IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

1.1

Ui|21 |U
ttISi 122

E lu ^^

£ Its 110

IL25 in 1.4

1.6

'V^>. \

Fhotogi^aphic

^Sciences

Corporation

as WIST MAIN STMIT
WfUTM.N.Y. ,«SM

(7U)l7a-4S03

CIHM/ICMH

Microfiche

Series.

CIHIVI/ICIVIH
Collection de
microfiches.

Canadian Inatituta for Historical IMicroraproductiona / Injtitut Canadian da microraproductiona hiatoriquaa

Technical and Bibliographic Notas/Notat tachniquaa at bibliographiquas

Tha Inatituta has attamptad to obtain tha bast
original copy availabia for filming. Faaturas of this
copy which may ba bibliographically uniqua.
which may altar any of tha imagaa in tha
raproduction. or which may significantly changa
tha iiaual mathod of filming, ara chackad balow.

□

Coloured covers/
Couvarture da coulaur

I I Covers damaged/

Couverture endommagAe

Covers restored and/or laminated/
Couverture restaur^ et/ou pellicuMe

r~n Cover title missing/

Le titre de couverture manque

Coloured maps/

Cartes gAographiques 9n couleur

□ Coloured ink (I.e. other than blue or black)/
Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire)

Coloured plates and/or illuatrations/
Planchaa et/ou illustrations •n couleur

Bound with other material/
Rail* avac d'autres documents

r~p\ Tight binding may causa shadows or distortion

along interior margin/

Lareliure serrAe peut causer de I'ombre ou de la

distortion le long de la marge intArieure

Blank leaves added during restoration may
appear within tha text. Whenever possible, these
have been omitted from filming/
II se peut que certainas pages blanches aioutias
lors d'une restauratlon apparaissant dans la taxte,
mais, lorsqua cela Atait possible, ces pages n'ont
pas «t4 film*as.

Additional comments:/
Commentaires suppl4mantatres;

L'Institut a microfilm* le meilleur exemplaire
qu'il lui a iti possible de se procurer. Les details
da cet exemplaire qui sent peut-Atre uniques du
point de vue bibliographiqua. qui peuvent modifier
une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une
modification dans la m^thoda normale de filmage
sont indiquAs ci-dessous.

I I Coloured pages/

Pages de couleur

Pages damaged/
Pages endommagAas

Pages restored and/oi

Pages restaurAas et/ou pelliculAes

Pages discoloured, stained or foxec
Pages d6color*es, tachaties ou piquies

Pages detached/
Pages ditachAas

Showthrough/
Transparence

Quality of prin

QualitA in^gala de I'impression

Includes supplementary maierii
Comprend du material supplimantaira

Only edition available/
Seule Aditlon disponible

I — I Pages damaged/

I I Pages restored and/or laminated/

I I Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/

I I Pages detached/

r~71 Showthrough/

I I Quality of print varies/

I I Includes supplementary material/

I — I Only edition available/

Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata
slips, tissues, etc., have been ref limed to
ensure the best possible image/
Les pages totalement ou partiellement
obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure,
etc., ont M filmies A nouveau de fapon A
obtenir la mailleure image possible.

This item is filmed at tha reduction ratio checked below/

Ce document est film* au taux da reduction indiqu* ci-dassous.

10X 14X 18X 22X

2ex

12X

lex

20X

24X

2tX

32X

Th« copy filmed h«r« has b««n r«produc«d thanks
to the gsnsrosity of:

Library

Trant University, Poteriiorough

L'oxsmpiairs fiimi fut raproduit grica A la
ginArositA da:

Ubnry

Trrnit University, Pwtarborough

Tha imagas appearing hare are the best quality
possible considering the condition and legibility
of the original copy and in Icaeping with the
filming contract speciflcationa.

Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed
beginning with the front cover and ending on
the last page with a printed or illuatratad Impres-
sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All
other orlglnel copiea are filmed beginning on the
first page with a printed or illuatratad Imprea-
sion, and ending on the laat page with a printed
or illuatratad impreaaion.

Las images suivantas ont Ati reproduites avec le
plus grand soin, compta tanu de la condition et
de la natteti da I'exempiaire film«. at en
conformity avec les conditions du contrat de
fiimage.

Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en
papier est imprlm«e sont f iimAs en commen^ant
par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la
darniAre page qui comporte une empreinte
d'impresslon ou d'iliustretion, soit par le second
plat, salon le cas. Tous les autres axempleires
originaux sont filmAs an commandant par la
pramlire page qui comporte une empreinte
d'impresslon ou d'illustration et •n terminant par
la darniire page qui comporte une telle
empreinte.

The last recorded frame on each microfiche
shall contain the symbol -^^ (meaning "CON-
TINUED"), or the symbol V (meening "END"),
whichever applies.

Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la
darnlAre imege de cheque microfiche, seion le
cas: le symbols -^ signifie "A SUiVRE". le
symbols V signifis "FIN".

Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at
different reduction ratios. Those too large to be
entirely included in one exposure are filmed
beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to
right and top to bottom, as many frames as
required. The following diagrams illustrate the
method:

Les certes, planches, tabieeux, etc., peuvent *tre
fiimAs A dss taux da reduction diffArants.
Lorsque le document est trop grond pour fttro
reproduit en un seul clichA, ii est film* A partir
de Tangle supArisur gauche, de gauche A droite,
et de haut en bes, sn prenant la nombre
d'images nAcessaire. lies diegrammes suivants
iiiustrant la mAthode.

32X

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

The Amkhk'An Pkeii.

— Sec jKiije ;{(Mi

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

*■

AND THEIR KIN

;'.f^:&^ ;

• "-■-V'c

MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT

EDITED BY
FRANK M. CHAPMAN

ILLUSTRATED BY
ERNEST SETON THOMPSON

See p(i<J<^ *^'"'

THE MACAHLLAN COMPANY

LONDON: MACMILIAN & CO., Ltd.

1808

All rightK reserved

TrMtf Unlv^rtlty Ub wi iy

ffniitoAou««i, om.

^^7

QL noi^ ■M'i

NortoooU i3rcBa

J. S. CuiliiiiR Si Co. Borwitk & Smith
Nurwoud Mass. U.S.A.

QL7 0(^.Vl'-^^

To
WILLIAM T. HOENADAY

DIKECTOK OK THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL PARK

STfjig ISoofe 10 ©etJtcatcti

BY THE AUTHOR

IN RECOGNITION OF HIS EFFORTS TO PRESERVE THE

LIVING AMERICAN MAMMALS WHERE THEV

MAY BE KNOWN TO THE CHILDREN

OF FUTURE GENERATIONS

38072

SCENE:
Orchard Farm and Twenty Miles around.

TIME:
Fall until Spring.

CHARACTERS:

Dn. Roy Hunter, a naturalist.

Olive, the Doctor's daughter.

Nat and Dodo, the Doctor's nephew and niece.

Mr. and Mrs. Blake, the parents of Nat and Dodo.

TJap, a lame country boy.

Mammy Bun, an old colored nurse and cook.

Rod, the fanner.

Olaf, a sailor and fisherman.

Nez LoNCi, a charcoal burner and woodsman.

ToisETTE, Nez' wife.

Quick, a fox terrier.

Mr. Wolf, a St. Bernard dog.

Explanation. — Dr. Hunter, after travelling for many
years, returned to his old home at Orchard Farm, with his
daughter Olive, aged seventeen, and Mammy Bun. He
invited Nat and Dodo, who had always lived in the city, to
spend the summer with him, so that they might learn about
outdoor things, and told them the story of the birds.

Mr. and Mrs. Blake came for the children in the autumn,
and they expected to return to the city to school ; but Dr.
Hunter, who was always making delightful surprises, arranged
for the whole family to spend the winter at the Farm. What
they did, and how they became acquainted with the Four-
footed Americans, is told in this story.

vii

Xr!

) ;•

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

In the Pasture

CHAPTER III

Waffles and a Walk

CHAPTER IV
Climiung the Animal Thee

CHAPTER V
An AuTi'MN Holiday ...

Woodclmcks, Muskrats, etc.

CHAPTER VI

OUT-DOOIl COOKEUY

CaMI' SATinDAY .

CHAPTER VII

CHAPTER VIII

Exi'LANATION NkMIT .

The Brotherhood of Heasts.

An Invitation

CHAPTER IX
Ix

PAGE
1

CHAPTER II
The Animal Tree 11

. 81

. 41

1 • • • •

• •••••

. 04

110

X TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER X

PAOE

MoNARCHS i\ Exile 116

The American Bison.

CHATTER XI

Rabbit Tkacks 137

Wood Hare — Varying Hare — Jack Rabbit — Marsh Hare

— rika, Little Ciiief, or Whistling Hare.

CHAPTER XII

The Winter Woods . 166

Trails and Trapping.

CHAPTER XIII \

Nez Long's Menagerie 174

The Little Fiii-bearers — Otter — Skunk — Little Striped
Skunk — Weasel — Sable — Fisher — Wolverine — Mink

— Raccoon, etc.

CHAPTER XIV

Foxes and Snow-shoes 194

Red Fox — Gray Fox — Arctic Fox.

CHAPTER XV

Woi-Fl 212

The Timber Wolf, and the Coyote, or Prairie Wolf.

CHAPTER XVI '

Coi'SiNS OF Cats 223

Puma — Ocelot — Wildeat, also the Civet Cat, which is no
Cat at all.

CHAPTER XVII
TiiiiEE Hahdv Moi ntaineers 238

The (hizzly Hear — Rig Horn Slieep — Rocky Mountain
Goat.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

137

CHAPTER XVIII

PAnK

On the Plains 254

The Pronghorn or Antelope — Prairie Dog — Coyote and

Badger.

CHAPTER XIX

Under the Pot.au Star

The Woodland Caribou — Musk Ox — Polar Bear.

270

: V CHAPTER XX

A Sealskin Jacket at Home 282

The Walrus — Sea Lion — Sea Bear or Fur Seal and the
Harbor Seal.

104

CHAPTER XXI

Horns, Prongs, and Antlers 208

Elk — American Deer — Growth and Difference between
Horns and Antlers explained. • '

CHAPTER XXII

Nez' Bia Moose

300

2P2

223

CHAPTER XXIII
Fish or Flesh 320

Manatee — Sporin Whale — Ilowhead Whale — Finback
Whale — Porpoise — Dolphin.

238

CHAPTER XXIV

Rats ano Mice 331

Muskrat — White Lemming — White-footed Mouse — Cot-
ton Rat — Wood or Pack Rat — Marsh Rat — Pouched
(lopher — Gray Pocket Gopher — Kangaroo l{at — Pocket
Mouse — Jumping Mouse.

Xli TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER XXV

Mischief Makers , ,

Red Squirrel — Flying Squirrel — G ray Squirrel — Fox Squir-
rel — Chipmunk — Striped Spermophile — Eine-tailed or
Rock Spermophile.

PAGE

349

CHAPTER XXVI

The Beaveii's Story

305

CHAPTER XXVII

"B'ars and Possums" 376

Mammy Bun's Story. t

CHAPTER XXVIII

From Moletown to Batvim.e 387

Common Mole — Star-nosed Mole — Short-tailed Shrew —
Least Shrew — Hoary Bat — Little Red Bat — Brown Bat
— Little Brown Bat — House or Snouty Bat.

CHAPTER XXIX

A FouR-FooTEi) Dance

. 403

LADDER FOR CLIMIUNG THE NORTH AMERICAN

MAMMAL TREE 416

INDEX

• f

. 431

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

[The artist has furnished his own incidents
illustrations, and the autlior wishes to express
use of the same in the stories.]

for many of these
her thanks for the

PAOE

TiiK American Deek

Fronti

'<piec6

Tom, Jehuv, and Comet

Veutehrate Branches op the Animal Tree

The Wooijcmrcic

Front Taw and Tail of Muskrat .

The Li'Mrer Camp

'J'he Collared Peccary ....

White-footed Mouse ....

NoiiTii American Mammal Tree

Tin; MiHON

118

Wood Hare

140

Maksii Hare

. 146

.lAriv Hauuit

. 148

Vahyino Hare

161

I'iKA, Little Chief, or Wiiistlino Hare

164

A Red Fox, Hlntino ....

168

Canada roRCiiiMNE

162

Common Skink

176

Otter and Fisher

178

Little Strii'ed Skink ....

180

Wi'.ASEL OR Krmine

. 183

The Mink

186

Pine Marten and Red Squirrel

. 186

xiii

pif^;

" h

XIV

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Lynx

Wolverine .

The Raccoon

The Arctic Fox

Timber Wolk

Civet Cat .

The Ocelot

IlijADs OF House Cat, Wildcat, and Canada

The Pl'ma hunting Klk .

Grizzly Beau and Bicihorn Siikep

Mountain Goats

Drama ok tiik Plains

The Badger ....

Woodland Caribou .

Musk Ox

Polar Beau and Seal

Atlantic Walrus

Sea Bi:au ou Fur Skal

IIarbok Seal ....

IIkads of Antelopk or Proxohorn, Mountain Goat

IIOliN, AND Mi-sK Ox
Heads of Wooi)l\nd Cauiuou, Moose, and Elk
Nkz' Hig Moosk .
The Manatke
The Si'i;i!m Whale
FiNHACK Whale
The Pori'oise
Dolphins
Meadow Mouse .
The IVfi skuat
Cotton Rat
Maiihii ]?at .
Wood Hat .

Pouched or Mole Gopher
Gray Pocket Gophkr

Big-

PAGE

.IH

189

|B(angaro(

192

BROCKET ]\

202

■Tumping I

212

•■lying S(

226

|KjRay S(iu

228

S'iiE Chip

229

Striped S

236

iiocK Spe

240

Jeavers a

246

Ilack Be

256

'he Oposs

268

-ITTLE Br

276

Common M

278

TAR-NOSEI

280

HORT-TAIL

284

lEAST SlIRl

289

294

300

302

316

322

326

327

328

330

332

.337

:wo

340

341

343

344

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE 'U

180 W^

ANOAROO Rat .

192 W<

)CKET Mouse .

202 W'

;mping Mouse .

212 V

LYING Squirrels

225 V

RAY Squirrel .

228 ff

iE Chipmunk .

220 »■>

rRiPED Spermophilb

283 W

IK'K SpERMOPIIILE ,

240 V

EAVERS AT WORK

246 V

LACK Bear

256 V'

IE Opossum

. 268 B'

TTLE Brown Bat .

^ 276 »•

)MM()N Mole

par-nosei) Mole

280 V'

lORT-TAiLEi) Shrew .

284 W

EAST Shrew

. 289 ■

• ^^* 1

' 800 1

• ^^^ a

• . '

. 816 M

. 322 9

• 3'^^ n

. 327

. 328

. 330

. 832

. 337

. 830

. 840

. 341

. 348

. 344

PAGE

345
347
348
352
358
360
302
364
366
379
383
389
390
391
394
395

;|'^-.

. /

iii

K)ll

rOU]l-FOOTED AMERICANS

IN THE PASTURE

r^T was circus day down at East Village.
' "^ Not tlie common circus, with a Lion,
Elephant, a cage or two of ^Monkeys,
a fat clown turning somersaults, and
a beautiful lady floating through
paper hoops, but a real American
circus — the Wild West Show,
w ith its scouts, frontiersmen, Bron-
cos, bucking Ponies, Indians,
and Huff aloes.
Of course the House Peoi)le at Orchard Farm made
holiday and went down to see the show, giving many
lifferent reasons for so doing. Dr. Hunter and Mr.
lake said it was their duty as patriotic Ameri(!ans
encourage native institutions, and Mrs. lilake said
at she must surely go to see that the young people
d not eat too many peanuts and j>opcoru Walls. The
)ung people thought that going to the circus was a
Inst h<\ uidess one was ill, or had done something very,
ry wrong, that merited the severest sort of punish-
ent. Mammy Huu, too, who iiad been groaning
H 1

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

iii !';

about pains in her bones for fully a week, took out
her best black bonnet trimmed with a big red rose, —
headgear that she only wore on great occasions, —
saying : —

" Pears to me nuffin eber does ma reumatiz de heap
o' good like hearin' a real circus ban' a playin'. Land
alibe, honies I I feel so spry alreddy seems like I'se
could do a caike walk dis yer minit."

ff% ^f ^^ ^^

It was October. Everything looked cheerful at the
farm. The maples were dressed in dazzling red and
yellow ; heaps of red and yellow apples lay under the
orchard trees, and the house and barns wore a glisten-
ing new coat of yellow paint, with white trimmings
and green blinds.

A deeper yellow shone from the fields where jolly
pumpkins seemed to play hide-and-seek behind the
corn stacks, which the children called wigwams when
they played Indian. Everything looked as thrifty as
if the outdoor season was beginning instead of nearly
at an end ; and well it might, for it had been many
years since the old farm held such a family. There
would be no closed blinds, leaf-choked paths, or snow-
drifts left to bury the porch, this winter.

"Yes, the Chimney Swift was right," said tlie
Meadowlark in the old field, to the Song Sparrow who
was singing cheerfully in a barberry bush. " We shall
be better off than before these House People cami; :
they have Jilready begun to scatter food in the barn-
yard, though there are enough gleanings about to last
us citizens until snow comes. The village boys never
think of coming up here now to slioot, as they used

lo every

Ind the

)oldly s]

|wo to t(

" Wh(

Ihe you]

iad com

Ihe bam

afraid tl)

" Oh 1

lave onl

lar end

[ime, an

^ever sa

^as to r

Ihe flies

lious, yo

^erbs mi

" Now

f'ork, aiK

lock, anti

plenty to

is very

^ear-old,

[11 the w

tlie lo\

inies togi

'^ There

ig his in

[now aboi

People ar(

nd the b(

IN THE PASTURE

took out
:l rose, —
asions, —

z de heap

i'. Land

like I'se

Eul at the
T red and
under the
a glisten-
trimmings

^here jolly
ehind the
^ams when
thrifty as |
of nearly
een many
. There
or snow-
said the
irrow who a
We shall
)le cami' :
the barn-
)ut to last
)oys never
they used

lo every season when the wind began to blow cold " ;
iind the Meadowlark flew to the top rail of the fence,
)oldly showing his yellow breast, and giving a note or
two to tell how trustful he was.

" Where have you been all summer ? " asked Comet,
ihe young trotter, of the big brown farm horses, who
lad come to drink at the spring in the pasture below
|he barns. " It is so long since I have seen you I was
tfraid that you had been sold."

" Oh no, youngster ! " replied Tom. " Jerry and I
lave only been summering up at the wood lots at the
lar end of the farm. We had our shoes off all the
|ime, and could amuse ourselves as we liked. We
^ever saw a harness or wagon ; all the Avork we did
ras to roll in the grass or wade in the river to keep
[he flies off. The grazing up there was simply deli-
lious, you know, — all sorts of relishing little bits of
}erbs mixed in with the grass.

"Now that we have had our rest, it is our turn to
^ork, and gray Bess and Billy have gone to the pad-
lock, and we have come to take their places. There is
ilenty to do on this farm in fall and winter, though
is very lonelv. I can remember, when I was a four-
[ear-old, that House People lived in the big barn with
11 the windows, and they used to ride over the snow
the low wagon without wheels, and we all had fine
mies together." .

' There are fine times here now," said Comet, shak-
h,m" his mane importantly; "but of course you do not
[now about them, because you have been away. House
*eople are living here again. We all have great fun
lid the best of eating, with more picnics than plough-

4 FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

ing for the horses. Chihlreii play about the farm, who
feed me with bunches of pink clover and little lumps
of nice-tasting stuff they call sugar. I mistrusted it
at first, it looked so like the hard pebbles in the brook,
but it chewed up all right when I nibbled some."

'•''You don't look as if you had been having Aa?/" enough
to eat, in spite of the good times," said Tom, pityingly.
"Only look at your ribs. I can count every one of
them. If you were harnessed to a plough, you would
come apart at the very first pull. How could you
drag a load of hay? As for working in the thresh-
ing-machine, those little feet of yours would catch
between the slats. What use are thin horses, any-
way ? " concluded Tom, rather rudely, not realizing
that his remarks were impolite, while Jerry looked
proudly along his fat sides and pawed the ground with
a hoof nearly as large as a dinner plate.

Comet was going to answer angrily and say some-
thing very saucy about clumsy work horses, but he
stopped himself in time, being every inch a thorough-
bred ; for good breeding shows in the manners of
animals as Avell as in House People.

" No," he answered after a moment, " I can't plough,
nor drag a load, nor work the threshing-machine ; but
horses are made for different kinds of work. You do
not think a cow useless because she gives milk insteud
of doing any sort of pulling, do you? Now I can drac:
the little wagon over to tiie railway station — when
the great iron horse drags the string of covered wagons
along the ground on the queer shiny fence rails — in
half the time it takes you to go round the ten-acre
lot. When I hear that horse coming, breathing hard

md roa
Bee my
kvJint til;
)0 the 1]
kvould 3
jmiling

"I CO

jstly. '

)anged

)elieve.

red as

rolled oi

seemed t

soft. S

flinner f(

I "Wei]

fiials ha

stormy v

tlie best

line littl

ler sty li

^ere Co^

- We
phat thei
ill beha
)orn old
lot butt(
" We'^
the other
[ng a feu
" I doi
" There ii

IN THE PASTURE

irm, who
le lumps
rusted it
le brook,
e."

If enough
)ityingly.
•y one of
ou wouhl
ould you
le thresh-
old catch
L'ses, any-
realizing
L'y looked
Dund with

say some-
s, but he
thorough-
anners of

I't plough,

hine; but

You do

Ik insteiul

can drag

I — where

ul wagons

rails — ill

e ten-acre

hing hard

md roaring, I prick up my ears, and you can hardly
see my feet when they toin^h the road, for I do not
rant that great roaring horse to get there before I do.
)0 the master is pleased, aiul always takes me. How
rould you like to go fast like that ? " said Comet,
jmiling behind a bunch of grass.

" 1 couldn't go fast if I wanted to," said Tom, hon-
jstly. " I tried it once, when a plough-chain fell and
)anged my heels. They called it running away, I
)elieve. My ! how warm I was. Everything looked
red as the sun in August, and a warm rain storm
rolled off my coat on to the grass. That is what it
seemed to me, but the farmer said, ' Tom is too fat and
soft. See how he sweats ! ' and they skimped my
linner for a month."

"Well, then, to continue," said Comet. "We ani-
nals haven't been shut up all summer except in
jtormy weather ; the bars have been down between all
the best pastures. Even Sausage, the sow, and her
line little pigs, have been out walking every day, and
ler sty has had fresh bedding in it the same as if they
iQVQ Cow or Horse People.

" We had so much freedom that I thought at first
|;hat there would be a great many fights, but we have
^11 behaved beautifully. Even Nanny Baa, the stub-
)orn old sheep, and Corney, the miscliievous goat, have
lot butted any one or fought eacli other.

" We've had a chance to hear about the world and
the other animals in it too, for a circus has been camp-
|ng a few fields further down."

"I don't like a circus," interrupted Jerry, decidedly.
I' There are always a lot of bad-smelling, foreign beasts

FOUR-FOOTED AMElilCANS

! 1 -i
f. 'I

in cages with a circus, that a respectable farm four-
foot should not encourage. Then there is a terrible
noise, — worse than milk-pans falling off the fence, —
that tliey call a band ; it makes me forget myself and
dodge and dance all over the road. Yes, indeed, I
well remember tlie lirst circus I ever heard. It came
here when we were tive-year-olds. Tom and 1 upset <i
load of cabbages, and they rolled all the way down
Long Hill into the brook."

" There were no foreign wild beasts in this circus,"
said Comet, proud of his knowledge. " I put my head
througli the fence bars and had a fine chance to talk
to some of the liorses. There were several kinds of
Horse Brothers there that 1 had never seen before ;
different even from the long-eared Donkey and Mule
Hrotliers.*' Here Comet stopped, took a bite of grass
and a drink of water, waiting to see if Tom and Jerry
were interested.

They were, and as Comet looked up he saw that
some of the other animals were coming down to drink,
— Daisy, the finest cow in tlie licrd, ami Nanny Baa,
sauntering all ah)ne, the other slieep not having yet
missed lier, wliile Corney, the goat, whose wiiole name
was Capricornus, danced about on a rock, ciiarging at
an imaginary enemy in the sky.

" Wiiat other liorses did you see?" asked Tom and
Jerry together, as tlie others came up.

"'I'here were small horses, homtdy and thin, with
straight necks and rolling eyes. Some of these were
brown, and some all mixed brown and white. Thcv
ran up and down thci Held, clearing the old division
fence at a jump. These were called Indian I'onics,

irm four-
i terrible
fence, —
yself and
indeed, I
It came
1 upset a
my down

is circus,"
j my head
3e to talk
L kinds of
1 before ;
and Mule
e of grass
ind Jerry

saw that
to drink,
inny Ban,
iving yet
lole name
uirging at

Tom an(

bin, will
u!se wert
ic. TIk')
divisioi
Ponies

IN THE PASTURE

and men they called Indians, with small eyes and dark
rusty faces, rode on them for exercise. Beside these
there were some others, called Burros, with longish
ears, who did not seem to know how to either trot or
run, and some of the small horses kept jerking and
humping up their backs, so that the men could not
ride them.

"Who told you all these names?" asked Tom,
suspiciously.

"• There was an old horse who did not work in the
circus, but only helped draw wagons, who stayed by
the fence and talked to me. He had seen a great deal
of life in his day, and what do you think he said about
those strange horses ? That they were not born and
raised on nice farms like you and me ; that they came
from the west country where they run wild until they
are old enough to work, and they live in great flocks as
the (^rows do hereabouts. Every horse has a mark on
his side, put there by the man who owns him. When
tliey are young they have fine sport, but when it is
time for them to work, men ride after them on swift
horses and catch them by throwing a rope loop over
their heads, and sometimes this hurts them very much,
and tlicy are also sorry to leave their friends.

"Out in the west country where tliese horses lived,
(lie plains are full of fourfoots, — not Horse and Cow
IVople, — but real wild fourfoots, strange as any of the
l'il('i»hants or Lions. Tliere are more kinds of them
tlian you co\dd ever dream of, even if you ate a whole
hiislicl of oats for supper.

"The Horse said that tliey belong to older American
lainilies tlian any of us farm animals, and that once

% I

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

these four-footed Americans and the Red Indian
Brothers, who lived in tents, owned all the country,
and there were no real House People or farm fourfoots
here at all."

