous. Each quill is fitted with numerous barbs that make it almost impossible to pull them out; m tact, they work their way into the body, and finally penetrate a vital spot, and the hunter has to give up his lite tor the meal he only halt enjoyed many weeks before. I hough naturally a nocturnal animal, the porcupine often prowls about by day, visiting the camps of hunters, eating all the salt he can find. He eats the bacon and everything leather he can find: he even eats the ax helves. Perhaps he prefers traveling in the day- PORCUI'INE CANADA LYNX AND PORCl IPINE time, because most of his enemies prowl about at night, especially his most persistent enemy, the fisher, who manages to get the porcupine by the throat, where he is least protected by spines. When the very cold weather comes on, the porcupine curls up in a hall, with his spines toward the opening oi his den, making him sate from almost any attack, trying to sleep and forget his hunger until a warm sua]) comes along. I hen he gets out to feed upon the hark ot trees, so that he can withstand the cold for another spell, hut he fears nothing, and goes hack to sleep, hoping that spring will hurry along so that he can enjoy the fresh green leaves attain. SLOTH AND BAY LYNX IH31I HE sluggish sloth is a stupid creature that passes all the day and most of the night hanging, back downward, from the branch of a tree. 1 1 is long, slender limbs terminate in long, hooklike claws. lie is so helpless and so weak, so unable to protect himself from his enemies, that one wonders why Dame Nature did not provide him with an armor of spines or scales, so that those who prey upon him would have at least a little trouble to kill this strange creature. Dame Nature has helped a little; tor, in the rough, shaggy, grayish brown coat, lives a vegetable growth that makes him look as if he might be a lichen-covered knot that has grown on the limb. He hangs all day, and during the night travels slowly through the upper branches, hunt- ing for food; of which he finds plenty, for he lives mostly upon leaves and buds, although he also eats other vegetable matter that he may find. He is wholly unfitted to travel upon the ground, as his legs are too weak to carry his body. He could neither run nor hide from an enemy (his speed is unbelievably lacking; he travels, perhaps, half a mile in twenty-four hours). He is too weak to burrow and too large to get into a hole. Because he finds it so difficult to travel over land, we wonder if he must always go without water; but tor this Dame Nature provides. In the countrv he loves and calls his own, there is very heavy dew. In the early morning the sloth gathers together all the leaves within his SLOTH AND BAY I.YNX reach and drinks this heavy dew. It is all the moisture he needs, besides what he can get from such fruit as he will find in his search for food. On account oi the strange development oi his teeth, the sloth belongs to a family called Edentata. lie has n<> front teeth, and his cheek teeth, growing throughout his life, have never developed roots nor have they any outside coating. 1 he sloth is one ot the very lowest types of animals, having a very small brain. Sloths hunt at night. It is good there are lew birds ot ]>ivv in the forests these poor beasts inhabit, or they would have very little chance to live, tor the sloths climb way out to the end ot a limb, so they will he sate and out ot the way of the bay lynx, who, like most other animal people, counts the sloth a great delicacy. The bay lynx, called also wildcat, bobcat, catamount, and red lynx, is a big, savage, stub-tailed cat, who does not hunt in the forests all the time, but also finds food in clearings, overgrown with brambles, and new growth. lie travels about, feeling under the bushes for rabbits and other small game that might be hidden there. Like the rest of tin' cat family, he likes mice and will watch for them, or for small birds or squirrels, to come out of their hiding-places and serve a meal, as patiently as a house cat watches for a mouse. He wanders about in the snow all winter, hunting for food, still-hunting mostly, as he is not as swift a runner as the fox or weasel, and depends upon pouncing upon his prey. BAY I.YNX SLOTH AND BAY LYNX When the bay lynx hears a noise, he crouches and waits to see if the comer be friend or toe. If it be foe, he will disappear like a shadow; but if everything remains quiet he will travel on, giving a wild yell even- once in a while, to frighten any wild life that may be hid- ing near by. In the spring, the bay lynx, like the domestic cat, loves to eat the blossoms of the fragrant catnip and to roll in the leaves of this plant. JAGUAR AND SKUNK LARGE, tawny-yellow cat, with black spots on his back and light-centered rosettes on his side, is the jaguar, the king oi the Mexican jungles. He sometimes finds his way across the border, into the southern States; but he is very common in Mexico, living in the dense jungles, where he follows a regular trail, and preys upon all the wood folk. He is the largest ol the cat family in North America, a powerfully built animal, with a head seemingly too large tor its body and a tail entirely too short. Like all the cat family, he is a great climber, and depends upon his ability to climb when lie attacks and seizes a peccary. 1 hese savage, tearless little beasts travel in droves, and are bound to avenge the death of their brother. I hey will drive the big jaguar up a tree, and keep him there until hunger forces them on, in search ol food. In Mexico the jaguar is known as "el tigre"; and although a most powerful, fierce, and dangerous beast, like all other wild creatures he has learned to tear man and will seldom attack. A hunter friend tells a story ol an alligator hunt. IK' was hunting tor market, and as he was watching the river tor his game he heard a slight noise and a movement behind him. I urning suddenly, he saw a large jaguar in position to spring. He felt that he had had a narrow escape, though he said he was not sure whether the jaguar was after him or the alli- gators he was hunting. JAGUAR AND SKUNK Like all others of the cat family, the jaguar is a good fisherman, and will catch fish with Ins claws. The jaguar follows his well-beaten trails through the jungles, and feeds upon the many wild beasts unfortunate enough to cross his path; but he also is hunted. The Mexican Indians hunt him with a spear about eight teet long. They follow a trail until they come upon the jaguar. When he turns the Indian stoops very low, holding the blunt end of his spear solidly to the ground. 1 he jaguar, realizing he is caught, prepares to spring; and the Indian directs the long weapon so that the jaguar when he springs, impales himself upon the spear. The beautiful little black and white kitten, with its large bushy tail, would make a pretty little pet, were it not capable ot a most terrible revenge when it gets angry. The almost suffocating odor which the skunk or polecat sends forth to defend himself against most enemies is so offensive that the pretty pet is better left to his forest home. Still, he is hunted and trapped now to furnish furs for the market, as the otter, the beaver and the marten are getting more scarce. On account of his natural defense, the wood folk are careful not to disturb the skunk much, lest they oret their noses full of the terrible odor and, like hunting dog's, will be unable to follow a scent tor several daws. This is why the skunk has become so lazv, slow, and fearless, that it does not even run from man. While out among the Indians, a hunter was lying asleep in his tepee when he was awak- ened by what sounded like an Indian dog, chewing some game he had brought in that day. Upon investigation he found that a skunk hail come into his tepee for the meat. He slipped outdoors and shouted and screamed to frighten the intruder; but the skunk finished IAC.UAR AN!) SKUNK his meal, and then came leisurely out oi the tepee and slowly waddled down to his hole below the river bank. He feeds upon everything that he can catch easily while hunting at night; and as soon as his 1 tables arc- old enough to be taught, they ;md their mother may be seen traveling through the woods, single hie. They live in burrows, where they retreat for the winter's sleep in the late fall, after they have become, so tat that they cannot exert themselves to get food. In the old times, hunters and trappers occasion all}' were bitten by skunks on the nose and ears while sleeping, and they would die of rabies. For this reason every one feared the skunk, and imagined the bite of all skunks produced rabies. There is, occasionally, an epidemic of hydrophobia among skunks, and then they are dangerous to both man and animal people ; 1 tut the skunk bite does not always produce rabies and many people are now devoting their time to raising skunks for the market of skins. SktJNk ftu&mm PUMA AND PECCARY _ ■ .'/^HHE puma belongs to the cat family and is found all through the Western States. He measures six or eight feet, a third of which is tail. He has such a small head that hunters are often deceived as to his size and strength and get into a great deal ol trouble. This is one of the most bloodthirsty of animals, traveling only at night, and very cautiously. He selects ledges of rock near a stream, where ani- mals stop to drink, and watches tor his prey. He will wait patiently, leav- ing no signs of his presence, until some unfortunate animal is directly under him, and then he springs upon his prey. He digs his cruel, sharp, hooked claws deeply into the neck of his victim, and drinks its blood, even though the creature may plunge about and brush through bushes in its endeavor to escape this terrible persecutor. At last, exhausted from the loss of blood, the poor victim tails, discouraged, only to be left; for the puma has satis- fied his hunger, and is ready to wait for new prey. He seems to have an inborn desire to kill. He is feared by the human race in thinly settled parts of the country; and when people hear the weird cry of " E — Emew" they keep close watch, for they know that, under cover of night, this tawny enemy will attack calves, sheep, colts, and small quadrupeds generally. Herders often have found more than fifty of their herd killed in a single night. Still, the savage creature is a coward and has rarely been known to attack a man. PUMA AND PhCCARY Fortunately, this destructive beast lias a very poor sense of smell, or the herders would have little chance to overcome him. He cannot smell poison hidden in tempting pieces of meat left for this gluttonous beast to devour. The puma, known also as cougar, painter, panther, mountain-lion, and, as the Sioux Indians say, E-mew, from his cry, travels through the wooded and rocky country, slinking, creeping along, sometimes surprising the lighting little peccaries. This bloodthirsty, savage little beast is armed with tusks, sharp enough to make terrible wounds, and the cowardly puma dare not accept the challenge' from this creature of dauntless courage and sharp tusks. The puma kittens, in their baby-clothes of stripes along then" sides and big spots all over, making of them miniature leopards, frisk about and play in the open, while tin- mother watches from a nearby rock. Sometimes the kittens, careless of danger, wander too far off; and then, being very easily tamed, tliev are lassoed and dragged home by Indian hunters, to afford the little Red people play-fellows. 