" That must have been a long time ago," said Jerry.
" I remember my grandmother, and she never said any-
tliing about wild people, and I never knew about any
other animals but ourselves." ^, •

"Who am /, pray?" squealed a Squirrel, scamper-
ing along the fence. " How ignorant you are not to
know that I behmg to a vert/ old family."

" You don't count," neighed Jerry. " I never thought
you were an animal."

" Not an animal, hey ? I will show you what a sharp-
toothed animal 1 am, some fine day, and nibble up your
dinner when you are asleep," and the Squirrel jumped
over Jerry's back, and ran up a tree.

" My friend told me," continued Comet, " that some
of those wild fourfoots are working for their living in
this very circus. They are quite rare now, though
they used to be as plentiful in the west pastures as
ants in a hill. He sliowed me some of these beasts
this very morning when they were being led down to
tlie village."

" What did they look like ? " '

"Sometiiing like bulls, with low backs and great
heavy heads, all bushy witli thick brown wool. My
friend said tliey are called liison by tlie Wise Men ; but
in tlie circus and out where they used to live, every one
calls them huffalocs."

"1 wonder if they are related to me ?" said Daisy,
who had joined the group.

IN THE PASTURE

"They are not as handsome as you, though they
might helong to your family," said Comet, politely.

••' Perhaps I may have some wild cousins," said
Sausage, rooting up the turf. " I wonder what they
eat?"

" I should like to go and meet my wild relations, if
I have any," said Corney. " 1 wonder if they could
beat me at butting and sliding down hill ? "

" Humph, it is very strange about all these wild
things," said Jerry. *' I — My,, they are making that
bang noise again, down at the village ! "

" That is the band. I think the circus is over," said
Comet.

" Which Horse Brother dragged the people down
there, and who went ? " asked Daisy, who was always
inquisitive.

" Tliey all went, and they walked with their own
feet, because the Doctor knows that we do not like
smells and noises," said Comet. " They are coming
buck up the hill now. Nat is following 'way behind,
carrying something. Ugh ! It is a big snake, and he
has it by the tail. I hate snakes ; they look up so
suddenly out of the grass when one is feeding, and
tlicy always seem to be by the nicest bunch of clover."

"' IVrliaps the people will stop here to rest, and we
may hear something about our wild brothers," said
Daisy.

" I think Dodo has sugar for mc," said Comet to Tom
1111(1 Jerry. " 1 will droj) a pietic, and you can pick it
up, and see how you like it."

''Comet is ([uitc a gentleman, if bis ribs do show,"
nuittered Tom to his companion, looking pleased, while

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

the other animals lingered about the spring, waiting for
the House People.

" Here are the horses that I haven't seen before from
the grass farm ; and Comet, too, and Daisy ! " cried
Dodo, climbing over the fence. " Please stop a bit,
Uncle Roy, and let me give them some of my popcorn
balls ; I'm sxwe they will like them, and Corney simply
loves peanuts."

"What did I tell you?" whispered Comet to Tom,
as Dodo chirped for hi;n to come to her.

i;.^

THE ANIMAL TREE

kOME up on the fence too, please,
uncle," coaxed Dodo, and Dr.
Hunter climbed over the
pasture bars, seating him-
self on the fence in answer to
her request to ' stop a bit while
she fed the animals.' He mo-
tioned to Hap, who was rather
tired with his walk, to come
beside liim, while Nat and Dodo divided the contents
of tlieir pockets into little heaps.

"(Jive the popcorn to Daisy and the horses," said
Dodo. '•'The peanuts are for Corney ; we can toss
tiiein uj), and see him hop and scramble to catch tliem.
It's lots of fun. Sausage can have all the mixed
criiuibs. 'cause she likes grubby tliiugs. IMease, Nat,
won't you bury your snake, or hang it up, (u* some-
tliing? Whichever way I look, it seems to be too near."
"I'll liang it up on the tree, because I'm going to
put it in a glass jar to keep. Daddy has gone back
to the village to buy me some alcoliol to pour on it."
"Tgli I what do you want it for? If I were you,
I'd ratlier liave the money tlie alcohol costs to buy
a new butterfly net."

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

!lj Ij'il

" Uncle Roy says it is as fine a rattlesnake as he
ever saw. That is why he bought it of the man from
the mountain, who killed it. There aren't any here-
abouts now. A good tiling, too, because they are
biters ; but I want it for my collection. I haven't
many reptiles, you know ; only a garter snake, two
lizards, and a frog — whoa! Tom, eat fair; your
mouth is twice as big as Comet's."

" How queer Daisy's tongue feels — it tickles my
hand," said Dodo. " She licks everything into her
mouth, but the horses take food in their lips. Uncle
Roy, please come down here and see how queerly
Daisy eats, and oh, my ! she hasn't any top front
teeth, either. Is she very old ? Do look ; her jaws
wiggle as if she was chewing gum ! "

*' No, little girl ; none of the Cow Family have any
front upper teeth. A well-behaved cow sticks out
her tongue with a sidewise motion to guide the grass
into her moutli, while in the Horse Family the habit
is to seize it with the lips, and then nip it between
the teeth."

"Yes, but, uncle I " cried Nat, jumping liastily over
the fence to dodge Corney, who was tired of eating
peanuts one by one, and, giving a sudden butt, had
seized bag and all ; " Uncle Roy, cows are ever so fond
of cliewing. Tliey eat all tlie morning, and then they
go under the trees and cliew, chew, cliew, all the after-
noon ; but horses gobl)le their food once for all."

"Um very glad yon have noticiMl this, Nat. The
cow is built U[t()n a different [dan from tlie horse.
The horse iins a cniiipiflc set of up[)er and under
teeth, and a single stomach — something like our own

)rings

THE AXUfAL TREE

; as he
,11 from
y liere-
ley are
haven't
ke, two
; your

:les my
ito her
Uncle
queerly
p front
er jaws

[\ve any
pks out
le grass
le habit
jetween

y over

eating

t, had

so fond

!ii they

after-

Tho
liorse.

Mir own

{L-to receive the food. The cow has four stomachs.
f^Vheii she eats, the food goes into the first stomach,
i\here it stays a while to grow soft. After Daisy lijis
silled this first stomach, she goes to rest for a while,
>rings up tlie softened food into her mouth, and chews
a<''aiu. This softened food is called the ' cud.' "
''Oh, now I know what Rod meant," cried Dodo,
Jlii[)ping her hands, ''when he said the cows were
lliewing their ' cud.' They were lying under the trees,
^iid didn't seem to have anytliing near them to eat.
thoiiglit cud must be moss or something. Do yiiiy
Ither of <»ur animals beside cows have several stoiii-
ichs and chew cud ? "

Vcs, all the animals that belong to the Meat Fam-
ly : Sheep and (ioats., and, among their wild Ameri-
lu brothers, the Deer and the very Ihift'alo that you
^iw at the show this afternoon."
" Were those strange beasts any relations of our
irm animals?" asked the children in one breath.
'• Were our farm animals once wild like the Buf-
ilocs, and did they live far out West? Who first
night them and made them tame?" gabbled Dodo,
dy stopping when her breath failed.

Our farm animals were never, in the true sense,
^itives of this country. In the far back days, before
le pale-faced voyagers came to these shores, the Red
|r()thers had no horses to carry them, nor cows to give
U'ln milk. They followed the war-[);ith j^iiid game-
[ail (111 foot, and their ('lothing and tent homes were
liule of the sk'.ns of the lieasts they took with bow,
^row, and spear. 'J'ime was when they liad not even
)ears and arrows.

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

1 I

" When the pale-faced settlers came to America they
brought the useful animals from their old homes witli
them : pigs, sheep, horses, goats, cows, dogs, cats,
etc., — so though these have lived here as the people
have, long enough to be citizens, they are not native
or indigenous Americans an}'^ more than we ourselves.
That distinction belongs to the Indian, Peccary, Buffalo.
Musk Ox, Mountain Goat, Bighorn, Wolf, and Wild-
cat, who are the wild cousins of House People and
their farm fourfoots. The horse alone has no livimj
wild cousin here, though there were horses in America
ages ago."

" Then those horses that the Indians rode at the
show, who hopped around so, weren't really wild at
all," said Nat, with a look of great disai)pointment,
" They seemed really, truly wild, and hoiv the Indians
stuck on and dodged and iired their guns ! "

" They are wild in the sense that they were born on
the open prairie and lived in vast herds, but they are
the great-grandchildren of tame horses. In the south-
west, as well as in Soutli America, vast herds of these
horses, descended from those brought in by the Span-
ish, roamed at large. From time to time the Indian^
dashed into the troops and lassoed those that they de-
sired and rode them as we saw the Indians do this
afternoon, but they are not true four-footed AmericiUb
like that little ( ■hipmunk over there, who is stealing :i
few peannjts that C'orney overlooked, or like the sly.
fat Woodchucks that we are trying to trap in llit
orchard."

"Please, Uncle Koy, can Dodo and T put halters ni
Tom and Jerry and see if we can ride tliem round tlit

ield wit

ip at til

IJop of hi

'Vou

I'm afrai

'^ou will

lod to 1)

In a

blanket (

isisted 1

Now.

)nld i)]a

hiitate a

(ery (|uie

Nat it

iu\ he c

lave a lit

the spi

*'I thin

Kod i-i

It, too, ]

fO]), plcil

?.side lu'i
'' A circ
fs face, i
hitch on
" Farm
[nisei f.
"I'm al
\v iniiiui
I'll! aiiiii
|ih1 of c(|

THE ANIMAL TREE

rica they
mes with
>gs, cats,
le peoplt
ot native
)urselves.
r, Buffalo.
,nd Wikl-
Bople and
no livinij
1 America

de at tlu'
y wild at
iointuieut.
lie Indians

e born oii|
they are
he south-
s of thest
the Span-
le Indiaih
they de-
US do tins'
Vmeric'an>
stealing a
e the sly.
ap in till

halters oi
round tin

ield without any saddles ? " said Nat, looking fearlessly
ip at the big horses, whose mouths barely touched the
lop of his head.

You can try, if you like," laughed the Doctor, " but
I'm afraid it will be too hard travelling for Dodo. No,
rou will risk a bumping ? Very well, then, but tell
i()(l to bring l)lankets and surcingles."

In a few minutes Rod came, strapped a folded
blanket on each horse, and gave Nat Jerry's halter, but
isisted upon keeping hold of Tom.
" Now, if I only had sometliing to shoot with, we
[ould play circus. Hoo-oo-ooh I " cried Nat, trying to
hiitate an Indian cry, at which sound Jerry galloped
[ery (piietly down the pasture, switching his tail, lint
Nat it seemed as if he was seated on an earthquake,
iiid he clutched Jerry's mane, whereupon the horse
ive a little kick of surprise and cantered heavily back
the si)ring.

"I think T-o-m is falling to pieces," chattered Dodo,

Rod ran him round tlie pasture. "He — is — so —

lit, too, my legs can't bend down; — I — guess I'll

[()]), please," and Rod swung her down to* the wall

jside her uncle.

" A circus isn't as easy as it looks," said Nat, wiping
Is face, and Rap lauglied heartily and pounded his
hitch on the fence.

"• Farm horses are not saddle liorses," said Comet to
Imself.
'' I'm all mixed up about animals," said Dodo in a
Iav iniiuites when she liad caught her breath. "Our
Irni animals aren't real Americans, yet Daisy is a
Ind of cousin of the wild Buffalo, because she has no

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

upper front teeth and chews a cud. Birds seem so
much easier to understand. Birds are animals with a
backbone, a beak for a mouth, and two legs. Thej
wear feathers and lay eggs. But these others are
different in their mouths and stomachs and feet, and
some have horns and some don't. Some have little
tails like Corney, and some long hairy tails like the
horses, and oh, Uncle ^Roy^ that snake there is all tail !

" Olive says bugs, and beetles, and flies, are animals,
too, and beetles are crusty, and caterpillars are squashy,
and flies are buzzy, and I'm sure I never can tell win
is who. Bii'ds look something alike, even when the;
are as different as a Hummingbird and a Duck; but I |
cant understand how all the other animals are re
lated."

"• Not so fast, dearie," said the Doctor, laughing at he:
inquiries until the tears ran down his cheeks. "Tlit
differences and the relationships of these animals aii
no harder to remendjer than they are among the l)ir(]s
You know that with them their beaks and feet weii
arranged to suit their needs. Have you forgotten liov |
we classified the birds, and the little table of the Aniinii
Kingdom that you wrote ? "

" Yes," said Nat, hesitating ; " that is, 1 did know
but I've forgotten most of it."

"I remember," said J{ap, "that you said classifyiii,
was to put the animals together that were the neare>
alike, and the two great divisions of the Animal Km
dom were animals without backbones and animals wit
them."

" Olive says my sponge is an animal," said Dod |
doubtfully. " Surely it can't have any backbone, fi

lif it di(

[of 2>ric]
[crumple
"I m
[chief di
jpausing
jyou seb
trunk ai
" Yes,
nveetest
'ery liar
" I rei
want
;"ro\\'s.
whieli if-
Into larg
•ranches
nd in lil

"The

n which

y side,

s difficu

ninial ti

le first

nvertebi

in a little

" Are

)o(l().

" Yes,
raiK.'h, u
lithful f(
bout eve

THE ANIMAL THEE

seem sol
lis with H
s. They
thers are

feet, and
ave little
i like the
5 all tail !
e animals,
e squashy,
n tell will
tvhen thev
ck ; but 1
Is are n-

liing at he; ,
ks. "Tilt
Luimals ait
the birds
feet wei't
rotten iiov
he Aninia

(lid know

classifyiii.
;he neai'o>
inial Kins
limals wit

said Dod'
ckbone, f*

lif it did it would scratch my face ; but then it was full
of prickles when it was new, perhaps its backbone was
crumpled up ! "

"' I nub I try to make this Animal Kingdom and its

chief divisions more clear to you,'' said the Doctor,

i)ausing a minute as he looked across the pasture. "Do

ou scb i^hat great chestnut tree yonder, with tlie thick

nnik and wide-spreading brandies ? "'

" Yes, indeed,'' said liap, " and it bears the fattest,

weetest nuts of any tree hereabouts ; but it takes a

ery hard frost to open them."

" 1 remember how good the nuts used to be, but now

Avant you all to notice the way in which the tree

rows. Above ground there is ii thick straight })art

vhich is called the trunk ; then this soon divides

nto large branches. A little furtlier up these thick

)ranches separate into smaller branches yet, until they

lid in little slender twigs.

'•The Animal Kingdom is like this tree in the way
n which tlie different members all are developed side
y side, interlacing and depending upon each other. It
s difficult to tell some of tlie lowest branches of the
niinal tree from plants: as none of these animals of
lie first branches have any backbones, they are called
nvertebrates, and their inside parts are held together
n a little tube.''
"Are birds on one of the high branches?" asked

)0(1().

" Yes, one of the very highest, next to the great
iam;li, where man himself sits, surrounded by ull liis
aithful four-footed friends, just as he is when he walks
bout every day."

FOUR-FOOTED AMEllWANH

If
■ I*

" Do House People iintl fourfoots belong on tlie same
great braiieli?" said Kap, looking puzzled. "What is
it called, please?"

" It is the Manniial branch, the highest of all, and it
has so many little branchlets and twigs that it is large
enough to be a tree all by itself."

" Exactly hoiv are the other Mammals like us, and
what does biannual mean? Do they all have Avarm red
blood like ours?" asked Dodo, who was celebrated for
cutting her lingers.

" Tiiey all have warm red blood, but so have birds :
vhoro are other differences that you will learn later.
The one thing that makes them Mannnals is that tliuv
suckle their young with milk."

"M — mannnals ; m — milk," sang Dodo. "Why.
that 's as easy to remember as ^ liilly Button bought ii
buttered biscuit ' ! Please tell us the names of sonit
nearby Mammals, Uncle Hoy."

"All the farm and lumse fourfoots are Mannnals;
also the wihl Deer, Wolves, Poxes, Kats, Mice, S([uir-
rels, Moles, Skunks, Weasels, and VVoodchucks, besidt
many others you do not know even by name."

"So all those nuisance animals are ^himmals too,"
said Dodo, meditatively.

"Nuisance animals! Which are those?" asknl
Kap.

" 'I'he naughty, bothersome ones that eat things ami
bito holes in the house, and dig up the orchard, iimi
smell, oh, so bad ! Why, iJiip, don't yon nMuemlu'i
the evening we thougiit thcn^ was a. black and whiti
rooster by the orchard wall, and (^uick and I tried li
catch it, and it turned out to be a Skuidv '' 'I'hcn iii\

rii

THE ANIMAL TREE

clotlies had to be boiled so hard they were no more use,
and Quick tried to get away from himself for almost
I two weeks."

'' Oh, yes, I do. Mammals must have a great many
I shapes, Doctor,'"' continued Rap, thoughtfully. "How
are they made into families? — the same vray as
Ibirds?"

'•''Xw very much the same way. To-night, after sup-
Iper, I will draw you a picture of a part of this wonder-
ful animal tree, and tell you the names of some of its
branches, and perhaps you will remember a few of them.
1 do not wish to bother you with long words, but there
arc a few that you must learn.

"The history of this animal tree is the most inter-
esting story in the world, and the Wise Men call it
Zoology, after two (ireek words that mean the
liistory of animal life.'"
"Then that is the reason why an out-door menag-
erie is called a Zo-o-logical (warden," said Nat, stum-
bling a tritie over the word. " Daddy was reading to
motiier about such a beautiful garden for wild aninuds
that is going to be made near New York, — the very
biggest in the world, — so that everyone in America
jean see liow the animals live. Perhaps we can go
tiicrc some day and see all the Mammals."

"Daisy gives milk, so 1 am very sure 1 know one
Maiuinal anyway," said Dodo, who was growing a little
tirtMl. "Oil I oh!" she cried, suddenly jumping off
the i'ence. "The sini is going down i)op. I never
noticed it, and l{<)(l said I might help milk to-night.
He's taking the cows in now. Won't you come and
sec nif do it, I'ncle lloy ? "

FO U It- FOOT ED A MKU WANS

"You help milk?" laughed Nut. " Wlio tauj,^lit
you how ? "

" Rod ; I've had four lessons, and I can milk almost
a (piai't. Then my hands grow all weak and shaky,
and Uod says it's enough for once, both for me and for
the cow. Daisy is the only one that will let me."

"Poor, patient Daisy," laughed the Doctor. "To
be sure we will come and see this famous milkmaid."

Dodo led the way to the cow barn, where each cow
had a clean stall marked with her name. Then she
tied a (pieer sort of apron round iier waist, made, like
Rod's, out of a meal sack, hunted for a small stool, also
like Rod's, and i)repared in a very businesslike man-
ner to wash off Daisy's bag with a sponge and soiiu'
clean water.

" Bravo I Rravo I " cried the Doctor. "My little
farmer has already learned that everything about milk,
from the animal to the pans, should be very clean."

" Zig-zig-zig-zig." said the milk, spattering on the
bottom of the pail. In a few minutes the spatteriiiL;
stopped.

"Now it's beginning to j)urr like a cat," explained
Dodo. " It does that whtm the milk l)egins to lill u[» ;i
little."

Dodo kept bravely at it until her lingers, now ri'(l
and tired, had coaxed about a (piart from Daisy.

"That will go for to-night," she said, "• though I'm
sure I milked more last time. I'm dreadfully thirsty ;
suppose we drink this now, Incle \U)\. There's ;i
glass by the well, Nat," —and the milk rapidly
disappeared.

" iM — mammals; m — milk," sang Dodo, skippiiii,'

head to
fter the
" I wit-
go hoi
"Jiut
lovely
[raw a t
it her rh
Unci
Japi)y di
)asting
iraw tilt

Mlg .
1 rec

kassing <i
'• Krost
Frost —

Saturday

"How

Ironi his
htor clos(
)i clean
Reside,
^here yo
I thi
Worse's f(
II to his

THE ANIMAL THEE

J tail gilt

k almost
(I shaky,
3 and for
le."

)r. " To
maid."
3aclj cow
rheii .slie
lade, like
tool, also
iko maii-
Liid soniL'

My little
jut milk,
Dan."

L*" on the
|)iitt('i'iMi,'

xplnincd
(ill n[> a

now I'imI

)Ugli I'm

lliirsty :

MuMv's il

I'lipidly

ahead toward the house, as the short twilight hurried
liter the sun.

" 1 wish the days were longer," sighed Kap, turning

go home.

'' J5ut evening with a wood fire in the wonder room

lovely," sang Dodo, "and to-night uncle he, will
[raw a tree," — she sang; then stopped and laughed
[t her rhyme.

" Uncle Hoy," she whispered, " it's been such a

[appy day, can we have iva|) to help finish off hy

justing crackers in the wonder room, and see you

Iraw tlie animal tree? Yes? I'll give you a bear's

lug .

I reckon there will be a frost to-night," said Rod,
lassing on his way to the house with the milk-pail.

'• Frost I " shouted Nat, dancing round in glee.

I^j-ost — chestnuts, llap, — and to-morrow will be

hi 1 f "

Saturday .

m * * * *

"How do yon like this?" said Comet, looking up
Irom his oats over to Tom and .lerry, as the stable
ioor closed with a click. " Hox stalls and two bundles
if clean straw ai)iei;e, and warm bran mash for you
Icsidc. Did y«m ever have anything as nice as this
Awrv you were this sinnmcr?"

"I think the House I'eople here understand a
Worse's feelings," answered .lerry, [)lunging his nose
l)t(> his sMi>[icr.

skippii

IL'

III

WAI<FLi:S AND A WALK

AM MY BUN cooked a delicious

8Ui)per for the children that

1^ night, for the circus had put

//IB ""/■ht ^\'^^ M-t ^^^^' ^'^ tixtra good humor.

^\s it was the first of tlit
really cool evenings, she sur-
prised tliem witii liot cot*o;i
in the phice of their usual I
glasses of milk, and tliere was
cream toast, and cold cliickeii
and tongue sliced daintily together.

The children luid famous appetites, and Mr. lilaki'
said he expected hy spring tliey would all be as fat as
Sausage herself.

" Not if you carry out all the plans I have for mak-
ing you work and keeping you out-ol'-(hK)rs,'" said tla
Doctor.

" What ? What are we going to do ? Is there a sur-
prise ?" asked I)o(h) eagerly, reluctantly setting down
Iicr teacup. "School takes so much time and the rest
of it is nearly all dark. Oh I I snu'll walllcs ! ""

" VV'iiat is lu'arly all dark, — the school, or the tiuu',
or the walllcs?" asked the Doctor, as soon as the laugli.
caused by Dodo's mixed-U[) sentences, had stopped.

WAFFLJ^iS AND A WALK

I delicious:
:lreii that
IS had put
minor,
rst of till' I
;s, she sur-
hot coi'oa
lieir iisiiiil
tliere m ib
Id chicken

Mr. lihvkf
as fat as |

i for mills-
said till I

lere a slu-
ing down
id tlie rest

(lie tiiiu'.
the lant,'!!.
pped.

" I mean that night comes nowachiys very soon after

^e come home from school. Why are the days so short

In winter, Uncle Koy, just when we need the sun to

Lvarm ns, and so long and hot in summer when we

tvant to be cool?"

'' Why, it's the other way round," said Rap ; " it is
)ecause the sun stays up so long in spring and sum-
ner that the days are warm, and because it comes so
[ate, and hurries to bed, that the days are cold."

' But ivhy does the sun stay longer st)me times tlian
)tliers? Wliy need the days ever be so very short?"

" Your supper would grow cold if I stopped to
explain," said the Dotttor. "Some day we must make
)iirsclves into a class in astronomy and learn how
the sun, nu)on, and stars all go bowling about in
the skv, and how the old earth looked when she was

'oung.

''Tliere is the moon now. Oh, how fat it is to-
iiiglit," said Dodo, looking toward a window where the
•urtaius had not been drawn .

'The hunter's moon," said Mr. lUake, "and many a
food tiuie I've had by tlie liglit of it."

"Why is it called hunter's moon, daddy," asked
Dodo, "and wliat did you do with the light of it?"

'It is the moon that conies in October when all the
fiiiiic birds and wild food and fur beasts are through
I'liisiiig (heir families, and it is fair for House I'eople
|kvlio need fur or food to go and hunt them."

"Did you ever need food and fur, daddy?" per-
jislcd Dodo.

'Yes, sometimes I really <lid ; and should have
jturved except for my gun and what it brought me;

FOUR-FOOTED AMEIiU'ANS

ili

1*1

and soineiiiiies perliiips I thou(jht I did," said Mr. JJlakc,
looking at the Doctor, who was shaking with L^iughter.

"• Did yon ever shoot any tiling just to see if 3^011
could hit it ? " asked Nat.

" Yes ; I'm afraid 1 did often, before I had travelled
over the wihl west country and learned for myself that
shooting food and fur beasts to 'see wliat you can hit,'
is making this wonderful land of ours as bare of four-
footed things as it will be of birds."

"Say, Mis' Cherry, can de young uns hab a spoon 0'
jam 'long o' dere watHes ? *' asked Mammy IJuji in what
was meant to be a whisper, p«)pl)iug her head in at the
door.

"J'jn al'raid not, to-night, mammy," said Mrs. Blake,
whose girlish name of Clierry, mammy still used.
" We should have tiie children dreaming of IJatt'aloes
and Indians and rolling out of bed. Waftles are quite
enough."

"But Mammy Bun's waffles are such well-behaved
things that tiiey never hurt anybody," said Olive.

"Yes," echoed Dodo, " mammy says it's all in the
beating uj) ; if you beat watlles ever so liard when
you're making them, they'll never talk back after you
eat them. I kiujw sttmething that does talk back,
though — it's turnips if you eat tliem raw like a])ples,
and cliew rather (piick and then drink water. Oh, it
was dreadful I "

" So, missy has l)een hjiving indigestion, lias she?"
laughed tiie Doctor.

" Yes ; if that name means that inside your cliest is
too big for your skin. What makes indigestion, Uncle
Hoy?"

WAFFLES AND A WALK

•• Indigestion comes when the food you eat is not of
tli(! light kind or (quality for your stomach mill to turn
into good flesh and blood. Then it stays in the mill,
swirling up, growing stale and sour, choking up the
little wheels, and souring the wheel grease that helps
tlicin move, causing pain and sickness, until it is turned
out in some way. That is the reason why we should
1)0 careful what we put into the mill.

'• To make sure that manuny's waffles do not grumble,
sn[)[)ose we all take a little walk down the road before
we go into the wonder room to draw the animal tree.
"Come, C 'berry," said the Doctor, drawing Mrs. IJlake's
luuid through his arm, " you, too. I'm not going to
have you stay in the house all the time. We need you,
luid you need the fresh air to give you back the red
t'lu'cks that gave you your pet name. Olive, dear,
[(lease get your aunt's warm wra[) — never mind gloves ;
here is a coat-pocket for each hand," and the proces-
sion stepped out into the bright moon patli.

"There will be no frost until this wind dies down,"
said Mr. lUake.

" Wliat nice clean shadows the trees make," said
Olive, after they had walked in silence down a lane that
led from the turnpike toward the pastures and spring.

" Hush I what was that ? "

'' A bird, maybe, that was sleepy and fell off its

[KTcil.

" No, a Flying Squirrel," whisi)ered the Doctor.
"There it goes I " and on looking u[) they saw a dark
object, a little larger than a ("hipnuudc, half spring,
half drop from a birch tree on one side of the lane to
a maple ou the opposite side.

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

\ Ij

III

"Can Squirrels tly ? I thought only birds could doi
that," whispered Dodo, awe-struck.

" Look yonder, but keep very still," said AI r. Blake, !
holding back some branches that hid the view of the
spring.

"It is a little dog drinking," said Nat. "What a
bushy tail he has. See, he is going over toward the
barns ; perhaps he is a friend of Quick, or Mr. Wolf/"

" No, it is a Fox, aud he is going to see where the
chickens live."

" A Fox ! " screamed Dodo, forgetting the need for
silence. " A real wild animal I Oh, uncle, do let us
catch it I "

" I very much wish you would," said the Doctor,
as the Fox raised one paw, sniffed the air, and disap-
peared like .magic between some low bushes.

" He is the most cunning of our beasts, and if the
wind had been the other way, he would not have given
us even this peep at him."

" What difference does the wind make ? " asked Nat.
" Is he afraid of it ? "

"I know," said Kap ; "for before my leg was hurt
I went often with the miller and his dog to hunt Foxes
that stole his turkeys. Little wild beasts look for
food mostly at night, or late in the afternoon, or early
in the nujnung, when it isn't so easy to see, so they use
their smeller to tell them a great many things that
the}'" can't see with their eyes. rhey can smell so well
that if the wind was blowing from us to them they
would know we are here and would run away."

" That is right, my lad," said the Doctor. " The
wild beasts have a much keener sense of smell and

WAFFLES AND A WALK

hioiiriiig tlmii we House Peoi)le, and you will do well
lAvhcii you wish to watch even a Squirrel to keep from
sK'i'ping on a dry leaf and to see which way the wind
IjIows.""

"Oidy think, we've seen a real wild animal," chuckled
Dodo to Xat.

" I've seen a Coon and a ALuskrat and a Mink," said
Hap, '^ besides Foxes and Squirrels."

"I know what Mink is," said Dodo; "it's nice
brown fur, and I have some of it on my winter coat.

'• Tncle Hoy is going to take us to the old log camp in
the Owl woods some day, and there are fur beasts up
around there, he says."

"• Daddy has been all about the wild west country on
business, and he has seen dreadful fierce, wild animals,
and he is going to tell us about them by and by. You
know daddy goes round to find out about the country
and look for mines tliat fire hidden in the ground,"
explained Nat to Hap, "and that's why we haven't seen
much of him for a long time. You see mines are often
in very savage places, and now daddy is staying here
tliis winter to write down all he has seen and draw
plans for people to work by in the spring."

"Oh, then your father is a miner," said Hap ; "I've
read about them."

"No, a miner is the man that digs with a pick and
shovel ; daddy is the one who digs with his brain and
tells the miner how to work st) that the earth won't
fall in on him, and how to cut away tlie rock and get
to the treasure. Daddy is what they cull a Alining
Knt>ineer I " and Nat sto])pcd suddenly, as if tlie two
big words were too much for him.

II M- ^

FOUlt-FOOlKD A3IEHICANS

l!ii|i!

" Some day I suppose you will go with him and sei
all these things. It is nice to have two legs," siiid ^
Rap, half sadly, looking at his crutch.

"Never niinil ; we will be partners. / will go out I
and hunt, and i/ou shall write the book about it the wav I
uncle does, for 1 don't like to write."

" I do," said Rap, cheering up ; " that will be splen-
did."

" Don't try to walk through the fence," said Olive.

Then tliR children found that they had been so busy I
talking that they did not realize they were walking; 'M
back toward the farm, until they had bumped into tlit |
front fence instead of opening the gate.

The log fire in tiie wonder room was not a bit ton
warm, and as they gathered around it Mr. Wolf and
Quick came in from the kitchen licking their lips, as if!
they had been so busy with supper that they had n()[%
missed their friends.

Wolf settled himself at Mrs. I^lake's feet with all tli
dignity of a St. Bernard, but Quick kept prancing and ^
springing from one to another with Fox-Terrier ner-
vousness.

" In the spring when we began to learn about birds,!
I told you a few facts about their bones and feat hers, j
the way in which they were made and for what thevj
were useful," said Dr. Roy, sitting at his desk and tip-
ping buck his chair. " We found the bird was a good
American citizen, and I think you feel now as if } on
really had a bowing acquaintance with some of tliesel
feathered folk." "•

" Yes," said Dodo, " I forget some things you said
about them for a while, and tlien I remember again.i

WAFFLES AND A WALK

rier nei-

RWi saw a Screech Owl in the woods yesterday, and I
k'liieuihered its name right off, and that it was one of
ilit good Owls tliat mustn't be shot."

■•(lood girl, that encourages your old uncle to tell
loll more stories this winter about some of the other
[irciilures that are branches of the wonderful animal
tree."

Nat and llap brightened up, and Olive said she
^)iild not imagine anything pleasanter for winter even-

lllU'S.

But we have to do our lessons in the evenings,"
Raul Nat, dolefully.

I'jR'le Koy will manage it somehow," said Dodo,
iliakiiig her head conlidently; "there is a surprise
loinewliere, I know. I've been expecting it." At this
dr. and Mrs. Blake and the Doctor smiled, but said
lotliin;.^.

*' Tncle Roy," persisted Dodo, after a pause, "won't
jon do as you did with the birds, and tell us about
llie wild American animals instead of about menagerie
peasts, Jind then make us a book about tliem ? There
^Hist be as many as fifty kinds of usual animals in
Linerica, counting all those in the west country. I'm
10 tired ot" menagerie beasts —

" ' L is for Lion who roars in his raq^e,
T is for Tiger wlio snarls in his cage,'

[lull was on my picture blocks wlien I was a little child.

Iiad [)icture books of Cockatoos and other strange
^inls, loo, but they never seemed to mean anything
iiitil you told US about our American birds."

" Voii are riglit. Dodo," said tiie Doctor, '"•and you

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

I I?
li

liave given me some new ideas for my surprise. YesJ
there is a surprise hiding somewhere near ! We jiitj
to have a Avinter camp here at the farm, and lliej
stories tokl at the camptire shall all be about four-
footed Americans, with a few about some no-footed
and wing-handed ones thrown in."

CLIMBING THE ANIMAL TREE

w'i

PLENDID!" cried Nat and Rap to-
gether, as soon as they realized what
Dr. Roy said. " When shall we have
the stories ? "

" What is a campfire ? Is it made
of logs or coal ? " asked Dodo.

" Where are you going to liave
the camp? Here in the wonder
'"^ " ' room ? " asked Olive, who was as
^nuch surprised as her cousins.

What are no-footed Americans, fishes ? " persisted
Dodo.

Fishes have no feet, and yet these no-footed beasts
ire not fishes. The Americans you shall hear about
kvill all be our blood brothers, the Mammals — the
pif)^liest branch of the animal tree, the one that I
said lias so many smaller branches that it seems almost
[ike a whole tree by itself."

" M — mammals ; m — milk," said Dodo, proud at
lot liaving forgotten. " But, Uncle Roy, we can't
ke nil these M — mammals outdoors, as we did the
ji»ii(ls, and there aren't any here in your wonder room.
How can we tell how they look?"
" Vou will pvobably see some of the smaller ones

FOUIi-FOOTED AMERICANS

this winter, just as you saw tlie Fox to-night. I
have the skins of others packed away in chests ; and
some you must learn to know by i)ictnres, until you
have a chance to see them in the Zoo or in a Museum.

" No more questions to-night. You will hear more
about the surprise to-morrow. Now 1 must try to
tell you how to climb the animal tree, so tliat you may
step easily from branch to branch and have a general
understanding of its groups and families."

"This will be harder than learning about bones
and feathers that built the l)ird."

" Yes and no I When yon began to learn tlie
geography of our country, what was the first map
you saw, Nat? A map of one state, with all the
mountains, rivers, cities, and towns, large and small ?"

"Ah, no, uncle ; a plain, easy map of the whole of
North America, with only the very big chief moun-
tains, rivers, and land divisions put down. It took
us a long time oidy to learn the names of the states
and how they were bounded ; then by and by wo
took tliem in groups, until at this school we are hav-
ing each state by itself."

"Precisely. Nt)W, in drawing this animal ti'cc, 1
will not put down all snndl branches and twigs, but
merely the chief branches, so that y<ni nniy have what
is called a "general idea' of tlu' whole. Then fr«>m
time to time you can study by itself any branch that
parti(!ularly interests you.

"Now watch," said the Doctoi', drawing rai)idly on
a large sheet of cardboard. "Your old nncle is nn
draughtsman, but this will do for a beginning, and I
will copy it neatly by an<l by, so tliid we can han^'

CLIMliINQ THE ANIMAL THEE

it on the wall of our camp. This animal tree has a
straight trunk, and first come eight branches."

'' Ah ! All ! " cried Dodo. " Mother ! Daddy !
(onie and look ! Uncle is making each branch end
iji an animal, so we can see with one peep where
tliov belong, and the little first animal that belongs to
llu! trunk hasn't any more shape than an ink lilot !

'•What is tliat queer little spot, uncle? lias it
;i luiine? All I now you are writing tlie name on
oacli branch," chattered Dodo.

After everybody had looked at the sketch of the
iuiinuil tree, the Doctor liung it up on tlie door, and
said he would try to answer a few of their questions
about it.

''These," said the Doctor, pointing to the lower
l)raiiches of the tree that he had drawn, "are the
aninials whidi have no backbones, — Invertebrates^ the
Wise Men call them, — and though I do not want
to trouble you with long names, you must try to
reniLMubcr this one, because it is important and you
will meet it often in reading.

" With these ln'aiu'hcs lu'gin tlie lowest forms of
aiiiinal life. This little thing on the trunk that Dodo
called an ink blot is the very first form of animal life,
it is called a ProtozooH, and it is really so small that
yon could not see it without a microscope."

'•That is a pretty big nan'e for next-to-notliing,"
said l{a|).

'* Ves ; but the name, like nuniy of those the Wise
Mm give, e\|»lains the meaning. It citnies from the
(irt'ck words proton (lirst ) and zooh (anintal), s«) among
ourselves we will call the trunk of the tree the lirsl

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

animal, as it is tlie first step from the vegetable toj
the animal kingdom."

" If it is so small and has so little body, how ciui
you tell it isn't a vegetable ? " asked Olive.

" It is very difficult indeed to distinguish between
the lower forms of animal and vegetable life, and Ave 1
must leave the reason why to the Wise Men ; for it |
puzzles them very often, and 1 could not explain it
without using long words."

"Why, Uncle Hoy," said Dodo, "I know a real
simple reason, — animals can move and plants can't ! '

" Wrong, missy ; many of the lower animals cannot
move. The coral, for instance, and the oysters, are us i
much fixtures as the geraniums in their pots over by
the window.

" But to return to our animal tree. Besides having!
no backbones, these lower animals have no hearts,
lungs, or brains ; they are not built around a bony |
skeleton, as birds are or we ourselves. Their vital
parts are held in a single tube. These animals are
of various sliapes and live in many ways and places,!
— on the earth, in the water, and in mud. Among!
the lower branches of the animal tree, you will find
tilings that are familiar to you, tliougli you probably
never have tliought what tliey were, whether animalf-
or vegetables.

"To repeat all the names, ovoii of (he animnls tliatj
belong on eacli branch, would confuse and tire yuiij
sadly, MO I will only tell you of sonie of the princiital
kinds that you are most likely to see, to act as steps, so
to speak, by which you may climl) to tiie branch wlitiv
our four-footed Americans live.

CLIMBING THE ANIMAL TREE

" Oil the next brancli to the trunk, or First Aniniiil,
lltelong the Sponges ; they are phmt-like water animals
Itluit cannot move. Then the Jelly Fishes and Sea
Anemones, which are masses of clear, jelly-like stuff
jiloiiting in the sea, and. many of these are beautifully
Icolored."

" 1 saw some Jelly Fish when we were at the shore this
jsuininer," said Dodo. " I walked on some, and though
they felt so slimy they sort of made my feet tingle."

"Olive," said the Doctor, "suppose you take out the
|l)l;ickboard and write the names of these lower branches
who have no backbones."

Protozoa or
First Animals

1. Sponges . . . .
12. Jelly Fishes . .

■'{. Corals

K TRUNK AND SOME OF THE LOWER BRANCHES
OF THE ANIMAL TREE

The trunk. The lowest form of animal life,
body; a single cell. Most of them too small
to be seen without microscope.

Plant-like water animals that cannot move.

Round masses of clear, jelly-like stuff floating in
the sea. Sea Anemones, etc.

The wliitc, lace-like siuH-imcns tliat you have
.s(!en in cabinets, or tlie itnlislicd jtink sprays
that are made into ornanu'nts or ciirvt'd iuto
beads. You may havf tliought tln'se some
sort of stones, l)ut corals are tiny, snft-bodied
animnls living in cases made of lime. Many
of these cases built u|> cldsc togftlier form the
beautiful shapt's tliiil ynii kiimv.

The tive-pointcd |trickly animids f(»und on sea
beaches. Sea rrcliius. etc. Crinoids, etc

Long squirming animals, of both land and
water; also living as parasites ujtou the in-
sides of other animals,

I. Star Fishes .
"). WOfMS ....

6. MoUusks. .

7. Crustaceans

8. Spiders and
Scorpions .

FOUIi-FOOTED AMERICANS

. Shell Fish, such as Oysters, Clams and ^lussels,
Snails, Slugs, Cuttle Fish, etc.

. Animals covered with a hard shell, having
many legs and a pair of feeleis, oi' antenna,
breathing through gills the air that is dis-
solved in the water. Lobsters, Crabs, etc.,
are Crustaceans.
(Called Arachnidje, from Arachne, the Spinner,
because they spin webs.) Are a sort of
cousin to Crabs, but live on the earth instead
of in the water.

"The top branches of this pfroup contain the Insects,
with many legs, their bodies being divided into tlirue
parts. Insects go tlirough many changes in the course
of development. Take the butterfly as an example.
First an egg is laid by a fully grown butterfly ; second,
a caterpillar is hatched from the egg ; tliird, the cater-
pillar spins itself into a chrysalis, or cocoon, out of
which comes the winged butterfly. Ants, mos(iuitous.
flies, and beetles are all insects.

" Among the next circle of branches we find the ani-
mals having backbones, the Vertebrates. I think you
will feel more at home with them, and we are more
nearly concerned with them now, as our manunals be-
long in this order, although there are many things you
must some day learn of the many back boneless twigs,
especially about the insects with their wonderful winu's
and stings."

"1 suppose my Rattlesnake is a ratlu^r low-down Ver-
tebrate, I'ncle Hoy," said Nat.

'*No, my boy, tliere are two grades l)elow liim and
two above. See," — and the Doctor drew a branch
with live divisions.

Vkhtkhh/Vte Rr.vnchkh «)K tiik Animai, Thek.

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

illilj

■1

THE VERTEBRATE BRANCHES OF THE ANIMAL

TREE

ANIMALS HAVING IIACKHONES

Animals with bony skeletons ; never having more than two |
pairs of limbs. These animals inhabit both land and water, and
may either swim, fly, crawl, or walk.

Fishes .... Cold-blooded animals that live in water; usually
covered with scales. They breathe through gills.
and in their fins we see the very beginnings of i
limbs.

Frogs, etc. . . (Amphibians.) Going through several transfornia-j
tions, from egg to perfect animal, but having logs
when fully grown. The stepping-stones between j
fishes and reptiles.

Reptiles . . . Cold-blooded, egg-laying animals, either with a shell I
or scaly covering, living on land or in the water; j
some kinds doing both. They have simple, three-
chambered heai'ts. Alligators, Turtles, and Snakes j
are Reptiles.

Birds Warm-blooded, air-breathing animals. They are!

covered with feathers, have foui--chambered hearts, ;
and the young are hatched from eggs.

Mammals . . The highest order of animals. Warm-blooded, air-
breathing, having a four-chambered heart and!
double circulation. The yojing are born alive and
nourished by their mother's milk. JNIammals are
all more or less covered with hair. The Whale, j
Seal, Cat, Cow, Dog, Rabbit, iMou.se, Bat, ^lonkey, |
and Man are Mammals.

"The iSrannniil braiicli is so lar^o and iiiiportaiit and
has so many small branches and twi.i*'s of its own tliat;
by and by I shall make yon a tre(^ of it by itself."

" Are yon J^oin^ to draw the Manunal tree to-nit^hl ?" j
asked Dodo, anxionsly. '•'• liecanse I think my head is
as fnll of thinking as it will hold."

CLIMBING THE ANIMAL TREE

" No, missy, not another word to-night ; it is half-
I past eight, and your mother has been making ' time-to-
Uo-to-bed' signs at me for half an hour."

" But, mother," pleaded Dodo, " though my head is
full, my stomach feels real hollow, and we were going
to toast crackers, you know."

" Very well ! Nat, rake open the hot ashes and see
it' you can find another pair of tongs. Two cracl is
I and a glass of milk make a very comfortable night-
[ciip ; for if you go to bed with an empty stomach, you
will probably wake up with an empty head," said the
Doctor, rubbing his hands together. •' Am I invited to
this feast?" '

" Of course ; you and mother and daddy. Olive
I belongs with us children. It wouldn't be a real feast
j without you all," said Dodo, a look of perfect content
[ resting on her round face.

" Here are three pairs of tongs. Nat, you toast for

I mamma, and Rap for uncle, and I'll toast for papa and

Olive ; then afterwards we can toast for each other.

It's lots more fun doing it for somebody else, and then

[having somebody do it for you."

In a moment tlie three children were crouching in
[front of the fire, holding the crackers by the rims with
old-fashioned tongs, over the bed of glowing hickory
[ fragments.

"The crackers that fall into the fire belong to the
I dogs," said Dodo, consolingly, to Rap, who had just
(lro|)})od his first one. "They don't mind a few

ashes.

'* Here is mammy with tlie big pitcher," said the
Doctor. "Now all stand in a row and drink a health,

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

ill milk, to home, and the blood-brothers whose
acquaintance we are to make — the Four-Footed j
Americans."

"Is Rap going to stay here all night?" asked Nat,j
as they put down their glasses.

"No; his mother would worry. Your father and l\
will walk home with him; we have some things to talk;
over." •

" Is it anything to do with the surprise ? " askud ^
Dodo.

"Miss Inquisitive, if you poke your precious nose I
so far into things, some day it may be shut in tlie crack;
of a door," laughed her father. ^

"Ah! the wind has fallen and the frost has come.
I'm glad Rod covered those pumpkins," said tliej
Doctor, who was already out on the porch.

"Then we can go imtting to-morrow," said Nat.|
cajDering. "Come up early. Rap."

" We shall go nutting to-morrow, but Rap need not I
come up ; we will call for him," said the Doctor.

"But *'ie chestnuts are all up this way," persisted!
Dodo.

"I did not say we were going chestnuttin)/,''' replied!
the Doctor, closing the door so suddenly, that if DodoV
nose liad been anything longer than a pug it miglit
really have been scpieezed in the crack.

" M — mammals; m — milk," she lialf sang, liidi
whispered, as slie stumbled sleepily up to bed, hanging
on her mother's arm.

AN AUTUMN HOLIDAY

;h^j'k%

,IIEN Nat awoke tlie next

iu()riiiii<^, he lay quite still

for a nioment, riibbiiij^ his

eyes and wondering what

it was that he was ti'ying

to remember.

He did not seem to be in
any more of a hurry to get
up than the sun, who was
oidy beginning to peep
ill rough the most southerly corner of the orchard trees,
nistead of being up above them at this hour, as had
been his habit all summer.

Nat finally o[)ened his eyes and looked toward the
[viiidow, still half dreaming about Wild West Shows,
niiiual trees, and four-footed Americans, wondering
Iiy the light was so spe(;kled. Then as he saw the
frost crystals that covered the panes with their beauti-
iil fern traceries, it all came back like a flash, and he
jiunped out, shouting, " Tiiere's been a hard frost, and
vc are to go nutting to-day, and hear about the
Surprise ! "

At the same moment Dodo's sturdy fist pounded on
[lie (h)or. liang, bang, bang! "Aren't you up yet,

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

Nattie? I am, and all dressed." Bang. "My boots
laced to the very top, and my teeth cleaned witlij
powder." Bang, bang, bang ! Lacing her boots audi
cleaning her teeth were usually two weak spots inj
Dodo's toilet, and the fact that she had done both soj
early in the morning made Nat feel sure that sonie-i
thing unusual was afoot.

"Yes, Fm up," said Nat, "and I'll be ready in a|
minute."

" Father says, put on your thick very old clothes, |
and the old boots with the scraped skin."

" Wliere are we going ? Was there a big frost ? "
spluttered Nat, struggling with his sponge full of water,]

"Uncle Roy said he would tell when we are all
dressed. I can't seem to make Olive hurry one l)it.|
and breakfast will be at seven, and it's a quarter to.j
now. Only look out, and you'll see what kind of a
frost there was," — and Nat could hear tlie squeak and!
flop that slie nuide as she slid down the bannisters and!
landed on the rug at the foot of the stairs.

He wiped off the frost with his towel and looked!
out. Near the house everytliing was glittering witli
diamonds, for Jack Frost had oidy fingered tlie nearby
things, but down in the low pasture by the spring the]
blackened ferns showed wliere he had walked with liis
heaviest boots. There was quite a commotion and
bustle over by the barns. The long market wagoiij
with all three seats screwed in place was pulled out o
its slicd, and Rod was putting Imndles of straw in tliej
bottom. Mysterious baskets stood about, and in onej
Nat thouglit lie saw a tea-kettle. Who was that niii
in a queer furry-looking cap, thick sliort co.it, and leg!

AN AUTUMN HOLIDAY

nearby i
•ing tliej

wagon]

(-ins buttoned up to liis knees? Nat looked again and
llicu exclaimed to .himself, " Wli}', it's daddy, and the
oilier ]ium2)y-looking man is uncle I " Then he hurried
on with dressing as the only means of solving the
mystery.

This morning there was a roaring fire in the Franklin
stove in the dinhig-room. This stove, which is a sort
of open iireplace on legs that stands out a little way
fi'oin the chimney, throws more heat into the room
than a liearth fire.

''Now," said the Doctor, coming in with his arm
around Olive, who met him in the hall, "hold your ears
wide open and stand away from the table so that you
will not break the china.

'' We are going to the far-away hickory woods, where
we expected to go on Dodo's birthday to look for owls I
St()[) a moment I that is not all. Instead of taking
sandwiches and such things for lunch we are going to
take pots and pans and food and play camp-out and
cook our dinner and supper in the woods, and come

lookedHl'oi'"-' 1>V moonlight I

t 55

'' Tluit w ill be fine," said Olive. " I half expected
jtliis last night."

-.h)lly:'" cried Nat.

" IJnt," said practical Miss Dodo, "if we are to cook,
plamniy IJun will have to go, and being out after dark
will make her grumble about her bones."

" I am the c-oo-k who is going with y(m to-day," said
dr. Blake, conung in ; " and a very good cook, too,

can tell you."

"Why, daddy," exclaimed botli children, "can t/ou
hiok, and out in the woods, without any stove, too?"

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

((

Indeed I can, and inany's the day that your Unelt
Hoy and I liave not only had to cook for ourselves, hut
catch or slioot our own provisions, and as for stoves — |
we often hadn't even a hough wind-hreak over us, fuiill
slept on tlie ground hi our ])lankets."

"On the ground? And wasn't it wet, and didn't I
things hite you? All, what is that? Come, look oiit^
here, Uncle Roy. Wolf and Quick have caught somei
kind of a wild heast. It's too small for a Fox. Wliat
IS it :

"One of the hig Woodchucks who would not goj
ill the trap we set in the rocky pasture, and who is
ratlier late in holing up. They generally go to sleepl
for the winter hefore hard frost."

" Wliy don't they freeze ? " said Dodo. " You toldj
us once that it was very extra dangerous to go to sleep
out doors in cold weather, — that we would freeze in a!
twinkling."

" Is that heast one of the four-footed Americans yoii|
are going to tell us ahout ? " asked Nat. " What queer
long teeth he has : two upper and two under ones, witli
straight edges, and no little pointed ones like our eye-
teeth. Do the four-footed Americans helong to guikls|
the same as the hirds do. Uncle Roy ? "

" Yes, my hoy ; and those four powerful teeth showi
to what guild the Woodchuck helongs, — the greatest;
guild among the Mammals, — the Gnawers.

" Mother is coming," said Dodo, going to the staii's!
to meet her, as ]\Iaminy Bun came in the opposite door
with the coffee-pot. "Now everything is started.'
'cause nothing really hegins right end up until motliei

comes

f "

th show:
greatest^

THK Wot D .riUCK.

Tlie Do

hicakftist,

for you nil

" Are yi

at least CO

" No, (le

only t'ooke

a nibble ai

or for anj

woi-ry ; wi

iiio-ht, thoi

'J\)m aui

so Comet

wa^^'ou is o

a wink to 1

"Are yo

lilake, anx

*'I will

kettle, a oo

six tin i)li

sii^'-ar, coffc

l)a<;' of pot

my Hhot-uci

niatelies."

"'Pears

din, wif l)(

Maiiiiny \\\

was about t

I do feteli ah

Idry!"

"Mr. Rbi
jdnii'l like t(

AN AUTUMN HOLIDAY

'Die Doctor would not let the children hurry their
bii'iikfiist, Jind Mr. Blake said, "Eat all you can now,
for you may not like my cooking."

" Are you not going to take some cake or hread, or
at least cold chicken ? " asked Mrs. Blake.

"• No, dear ; not even bread, (linger cookies are the
only cooked food allowed. I want to give the children
a nibble at the way people live who explore, or hunt,
or for any other reason take to a wild life. Don't
worry ; we sliall neither starve nor be out quite all
iiiolit, though it may be late before we return."