1 he kittens soon learn to forget their forest homes and become very happy and contented in the adopted ones with their new friends. The puma is hunted with dogs. These he would willingly attack, did he not know they were followed by the hunter with his firearms. When the dogs have cornered him, he will climb a tree with the agility of a cat not hugging the tree as a man does, but digging his claws into the trunk and running up. Then he crouches on a limb and defies his pur- suers; but his threats are soon ended by the approach of the hunter, who shoots to kill ; for, if only wounded, this bloodthirsty, gluttonous creature will make a savage and desperate fight for life. The California Indians explain this savage nature in their folk lore. There was a time, they say, when no animal knew which should be food for the other, and they begged the PUMA AND PECCARY Great Spirit to tell them. The Great Spirit called an Indian to him and said, " Make many bows and arrows, from a very large to a tiny one, and distribute them among the animal people. The one receiving the largest bow will have the greatest strength and will eat all animals for meat." The Indian did as he was bidden, and at the appointed time all the animals came forward to meet him. He distributed the bows and gave the biggest one to the Puma. Ever since then the Puma has had great strength, and all animals have been his prey. PUMA OCELOT AND MUSKRAT &?s*> II H small, catlike animal, with spots on its side and irregular stripes of black and white running lengthwise along its hack, is the little ocelot. He reminds you ol the leopard at first sight, but he is much smaller and no two of them are marked exactly alike. His whole length, including fifteen inches of tail, is forty-five inches, and his height will average thirteen inches. Very little is known of this member of the cat family. Like the jaguar, whose hunting grounds are also his, he climbs trees, hunting for birds, or hides in the branches, watching for small quadrupeds, upon which he preys. He is a treacherous, ill-tempered, and bad fellow; yet in the time of the Aztecs, he was used by those Indians to hunt birds. He was, and is, killed a great deal by the Indians, who, on account of its decorative qualities, use his skm for clothing. No doubt, when the ocelot is better known, we will find some very interesting facts to tell about this beast. Muskrat, or Musquash, as the Algonquin Indians called him, is a heavily-built, broad- headed and short-necked fellow, with short limbs and small but sharp eyes. His beaver- like, dark brown fur is much used, as it is cheaper and more plentiful than that of other small fur-bearing animals. Both sexes have glands for secreting the musky substance from which they take their name. 1 he muskrat looks enough like: the beaver to be his cousin ; yet, while the beaver refuses OCELOT AND MUSKRAT to stay in any woods where man lias found his way, the muskrat has quickly learned that, though man is an enemy and traps him several months of the year, his natural wood-folk enemies disappear with the advance of civilization. The muskrats have never learned to build dams like the beaver, so they build their houses in still waters and swamps. 1 hese houses are made of mud and sod, or of the cut- down rushes that grow in the swamps. They usually build them two stories high; the upper story being ventilated by a short passage, leading down below. They always have several runways from the houses, leading to other rush houses and also to underground houses. I he upper room is lined with soft grass and moss and is above the water-line. Inside of this soft-lined room, southeast of the center, the muskrat builds his nest and spends the greater part of the winter, hardly knowing how stormy the weather may be out- side. Mere, also, the young are born. The muskrats always leave air-holes; but if there should be too little air under the ice, they need only expel the air from their lungs against the under surface of the ice and it will be purified verv quickly by its contact with the freezing water. The only enemies they have to tear, m the winter, are the otter and the mink, who come to the water to fish, tor neither objects to a good dinner of muskrat, if he can catch one. The hungry old lynx also prowls about, in his almost vain search for food; but the musk- rat does not fear him, because the muskrats house is so solidly frozen that the lynx cannot scratch nor dig it open. These rodents, when they inhabit streams with high banks, do not trouble to build houses, but burrow under the banks to make a home. Durino- the summer months, the muskrat must look out for many enemies. The oreat owl goes hooting through the forest and, with his eagle eyes, keeps watch for any muskrat OCKLOT AND MUSKKA1 unfortunate enough to he caught dozing. The owl counts the muskrat a great delicacy and lie will watch for hours to catch one. When the muskrat catches sight of this enemy, he gives the water a number of good whacks with his tail, warning the whole colons - of danger, and it is not long before every muskrat has jumped into the water and is safely hidden in his underground home. Here Mr. Muskrat and his family least upon great quantities of clams and such vegetable matter as they teel like eating, enjoying their dinner all the more because they have just escaped furnishing a dinner lor some other wild creature.