Tom and Jerry were harnessed to the farm wagon,
so Comet was left liome by liimself. " Vou see this
wagon is only suitable for stout horses," said Tom, with
a wink to his mate, as they drove round to the house.

"Arc you sure you have everytliing? " asked Mrs.
lUakc, anxiously.

" I will give you a list of our belongings : a toa-
kctth', a coft'eo-pot, a frying-pan, and a small tin kettle,
six tin plates, cui)s, knives and forks, salt, pepper,
sugar, coffee, flour, part of a ham, a dozen eggs, a small
hag of potatoes, a cpiart of l)eans, a ball of stout cord,
my sliot-gun, a small axe, a shovel, and plenty of
inatclics."

"'Pears like you uns was calkerlatin' to plant a gar-
din, wif beans and p'laiers and a shovel," chuckled
Manniiy Bun, who was never far away when a picnic
was about to start. " i'^or tie law's sakes, Massa Doctor,
(lt» fetch along a jar o' sas, — all dem vittlcs am chokin'

I ilry .

"Mr. hhike is the cook, and you know, mammy, cooks
Iddii't like to be interfered with."

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

No mo' do they," slie chuckled.

Tliey stop[)ed at Uap's house and found him waiting,
with a feed-bag, all ready for the nuts he expected to
get.

" Which way are the hickory woods?" asked Olive;
"toward the shore or inland?"

" Iidand and almost twenty miles due north of here.
There was a logging camp there years ago. 1 am sure
that you liave never been in tliat direction."

II tlie woods?" asked Rap,

Is tliere any river in

some wihl ducks

Perl

iai)s we may se<

"Tliere is a strong, swift river beyond where we im
going, though I am not sure that we shall get so far to-
day, but there is a small river and pond near the hick-
ory woods, where you may see ducks. It is by the bij,'
river that tiie hunbcr camp is, where Olaf expects to U
stoi) for a few months this winter."

Some of the trees that were almost covered the day
bvd'ore hud dro[)i)(Ml their leaves entirely after the hiiid
frost, and the Red S(iuirrcls wercM'hatteriiig and ninniiii^
ah»n<r the stime ftmces. One little fellow was cai'ryiii"
a nut in each cheek, and looked very comical, as if lie
either had tlie mumps or a toothache.

" I never noticcMl before how many S(|uirrcls then

are about heri

suppose occause

thel

caves MK

Itl

icin.

Are they Mammals, rnclc Roy, and what guild do tlicv
belong to ? " asked Dodo.

" Vcs, tln^y ari' Manniials, and lliey belong to llic
same guild us the Woodchuck, — the (inawers. Walcii
that little fellow as he sits up and turns the nut about
with his paws, which he uses (pilte as we do ouij

!; , 1

AN AUTUMN HOLIDAY

linnds. See li jw quickly he giiiiws through the hard

sliull."

'* So he does," cried Nat.

''('hipinuiiks gnawed up a lot of our seckle pears
tliis year before they were ripe," said Kap. '"■They
seeiiiud to want the seeds, for they left the fruity part
('liil)[)ed up all over the grass under the tree."

'■ riiat is one of their habits ; in fact, the bad habit
of the whole guihl, that tliey destroy much more than
tlu'y need for food."

'^ Most of the little besists hereabouts belong to the
(Tiiawers, don't they, Doctor ! " asked Rap. "Scjuirrels,
Cliipinunks, Muskrats, Kats, Mice, Woodchucks, Rab-
bits, and all such things ? "

" Vcs, all tliMse belong to the Gnawers, and some of
tlii'in we call vermin, or, as Dodo says, ' Nuisance Ani-
iiiiils,' wlio do more harm tlian good. Vet nuiny of
them are wonderfully intelligent, and it seems hard
sometimes to say that we should kill even one of these
little misdiief-makers.

'•'I'lie great balance wheel of Nature is so carefully
made and W(dl planned by its Maker that we must
always toncli it reverently."

" Wliat (U) yon mean by balance wheel, Uncle l{oy '.'' "
askcfl Nat.

"Tiiis, my lad. In this worhl of ours iiotliing, from
tlic least grain of sand to tlie sti'ongest animal, was
made lor ilstdf alone. IvM'h thing depends upon some
(itlicr tlnng, whieli is e(inally dependent in its own turn.
S(t we may compare this plan to a wliccd whieli, tlioiigh
it is made of many dilTerent parts, — hub. spokes, rim,
and tire, — would not be a uscd'ul, iM-rlect wlietd if even

FOUR-FOOTED AMERKJANS

i "t

a single spoke were missing, so much does the strength J
of the whole depend on even tlie least part. We may
think that this animal or that is of no use, until we
find by experienee tliat it lilled its plaee as a small but
ini[)ortant spoke in this life- wheel."

" Hut, father," said Olive, " it is surely necessary for
us to kill Rats and Miee and otlier nuisance animals?"

"•Certainly, we must kill tliem now because tiic
balance wheel has been so disturbed that these animals
have juultiplied out of their due proportion and we have
made ourselves res[)onsibie for their increase. This is
a penalty man has to pay in many ways for eating of
the fruit of the tree of knowledge. He has to labor to
accomi)lish many things that Heart of Nature intended
doing for him."'

" 'I'hen maybe if people hadn't shot so many Owls
and good Ciinnibal Birds, it would have helped keep
down the nuisance animals," ventured Dodo. *' Oh,
uncle, what are those funny little haystacks down in
tlie water in the marsh meadow?"

•■'Muskrat huts. Stop a minute, Olive, and let us
look at them," said the Doctor, shading his eyes witii
his hands. "Tlie animals who make their lionies in
those haystacks, as Dodo calls them, are very curious
as well as both mischievous ami useful. I'hcy look
like something between the Woodchuck the dotrs
brought in this morning and a great liat. They are
a littli! under a foot long, and Uut can swim as fast
as a Duck. Their front toes have long claws bir
scratching, and their back toes webs for swinnning.
Tlicy live in the banks of I'ivcrs and ponds in summer,
and retire into tlies(^ lints, mad(^ of rushes and old weeds,

AN AUTUMN JlOLllJAY If

Ixjfore winter. Tliey will suck eggs and steal poultry
like common Rats. They have a stiff, hairy-looking
coat, hut underneath it is soft, beautiful fur. Why,
that old cap your father is wearing is Muskrat fur —
where did you get it, Blake? "

" Out West, with many other such things to keep out
eoUl. But this is only the common uncolored skin ;

Fkont I'Aw AND Tail of Muskuat.

the furriers dye it a soft brown, selling it for French
seal, — ajid a very pretty fur it is, too, for caps and
iiiiUeiis."

"There seem to be a good many wild animals al)out
here, even tlu)Ugh it's a pretty tame place — 1 mean a
civilized [)laAje," said Nat, correcting himself. " I never
thoiigiit that we should lind fur beasts so near home.
IM iiice to see into one of those Musl\rat houses, uncle."

''And so you sliail, as soon as it is cold enough for
tiu' water that surrounds it to l)e fro/A'U so tliat we can
walk to them. Th(^ story of tluitanimal and ids cousin,
Ihc IJcavcr, is enough to till a book all by itself."

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

After they had jogged along a fairly level road for
a couple of lioui's, tlie children asking questions and
begging to get out at intervals, to pick up some par-
ticularly nice a[)ple that had fallen outside a fence and
been i)assed by in the general harvest, they turned into
a lane road with turf between tlie wheel tracks. The
groiuid now began to rise in a zig-zag fashion between
a wall of hemlock and pine trees, under which were
mats of ground pine, partridge berry, and wintergreeii.

Whirr-whirr, and a pair of large brownish birds flew
up from the roadside and disappeared in some bushes.

"What were those birds as big as chickens?"
screamed Dodo. " (^h, why didn't some wie catcli
them ? They went right by your nose, Olive ! "

" 1 tliink partly because I was as mucli surprised us
they were," laughed Olive.

" As line a pair of Huffed Grouse as one could wish
for dinner," said Mr. Blake.

" Ah, papa, you wouldn't eat them ? " wailed Dodo.

"Why not, girlie ? They are game birds made for
food ; their nesting is over, and this is tlie season that
the Wise Men say we may take tliem l)y fair hunting.''

"What is fair hunting? 1 don't tliink any hunting
is fair."

"Using no trap or snare, but following the game
afoot, if it l)e birds with gun and dog, killing no more
than you need. It' it is a Deer, Klk, Moose, or Ante-
lo[)e, using your own perseverance and rille without a
dog, and never taking a doe or fawn uidess absolnte
starvation star^-s you in the I'acc."

"hut if you are trying to kill nuisance animals?"
asked Hap.

AN AUTUMN HOLIDAY

'• Then use gun, trap, snare, poison, or any other
[jueans you have ; but never put a nuisance animal to
[torture — iiev^er leave even a rat to die miserably in a

tnip.

'J guess I'll let you do my hunting for me, daddy,"
^iiid Dodo, duly impressed. ""I'd rather not kill any-
\t/iini/ myself."

"And I had much rather you would not," said Mr.
Bhike, putting his arm around her. '* Keep your little
lieiut tender. Tliere is greater need for such things
than for game and guns in this world nowadays, little
Idiuighter. I would not notv willingly kill a big game
luiinal myself and see the light fade from its bright
;yes and the last flutter of its breast."

" It woiddn't be any harm if Ave learned Jiow to shoot,
,()nld it, daddy ? " asked Nat. " 'Way back in the suni-
iier I'ncle Roy said perhaps you would teach me some
Lime, and Rap, too," for the boys had long since become
Inseparable.

"Certainly, you shall learn this very fall. Evcrj'^
nan should know how to shoot and handle a gun prop-
}i'ly, if need requires. Shooting game fairly is a manly
lit, and it is also a manly art to know when and wliat
lot to shoot."

'See the river," said Dodo. " Yoii called it little,
)iit it is much bigger and swifter tlian our river. Oh,
vliat a queer bridge, and all the evergreen trees are on
[he rocks on one side, and great tall barky trees with
10 leaves on tlie otlier."

"This is the beginning of the hickory wood, wliere

(' are goiug. It looks to me as if some one had been
jiaking imi)rovement here, since my day," said the

i
1

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

Doctor. " Though the biggest trees are gone, tlie tleaj
ones seem to have been taken away from year to yeur.j
and the young growth encouraged."

" Stop a minute, (Jlive ; your father, Nat, and I will
walk this last mile ; the road is too steep and rougli
for a full load."

" Is the far west country wilder than this ? " asked
Dodo, who of course wdslied to walk with the others,
holding tight to her uncle's hand. " I think it's lonelv
enough for Tigers here, if it was only warm enough."

" Bless my heart, this is not wild ! You have a roiulj
to walk on ; you know where you came from aud wlieivl
you are going. To call a country really wild it must
have no roads, but only gaps or trails between the trees,
and often not even these, but you must cut a patli foij
yourself. You will more frequently know where yon I
wish to go than where you are going; and you aie
never sure when, if ever, you will get back to the place
from which you started."

" What is that ahead ? Smoke coming from the ]\i\\-\
side. It must be from the charcoal-burner's hut tliati
Olaf spoke of last summer. I supposed tliat was tliri
other side of the mountain, but 1 see the wood here is j
about right for making cliarcoal."

The Doctor and Dodo had fallen behind Mr. Blakr
and Nat. When they overtook them tliey found tlmt
the lane ended in some liigh hickory woods, and Mi,
Hlaive suggested they couhln't find a better place tui
halt and make their play camp.

While they were discussing where it would be bestj
to tie the liorses, a tall, thin, but wiry man, came noise-
lessly from among the trees and stood looking at iIk

AN AUTUMN HOLIDAY

baity. He had a long, straight nose like a Fox, and
fclL'e[)-set eyes ; his face was as brown as his beard, and
his clothes were very much like some of those worn by
the scouts in the Wild West Show, Ids shoes being
witliout seams, like moccasii.s.

Ill spite of his strange face ai^l dress there was noth-
iiii^' forbidding about him, and he had a pleasant smile
Ls lie stepped noiselessly up.

''A woodsman, I know," said Mr. Blake to himself,
jsearcely looking at the man's face, but judging by his
Isoft tread.

The man stood still a second, looking as if he saw
jsoine familiar object, but from a great distance, and
then exclaimed, '•'• 1 want to know I " '

Tlie Doctor and Mr. Blake both started forward, and
jthe strange man grasped eacli by the hand.

"Nez Long I Is it possible?" said the Doctor, dap-
pling him on the back with his free hand, while tlie
Ichiklren stood looking on in amazement. Olive, how-
lever, knew who he was as soon as she heard the name,
Ijiiul explained to the others, while the tL'vee men con-
jtiiiued to talk eagerly.

Nez was a man from northern Maine wliom her father
liuid uncle had known out West. He had been a trapper,
[liuiiter, and cowboy, all by turns, and tlie head of a lum-
ber eump in Canada. The French Canadians called
jliim Nez Long, which means "long-nose" in tlieir lan-
t,niiige. He had once saved Mr. JJlake's life, when he
was almost crushed by a falling tree and in danger of
being t(n'n by a bear, but how he came in the hickory
jwood she of course did not know.

'' Yes, Fm tlie charcoal-burner, I reckon, now, and

FOUli-FOOTED AMERICANS

iHi

canoe-maker, too, and do a bit o' Inintin' and trappin
raound about, and raise some tru(5k t'other side o* tlie|
woods, and get out railroad ties. I've a camp o' inv
own inside the first belt, and a wife, and she isn't n
squaw neither, and two young uns. Vou see I've gm
some property at last, Doc, in spite of being a sort of
wild Injun myself. We live in a log house, though:
we'd choke in any other kind, — my woman an' lue'sJ
agreed on that. She was 'Toinette Pardeau — old'
Dominique's daughter. You'll remember him ; he was i
your guide the day you got that thunderin' big Bear,
All these your young uns, Jake?"

" What a queer man," said Dodo. " And not very
polite. He calls Uncle lioy, Doc, and daddy, Jake. I|
don't thhik he is nice."

"You must remember," said Olive, "that he has!
been with them in wild places and they have shared
danger, and worked and hunted together as if thev
were brothers, and when men do this, the Mister drops!
away from their names, and they feel to each other j
as you and Nat and Rap do."

" Of course they must," said Dodo, repentantly, "undi
he picked the tree off daddy; " so, without hesitatiiiij, j
she walked up to him, holding out her liand, and sayiiii;i
solemnly, "Good morning, ]\lr. Long Nose, I'm glad to'
meet you and thank you very much for taking the tree |
off daddy's leg."

" I want to know ! " stuttered Nez, more surprised
than if a Grizzly IJear had spoken to him.

Kv^ery one laughed then, and it did not take long to
explain why they were there, and how tliey were goiiij,'j
to cook dinner camp-fasliion ; and Nat feeling tlie siul-

AN AUTUMN HOLIDAY

lien ('()iifi<lt'iice in Nez that young people and dogs have
[in those wlio really love them, said, "I'm going to
It'iiin to shoot this winter and hear all ahout the wild
Auierioan animals, and sometimes you will let us come
to see you, won't you, and you'll tell us stories ? "

"Oh, do," echoed Dodo, looking np at liim with a
teinilc that generally had yes^ as its reward, "and per-
haps you'll tell us just one story for dessert to-day."

" Sure enougli I will," he answered ; " and I'll set
•ou a camp and a fire all slick and ready while you're
-gettin' your nuts. Then you can come over yonder,"
uul without more ado he disappeared in the trees.

'Where are the nuts?" asked Dodo, looking up to
tlie sky.

"• ( )ii the ground partly and in the trees mostly,"
said Olive. "If these trees in front of us had a good
slinking, we could pick up enougli hickories to last all
winter."

The horses were unharnessed, tethered to stumps
md hlaidveted ; for in spite of the bright sun the air
[was keen, and tlie wind had suddeidy sprung up, scat-
tering the leaves and sending down quite a hailstorm
)f nuts.

When ]\rr. Blake and the Doctor, climbing some of
the smaller trees, aided the wind in its work, the nuts
^-A\Q the gatherers such a pelting that they had to stop
^uitil the squall was over.

" It's almost too easy to be fun," said Nat, as they
tied up the mouth of Rap's bag, which was already
filled. "I think I'd rather hunt for things a little

longer.

" Good boy," said his father ; " that is the spirit that

FO UR-FOOTED Ah >'r i.-A 278

makes a real sportsman, — tlie wiiiuliing and waitiiio
and finding, n(>t sinipl}?^ tlie greedy getting that niakts|
the selfish sort of man I call a Hunting Wolf."

'' You had hetter make the most of this easy nuttiiii^j
though," said the Doctor, "for when it comes to pick-
ing up chestnuts, you will have to look and poke about!
between the leaves and stones, I can tell you."

" I wonder what Mr. l-«ong Nose is doing, and howl
he is going to fix our camp for us," said Dodo, empty,
ing her little basket into the big one for the third tiiiiej
"I think we have enough now."

" 1 thought there was some other reason for yourl
hurry beside the filling of the bags. I never knewf
before that children could have too many nuts. But|
don't call your friend Long Nose, Dodo ; he has a real
name, though it was never used among his camp-mates.'

" What shall I call him then — Mr. Long ? "

" No ; simply Nez, pronounced as it is spelled ; hel
will understand it better, for if you called him Mister.j
he would be put out, perhaps."

" Oil, what a big Squirrel ! " called Nat. " Twice asl
large as those about the farm, and all one color, like al
Maltese cat, only a little browner. There is another,!
and another yet, chasing about like anything ! See,|
Uncle Roy ; up there ! "

"(iray Squirrels, and fine ones, too. Tiiese arel
exactly the sort of woods that suit them ; plenty oil
hickories and beech trees, and water not far away."

" How many kinds of i\merican S(piirrels are there?'|
asked Dodo, "and is the lining of mother's. coat made
of the fur of this gray kind ? "

"There are sixty or seventy kinds in Nortlil

AN AUTUMN HOLIDAY

Auurica, but the Red, Gray, the big Fox Squirrel, and
tliu little Chipmunk, or Ground Squirrel, are the ones
most likely to interest you. The lining of your

|inotlier"s coat is prol)ably made of the skins of a
Ifussiiui Squirrel. Strange as it may seem, the skins
of (lui- speeies are too thin and tender to let them go

lin the list of valuable fur-bearing animals."

*' I suppose they are like the Moleskin that Rod

[(Tiive ine to make a muff for my doll. It cracked like
a piece of pai)er, and wouldn't stfiy sewed well, and
it liiul a very queer smell that took a day to wash off
iny hands. Why do some animals have such strange

Ismells, Uncle Roy?"

" For two reasons. There are protective smells and

Isigiial smells. The Skunk's odor belongs to tliis first
sort, and he uses his evil odor as a we.apon of defence
and seems to thoroughly understand its power, for very
few of the large beasts of prey ever care to get within

I range of it.

''Tiie signal smells are as important to the Four-

Ifooted People as speech is to House People. In fact,
tlie power of scent largely takes the place of speech
with them. What they lack in tongue is made up by

la wonderful keenness of ear and nose.

"- A Fox goes through a lane and can tell by the

[smell whether it is a dog who has been there before
him or a brother Fox. The dog in his turn who fol-
h)ws knows by the scent where the Fox has gone and

[can find him unless lie crosses water."

"Why can't he follow him across water? Does it

[wash away the smell ?" asked Nat.
"Exactly, but — "

M-

! t

I
i

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

"What is tliui terrible noise," cried Olive, st<artiiig.
and they Jill listened, somewhat startled, while Dudu
crept close between her father and uncle, saying, '*lt
must be a very wild sick cow that is hurt."

"If we were in a swamp a couple of hundred miles
further north, instead of here in a hick(>ry wood, M
should say it was either a cow Moose or else some one
imitatiug one," said Mr. Blake.

" Why, it's Nez, of course," said Dr. Roy. " He used
to be one of the best Moose callers along the border,
He is ready for us to (mhuc up, and has taken that Wiivj
to call us, though we are not Moose."

"Let's go (piick and see," said Dodo, recovering lieij
courage, and hurrying the party along. " What ai\
Afoose, and what (h) people call them for?"

" Moose are the largest of our Deei". The cry \vt|
have just heard is tlie cow Moose's call to her mato,
Men wlio hunt the Moose imitate tliis call, and tli^i
bull (which is the name given male Moose and Klkij
comes luirrying U[) to iiuH't, not his mate, but a bullet.'

"Do you call that fair huntiug, (laddy?" iiskdl
Nat.

" Xo, I do not ; unless the hunter is hungry and cmiiI
not get I'ood in any other way, it seems to me little IhiI
ter than setting a trap. A s[)ortsman should show liiJ
skill in tinding tli(! Moose, not calling him by a trick. "|

" Ves," .said Nat, " I understand that. It's the sin
as if when wo [Any hide-and-seek I Winite(l Dodo, ai
instead of hunting for her 1 cried or did .something
nuike her e(Mne out, and then cried ' I s|)y.'"

"Look, father! Lo(dc there I " said Olive. ''Ii-I
like the old days in Canada."

AN ArrUMN HOLIDAY

As they left the narrow footpath where they had
been walking in Indian file they stepped into an open
space from wliicii all tlie trees had been cut, as well as
the underbrush. At the further side, with its back
iioainst the liill toward the north, v/as a log-cabin with
sniiill windows in the front and sides. A little way from
it w;is a sort of long shed, roofed with hemlock boughs,
uiuUr which was a grindstone, some tools, etc. In the
centre of the open square the earth was black, -^nd there
[were many ashes, as if a tire had otten burned tliere.

At one side Nez liimself was at work, axe in hand,

jlu'forc a sort of tent made of two upright poles, and

a crosspiece against which he was laying hemlock

l)onglis. Not far from this two logs about ti^ e feet

jlong were placed side by side on the gronnc^ 'I'iie

upi)er side was shaved off ; at one end tliey we' e about

four inches apart an<l at the other eight, iieineen this

was a line of glowing charcoal, kept from b.ii ling the

llogs by the earth which was hca})ed agains< them. At

leitlier ciid tliere was an upriglit stake, and a bar was

llaid l)otween these so that it came about a foot and a

llialf above the lire.

.. ..: . \.
I

. ■ 1 : •

I i i

OUT-D()()R COOKERY

'' We'll se
always do."

Noxt Oliv
Xez bi'ono'lit
ami limisj;' it

"'J know \

'' I've lixLM
roasli'd clu'sj
''hut I ciui'l
wliy llu'j ill
tlie otliei'."'

"Thai is
niiig to nut
the bottom
kettk', and tl
if \ve set the
[but tli(! ket
stauds where
pan further
Itliiun' in a w
Isn't tills ]<»!.
" \ -e-s. s;

"Koast til
fiT tlie ham
IstciMs (if tile
lllie tt^i-kettlt

''We will
'Mr. Iliake. '
is it foi n'am
thiniviuL,'' I ni
so lon^'' to (•(

I I

ouT-noon cook eh y

We'll see l)ef<)re we o'et liome," said Dodo ; " we

alwayi

do.

Next Olive filled tie tea-kettle from a i)ail of water
Mez l)roiight from a si)riiig on the hill above the eabin,
and limit? it on the crossbar over the lire.

" j know what that stick is for, anyway," said Nat.

"I've iixed sticks like that to ho'.d a kottle, and I've
loiistcd chestnnts and potatoes in hot ashes,-" sai<l Rap ;
''but I can't thiidv what those two logs are for, and
why they are iixed wi<ler apart at one end than at
the other."

"'I'biit is easily explained," said j\Ir. iJlakc, bet>in-
iiiiiu- (() untie his packages of groceries. '* Von see
the bottom of tlie coffee-pot is smaller than the tin
kettle, and the frying-})an is larger than either. Now,
if \\v, sc^t the c()ffee-i)ot on tlie narrow end, it fits nicely,
l)ut llie kettle wonld not get enongii heat, so that
'■stands where the logs are wider apart, ,ind the frying-

imn

fnrtl

ler alonu'

)-) '

id if

we wan

tiling m a wire

broil

cr, it con

LTO

ted t(
at tl

o COOK soine-

le very e

nd.

Isn't this log stove a great invention?"
I "Y-e-s." said tiie children: '• bnt what are von ijo-
jiiiy' to cook ? "

" Ivoiist the potatoes in the ashes, boil {\n\ coffee,
Ifry the liam and eggs in this pan. tie strings to the

stems (il these a}>ples and hang them on the rod by
Itlu' tea-kettle.

"We will begin with tlu; |)otatoes and apples," said

(I liiiilB-^''"* l>li»ke, "for they take the longest to cook. IIow

it foi '^ame about hc'c, Ne/? I broiiiiht mv unn,

thinking I might get a few (^uail ; but it's lid\cn ns

St)

long to come up that theri^ is not lime

i^i

I! ■
> i i

iil

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

Quail and Grouse, plenty, and some Woodcock,
if you know where to go. The woman is takin' a
buncli now to trade over tlie mountain, and Stubhle.
my dog, has gone with her, or Td send him out Avitli
you. Here's a pair o' Grouse that have hung since
day before yesterday ; they'll roast tirst-rate, if you'll
liave 'em."

Nez went to the slied and brought back a pair of
Partridges, or Ruffed (arouse, as they should be called,
both males, with rnffs of lustrous green leathers.

" How pretty I " said Dodo, stroking them ; " would ,
it be any liarm for me to wear those wings in my h.it |
after we have eaten the birds ? "

"It is no harm to use tlie wings of food birds fori
ornament ; tlie only danger is that people, wlio do
not care or know the difference, or understand ahdiitl
Citizen Uird, may wear tlie wings of Song Birds bv
mistake."

" How can wc roast them without an oven?" asked
IJiip, as tlu'v watched Nez pulling off the wing aii(l|
tail featliers, but not otherwise plucking the (i rouse,
*' Hang them with a string over the tire?"

" In tilt' ashes along o' tlie potatoes," replied Xez.l
at the same time g'*>i"^ near tlie spring and briugin<,M
sj)adcfnl oF ))!iab]e, clayey eartli, wliich, by wetting, liei
kneaded into two slieets a litth^ thicker thnn pie crii.st.

"'What can he hv, doing?" whis[»crc<l Dodo u
()liv(^ ; "do you suppose lie iciilly eats mud pies?"

" No, dt! u' , of conrs(! nol. Wiilcli I "

Nez laid ii bird in tlic ciMitrt^ of cacli sheet nli
clay dough, iil'lcr welting its I'ealliers, which Ik
wrapjied ail ai-onnd it as it' it \ver»> an ajiplc in

OUT-DOOR COOKERY

little dumpling. Then he dug out a small oven-
like hole under the broadest part of the lire, into
wliicli he put the Grouse, covered them with ashes,
and raked the live coals back over the spot.

'' Won't they be all burned and dirty ? " whispered
Dodo to Olive.

'' Willi and see," was her answer.

While the dinner Avas cooking, Nez led the party,
all except the cook, about his cleaiing, as he called it.

At iirst the cabin seemed very dark, but they soon
saw that it had two rooms separated by a great chim-
ne}' piled up of broad rough stones. One roon\ was
the kitchen and living room, and the other the bed-
room. This had l)ertiis nailed to the wall, not unlike
those in a sliip or f-ileepiiig car. The bedding con-
sisted of coarse gray blankets, spread over fresh hem-
loek l)()nghs and straw.

The iireplace was open and wide, and on the living-
room side some long logs Mere pil<>d one on top of the
otlier, witli smaller sticks an<l kin<Uings in front.

"We keep er sort uv cair.prtre in here cold nights,
versee, Doctor. Wlien on*'e you've been uster sleepin'
jlty ii lire, you miss it drecii'ii). Fnc g(!t a stove in
licre," l<e said, [)oinling to th<^ kitttlten ; ''but in warm
weather we (look outside! on tlie logs. When yem've
s[)eiit twenty or tiiirty years sleepin' mostly under
jtiie sky, any kin(' I'v a root" seems craitipy, so in siun-
iiicr season 1 lie <"il yt't ."

"|)i(i y<»u v\rv slee|) all night outdoors lik(! daddy
jaml uiiele, with no tent or anything'/" asked Dodo,
ill an awe-struck lone, leaving the boys, who were look-
iiii''ai the strangt! assortment of things that hung IVom

no no

FOUli- FOOTED AMERICANS

1>.

the rafters of the cabin, stood in corners, or were stuck
in the little cracks between the logs. — Fishing-poles,
a Wincliester rifle, a double-barrel sliot-gun, bundles
of herbs, the furry skins of several kinds of small
beasts, a Fox tail fastened to a stick for a duster, uud
many other fascinating objects.

" Sleep out all night, missy ? " said Nez in astonish-
ment ; " why, o' course, that wuz always the kind of
campin' 1 did when I wuz trai)[)in'.'"'

" Why didn't wild beasts cat you, and why didn't
you get all damp and mouldv / " persisted Doflo.

" Mostly on account of the dry air in those places,
and camprtres, 1 reckon, and sleei)iu' with one eye
o])en," said Nez, laughing. "Here comes R'^nny, lie
wants his suppf^r, I guess."

"Why, it's a Fox! Won't he bite? I thoiK-lit
Foxes were wild beasts," said Nat, as a young Fox.
looking something like a small collie dog, trotted up
to the cabin, sniffing about and eyeing the strangers
suspiciously.

" That Fox won't bite, he's a pet of the young uns,
His mother was killed for chicken stealin', I reckon,
along in ^lay : and Stubble nosed out the hole on the
other side of the uutuntain, and I found two pups in
it. One died, and we raised this. We've got a
young (^oou, too, somewhere about."

'•Hi' is JMsl as [)i'('(ty as a dog. Will he never niii
away iMid (rv to (iiiil his motiicr?" askccl l{ap. "I
had ii tame Coon once, and it stayed round all ri<jfhl,|
but along in tiie second spring it ran away."

"I reckon tlie Fox will too, wh(ui lie gits old enougli
to take a mate, and .set uj» house for himself. They all

ill

f !

OUT- DOOR COOKERY

Jq^ — birds and beasts and folks too, — everybody likes,
to liave a place of his own. Don't lie, Doctor? Here
I was a-roamin' all over creation, no idea uv stayin'
put iuiywhere, and here I am settled down and what
tlicy call civilized."

The Doctor laughed and walked off with Nez to see
his charcoal pit and bit of cleared land, where he
raised potatoes and beans, while the children still
looked wonderingly about the cabin.

'' 1 wonder why the leaves are swept away so clean
all about liere?" said Dodo. "It looks so much pret-
tier to have leaves and pine needles on the ground."

"On account of fire," said Olive. "When you
camp out, you have to be very careful about fire, espe-
cially in places where there are many evergreen trees.
Nez cooks out of doors and works often under that
shed, and has a log fire to warm him ; and if the
ground were covered with dry leaves, the fire might
spread all through the woods."

" Tin so veri/ hungry," said Dodo, presently; " suppose
we go over and see how daddy is getting along with
liis conking."

"Tliere must be Coons living around here," said Rap,
looking eagerly into some old trees. "I see lots of
Ukely holes, and there's a splendid lot of brusli down
hill there for Rabbits. Say, Nat, 1 wonder when Ave
learn to slioot if Nez wouldn't lei ns conu! Iicrc and get
something to eat and then cook it? It would be great
sport !

" We can ask him, anyliow. 'I'here, daddy is beckon-
ing to lis, and I smell ham. C-o-m-i-n-g, c-o-m-i-n-g,"
Nat siiouted.

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

" It's all ready," said Dodo, who had gone ahead,
"only Uncle lioy and Nez have wandered away, and
daddy says we must not dig out the roast birds until
they come back. Can't you moo-oo to call tlieiii,
daddy, the same way that Nez did?"

"I can try, girlie. Nat, go over to the cabin and
see if you can iind a great cone-shaped thing made ul
bark."

Nat soon returned breathless, but with the desired
article. " it was hanging by tlie chimney on an old
pair of some kind of (pKjer Hat spiked Deer horns."

"Antlers, Nat; we don't call those things horns when
they belong to Deer. They must be the antlers of Nez'
famous Moose. You must ask him to tell you about it
some day. Let me have the horn."

" It's like a little megaphone, you know," said Nat ;
" the thing they called out the progrannne with at the
cii-cus, only that was tin and this is old dry bark."

" So it is, and that, like many other things, had its
beginning in some simple invention of a Avoodsman. fj
Let me have it — Moo-oo-oo-o I VV^her I Moo-oo-oo-o I"

" Oh, what a queer foggy noise I " cried Dodo, stop-
ping up her ears.

" I'm afraid, LTncle Jack," said Olive, " if I were a
Moose I should run away from a mate with such a
voice."

"May I try?" said Pvap.

" Certaiidy. I never was a good Moose caller, it
always gave me a sore tliroat."

Raj) took the eone and called gently at first, raising
the horn and then lowering it to the ground, makini;' :
very goo«l imitati(»n of Ne// call.

our- BOOR COOKERY

'' J^ravo ! " cried Mr. Blake ; " some one must have
lauglit you that, my boy."

"I've seen the lumbermen do it over at the far
iiiuiuitain."

"Are there Moose anywhere near here?" asked Olive.

"•Oh, no; but the men had worked in North Maine
and Canada, and they used to sit round the fire and tell
boast stories of what they had done, and showed how
lliey called Moose."

"" Boast stories, what are those ? " asked Olive.

'" Stories about animals they had hunted so long ago
that every time they told about the beast it got bigger
aiul bigger, until it wouldn't have known itself."

Mr. Blake laughed heartily at Rap's description, as if
he thoroughly appreciated his meaning.

" When we sit by the campfire thinking of past days
that have pleased us, we often see them through the
firelight as we do things in dreams, which are part
imagination and part memory. Always remember, boys,
that the adventures we have under the open sky and
the friends we make around the campfires and in the
silence of strange places — open prairie or trackless
wood — are different from the doings and acquaintances
of every day, and the account of them must always seem
unreal to those who have not been there."

"You called fust rate the second time," said Nez to
Mr. lUake, returning from showing his farm, as he
calkMl it. " It was a little onsertin at fust — "

"Praise Ka[) ; tlie call 1 gave was calK'd a 'foggy
noise ' by Dodo."

'* Was tliat you, little cha[)? Want to know ! AVas
von raised in the North Woods'/"

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

"No, but I've always wanted to live in the woods
the way you do ; but you see woods are too far a^ay
from people for mother to o-et any washiiii^ to do."

"Never you mind," said Nez, "iifter tlie tirst snow
you come up and stop with me a spell, and Til show you
how to git some Rabbits and a (h'ouse or two for your
mammy, when I've got my Muskrat and Mink traps
set. Tliere's no big game hereabouts, at least nuiu'
bigger than a Fox or a l?()rki[)ine, a ('Oon or maybe a
couple o' Wild Cats stray in' about. But you can see
how the night comes in the woods, and I'd learn you
the tracks of some o' the fur beasts. If we get good
deep snow down along the river medders, I'll show you
how to walk on snow-shoes, too ; maybe it'll come in
handy some day."

" I couldn't learn that on account of my leg, but Niit
could, and he'd love it," said Rap, cheerfully.

"Dinner, dinner," called the Doctor, "and stories
afterward. Dodo is very anxious to see you open the
mud pies, Nez."

" Oome and sit on the cushions under this nice wind
broiik," said Olive, going to the lean-to that Nez had
made of the hemlock boughs. " Here are your plates
and cups, — you be waiter, Nat, and take them to Uncle
Jack."

" What do you call your camp, Nez ? " asked Air.
lUake.

"Settledown,'* said Noz, laughii)g, "'cause we've set-
tled liere nigli two years."'

" Hill of Fare for Dinner at Camp Settlodown, served
by Clief Jacfjue," called Mr. Hlake. "Ham and eggs,
potatoes in jackets, frying-pan bread, roast (i rouse with

''11
I I

OUT-DOOR COOKERY

clay pastry. Dessert — roast apples on strinj^s, ginger
cookies, and" — as Nez came from the cabin with a jar
— •' wild plum jam, and coffee with condensed cream! "

The first course was eaten with much relish, and then
tlicv gathered around the lire to see Nez uncover his
fanioiis pies. The first one being opened disclosed a
mass of blackened feathers.

''I knew it wouldn't be any good," whispered Dodo
to Nat.

"Vou know too soon then," he r('[)lied, as Nez with
a skilful pull took feathers, skin, all from the bird,

showing its smoking, nicely cooked body all ready to
be eaten.

" Oh ! " said the children, as they cut it, or, I should
say more truthfully, pulled it apart.

"It's terribly good with a little salt on it," said
Dodo ; " here's a dear little wish-bone for you, Olive,
and both top legs." And for the next half hour the
conversation was nearly extinguished by the food.

" Please, are you going to tell us a story now ? "
asked Dodo of Nez, as he began collecting the tin
plates, cups, pots, and pans.

" Wash up yer kit first, then campfire and talking.
You see, missy, in the woods it don't do to let yer
vittles cool on the dishes ; it's too hard to clean 'em.
Got a kittle? Yes ? " and he filled the largest tin with
water, which he set on the fire to heat for disli-washing.

"Any dish-rag?" and Nez carefully put the good
scraps in a pail to feed to Stubble when lie should
return, wiped each article out with a handful of leaves
which he carefully burned as soon as soiled, — then the
dish-washing was an easy matter.

r-i

;

. I

BMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

Jf Ki 122
\!^ ti& 12.0

iL25 ly 1.4

ii4

Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

33 WIST MAIN ITRIIT

WIUTH.N Y. 14SM

(7U)I73-4S03

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

" You see," he explained, " if you are camping in any
one place for a spell, it gets dreadful mussy if you don't
keep cleaned up, and then you may want yer duds in
a hurry. Always keep yer kit ready, whether it's guns,
or harness, or kittles ; that's camp law."

So the children strayed about for an hour or so until
Nez and their father had finished their work and smoked
their after-dinner pipes.

" Now we'll have a campfire, though it's the wrong
time o' day," continued Nez, piling some logs from his
shed against a couple of cliarred tree trunks that stood
side by side about four feet apart ; he put sticks and
kindling in front of the logs, arranging the heap so that
the wind blew from the front to the back.

" Why don't you put the sticks in a stack, like corn
stalks?" asked Nat. "That is the way we do when
Uncle Roy lets us make bonfires in the gravel-bank lot ;
it burns up as quick as a flash, only it eats a great lot
of wood."

"That's the reason we douH do it," said Nez, "just
'cause it does burn up quick and eat the wood so fast
and then slumps out. This isn't the real time o' day
that in natur' a woodsman or a plainsman would stop
to build a campfire, but it'll do to show yon by."

" When do people generally build them ? " asked
Uap.

"Along al)out dark," said Nez, "after supper, Avlicn
the day's work is done, if it's a cattle round-up, or a
Imntin' or a himber camp. In tlie north and northwest
country the air is dry and fine enougli in the daytime,
l)ut as soon as the sun goes down — down goes the
weather, too. If you go to sk'ep with no fire or let

OUT-DOOR COOKERY

your fire go out, you'll get up with stumblin' feet and
hands all thumbs in the morning. That's why we pile
the logs this way, so that the fire gets a good hold and
creeps up slowly, and lasts long.

" Then you'll lie under yer bush shanty, or lean-to, or
canvas, or whatever kind of a shelter you have, or stretch
out on the ground in yer blanket, and yer so glad of rest
that yer wouldn't change with any one in a castle.
Some one throws on the logs, and the camp settles down
for the niglit to smoke and talk and then sleep. Wolves
may bark in the distance, and Wildcats yowl and
sneeze ; as long as the fire blazes they'll keep away."

"Please tell us about all the sorts of tents you've
slept in," said Olive.

"And Jibout the wild beasts that sneezed at you,"
added Nat, as they all watched the fire dreamily in the
comfortable silence brought by a day in the open air
and a good meal.

" My furst reglar campin' was in a lumber camp in
Canada, the Saskatchewan country they call it. All
day long we were out in the woods cutting trees, trim-
ming them down and branding the logs to be hauled
over the snow in the winter to the river, so that the
spring freshets would wash them down. I don't think
I ever struck a camp that had more game, big and little,
come about it. Ma3d)e it was 'cause I was young then,
and everything seemed wonderful.

" Tlie camp was clear out in the wilderness, in a sort
of lioUer between a marshy place all bruslied over and
a woody hill; it was just half dugout, half log-cabin,
like my own yonder. In fact, I made this as like; as I
could to the remend)rance of that one. Oidy, like most

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

1 !

camps tliereiibouts, it had a pair iiv Moose horns over
the door to bring good luintin".

"It was the furst winter that I was there I learned
from the Indians and half-breeds how to read signs; to
know by the footprints jest what animal had been tliat
way, and by the way yonng twigs were nibbled and
torn whether it was a Moose, — if it was a bull witii
antlers or the smaller cow without them. Then I
learnt the footmarks of all the fur Ijeasts, and their
toothmarks on the bark, and when there were scratches
on the trees 1 knew how big a Why had sliarpened his
claws there, and how tall he was."

" Oil, uncle, don't you remember how you said the
Wise Men made animals into classes by looking at their
feet and teeth, but 1 didn't know people could tell them
only by their footprints.

"■ Please, Nez, can you tell by smell where all the dif-
ferent animals aro, as uncle says they can tell about
each other ? " asked Nat.

"• Not quite," said Nez, laughing, " though there are
a few I can nose out besides Skunks. I did some lull
huntin' and trappin' then for a season or two, before
the game got too skary, and folks came that killed
just for getting the antlers of the bulls and leavin' the
meat to rot, — folks tliat took a fawn or doe just the
same as a buck. Hunting Wolves, I call them, for
a Wolf is a wast(!ful beast in his killin'."

"'I'hat's wliat daddy calls such people, too. Tell us
the names (►f some of the Ix-asts you saw," coaxed Nat.

" It would be easier to name those I didn't," said Nez,
hesitating; "but of a moonlight night after an early
snow, when all of tin; out lit but me was away, I've

I !

W'nu-

Skinks.

Canada F-ynx.

M»M»HK,

seen a Mo

ciil)iii, wliil

watching t]

a Lynx cr<

Meanwhile

about clrea(

make food

the logs an<

the snow.

beasts have

"Oh!" i

beasts you g

only live in

"It was ;

some folks ^

full o' blael

tiiiie I shot

some day, ai

your dad wa

That is, if h

"And die

or find Seals

"No, I m

mine, a Fijxh

fur north as

kno'.vs those

•stop with nie

and keepin'

I thought nil

"Olaf I" .

"Want to

puffing vigor

OUT-DOOR COOKERY

seen a Moose come from the windward side of the
ciil)in, while a Fox sulked in the shade of some firs
watching the Skunks fighting over the scrap-pail, and
a Lynx crouched, grinning, on a log, taking it all in.
Meanwhile white northern Hares and Ermines nosed
about dreadful careless, not knowing when they might
make food for Owls, and Meadow Mice squealed among
the logs and left their little tracks like birds' claws in
the snow. When they think there's nobody round,
beasts have their playtime, just like folks."

" Oh ! " sighed Rap and Nat in chorus, " all those
beasts you saw are four-footed Americans ; if we could
only live in a camp and see them."

" It was a nice place to see the animals, but pshaw,
some folks would find the camp smoky in winter and
full o' black flies in summer. Don't I remember the
time I shot my big Moose ? I'll tell you that story
some day, and about another time out in Montana how
your dad was huntin' for Sheep and met a Grizzly B'ar.
Thatis, if hedon't."

"And did you ever see a great white Polar Bear,
or tind Seals swimming on the ice ? " asked Dodo.

" No, I never was so far north. There is a friend of
mine, a Fiidander, who follows the sea, who has been as
fur north as most men go and get back again, and he
kuo'.vs tliose beasts and their ways. He's comin' to
stop with me a spell tliis snowfall, and he's been fishin'
and keepin' a liglit down on the shore two sunnners.
I thought maybe you'd met liim, his name is — "

"Olaf I " cried the children and Olive in chorus.

" Want to know 1 " said Nez, looking pleased, and
puffing vigorously at his pipe.

I .

FOUR FOOTED AMERICANS

" Oh, uncle ! Oh, daddy ! " cried Nat and Dodo,
rolling off the blankets in their excitement. " Tsez
knows Olaf and lie's coming here ! Don't you see liow
much we could learn about the fourfoots if we could
only live up here in a log house ? "

" Doubtless you could, and you would perhaps enjoy
it vasUy for a while, but how about school ? You nuist
begin by being fitted for your lives as House People ;
few of us can live the wild life, except now and tlien
for pleasure and as a rest from too mucii tameness.
Don't look so blue, Nat. Dodo, cheer up, even if you
may not live in a log house you are not going to l)e
shut up in a prison this winter. Listen, and I will
tell you the whole of the surprise that you partly
learned yesterday."

Four heads crowded together, and eight wide-o])eii
eyes gazed at Dr. Roy, for Olive was as much in the
dark as the others.

" Must we guess ? " asked Dodo, clapping her hands.

" You may all try, if you like, but 1 do not think you
can possibly guess the whole of the secret."

" We are coming up here on Scaturdays to learn to
slioot and hear Nez tell stories," ventured Nat.

" No," said Olive, " it can't be that, because it would
be too far and too cold in winter. Perhaps you will
ask Nez to come down some time and tell us stories."
said Olive.

"It takes too long to guess," cried Dodo, wriggliiiif |
about in her impatience, "idease tell us now ! "

" Very well ; tlie surprise has three parts to it. Sit
still, Dodo, and remember that you are not to jump up
and down or liug me until I have quite finished.

" You al
fiinu that
the long, 1
floor Jind w
'' Oh, yes
find Bats t
gl.iss was I
thing that ]

'' Now,"
is clearing <
yon fit up ti
fireplace is 1
is part first.
"Part se(
is pleasant j
a target.

"Part th
' camp ' and
ion as you
after supper
Aniericans.
and Olaf otl
nearby beast
chinks."

"How did
exclaimed O
" I can hiij
it vigorously
"Hurrah!
to blow a joy
utterly, whilt
face.

OUT- DOOR COOKERY

" Voii all remember the okl summer kitchen sit the
fiinu that is filled with boxes, tools, and rubbish, —
tlie long, low room back of the dairy, with the brick
floor and wide fireplace?"

"■ Oh, yes," said Nat, " IVe looked in there trying to
tiiid Bats that I've seen go through a place where the
aliiss was broken, but it was scuffed so full of every-
tliiiig that I couldn't get in at the door."

" Now," continued the Doctor, " this very day Rod
is clearing out all the rubbish, and I am going to let
von fit up that old room like a log-cabin camp. The
iiiei)lace is large enough to hold a fine campfire. This
is i)art first.

"Part second. — livery Sjiturday afternoon that it
is pleasant your father or I will teach you to shoot at
a target.

" I'art third. — When it is dark you shall go into
' camp ' and cook your own supper, after the same fash-
ion as you have seen the dinner cooked to-day, then
after supper we will have stories about the four-footed
Americans. Nez has promised to tell some of them,
and Olaf others. Rap can tell what he knows of the
nearby beasts, while your father and I will fill in ihe
cliinks."

" How did you ever think of anything so lovely ? "
exclaimed Olive.

" I can hug you now," said Dodo, immediately doing
it vigorously.

"Hurrah! ISIoo-oo-o ! " was Nat's resi)onse, trying
to blow a joyful blast on the Moose liorn, and failing
utterly, while Rap sat in silence, but with a beaming
face. , "

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

■ mm

I !

" Let's go home and begin right away," said Dodo.

"It is high time to go home," said Mr. lUake, jump-
ing up. "Who woukl think it was nearly five o'clock?
The sun sets in a hurry these days, and we shall huve
to ask the moon to escort us, 1 think. Cold ham and
cookies must do for supper."

" Somebody is coming," said Rap, pointing to the
path that wound around the steep, wooded crest, where
his quick ears detected a rustling in the dead leaves.
At the same time a ginger-colored setter dog came in
sight, followed by two sturdy little boys, who, on see-
ing strangers, dodged into the cabin like frightened
Rabbits.

" That's Toinette and the young uns," said Nez.
Then added by way of apology, " The young uns don't
see many folk and they are skary. Here, Toinette,''
speaking to a rather pretty, dark-haired, black-eyed
young woman, who came up carrying a basket on her
head, " make you acquainted with some old tent mates

o' mine."

The woman gravely held out her hand to each with
a pretty gesture of welcome that said more than words.

" Slie's half French, you see," explained Nez, " and
she isn't much on talkin' American."

lint the moment Mr. Blake spoke to her in the soft
slurring French of the Canadian woods, she answered
readily, and her face was wreathed with smiles.

"You must bring your wife and children down to
visit us, Nez," said the Doctor ; "it will do tliem good
to see other young folks." ^

"I reckon it would. The boys go to school now.
over the mountain ; book learnin' is some good even to

OUr-DOOR COOKERY

ll now.
Iven to

wnotlsmen, I say, and by the time they've grown up
there won't be much of a livin' left in the woods,
anyhow."

"But it's more than five miles over to the Ridge
school by the road."

" Yes, but that's nothiu' fine days, and when snow
conies I calkerlate ter put on snow-shoes and ride 'em,
one on each shoulder, across country ; they don't weigh
much compared to camp kits and Deer I've carried."

'' Dodo, how would you like to go ten miles a day
through the woods to school ? " asked her father, for
Dodo sometimes grumbled at walking the smooth mile
that lay between the farm and schoolhouse.

"At first, for about a week, it would be fun, and
then perfectly dreadful,'' she answered promptly.

They left Nez' camp reluctantly, and returned to
where they had left the wagon and horses, who greeted
them with neighs of pleasure. Tom had walked so
many times around the tree to which he was tethered
that he was wound up tight to the trunk, while Jerry
had nibbled his rope loose and was having a fine time
rolling on the ground, though his thick coat, long mane,
and tail were knotted with burrs which would give Rod
a good hour's work to comb out.

" Never mind," he neighed, as the Doctor said " Look
at what a pickle Jerry is in," — " I've had my fun to-day
as well as you."

The sun disappeared exactly at the moment that the
wagon turned into the lane again, and every one waved
good-by to Nez, who watched them out of sight.

" I know what all the extra blankets and things were
put in for," said Dodo, as her father made her sit on a

i'i ■«

! t

! 1

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

Pli

blanket which he folded over her knees and drew about
her shoulders like a shawl, so that only her head pee])ed
out, while the others arranged theirs to match. " It's
like being in a bag. How nice and warm it feels," ,she
said, nestling down. " I didn't know just one blanket
could be so comfortable."

" Just one skin robe or wool blanket is all that the
Indian hunter, or plainsman, has to stand between him
and the bitter cold night," said the Doctor ; " so that
many people who are living the out-door life continu-
ally, have their blankets sewed into this shape and
lined with fur, and they are called sleeping bags."

" That is what Dodo's blanket will be long before we
get home," said Olive, as Dodo nodded and swaytd on
the seat.

"No, I'm going to stay awake so as to see every-
thing," said she, suddenly stiffening up and opening
her eyes very wide.

" Look at the mist coming up out of the river and
lowlands," said Rap ; "it's just as if they had gone to
sleep and it was their breath."

" We shall save three miles by following the river
lane," said the Doctor to Mr. Blake, who was driving.

By this time the light that guided them came from
the great full hunter's moon, and all that v/as left of
daylight was a few dull red shadows in the west.

"There are lots of little beasts out to-night," said
liap, his eyes being almost as keen in the darkness as a i
cat's. " Oh, Doctor, do you hear that barking down |
the river bank ? I'm as sure as anything that it's
dog that has treed a Coon, for the noise keeps coming |
from the same place. Can't we stop and see ? "

OUT- DOOR COOKERY

Mr. Blake drew in the horses, and they all listened
for several minutes. The barking turned to a yelp
and then a baying, and almost at the same time a good-
sized beast, bigger than the largest Angora cat, with
a full tail, sprang from the bushes into the road,
stopped to listen, and then scenting the horses con-
tinued on its way through the bushes and disappeared
among the rocks, while the barking dog seemed to be
taking a zig-zag course in the opposite direction.

" We have seen the Coon without leaving the wagon,"
said Mr. Blake, whipping up again. "He evidently
sprang from the tree across one of the brooks that feed
the river, and the dog has lost the scent."

"It is a very queer animal," said Olive. "Father,
did you notice when it sat up to listen it looked like
a little Bear, in spite of its long tail ? "

" That is not strange, considering that it is a cousin
of Bears," said the Doctor.

" Coons are real clever," said Rap. " The one I had
could do ever so many tricks, and used its paws as if
they were hands."

" What are Coons good for — to eat or wear ? " asked
Dodo.

" Both," said the Doctor. " Their fur is soft and
prettily brindled, and if they are young, the flesh is
not unlike Rabbit."

" Mammy Bun says they used to have Coons down
where she lived, but their fur wasn't good for much."

" Tlie fur of an animal living in the South is never
as good as the fur of the same species living in the
North."

'' Why is that ? " asked Nat.

1; M

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

" Because fur is given animals to protect tlieni from
the cold ; the sunnner coat of a fur l)east is thin, as
you see the summer coat of a horse is short, com-
pared to the thick coat that grows out at the first cold
weather. (Look at Tom and Jerry and see how woolly
they are now.) As it is never very cold in the South,
the fur animals do not iieed such thick, soft coats as
they do here, while in Canada and northward, where tlie
winter is far longer and colder than with us, the fur
is heavier yet."

" There is a word I've heard hunters use for the fur
of animals, the same as plumage means the feathers of
birds, only I've forgotten it," said llap.

"Pelage, is it not? Jt comes from peau (pelt),
which means furry skin , a skin used for the leatlier
instead of fur is called a hide."

Two men stepped across the road, with what looked
like Rabbits and Grouse hanging over their shoulders,
but slunk into the shadow of some bushes when tliey
saw the wagon.

"Pot hunters, I know," said Mr. lllake, "snarin},'
and trapping, as usual."

" How do you know they trapped the birds, daddy?"
said Nat.

" Because they had no guns and liid when they saw
us. IF you watch vood life much, my boy, you will soon
learn to see the reaxou why for tilings, and it is vinv
often tiie reason that helps you to see the thing itself."

" Iloo-lioo-hoooo I " came a cry from over a verv
dark bit of road tlnougli wiiieii they were going.

"Nat, there is one of your friends, — the (Jreiil
Horned Owl," said tlie Doctor.

OUT-nOOll COOKERY

'' What is that — a Skunk ? " asked Olive, as soine-
tliing bUick and white ran across the road. "It is
striped so that it hardly shows in the moonlight."

'' Yes ; a Skunk, or rather what T(»mniy Anne calls
a 'Scent Cat.' There is a great deal of argument as
to whether its black and white coat protects it or not."

" I should say that it certainly did i)rotect it on
moonlight nights, but not on very dark nights," said
Mr. Blake.

" I shouldn't think that would count ; on dark nights
you couldn't see it at all — oidy smell it," said Dodo,
and then every one laughed at her matter-of-fact way
of looking at things.

lietween talking and listening to the strange sounds
of night, it seemed but a short drive home. They
left Rap at his gate, and soon the lamp on the porch
at the farm was making their eyes blink, and when the
children were unwrapped from tiieir blankets, Dodo
was really asleep in her bag.

"I might as well be sleepy now as not," she mur-
mured, as her father lifted her down, "because we
can't begin to lix our camp until next Saturday, can
we :

"Neigh, n-e-i-g-h !" snorted Timi and .lerry, know-
ing their supper Avas waiting for them at the barn,
hut Dodo was so sleepy that she thought they were
answering her.

Hl^

VII

CAMP SATUHDAY

IIUIAPS you expect tluit the chil-
dren iinnieduitely began to tease tliu
Doctor about their indoor cain[) ;
hut more than a week passed, after
/^ }:^ g :: x^ their visit to Nez, before they had
l/lM ^SES^Kk!^ t^'"*^ even to think about tlieir

uncle's promise. Tiie next Sat-
urday they went ehestnutting, iind
o it was the first part of NoveinluT
when a cohl, cloudy day drove the
children indoors and made them knock on the door of
the wonder room in (piest of their inicle, much as they
had done six months before, when they were dispuliuj,'
as to whetiier or not a bird was an animal.

''We've been trying to get into the old kitclicii,
but the door is locked, and tiiere are great tigiit slnit-
ters at all the windows," said Dodo, before she iiiid
fairly crossed the threshold.

''Which nu'iins, I su[)pose," said the Dotitor, "tiiiit
you are ready to make camp and wisii me to lielj) you.
I had been wondering how long it, w(tuld be bcfoic
you asked nu^ to keep my promise. Go and liiul
Olive, wliile I get the key."

This old sunnner kitchen was joined on one side

CAMP SATURDAY

i'i.

to the main liouse by a covered passageway, and was
quite like a separate bnilding. Wlien the Doctor
unlocked the door, the light was so dim tiiat all the
children could see was the outline of an enornujus
chimney, that seemed to be quite in the centre of the
room. In a moment, however, Hod came in and threw
open the shutters.

" Why, father," said Olive, " 1 never saw such a
cliinuiey anywhere before. How did it come here?
Was it put up first and then the room built around it?"

Indeed, the chinniey was almost as large as a small
room ; the open lire[)lace on one ^.ide would allow half
11 dozen people to sit around the lire, while on the oppo-
site part there was a little iron door.

"'• VV^iat is this ?" asked Dodo, pro!ni)tly opening it.

"That was the brick oven where the pies and bread
used to be baked in the olden time."

" But it has a stone floor and is so far from the tire 1
should think it would have taken most forever for the
heut to have gone through ; and it's very big."

"The heat didn't come from the lireplace," said
Olive. '" l*e()i)le used to lill the oven witii wood, a
^nciit many hours before they wanted to bake, and then
wlien the stones were very hot they would sweej) out
ill! the cinders and ashes and po[) in the bread and
things. The oven was nnide large so that they might
siive trouble by baking a (luantity of food at once."

" Why, then, in those old times living was something
like I'iMuping out, wasn't it, rncle l{oy?*' said Nat.

"Very nuu'h, but it made the ju-opU' ([uiek-witted,
hiiidy, and self-reliant, ready for any emergency that
might happen, just as the wihl out-(h»or life (h)es.*'

FO UR-FOO TED A M ERIC AN S

"Oh, look at the floor I " exchiimed Dodo; "it's
made of bricks set in a wiggly pattern, with sand in
the cracks ; and the beams show overhead, and ther(j"s
no plaster on the walls."

"I think we coidd make a really wild-looking place
of this, if we only had some skins, and antlers, and
guns, and such things," said Olive, walking about the
room quite as much excited as lier little cousins.

Rod had taken all the rubbish away and made the
room clean, but the Doctor wished tl»e young people to
have the pleasure of fitting it up themselves.

"Come up in the attic and out in the hunber room in
the barn, and I think we shall Hnd what we need ; mean-
while Rod will start a tire."

In half an hour or so the [)rocessi()n returned, every
one carrying something, whih; Mr. IMake and the
Doctor brought in an ohl-fashioned settle — a sort of
table with a top tiiat ti[)s baciv and a box underneatii,
making a very comfortable seat. This they placed in
the middle of tlie room facing tiie tire, and then went
back for two long bencljcs, such as were once used in
country schools.

"May we have one duiir witli a back for motlier to
use wlien slie comes?" asked Dodo, who liad been
told that in a real camp tiiere was little or no furni-
ture.

"Aren't tliere to be any bunks?" j)h'ad(Ml Nat.
" Kaj) and 1 ti»ought we siiould like to try sleeping (»nt
here some time."

"Not so fast," said tiie Doctor. " Here, Olive, I will
drive sonu^ nails in the chimiuiy cracks and you can
hang up the pots and pans and tin (Mips, for you will

CAMP SATURDAY

use the same kit tliat we took to the ,.'ootls. Now for
tlu! skins," {111(1 tlie Doctor be<*'aii to unroll several
biuidles that smelt of eamphor, which liatl lilled the
bio;oest cedar chest in the attic.

" Beast skins ! " said Nat, " all kinds, shaggy, and
bushy, and hairy. Oh, do tell us what they belong to,
uncle /

" Not now ; we will hang them up around our camp,
and you shall learn about each in turn, for tliough some
are but fragments, every one has a story."

''Do tljose horns that papa is bringing belong with
llie skins?" asked Dodo, as Mr. lilake bnmght in a
pair of smooth, curved horns, like those of some enor-
mous bull, and also a pair of branching antlers that
ended in little twig-like points.

"Tlie smooth horns belong with this shaggy skin,"
said the Doctor. " I will fasten them up over the iire-
place. Have you ever seen a beast with such a coat
and horns ? "

"They might belong to a big wild cow," said Nat.

"I know," said Dodo. " Oh, Nat, why didn't you
(ifuess the Wild West Show and the Buffaloes?"

" Here are a lot of little skins, like S(juirrels' with-
out nnu'h tail, and one like a big, strijied ])ussy cat.
Oil. how can we wait to liear about tliCm all I I sliall
ki'i'p wondering and guessing. It's worse than the
puz/les in »SV. Nirliohix. What a glorious lire, too, —
lis big as the one Ne/ made in the wood ; and there is
a book that swings out to hold the kettle, so when we
want to cook, we oidy have to fix two logs to hold the
pots the same as Nez did. But there are not enough
asbes to bury potatoes."

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

m^m

"We can save the ashes," said Olive, "until we
have a great heap of them."

"So we can, and these benches go into the chimney
on each side, so we can sit in there if it grows cold, or
if we need to watch the cooking."

" Now some hooks and nails in that corner for your
mop, dish-rags, and dish-pan, and you are ready for
housekeeping," said the Doctor.

" All except tiie broom," said Olive. " Nez h;ul
fresh hemlock twigs tied to a stick ; but the hendocks
are too scarce here to be used in that way."

" I will tell Rod to tie you a birch broom. That is
what Grandma Hunter always used on this sanded
brick floor. If there is anything else wanting, you
can look for it yourselves."

Long before they had finished admiring their cainp
the dinner bell rang, and they hurried to tidy them-
selves, wondering how the morning had galloped away.
Nat, who c(mld hardly finisli his pudding before going
back to camp, came running in, his eyes ablaze with
questions.

" Daddy I daddy ! Rod has taken your gun rack
from the back entry into camp, and there is a little
rifle in it that I've never seen before ; and when
I asked him what it was for, he said, ' For you and
Rap to hunt big game with.' I told him that there
wasn't any big game near here, and lie said : ' Yes.
tlicn^s a Deer down between the birches in the lonij
[)asture. 1 saw it tiiere just now.' Won't you please
come and see, (juick, beft)re it gets away; though I
don't think it would be nice to shoot it, for it's com-
pany, and there's only one, and we can't even pretend

that we n€
aw ay. "

" I don'
that you si
Olive lo
tohl nothi]
ured, "I i
brought to

"No, it
he so cruel
" Don't y
of talking?
tlie hill no\
first shot."
" I see it !
lionis, I me;
donkey's,
right agains
"Oh, it's
"It has g
"Ves, it
" We might
self."

"It is be
Olive, as th(
between the
target shaj)e

'^o it was.
iIh'ii fastenc
tiisliioii of
little and ci
painted so t

CAMP SATURDAY

tli.it we need it for food. Please hurry, or it may run
iiway."

'' 1 don't think it will go, and I am quite willing
tliiit you should shoot it," said the Doctor.

Olive looked at her father in surprise, but his face
told nothing. Dodo suspected something, and vent-
ured, " I think it must be a tame Deer you have
brought to teach us with."

''No, it can't be," said Nat. "Uncle would never
be so cruel as to shut up a tame Deer to be shot."

"• Don't you think we had better go and see, instead
of talking?" said Mr. Hlake. "There goes Kod down
the hill now. Who knows but what lie will get the
lirst shot."

"I see it ! " cried Nat; "a real big Deer with curly
horns, I mean antlers, and a skin al)out the color of a
donkey's. See, Olive, it stfinds between the birches
ri^ht against the side hill."

''Oh, it's moving," wailed Dodo.

" It has gone, liod has frightened it," shouted Nat.

" Yes, it has disappeared, surely," said the Doctor,
" We miglit go and see what Kod has to say for him-
self."

"It is behind the trees, I can see its legs," said
Olive, as they reached the pasture. " It's backing in
between the trees again. Why, father, it's a big
target shapc^l like a Deor ! "

So it was. The animal was first sawed out of wood,
then fastened togetlier with movable legs, after the
fashion of a jumping Jack. Tlien it was paddeil a
little and covered with stout sail-cloth, which was
painted so that at a short distance it really looked

^■i ■

i ■ :

''s

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

Uimi

like the {iniiuiil itself. The cleverest thing" ahout it
was the way in which it hnng by cords, from a pole
fastened between the trees, in such a way that it could
be pulled to and fro, so that the marksman could liuve
the excitement of shooting at a moving object.

" Who made it ? " asked Dodo, after they had
recovered from their surprise. " It looks very like
one of the animals in my Noah's Ark, only bigger."

"I did," said Mr. Blake; "and it is the common
American Deer, though I suspected your uncle would
ask if it was a Rhinoceros."

" Oh, no, daddy ; it isn't as queer as that," said
Nat, wondering why his uncle laughed so. "It will
be bully — no, I mean jolly — to shoot at ; and when
we've plunked it all to pieces, perhaps you would
make us a liear or a Wild Cat, so th{it we can tell
where to shoot each one. Please, could I have the
little gun and try now ? "

" Yes ; Rod will bring it. There, isn't it a beauty ?
A Ballard repeater ! See how the lock drops, and
you put in the cartridges so. Stop ! that will never
do ; you were pointing the barrel almost at Dodo.
The first thing you must remember about a gun is
7iever to point it at any one, even if you are sure it is
not loaded ; and the second thing is always to drop the
lock and make sure it is empty before you put it away.

" Now watch me piit in the cartridges. So, now
close the lock and pull the trigger back half-way,
put tlie butt against your right shouhler, so, bring
that little i)inhole sight, on your gun barrel, in a
straight line between your eye and the Deer back of
its shoulder. Now, hold fast and pidl the trigger."

CAMP SATURDAY

IJang ! Dodo screamed and put her fingers in her
ears. Nat looked eagerly, fully expecting to have
blown the Deer to bits, but he had not touched it.

" You shut your eyes tight and fired almost straight
up into the sky," laughed Olive, who was quite a clever
shot herself. "

"I don't like a gun," said Dodo. "Is there any
kind of anything that I could shoot at an animal
target, that wouldn't make such a noise ? "

" A good bow and some arrows are what you need,
missy," said her father ; " and I'll make you a beauti-
ful, fat pig for a target. Cbme up to the barn and
I'll do it now."

\xi a few minutes Mr. Blake had filled a feed bag
hard Avith cut hay, tied up one of the lower corners
to make a curly tail, made ears of corn husks, a face
of a huge beet, and legs of corn-cobs.

"Now, Dodo, I'll put this in a nice place against
the stone fence, where it can't fall over if it gets
tired of standing, and you may shoot to your heart's
content. You can play that it is a Peccary, — the wild
American cousin of Sausage and all other farm pigs."

" Are there any about here ? "

"Oh, no ; fortunately for us, they live now in small
herds down on tlie southeast plains of Texas and west-
ward along the Alexican border, for they are ugly,
savage, slab-sided little wild pigs, with a light collar
around the neck like a rope mark, sly, keen e^^es, and
a pair of small tusks sharp enough to cut a man's leg
\\\ the thickest part, or rip the tliroat of any i)oor dog
who is forced to hunt them. Owvc they were plenti-
ful enough to be of value for their liides and bristles.

FO UR-FOOTED A ME RICA NS

III

juid liuiiting them is still considered good sport by
some people.

"The Peccary looks innocent enough as it walks
along on the points of its hoofs, or wallows in the
shady marshes of the river bottoms, its mouth gapijig
in a foolish fashion ; but if it sees you — watch out.
If your gun misses, you had better run, even if ycju
have to take to a cactus patch, for, appropriately
enough, prickles and Peccaries grow in the same places,
and they are both painful things to encounter."

Dodo was delighted to think her target was a wild
cousin of Sausage's, and flew into the house to tell lier
mother and promise her the first shot at the Peccary,
as soon as she should have her bow and arrows. Then
she flew out again to coax her father to make her a good
tight bow, which he soon did out of a hickory sapling
and some of his pet fish-line. Nat, who meanwhile dis-
appeared, soon returned with Rap, and everything had
to be shown and explained once more.

Rap handled the rifle very carefully, as one having
had experience, and then took up the other small guii
which Nat had overlooked.

" How is it different from the other ? " asked Nat.

"It lias two barrels instead of one," said Rap, "and
the cartridges hold a lot of shot instead of bullets. It
is for shooting little things."

" Why is a lot of shot better than a good bullet?"
asked Nat.

"Shot spreads out, and is more likely to liit a sniiill
object than a bullet tliat only strikes in one ))l;u*e.
If we ever go up to see Nez and hunt Rabl)its, this is
the gun we siiall need," said the Doctor.

:-^-i

iJfl

tu .

■^

ir>"

f'luV'

After
ill hittiii|
earnest, i

" Hush
the corn(
company
the heart
common

1 1

eyes it has
white, like

The Mo
wash its fa
Olive tiptc

" It is a
tor, "so C{
right, it is
in some pi

f M

CAMP SATUIWAY

»1

After they had practised awhile. Rap had succeeded
ill hitting the Deer twice, but it now l)egan to rain in
earnest, and they returniMl to the cuinp.

" Hush I " said Dodo, as they were coming through
the corner door toward the firephice. " See, we liave
company ! Look at that Mouse sitting by the edge of
the hearth ; it's as friendly as anything, and it isn't a
common mouse-trap Mouse, eitlier. Look what big

White-footed or Deek Mouse.

eyes it has, and a lovely brown back, and its feet are
white, like clean stockings."

The Mouse sat up and began to clean its paws and
wash its face daintily, while the children watched it and
Olive tiptoed out to call her father.

" It is a White-footed or Deer Mouse," said the Doc-
tor, " so called because it has a tawny back. Dodo is
right, it is not a ' common mouse-trap Mouse,' though
in some places it does often live in our houses. It also

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

makes its nests under tree roots and sometimes in old
birds' nests. I will set a trap for it, and then we can
look at it closely."

" Yes, uncle, but please not a choke trap ; it's too
pretty. We could look at it ever so much better if we
caught it in one of those little house-traps, with a wheel
for it to run around in — that they sell at the store. I
can shake enough money out of my bank to buy one,
because I haven't shaken it for nearly two months."

" No need of that ; there are some old traps up garret
that Rod may clean for you, and a Squirrel cage too, I
think. I am willing for you to have a few such winter
pets here in camp, if you care for them properly. It is
no haiai to keep a Squirrel or a Coon as a well-f<'(l
captive in the hungry winter season, if you let them
go again before they pine for freedom. Remember,
this camp is to be the place for your treasures, summer
and winter.

"There is plenty of room in those empty dresser
shelves for all the sticks and stones and empty nests
you find, that would only be in the way and make a
litter in the house."

"Mousey has gone down between the bricks!" ex-
claimed Dodo. " Is the Deer Mouse a four-footed
American, Uncle Roy?"

"Yes, a true native, but the common, brown House
Mouse and Rat are tlie children of foreign parents,
who sneaked over here like stowaways, in bales of mer-
chandise, and have now spread from the seaports, like
tramps, all over the land.

" Hy the way, young folks, wiiat shall we call om
camp? It should certainly have a name. You shall

CAMP SATURDAY

have first choice, Olive, us Dodo iiiiiued the wonder
room."

*' We might call it after some animal that lives around
here," suggested Nat, as Olive hesitated.

" Woodchuck or Fox or Skunk aren't nice names,"
said Dodo, "though we might call it after the Scjuirrels."

"■ What is the very wisest, cleverest fourfoot in our
America?" asked Nat.

"The Beaver," said the Doctor; "he thinks, plans,
and works, and his house is quite worthy of the skill of
a two-handed engineer."

" Then Heaver would be a good name for the camp,
only there are none hereabout."

" It would be if it was a go-to-school, working, wood-
eiitter's camp," said Mr. Blake; "but it is too solemn
a name for a jolly holiday affair like this."

" I have it," said Olive, the idea coming to her as
Mr. IMake spoke ; "call it Camp Saturday ! "

A clapping of hands followed, that made the room
eclio and the little Deer Mouse shiver in his hole.

"Let's begin now! We've had our shooting — now
let us cook sup[)er and tell stories!" cried Dodo,
I'ngcrly.

" Not to-day," said the Doctor ; " your motlicr has
still some prci)arat ions to make ; but instead of waiting
for the first snow, as I once said, wc will have a big
jraiue hunt a week from to-day at two o'clock, and at
six we will have our lirst supper in Canip Satnrday."

• VIII

EXPLANATION NIGHT

Tlie Brotherhood of Beasts

N afternoon spent in what they called
hunting — sliooting at the targets
in the long pasture — had given
them wonderful appetites for
supper, or probably Dodo would
liave noticed that she had scorched
the cream toast a little, and that
there were lumps in the cocoa;
but Olive's omelet, with its
seasoning of herbs, was as
delicious as an omelet can only be when eaten directly
from the fire.

Camp Saturday was fairly opened, the first supper
eaten, the dislies all waslied and put away, and tlie
spider and ketlk\s hung on tlieir nails behiud the ehini-
ney. 'riic boys did the disii-wasliiug and fed the lire.
as divisiou of labor is one of the lii'sl rules of ('ani|»
living.

'• I woudei' liow long it will be before I can hit tlic
Deer wIumi it is moving'/*' said Xat, who was lookini;
into the lire an.i tiiiidving of tiie aftei'noon's sport.
"Not bcfori' spring," said I)(»(|o. positiv(dy ; "for you

EXPLANATION NIGHT

only hit it once, !\vay back where it didn't hurt it,
wlien it stood still," speaking as if the target was a live
thing; "but I shot my Peccary pretty nearly in the
heiid."

This remark made the others laugh, as Dodo had
only succeeded in missing the Peccary's nose by an inch
or so.

" I don't see how you can shoot so well lying on the
(Tiound, Uap," she contiiuied. " 1 should think it would
squeeze you all up; but you hit the Deer twice."

'' I suppose it's because Pve tried before, with a
bigger gun that kicked when it went off, so the little
one seemed very easy, and, even if you have two legs,
you can keep steadier lying down than standing up."

''Who is going to tell the story to-night — you,
father, or Uncle Jack?" asked Olive, hanging up her
hig apron and taking her place in the chimney nook ;
for though the campfire was roaring and glowing, the
far-away parts of the old room were too cold for sitting
still, and the young people wore long coats which Mrs.
lilake had made from rough red and blue blankets —
a cross between toboggan suits and blanket wrappers,
wliit'h served not only to keej) them very warm, but
prevented the wood sparks from setting lire to their
lighter clothes.

"We shall not have any stories to-night," said her
father: '^ this will be I'iXplanati(»n Night — the explana-
tion of the Mammal tree, wiiert^ we shall lind our four-
footed Amerii'ans. Vou must learn and reniember
sitine tliin<;s abont this tree before we luMrin to clind)
it, for when Nez and Olaf tell you stories, they may not
like to bi^ interrupted by too nnmy (piestions.

Ml 1 J

' 1

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

"Do you remember the two great divisions of the
animal kingdom or tree, as we call it? "

" Yes," shouted Rap and Nat, " trunk and branches.
The first animal was the trunk that separated it from
the vegetable world. Animals without backbones were
the lower branches and animals with backbones the top
branches."

" And what class of animals live on the highest
branch?"

" M — mammals, that give ni — milk," said Dodo, so
quickly that the others had no time to answer.

" Hecause this top Mannnal branch is so large, I told
you that I would make a tree of it all by itself. Here
it is : now you can see how man and his blood brovlieis
are related." So saying, the Doctor unrolled a lon^r
sheet of paper and fastened it to a door, where the
firelight shone brightly on it.

" This tree has several more branches wlien it grows
in warmer countries. You can see where they belong:
two very low down by the trunk, and one up near tlie
top where the Monkeys live. This winter you must
be content to study the tree as it grows nortli of tlic
Oulf of Mexico and tlie Rio (irande, up to tlie land of
snow and the northern lights. Nat, go to the wonder
room and bring me the map of Nortli America that
liangs there. We will luing it on one Hi(h^ of llic
aniniiii tree.

" Vou see that tin; Hio (Jrandc is tlie liver thai
bounds the United States on the southwest, and the lew
branches that are cut from ()}tr tree Ix^long to the tropi-
cal animals that only stray north of this river by men
accident.

■m ■■;

■if: i

, i i'

North American Mammai, Thkk. nhowino thf, Chipf Brant hrs.

1)7

FO UIl-FOO TED A MElilCA NS

" Of course in eliinbing this tree we shall only find
the living Mammals, the extinct species belong to uu.
other branch of study."

"What are 'stinct animals ?" asked Dodo. >

"(lone out ones, 1 guess," said Kap, "because 'stin-
guishing a candle means putting it out."

" Make the word <^.rtinguish and you will be perfectly
right, my boy," said the Doctor.

" I suppose the ones that are dead looked like the
live ones, didn't they ? " asked Dodo.

" By extinct animals the Wise Men mean not merely
those that are dead, but those that lived so long ago
that even their exact pattern has disappeared from the
earth, better designs having replaced them." i

" Then how does anybody know about them ? "
asked Rap. " By reading in books, I suppose."

" These animals had passed away before there were I
any books, and l)efore man, as we know him, wasliviiii,'
on the eartli ; so all we can know about them mu.stl)i'|
learned from tlie skeletons that are found buried lie-
neath tlie eartii, and in the rocks and beds of old-tinit
clay and silt. Tiie study of these bones is ciillcd
Pala'ontology."

'• How could their bones get into hard rock ?" asked
Rap and Nat almost together.

'"Tliat (pu'stion has a, very long answer, and belont,«
to the story <»!" wlicn tlie eartli was young ; but it willj
help you to remember this much : —

"The earth was once a liery ball of gases like thcsiiii
The time ciinie when i( was needed hy tlie Mind thai
plans and sets everything in motion, .iitl He begaiin
develop it l)y degrtu-s iis He does everything; tor ii:

Hi.s realm i
out a reaso
(Trowth of (
know took
there was ii
when it cog
''After )
needed, the
but the surj
heating and
cracks in t
l)een ; fores
life was clia
growing of
11 home for
— living on
he sure, bi
hrotliers by
soul.

- The diff
its vegetabh
hy digging
would cut t
study about
the two-han
sees from th
subjects am
h^gs, tli(»iigh
'' Ihit, fat
•'Vei- !)(> any
"I'liere n
I hose we kiw

EXPLANATION NIGHT

His realm there is no trickery or magic, nothing with-
out a reason, nothing snchlen or unforeseen. So this
oTowth of our phinet from a fiery ball to the earth we
iviiow took millions of what we call years, and, at first,
there was no plant life, but only a molten mass which,
wlicn it cooled, turned to rock, making a crust. f

" After a long time, when the first animals were
needed, they were made to suit the earth as it was then ;
but the surface of the eartli was constantly changing —
heating and cooling as tlie top of a cake changes and
cracks in the baking. Land came where water had
been : forests where all was barren ; then the animal
life was changed and changed again and adapted, always
jrrowing of a higher kind, until the earth was ready as
II home for man himself, who is the King of Animals,
— living on the top branch of the same animal tree to
he sure, but separated and raised above his blood
hrotliers by wearing the image of (iod, which is the
soul.

" The different periods through which the earth and
its vegetable and animal life has })assed can ])e seen
hy digging down through the earth's crust as you
would cut through a layer cake. Some day we will
study about this, but now we must return to Man,
the two-handed, two-legged King, and look at what he
sees from the top of his tree, as he looks down on his
sul»j('(!ts and blood brotliers, most of whom have four
lejTs, (liough sonn^ as you will see, liave none at all."

" Ihit, father," asked Olive, "do you think there will
t'ver be any higher sort of animal than man?"

"There may be a more perl'iict race of men than
lliosc we know : for of tii(! living races some are more

100

FOUR-FOOT KI) AMERICA NS

elevated aiul spiritual than others, and everything in
the great Phm moves upward."

" You have made a picture of an Indian on tiie top
branch of our Mammal tree, but there aren't so many of
them alive now as of us, are there ? " asked Nat.

" No, my boy, I put him there because, speaking" cor-
rectly, he is a native American like tlie fourfoots ; l)ut
a great change is coming over the tree. Some of its
lower branches are dying off, as well as the top brandi,
and of these ciianges and their reasons I hope you will
learn from our campfire stories."

Tiie children looked at the map for some time, read-
ing tiie names on the branches, tracing with their lin-
gers the different twigs and the outlines of the animals
in which they ended.

Finally Nat asked, " Is there anything else in which
Manunals are alike except that they have warm red
blood and luu'se their young?"

"■ If you should look at the skeleton of a cat, a bear.
a horse, and a man, you would see that in the skeletons
of all these Mannnals the [dan is much the same, dif-
ferent [)arts being developed to suit tlie way in whidi
tiie members of each family move or get their food.

"•The (inawers have strong, square teeth, the digovis
powerful fore paws, the Leapcrs strong, long liind Icus.
tiie Swimmers webbed hind feet and tails like paddles.
and so on, and remember that all Manunals are more (U
less covered with hair."

"Covered with hair? I never tliought of that. Is
fur, hair ? " asked Hap.

" Kur, liair, and wool are nally all the same thiin^s.
deveh>[)cd in dirfcreut ways, though they iocdv luiliko,

1 /{

EXPLANATION NIGHT

101

Tlif liiiir of a horse is harsh, of a cat soft, of a ^Iiisk-
lat the longer liair is stiff and wiry and the under-coat
soft, and what we call furry. You know that the hair
oil ii baby's head is soft and downy, and not sharp as it
(.rows to be later on.

••Tliere are quite a number of other things that the
Maiiinials have in common with King Man. They have
intelligence, as well as histinct, and they can thiidv and
reason also."

'' I don't (piite understand abcmt instinct and all
that," said Uap. '' I know what thinking is, of course ;
liut I thought that only House People could think and
talk."

"Ah, there is where older heads than yours make a
mistake," said the Doctor, stooping to pile uj) the fire
that was settling forward, adding a few pine cones to
make it blaze.

"Animals talk, though not in our words, and they
have also a language of signs and smells that we but
poorly understand, although the savage races and
l)eo[>le who live much outdoors liave similar ways, and
(•iiii read many things by this sign language that would
|)ii7//,le very intelligent House People.

" bet me see if I can explain the difference between
intelligence and instinct. Eating comes by instinct ;
a haby eats without thinking, as well as other young
iininials. An animal may help itself to the kind of
food that its family is in the hal)it of eating, and that,
too, is ail act of instinct.

" Now listen, an animal sees a bit of meat hanging in
ithe air; it is bait tied l)y a string to a trap set to kill
him. He does not know this l>y insliiu^t, for tliis per-

;■' t.

102

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

haps is the first time man and their traps have ever
been near one of liis tribe. He takes the meat and is
caught, but succeeds in getting free again. Some uiii-
mals are so clever that once liaving been cjiught, or
having seen a brother beast caught, they set to work to
think out a way of cutting the string and getting the
meat without being caught in the trap. This shows
reason and intelligence, does it not? "

" Why, of course it does. Please, what fourfoots
are clever enough for that except Foxes? They are
smarter than some people," said Rap.

" You will learn of these clever ones branch by
branch and twig by twig. I am only try lag to tell
you how to start up the tree to-night. One tiling more
about intelligence," said the Doctor. " You all of you
have dreamed sometimes ; can you tell of what dreams
are made ? "

No one was in a hurry to answer, and Olive said :
"They are a jumble of somethi-M>' that has happened
and lots of things that never have, but that seem quite
real."

" Yes, that is a good answer ; for dreams are a bloiul-
ing of memory — the remembrance of something that
has happened — and imagination, which is creatine;
something.'"

" Making it up, do you mean ? " asked Dodo.

"Yes, making up — inventing; so any one wlin
dreams must have more or less intelligence, and nianv
Mammals dream."

" I know they do ! " exclaimed Nat. " Mr. Wolf
dreams and growls away like everything, and the oilier
night Quick was sleeping by my bed and he gave a lot

EXPLANATION NIGHT

103

evei-
11(1 is
! ani-
lit, or
)rk to
g the
sliows

irfoots
By iire

ch by
to tell
g more
of you
dreams

sakl :
.ppened
m quite

blcnd-
lof tlr.it
n-eatins:;

who

luanv

1".

Wolf

1.0

other

ivc a lot

of little sliar[) harks like those he gives at eats and
Woodehiicks, and all the hair over his haekbone ruHled
up : but when I looked at him his eyes were shut
tight."

'• Mammals are of a good many sizes, and move about
hi a great many different ways, — run and lope and
jiiinp, — but they almost all have four legs, don't
they '.'* " asked Map.

"They are of all sizes, from a Mouse of a few inches
to the great Whales that measure seventy or eighty
feet in length, but they are not by any means all pro-
vided with four legs. Mannnals are often called
Qiuidruj)eds, or four-footed animals, and the greater
miinhcr do have four feet; but one has two feet, Avhile
others like the Whale have no feet.

"The majority of Mammals live on the surface of
the earth, and their lindjs are formed for walking.
They never have more than two pairs of legs, and may
laek hind limbs ; but you will never see them with hind
legs and no fore limbs."

"There are lots of useful ^lammals, too, besides all
the little nuisance ones, aren't there. Uncle Roy?"
asked Dodo.

" Yes, surely ; ^Mammals are the most useful of
all animals. They supply us with meat, milk, hides,
wool, fur, horn, and ivory. The Whale gives oil,
whalebone, and spermaceti; the hoofed Mammals —
liorses, oxen, etc. — are draught animals. I want you
to look at your tree and I will show you the ladder I
iiave made to go with it. You remember the way in
wliieh the Bird Families all walked together in a pro-
(eession, each wearing his Latin name, that the Wise

; ' (

104

FOUR-FOOTED AMElilCANS

Men gave him, in addition to his English one. 'I'his
hidder is arranged so that when you liear a story of aii
animal, you can look at it and see in what family lie
belongs, in what guild he works, and his place in the
tree. If we ever make our stories into a book we
will put this ladder at the end to help little people who
might not be able to climb our tree without it."

" Are those fourfoots all made into families luid
guilds ? How is it done, by watching their claws and
mouths, what they eat, and the way they work, the
same as v/ith the birds ? "

"• Partly," said the Doctor, laughing, "only it is teeth
and feet with Mammals, instead of bills and claws.

" The Wise JNIen, by measuring, comparing, and
studying the bones of these Mannnals, have divided
them into groups or classes, keei)ing those the most
like together. This is called classification, and is verv
important. If they had not done this, you would never
guess, by looking at pictures or at stuffed animals in a
Museum, that a Whale is one of your blood brothers
and not a great fish ; or that the Hat, that you see
flitting about at twilight, is not a })ird."

" I'm sure it takes a lot of believing to know that ii
Whale isn't a fish anyway," said Nat. "Do Maiunials|
have tools to work with the same as birds have chisel
and hooked bills and all that ?"

"Yes, every Mammal has either a tool or weapon,
and sometimes the same thing answers for both, as }(
will see."

" You need not trouble yourself with learning yoiirj
ladder by heart all at once ; but when you have heard al
story about an animal, go to the ladder and it will hel

you to fi]

guild it 1j

-Nhall

1 love to

" Color,

I think nc

to see as n

<li'l of t]i(

made tlie

jdaiiily ma

"Could]]

then ? " coa

" C'ertaiii

writing a ]

fuiu'-footed,
belong."

"How ml
liuiidred, liJ
" Seveiitj
interesting,
'I'joiit tliat n
"We ma
|,?iiilds, thod
01' I)raiiclies,
Ibelongijio- t,,

'■ Pouch Wean
1^'- Sea Cows

• I

EXPLANATION NIGHT

105

yoii to find on wliioli hriuioh of the tree and to what
ouild it heh)no-s.'"

'•Shall we make tables as we did about the birds?
1 love to write tlunn," said Dodo.

'• Color, size, and all the guilds to which they belong ?
I tliink not," said the Doctor ; " for you will not be able
to see as many of these fourfoots for yourselves as you
(lid of the birds, and that is the reason wliy I have
miide the ladder with a step in it for each animal,
plainly marked with its size and color."

" Couldn't we write down the names of the guilds,
tiien?" coaxed Dodo.

"• C'ertainly ; if you like, you can end the evening by
writing a list of the guilds and groups to which our
fulu-footed, no- footed, and wing-handed Americans
belong."

*' I low many Mammals shall we learn about — one
hundred, like tlie I5irds ? "

" Seventy-five ; I tliink that will cover all the most
interesting, and I have in my portfolio the pictures of
about that number to show you.

" We may divide our Manunals into eight chief
louilds, though the larger ones have several societies
or ])ranches, and I will give you the name of an animal
belonging to each guild to help you remember."

weapon.]
h, as yuiil

ling yout|
le lu'-.u'tl
xvillliflfl

I. Pouch Wearers

111. Sea Cows

The feiiiiile.s of this guild carry their
young in a pocket. ('J'he Opossum
belongs here.)

Clumsy water animals, who feed upon
water [dants. helping themselves with
their Hipperdike fore legs. Hind legs
wanting. (Manatee.)

mf 1^.

106

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

III. Rollers .\ ... = .. Salt-wiitcr Maininals, whose fore limli.s

iU(! liiddcn in skin inittcMis. They loll
throii^'li the water and are hel[»les,s on
hind. (Whale.)

1\'. Hoof Wearers Swii't-inoving Mammals, with toes ('oiii-

])a(;t('d into small ieet, called hoofs,
and havini;' their horns in pairs.
{ii) Ronlcrs. With two iipiicr tusks lik(! a Pig. (IVccary.)
(fi) Snlid-linnifd i'ii<lclitir<rs. Hard, hranching, bony horns

like a Deer. (Moose.)
(f) Ifol/nir-lionictI ('inl-c/iiH't'i's. Hollow, curved horns like a
Cow. (Hntfalo.)

v.. Gnawers The largest guild among foiirfoots,

Animals with four sharp, front-cut-
ting teeth. .Ml eat vegetal»!e i'ood,
tlictugh some preter animal. .1// tin
iniisdiii'c (tnini'th are (I'titiircrs,
(a) S/i(itlnn'-faili'il (inaxurs. Having upright, plumy tails

((iri.y Sijuirrel.)
(h) liiirrniriiuf < hidH'i'vti. Those who make their home.s under

ground. (Woodchiiek.)
(r) Sicinttnin;/ (I'naircrs. 'IMiose who spend ])art of their time

in the water and usually live near it. (Muskrat.)
{(I) Loiitf-i'drcil, S/i(>rN<tili'tl Gnaicers. Having Kahbit-hkn
ears. (Wood Hare.)

VI. Flesh Eaters Mammals with four, long-pointed dnsi

like teeth for tearing nu'at.
(rt) Chnr-/i(niili'il F/isli ICdtcrs. Toes ending in movable ('la\v<

like the house eats. (Wildcat.)
(/>) Ddi/'IiosciI F/t'Kli Fdlers. With pointed mu/,zle.s and hark

ing calls. (Kox.)
(c) I'liv (I'ni'di/ (ii'oirli'i's. Beasts who cat both meat, friii |

and vi'getables. ( Bear.)
((/) l.lllh h'lir /!( (irrrs. U'ho all yield fur of more or li

value. (.Mink.)
(e) W'nlir I'lii/ilc. (Jreat Mammals with flipper-like liiiil
living ehieHy in the water. (Seal.)

Vir. Bug Biters Hurrowers, who kill harmful iusect<|

(Moles.)

VIII. Wi

- TJies
I't'iiit'inbe
tiicro are
but if y(
reiiioinbei
rest will 1

spriiiir aiK
divide tlu
visitors!^ "

liviiin- like
"Niit, \i
Miiiiinials
liiive a ivo
IV'c'diug g
parts of tl
Woods lire
"alci'wiiys
will move
iiii,!^'rii(i()ii.

Miiimu'i' in
Viillcys for t
''•miiot cjill
^ly wliicji ,

''•ilVillV, iilK

yii'ldiiiLT fii,.
<'ili/('ii |{i,.

t ■

EX PL A NA Tloy NWII /

107

liu\l>s

ey roll

CSS on

;s Cnlll-

lioot's,

-i.

!iiry . )

^ horns

VI II. Winged Hunters

)m'f(iols.

i)l(> food,
.1// lh<

my ti>il>

llU'S UlultT

ic'iv time

at.)

aUbit-lik>'

nted do;;- 1

a\)k' claw^

and l>i»il>

»(<ii1. fnii'l

,)•(' or l''"|

■likf I'll"'

Miiiiiiiialswlio liiiv<' iiu'iiiltrancs bet ween
the liiiycrs of their haiuls url'uro limbs
that form wings. (IJats.)

"Tliese j«'uil(ls will })ei'liaps be luirdcr for you to
leiiieinber in tlie iH'^iiinini^' lliaii the llird (luilds, lor
there are more of them, iiiid they have hmger names,
hut if you look at tlie tree and pietures, and try to
remember one animal that belongs to eaeh guild, all the
rest will foUow."

" Tnele," said Nat, " (lo our Mammals make long
si)ring and fall journeys as the birds do, and can we
divide them into citizens, and summer citizens, and
visitors? "

'•Oh, yes I and d(» tlu^y jtay taxes and work for their
living like Citizen IJird?"* asktMJ I)(»do.

"Nat, your question is easier lo answer than Dodo's.
Mainmals do not travel as birds do, and few, if any,
liave a regidar time for moving except to shift their
tVeding grounds for various reasons. Of course, if
parts of the country ari^ settletl by House People, and

(Kids are cut down and wild pasture ploughed up, or

\\(

waterways dranu'c

d. tl

le atnmals w

ho 1

lave live(l (here

ill move on to new homi's ; but this is Jiot a I'cgidar
migration.

"I'hen, again, grass-eating animals, who sju'iid the
siiinim;r in the; moiuitains, come down into sheltered
valleys for the winter, and so on ; but in s|)ite of this we
iiiimot call our Mammals tiavcllcrs. It is dillicult to
siy which of them are useful citizens, some uudoubt-
i'(lly are, and jtay taxes by killing nuisance animals, and
yielding fur or food, but in a very difb-rcnt way from
i('iti/cn hird, who works irlt/i us to raise the crops.

108

FOUIi-FOOTKh A MKltlt'ANS

m^'

"Tliey were undoubtedly, in tlie true sense, all oiice
useful eitizens of the JJepublic of Nature, when every
spoke AViis in plaee in the j*Teiit ])ahinee-wheel, and
man had only the thin^^'s that were ereated for liis
use, had not invented anythini^ for himself, and w;is
called uneivilized ; hut all that was Ioulj a^o. Tliis
is ehanc^ed now, and you will lind, when you lu;ir
the stories, that <ifuns have driven away animals that
arrows could not kill, and some beasts, missin<i^ their
natural food, have taken to eatinc^ things that were not
intended for them, and have become beasts of prey and I ^i
nuisance animals.

"One thiiiiLf I want you to remendx'r. 'I'he skins of
these Mannnals were the very lirst pi'i/es that America
offered t(> the whit(! ptM)[)le when they came here — llic
first wealth of th(^ land. 'I'he trajipers weri' of an
earlier tribe than the miners. The pelts of the fur
beasts brought money whihi the treasures of ^n)ld.
silver, c()i)per, and coal were still hidden deep under
pronnd. I5ut man, by killintjf these Mammals waste-
fully and even duriuL*" their breediniif seasons, has made
them now ex{H!t'dinL''lv rare. Oik^ bv on(! thev arc
j:frowiii_L^ fewer and shyer, and tiie animals that caiiic
over seas, as wi^ did, in the lonii^ at^'o, are liilinL'' their
i)hices as far as they are al)U). I'he lon'^-horned cattle
feed on the jtrairies in place (tf the I5is(»n, just as iiiu
houses stand on the ground once occupied l)y the reil-
nunTs wiufwam."

" liut it is better to have House I'eople and cow-
in America than saxaj^cs and llison, isn't it?" askcil
(>livc, who saw tliat tlic (diildrcn looked |iu//,lcd.

*' VcH, it means proyfrcss, and one (d' Heart <)F Niii

liic's law
ti'('(! can
eaitii, thi
we shonh
as \\v. did
the n'recd
vcars sine
s('<'ms as
rciiJ two (
riiere
WHO was <i
The Moils
ivw (h'o]>H
whisked a)
"He lik.
uf roast sf
Kvery oi
imd lv\])hi
I'hcstnuts
that the c
eoahs.

EXI'LA NA 770.V MdllT

100

uif's laws is tliat iiolliiiiii^ shall stand still. When a
ti((! can no loni^nT i;ri)\v, it nuisl dcray and turn into
cm til, that sonu^ other tret; niay ti^row' in its place; but
should never have kilhMl tlu; wild men and beasts

we (Ud, merely to show our superior strenu;tb and for
tlic orced of killinu^. It is oidy about four liundred
vcius since white men set foot on this soil, and vt't it

sccins as if in a huiK

I red

more tliere may oe no more

real two or four-footed Americans left."
••There is the Deer MoustMifjfain,'" whispered Dodo,

who was <»"rowni!yf tircMl, pointinu^ to the hearth corner.

Tlic Mouse t*'athered U|) some crund)s and licked up a

few dro})s of water that ha<l fallen on the stones, then

whisked away aij^ain.
'• \\(\ likes su|>per hefore he goes to bed. Please can

we rttast some chestnuts, I'nch! Hoy?"
Kvery one hiu_<,died ; no more n-annnH whi/ were asked,

1111(1 FiXplanation Nii,dit ended merrily to the sound of

clicstnuts snapi)intr vijjforously in a wire corn-popper

tliiit the children took turns in shaking over the hot

coals.

AN INVITATION

•"

Imppily, on Monday, as slu' looked ont of tlio window
ill tliu wondor room, into tiu! sky at dnsk, and saw tlic
niystorions llakos of the lirst snow-storm llnttciiii!^
ilown.

" Yes, it will l)o jolly I " said Nat. looking- n|t from
the l)ook ho was stndyiiiLT: " hnt I want to do soiiu
real sliootinjjc, too. liod says tlicrc's lots of IJalihii

Hi^nis ovt'i* alonj^ tiic t'di^n of tiic w I lot, wlicrc Ik

was lianlini^ loufs ycslcfday, and lie found tlircc foni

110

.LV lyvriATioN

111

l)i'side. Tlien there are fresh scratelies on tlie big
cliestiuit tree u[) by the hole where the braiieh broke,
and on the eiirtli l)y tlie little roek ejives, and Rod says
tliiit means Coons. Do yon thiidv that Qniek would
make a i^ood ('oon dog, daddy ? lie has an everlasting
bark, and that's what liod says yon need in a Coon
(log.

Nat came and stood with his back to the tire, sjtread-
iiig his hands between imaginary coat tails, speaking
so earnestly and wearing such a s])ortsmun-like air,
til, it his lather and nncle laughed outright.

''What kind of forms did Hod find in the pasture,
and what have they to do with Rabbits?" asked Dodo,

look

ni!

pu/.z

led.

1 thought forms were the other

names for the moulds Miunmy Hnn puts the jelly and
hlanc-nmnge in to harden, so when it's stiff and turns
(int it is in a pretty shape instead of looking mussy
and wobbling all over the dish."

" Von are right there," said her father; ''but a Hab-
Itil's form is (piite different. It is its favtu'ite bed, —
the hollow made by it wiien it lies down in the grass,
or among h'aves and litter, — which after being used a
t\'\v times takes {\\(\foi'tn of the Uabbit's body."

"Oh, I understand that," said Dodo, eagerly ; "it'sa
itahbit mould, oidy instead of the mould making thu
Kaiihit the wav it docs with icily, thi^ iellv — no, I
mean the Rabbit — makes the mould. Hut please, uncle,
don't let the boys shoot the little nearby animals on
tlu' farm, because I want to nnd\c friends with them,
ami iiabbits are as fiinnv and cunning as kittens, so I'm

sure tlicv can

'td

o anv harm

U'lirn tlu' laughtt'i' had subsided, Dr. Koy tttok

112

FO Uli-FOO TED A MKlt WANS

iilR

letter from ti stmiiii^e, dirty envelope lie had been hold-
ing in his hand, and spread it on the desk before him.

"Here is something that will interest you, Nat, and
provide you with real shooting without disturbinir
Dodo's 'home Uabbits/ In faet, that sheet of piipcr
eontains the most tempting invitation I've had for u | 1
year. Come here and read it to us, Olive."

Olive h)oked puzzled at first, as, sitting on the ai
of her father's ehair, she read : —

111

FUiKNM* OK. nfNTKK: toiiiette tliiuks to liavc si party for t luce
days to hej^in on tliisday olaf and part of his onttit is condny over

she would think it itrovvd if von wouhl come to it also i'l

rieiul

riai'k Make and his boy aiul the other hoy with the one lt\i;' whicli
Mill tind coons first rait also fox trails and rahhils which arc io
many as well as skunks she will make the best cookin of the frciioli
which slie is half you know you need not answer only come

Xi:z

■ s s s

"■ What does that mean?" asked Olive, after she had
spelled out this remarkable letter, whieli had neither
connnas, periods, nor eapitals, pointing to three marks
like little zig-zags of lightning after his name.

"Why, (hat's Nez" blazi' ! " said Mr. IMiike, lookini,'
at the; letter attentively. " Don't you renuMuber, Hoy.
the mark he put \\\Hm his logs so that he would kii(»\v
them among those of other (dio[)p('rs, and the sign lie
cut on trees when we hewed a |»ath so that we should
know the trail for our own? I suppose Nez has never
written suidi a long lettei- as this Ixd'ore, and be adds
his blaze marks to assure us tiiat he wi'ote it himsell
and nu'ans all he says."

"I call that a lim^ hdter," said Nat, beaming with
satisfaetion. "Three days in tiie woods, hooray I Ii

isn't late

of course

" Ther

Dodo, "ji

giving J

loine, am

Mr. (iobl

he will Ii

wiien yoi

hunting, i

stories in

Here i;

hrave blin

nose in a ]

"Oh, D

"it is a vt

lie is hurt,

liim is eve

one at the

hurting so

" No-oo,

you all a

fiii'c liidde

" There
very good

"ho wish
you know
" No-oo,'
" Ka(d» a
Olive.
'•Oh, 1 J

'split-tiie-d

AN INVITATION

113

isn't late, may I I'uii down and tell Uap? I suppose,
ut course, we will go," he added anxiously.

"There is nothing about girls in the letter," said
])()do, "and it will be a dreadfully unthaidvful Tlianks-
^iving Day with only mother and Olive and me at
lionie, and Mammy IJun may say it is wasteful to kill
Mr. (iobble only for m8, and he is so fat I don't tliink
lie will live till Ciiristmas. You will all be so tired
when you get home Saturday, and proud with going
liuuting, that you won't care io cook supper and tell
stories in our camp."

Here Dodo's voice broke into a wail, and in spite of
brave blinking, a large round tear i)erched itself on her
nose in a position where it commanded attention.

"Oh, Dodo," said her uncle, taking her on his knee,
"it is a very poor si)ortsman that cries not oidy before
lie is hurt, but before the gun that might possibly hurt
liiiu is even loaded. Cheer up, did you ever know any
one at the farm to make a good time for themselves by
hurting somebody else ? "

"No-oo, but I shouldn't want to be ])iggy and keep
you all at home, either," murmured Dodo, with her
fiu'c hidden under her uncle's coat-collar.

!ful

lere is a uselui word in our language

that

IS a

very good plaster to curcf the ills of reasonable ])eople
who wish to do different things, it is <-oin/>r(nni,se. Do
you know what that means?"

"No-oo," (|uavercd Dodo.

" Kach agree and do a /Kirf of what ihey want," said

(Mivi

"Oh, I know now," said Nat ; "it's what iJocl calls
^plit-the-difference.' "

114

FOUll'FOOTKlj A MEUKJANS

I'i /

"Exactly, unci wc will 'split the difference' by stayiiiir
at home with the ladies on Thiirsday and having Mr.
Gobble for dinner and our story in the evening. Then
Friday we will start for Nez' camp, going by rail to
Chestnut Kidge Station, and driviug over from tlieie,
80 as to lose as little time as possible on the way."

Dodo's face came from under the coat-collar, and her
arms tightened around Dr. Roy's neck so suddenly tluit
he coughed.

" Wait a minute, that is not all. I think we must
have a j)arty ourselves before long and invite all the
cam]) people to come down here. What do you say to
a ('hristmas party, sister Cherry, witli a tree and soiij^.s
and Santa Clans? Will it be too much trouble? >«()?
Then talk it over \/ith Olive and Dodo while we are
away, and decide what you wiint to do and how to do
it, and you may put your hand in my pocket for a reul
Christmas at Camp Saturday."

" My pockets have something in them, too," said Mr.
Hlake.

"Our l)ank is clutking," cliimed in Nat and Dodo.

MONAllCIIS IX KXILE

EFORE dusk, on Tliaiiksgiviii*:]^ Diiy,
dinner was over, and the family
liad all gathered in Camp Satur-
day. Mr. (lohble, with Ids ehest-
nnt stulling, proved so tempt-
ing that two small people even
begged for a third piece, and
every one agreed to have oidy

• ii'-*-:BMiF^^'''!r-wTf'««M''- it Hglit supper before bedtime,
• ',..^-- - .^j^^i ^^ji stories first.

"Is Turkey a real American, or did he eonie over
with House People ? " asked Dodo. " I sup[)ose he did,
because he's a farm bird and very cranky to raise. Rod
says."

" Turkej'' is not only a true American, and the
emblem of Thanksgiving Day, but our native wild
Turkey is the great-grandfather of all the other Tur-
keys that live everywhere on farms."

The camp was (juite in order now, for Dr. Uoy had
sent to various phu'cs for chests of odds and ends that
had been stored away and almost forgotten. The
board floor was nearly covered by the furry pelts of
various beasts, wliile otiiers were fastened against the
walls, where some line Deer's heads spread their

116

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

proiiiiied jiiul forked antlers, and seemed to wink tlieir
glass eyes as the lire Hiekered, casting startling
shadows.

"Let's make mother a throne by the fire," said Nut,
drawing out the settle.

"This old woolly co.v skin will mostly cover it,"
said Dodo, tugging at a Ijundle that lay partly un-
folded in the corner.

" (iently, gently," called the Doctor, coming to lii;r
aid. ""That 'old cow skin' is something that belonus
to the past which I could hardly replace. It once
belonged to a Huffalo — that one whose head is over
the window. Nat, take the other corner and we will
spread the skin carefully."

"It's a pretty big skin — bigger than any of tlie
beasts we saw at the circus ; but I didn't know that
Buffaloes were rare," said Nat. " I thought the wild
West was full of them, and all the Indians did when
they wanted meat or a coat was to go out and kill

one.

So they did once, my boy, and not so very long

ago.

"There is a picture of some in your animal port-
folio," said Dodo, "and in it there are lots and lots of
Buffaloes all over everywhere, more tlian all the cows
in the [)asture down at the milk farm."

"What shail yon tell us about to-night, father?"
asked Olive, coming in, followed by the dogs. " How
will you manage about tlie stories ; take the animals hy
families as you did tiie birds? "

"No, I have anotlier plan. In tliis portfolio art'
portraits of our most famous American INIamiuals.

MON Aliens IN EXILE

111

I'loiu 'big' giiine,' as it is culled, down to the smallest
imisaiu'e animal. You shall all take turns in choos-
ing' the picture you like, and then I will tell you its
story, or, if I do not know it myself, you shall hear Nez,
Uncle Jack, or Olaf for a change. Then when each
story is finished, you must find the animal on the ladder,
ami see to what family and guild he belongs. Is it a
bargain ?

'•Dodo may choose to-night, as she is the youngest.
I will turn the pictures, for the portfolio is heavy."

'•Did you draw all these pictures?" Dodo asked, as
she took her place by her uncle, hardly knowing what
to choose from among ..o many.

•'No, indeed, the man who drew these knew the beast
l)r(»therhood as well as we know each other. In fact,
they are so true that I think Heart of Nature must have
stood besit^e him and touched his brush and pencil."

'' There is a (xray Squirrel in here," chattered Dodo,
'4hat looks so funny and real, just like the one in our
iiickcny, that I knew it right away. All these animals
seem to be doing something, too, not sitting round
looking uncomfortable, waiting to have their pictures
taken like some beasts in my reader. I can't choose,
uncle ; I like them all. Here are three eats' heads
with no bodies ; they must have as nice a story as the
Cheshire C'at. I think I'll shut my eyes and take the
lirst I touch,'' she said finally, and her choice fell on
the liuft'alo, or Bison as the Wise Men call it.

" You could not have chosen better, for from this
story you will learn why 1 value that ' old cow skin '
so much. I thiidv, if we name our stories, they will
seem more interesting. Let us call this one •■ Monarchs

! i

118

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

lii

iilM* #

in Exile,' " said the Doctoi', as lie fastened tlie pi(!tiiic
with tliuinb pins beside tlie niaj) on the wall, "and I
will tell yon why the linffalo was a king, where liis
kingdom was, and how he eonies now to be exiled."

"•My I "said Dodo, stndying- the pietnre, " he looks
like a great, wild, hnni[)-backe(l bnll gone to Fur.
Doesn't the IJnffalo belong to the eow family?"

Nat langhed, bnt the ])oetor said: " Hoth the im-
ported race of cows and this wild iVnnn'ican belong lo
the Boviihv, which we may call the meat family for
slunt, becanse all the members of it are good for food.
The members of this meat family have their toes
arranged in cloven hoofs, and wear pairs of hoUow
horns which, wiien once grown, last for life. They all
chew the (;ud and are therefore vegetable eaters. You
can easily remember that all of the meat family belong
to the guild of Hoofed, Hollow-horned Cud-chewers."

" Ai'e not the horns of all animals hollow, and don't
they last for life, unless somethiiig breaks them ? "
asked Rap.

"No, the meat family have hollow, curving, rather
smooth horns, that begin to sj)rout when the animal is
a few months old, and continue growing until the
wearer is fully grown. In the Deer family of cud-
chewers these horns, or antlers as they are then called,
are of solid bone, pronged, tined, or spreading. TJiey
are shed and grown anew every year, and the reason for
this is very interesting — horns, prongs, and antlers
being a whole story by itself. Now let me return to
our Buffalo. First look at the head and hide, then at
the complete animal in the picture. Can you imagine
a more powerful or fierce beast ? "

'> "

1
; i

The Bison.

" No:

(ated a 1
''He

looks ml
imicli of
to be ui;
tlio lioad
" Vou
cliief full
forcmo.st
males we
measured
of tlie till
fore leiT-s, ;
pounds,
captivity,
liead is sh
Iionis tlia
iiiid lips ai
tiers and
yoii see, w
l>iit'Iv- [)art
Tl

K' hair

l»ai'ts of (1
"wirly l)la|
I('ii,i,nli. ([
fur, whieh
is slied,
"Oil, wli

'ii! inoiilt:
"He 1

las 1

woidd all

MONARCIIS IN EXILE

119

'•' No," said Niit and Dodo, promptly; but Rap hesi-
tated a little and answered shyly : —

"lie must be very bi^ and strong, yet somehow he
looks rather stu[)id, too, as if he wasn't thinking about
inucli of anything. But then," he added, as if fearing
to be unjust, "perhaps it is the glass eyes that make
tlie head look so sleepJ^"

" Vou are perfeetly right, Rap; stupidity was the
chief fault, or ratlier misfortune, of the Buffalo. The
foremost Buffalo in the picture is an old male ; these
males were often six feet high at the shoulder, and
iiu'usured ten feet from the tip of tiie nose to the root
of the tail, eight feet around the body just behind the
fore legs, and weighed from fifteen to seventeen hundred
pounds. Those we saw at tlie eireus were born in
captivity, and were much smaller. The ponderous
head is shaggy, with a tufted crown between the curved
horns that matcli tlie hoofs in blackness. 'V\w nose
and lips are bare, but the cidn is bearded. The shoul-
ders and fore legs down to tiie knees are covered, as
you see, with tiiick woolly hair, while tiie hair on the
l)a('k [)arts of tiie body is siiorter and more wavy.
riic iuiir varies in color and length on the different
parts of the animal, ranging from yellowish brown to
nearly black, and being from four to ten inches iu
length. I'uder the long hair and wool is a thick under-
t'lir, whicii grows on the ap[)roacli of cold weather and
is shed, or uioulted, again before sunuuer."

"Oh, what a mess the poor thing uuist get into wiieu
ho nioidts," said Dodo, stroking the Buffalo robe,
"lie iuis nobody to eoud) hiui, and I shouhl tiiink he
would all stick together and tangle. How does he

•I

120

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

manage, uncle ? Does he scrape through the bushes
the way a snake does to pull off its old skin ? "

" You have judged riglitly ; the IJutt'alo has a huid
time witli his coat, and only looks really respectal)le
a very small part of the year. During four months lie
is Avell dressed, for the other eiglit lie appears in
various stages of rags and tatters. In October he is
quite a gentleman, wearing a new suit of beautifully
shaded brown and buff which he manages to keep fresh
find bright until after Christmas. Soon after this the
effect of wear and tear, storm and snow, ap[)ear in a
general fading. You can easily see, however, that the
Buffalo with his winter coat, added to a thick hide.
could defy the weather even of the most oj)en, wind-
swept country, and must be one of tlie hardiest of our
fourfoots.

" All tliis tells you how the animal looked. Next
you must know why he was king of American four-
foots : it was because of liis usefulness to the two-
footed Americans — the Indians who lived with liini
in wood, plain, and i)rairi(', but (diiefly in the open
plains. In the long ago every part of the IJntfalo was
of service to (lie wild pe(»[>le who had never seen
a white face, a horse, or a gun. In fact, it is strnutfc
that this shaggy brown monster of the plain was not
worshipped by the savages as a god ; for during the
last thret^ linmlred years of their liberty it was llic
Hntfalo (dnelly that made it possible for them to live.
As long as the Indian had the liulfalo to supjdy his
necils, he was independent and uncon()uerable.

"In thci far back time, of which there is no written
liistory, nuin had no other instruments of killing than

did the

or bow

beasts t

claws, J

jially on

than hill

ill man

stone ax

gave bin

could gi\

-The
nients, tii
for carry;
also boat
nia''e 'u
snow ,,

were lusn
d

MON Aliens IN EXILE

121

ilid the beiist brotherhood, not even the stone axe,
or bow and arrow, being closely akin to the wild
beasts themselves, who were armed only with teeth,
claws, and cunning. Man must have lived origi-
nally on fruits or animals weaker and less sure-footed
than himself. In this struggle for a living the mind
ill man began to develop, and he shaped a club or a
stone axe, made traps and then caught animals that
gave liim material for better wea[)ons. What animal
could give him more than tlie Buffalo ?

''The hairy skin made warm robes and other gar-
iiu'nts, the liairless hides furnished tent coverings, bags
t'oi' carrying food, and, later, when horses came, saddles,
also boats, shields, rawhide ropes, etc. Tlie sinews
iiKu'c he thread to sew the robes, the lattice for
snov ,1 i siud strings for bows; from tlie bones
were lusnioned many articles of use and ornament ; the
hoofs and horns gave drinking cups and si)o()ns, as well
lis the glue with which the Indian fastened his stone
arrow-heads to their wooden shafts. Even the drop-
pings of the hulfalo, when dried, were precuous for fuel.
Tht'sc parts of the Huft'alo would alone have nuide him
valuable ; but we have not mentioned the meat, the
rich, nourishing, wild beef of North America. Think
of the iiundrcds of pounds of food one beast would
yield : "

" Wasn't it rather tough nu^at?" asked Nat. "That
old fellow {lu'i'v on the wall looks as if he would have
lu'cded us much chewing as the gum iiod gave me from
tlir old cherry tree."

" The meat of an old ilnffalo bull certainly was
(oiigli, as the meat of any other old aninuil is likely to

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICA NS

be ; but the beef of the three-year-okl, or the cows, is
as delicious as our best roast beef.

" Only a part of the meat was eaten fresh, the rest
was dried iu various ways and kept for further use ; for
the whole thought of the savage was given to self-pres-
ervation from two ghosts that crossed his })ath at eveiy
step, — his human enemies and starvation. Often the
last was the more cruel of tlie two. So the Buffalo
tongues were smoked and dried, the marrow from the
bones packed away in skins, while all the titl)its were
pounded line, mixed with melted fat, and sometimes
berries also, to make a sort of hash more nearly like
sausage-meat than anything else, which was called pcm-
mican. When we think of the Buffalo, we must tliiiik
of the Indian also, and if the In<lian did much at last
to send this l)east brother into exile, he also has shared
it with him."

"Have Indians and liuffaloes always lived in North
America," asked Olive, "and if they did not, wliere did
they come from ? "

"Always is a long time, for when the earth was very
young lliere were no people anywhere. I supi)ose you
mean were the Indians the tirst people knoivn to live
here. Y'es, and they may have been the very lirst j)eo-
ple to live on this soil — a race by themselves. At any
rate one of the lirst Kuroju'iin discoverers to si't foot on
the North Anu-ricau continent found the Indian heie
and also the BuiTalo. Strangely enough the liisl Buf-
falo described did not a[)pcar as a king of the plains,
but a cai)tive in a ^lenagcrie.

"It was nearly four liundrcd years ago, when ^lonle-
zuma II was Kmperor of A/.tec Mexico, that a Men-

MONAliCHS m EXILE

123

a^eiie stood in the square of the Capitol. Amon^^ the
other beasts in it was one called by an early ^v^iter a
Olexiean liull, resembling many animals combined in
OIK', having a humped back like a Camel, a Irion's mane,
horns like a Bull, a long tail, and cloyen hoofs," — this
heast was the American Jiuffalo.

" How he came to be there no one knows, for they
were not afterward found to range so far south, but he
W!is probably captured by some of the Mexicans on
their nortliward exj)editions.

" Between this first Buffalo of the ^lexican Men-
agerie and the last (which one of you young people
may live to see) stretches the history of this tribe that
exceeded in numbers any other of the greater beasts of
tlu) earth. It reads like some wild legend or impossi-
hle fairy tale, yet it is all true and took place in the
western half of our own country, and when the west
wind Itlows fiercely around the farm, it has often swept
over the very plains that were the lUiffalo's kingdom.
Whole books liave been written, and yet have not told
half tlie tale, which is in a way the history of the kill-
iiiL;' (if all the great American fourfi)ots as well.

"The Buffalo's history is in tiircc acts and many
scenes. First, the gol(h!n days of j)eacc and pU'uty,
the rigid fnl killing for food, with laborious hunting, a
fair light between man and beast. 'Take what ye need
to eat.' said Heart of Nature to man and beast alike.

"Tlien the white and red men joined in the jjursuit ;
lleet horses were iised in the chase instead of men's feet,
hiillels killing from afar replaced the arrows shot at close
range. Not merely meat to eat or hides for covering,
or rt'asonable tradi', but waste and butchery. Skins

124

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

traded for whiskey, — the skins too of cows and their
young.

"• Last of all came the railroads, bringing the white
hunter with his deadly aim into the last retreat of tiie
herds. These three acts will show you the living, the
hunting, and the butchering of the Buffalo.

"At first the Buffaloes ranged over all parts of North
America where they could find suitable i)asture. See,
I have made lines on the map to show you how it was
found in two-thirds of what are now the United States,
living in western prairies, forest-park land, the plains,
and far up on mountain sides, being found in the North-
west up to the land of snow. Buffaloes, as you know,
are cud-chewers and, of course, grass-eaters, though
when pushed to it they will eat sage brush, and for this
reason they were obliged to move about during tiie
year more than any otlier fourfoots, except one kind
of deer ; those in the south going north as summer
dried the grass, and the northerly herds leaving their
sunnner })asture before iieavy snow Falls. Buffaloes
usually moved several liundred miles soutli as winter
came on, and in these annual migrations great numbers
lost their lives ; for often the vast lierds would make
this journey on the full run, — stampeding, it is calh'd.
Puslnng blindly along, masses of them fell into (piiek-
sand and over cliffs, or broke through river and hike
ice.

''What made tluMu stam[)ede? Was not that ven
stupid of them?" said Nat.

" Yes, but like most animals who live; in Ihu^ks or
lierds, and pcojdi^ who live in thick (M)mnuinities, thev
were both cui'ious and stu[)id — what one did thev all

MON Aliens IN EXILE

125

tlid. You know if Nanny Bsia starts to run all the
other sheep follow her, — where, it does not matter
to them."

'• Yes, and I've noticed that they all try to get
through the same hole in the wall, or pack tight into
some little corner."

'' The grass was best in the valleys along the water-
courses, and you would ex^ject the Buffaloes to stay in
such places ; but they were stupid even in their search
for food, and wandered out on the dry plains where the
<,nass that bore their name was turned to standing hay
hy drought and heat.

"Tlie Buffalo had no private life; his time was
spoilt in a crowd from the time in sjjring, when as an
awkward calf he found it dilTlicult to keep up with the
hord in its march, until his life was ended eitlier by
rushing with tlie stampeding herd into an engulting bog,
or, if straggling from tlie herd, wounded or feeble lie
fell a victim to the grim gray Wolves who were as the
lliiffaloes' shadows, following them ceaselessly.

''Tlie fact that the Buffaloes grazed far and wide
miidc tlicir daily inarch to the watercourses a ceremony
of yrcat iinportance, and their kingdom was furrowed
(U't'ply by tiiese trails worn by innumerable feet as
tlu'v all followed their leailer to the chosen watcring-
place.

"How did they choose their leader?" asked Dodt).

" \Yliy, the strongest bull, of course," said Nat.

" Xo, on the contrary, the leader whom they trusted
was often some wise old cow. When slu; gave the
siifiial, ilie feeding Hto[)[»ed, off they all marched, per-
liaps miles aiu-oss country until water was reached.

126

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

11''

always, in spite of their stupidity, choosing the safest
and most direct route to the desired spot."

"How did people find that out, by watching them?"
asked Kap.

" Partly, but their paths or trails were cut so deep,
sometimes two feet, in the clayey ground, that they
remain to this day. You see in the picture the Buf-
faloes are coming down a trail, and with them is
another king of the plains, — the sand-colored sluggish
prairie Rattlesnake. Big as the Buffalo is, he does
not care to pull the leaves from a tuft of curly grass if
he sees one of these snakes near it. Nature evidently
whispers to the Buffalo very early in life : ' The little
horny knobs on your head will surely grow, a lap for
each year : at three you will carry sharp spikes ; at ten
polished black curved horns ; at twenty, if you live so
long, gnarled, furrowed stubs, — yet do not be proud,
remember that gray Rattlesnake coiled in the dust
carries in his mouth two fangs as deadly as your fiercest
charge. Be friends; do not dispute, but sluire your
kingdom with lam.' So tliey lived together, but the
snake has outlasted his brother king."

" I shouldn't think then that plains would be niee
places to stay," said Dodo.

"They are not," said Olive, decidedly.

"You are thiid^ing of my story about the time 1 was
belated, twenty years ago, and had to camp on the
ground instead of coming on to your mother at the
ranch," said the Doctor, laughing.

"Did snakes chase you? " asked Nat.

"No, but the s[)ot where we were obliged to make
camp was full of their hoh^s, and our horses knew it

i i

MONAllCHS IN EXILE

127

safest

em?"

deep,
they
! Biii'-
em is
iggish
3 does
;rass if
dently
e little
lap for
at ten
live so
proiul,
e dust
iereest
3 your
ut the

je niee

I was

(lu the
at the

() uialvo
Ivuew it

and were uneasy; yet they were utterly spent, so we had
no choice but to rest and picket them. We stopped up
the snake holes with hot ashes from our fire, which by
the way was made of Ikiffalo chips or droppings, spread
a hair rope or lariat in a circle inside, while we put our-
selves on rather than in our blankets."

"Why did you make a circle with the rope?" asked
Uap.

'•' Because one of our party, a scout, said a Rattle-
snake would never cross a hair rope, so we put it there
to please the man."

" Did they cross it? " asked all the children together.

" Xo, we started in the morning on our search for
water before a single evil-eyed snake ]iad wiggled out,
but I thanked the ashes, not the magic rope."

''Isn't the water rather warm and stale in these
water lioles? It usually is in such places here," said
Uap, h)oking at the picture again.

"Of course it is! Dearie me I I " exclaimed the
Doctor. " You youngsters would not even know it for
water. Wetness is the only thing it has in common
witli tlie poorest puddle on the farm. Much of tlie
[water of i)rairie and Bad Lands is a cross between
kneen whitewasii and pea soup. Sometimes the lime, of
which it is full, shows white and crusty round the pool
edffes as early ice tloes here. Rut to return to our
[iiulfalo procession.

" If it was a warm day they would often take a roll
liii the pools after drinking, and you can imagine what
la spectacle a woolly Buffalo would be after such a bath
|iii a mud puddle."

"How could they like to be so dirty?" said Olive,

*, :

128

FO UR-FOO TED A M Eli It' A NS

who, in spite of iier love of everything wild, was as
dainty as a white kid glove.

" They had a practical reason : the mud dried inU) a
crust that kept the insects from driving them wild.
From doing this freipiently, and turning round and
round as they wallowed and splashed, many of these
pools were shaped into sort of deep, round bath tubs,
as a potter shapes a clay vessel with his thumb. In
fact, Buffaloes were so fond of rolling to scratch them-
selves, that they also rolled head first in earth and sand,
as well as water, and in time their horns came, in this
way, to be worn and stubby. An English traveller,
early in this century, wrote that in Pennsylvania, before
tiie Buffaloes had learned to fear people, a man built a
log liouse near a salt spring where many Buffaloes lanie
to drink. The Buffaloes evidently thouglit the houst;
would make a delightful place to rub and scratch, for
history says they actually rubl)ed it down !

" Before they learned the dread of House People.
and the necessity of keeping constantly on the watcli.
the Buffah)"s life was inucli like that of the great
herds of domestic cattle that now range the same
prairie pastures. The calves frisked and played, the
herds liad their times of rest, of [denty and of scarcity,
though the Buffalo was a ditticult animal to starve,
and faced out blizzanls before which the domestic
cattle wcmld turn tail and perish. This was oiie
great reason why he should have been protected,
and this magnilicent monandi kept in his kingdom
and developed to suit present need. The Buffitln
was able to withstand all tiie natural dangers, of eolii,]
hunger, and prowling Wolves, to which he was ex[)()sei

and stil

fathers,

tection,

Wolf pa

ing the c

tality wa

after soin

quite abli

again, 'j

MONARCHS IN EXILE

129

vas as

inU) ii
I wild.
id and
f these
li tubs,
lb. Ill
1 tliem-
,d sand,

in this
•aveller.
I, before
1 built 11
)es eame
le house
itch, for

anil still increase and nmltiply. They made good
fiitliers, too, taking the young calves under their pro-
tection, sometimes hustling them along through the
Wolf packs with horns lowered and tails raised, keep-
lug" the calves well inside the tlying wedge. Their vi-
tality was so great that, if in falling over a i)recipice
after some foolish run, a leg was broken, its owner was
quite able to go about on the other three until it knit
again. This is the first scene, — the golden days of
the Buffaloes, — when they swarmed by hundreds of
thousands like mosquitoes over a marsh. These w^ere
tlie days when the red men had no weapons suflticient
to kill tiiem.

" Listen to what came upon the Buffalo in the second
scene, in the days of fair hunting, this time beginning
we do not know when and lasting until tlireescore
years ago."

" How many is a score, more than a dozen ? " inter-
rupted Dodo.
"A score is twenty."

" Are there two kinds of scores ? " persisted Dodo,
"for you know, Uncle Uo}^ a baker's dozen is thirteen,
and a dozen postage stamps is twelve, and down at the
store they sell sticks of candy by postage-stamp meas-
ure."

" A score is no more nor less than twenty," laughed
the Doctor ; "but do not lead me away from our second
scene. Wlien the Indian had no w'eapons, he could
slay onl}' small game, and even when he had only a club
and stone axe to help him the killing of the thick-
skinned, wool-clad Buffalo must have been a difticult
task. Do the best he could, the red man had to work

130

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

n- (

desperately hard for every pound of flesh or hide lie
captured.

"Then tlie mind of man began to devehip and aid
him. The Indian, knowing tlie Buffalo's hahit of
stampeding from fright, hiid stones, sticks, and brush on
either side of some open space to make a sort of drive-
way, wide apart at first, but gradually narrowing until
it ended either in a sort of pen or at the edge of a preci-
pice.

" After a herd was located, and this in itself was
not always easy, a disturbance was made to start it run-
ning in the right direction. Perhaps a man went out
and waved his arms, retreating down the driveway as
the first of the herd came near to look at him. Tlie
curious animal would quicken his pace, and as soon as
he was fairly started the Indian slipped behind the bar-
ricade and joined with liis comrades in shouting to
frighten the herd that were now following their leader
at full gallop.

" On the mad throng rushed, crowding and trampling
each other as the track narrowed, until, when tliev
arrived in the pen, they were giving each other mortal
wounds, the calves tossed on the horns of the old bulls
and the weaker trampled to death. Then, amid great
personal danger, the Indians rushed in and killed those
not already wounded, with stone axes, or in later days
shot them with their flint arrows. You can see that it
must have taken a strong arm to send a clumsy stone
arrow through the thick Buffalo hide. If the animals
were driven over a cliff and fell crippled at the bottom,
the killing took place there in the same manner as in
the pen. After the slaughter, the men discussed various

sCvHies (
tribes, j
out up )
and too^
'' IIov
It \voul(
said Do
for lier.
" This
sledge, ii
scattered
liorses.
-Oh,
West SI]
"Tlie th
to tlie h(
g'i'ound,
back kne
hold thi]
" Yes,
it over
Some tin
People ca
the horse
with tlie
from the
Indian's
we nieasi
half-breet
with grei
animals
and culti)

MONARCHS IX EXILE

131

.de he

id aid
,bit ()£
ush on
drive-
y until
^ prcci-

3lf was
; it run-
ent out
ewiiy as
1. The
soon as
the bar-
iting to
r leader

sccnies of the affair as if it had been a battle l)et\veen
tribes, and the women came in, skinned the animals,
cut up the meat, packed it on their wheel-less dog-carts,
and took it to camp."

'' IIow can there possibly be a cart without wheels?
It would only be a box that Avould bump and spill,"
said Dodo, who had kept quiet an unusually long time
for her.

''Tliis Indian cart, as wheel-less as the Eskimo
sledge, is called a travois, and is still in us'^ among the
scattered tribes, except that now it is dragged by
horses. Can you imagine how it was made?'

^' Oh, I know what it is; we saw it at the Wild
West Show ! Don't you remember ? " shouted xVat.
"The thing like a pair of cross-legged shafts fastened
to the horse's back, with the big ends trailing or; tJie
p round, and braces across right behind the horse's
hack knees, to keep it together and make a pla'^e to
hold things ! "

" Yes, that was a travois, and it is possible to drag
it over ground that would quickly break cart wl,eels.
Some time after, when the civilized races or House
People came to America and settled along the coasts,
the horse found its way among the Indians. He came
with the Spanish through Mexico in the South, and
from the Canadian French in the Nci'ii. Soon an
Indian's wealth began to be measured by horses, as
we measure ours by dollars. Indians mounted on
half-breed horses followed the Bv f.^io over the plains,
with greater success, for, as the old range of these
animals in the East and South was being peopled
and cultivated, the Buffalo crowded westward, as the

I !

ij: ^.S'{ ^

fi,

132

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

Win

Indians themselves were soon to be crowded in n\
tlieir hunting-grounds. This was the beginning of the
end, though it took many years yet to drive the nioii-
arch from his kingdom.

"Act tliird ciune, passed rapidly and with it Ihe
IJuffalo. Firearms, from musket to pistol, were plen-
tiful, and tlien followed tlie deadly, long-range rille.
Stupid greed fell upon tlie Indian and white settler
alike. No one listened to the warning cry, 'Take
what ye need to eat.' It was not oidy llesh for fdod
and liides for covering, br.t hides for sale, and cow
liides at that, with no rcs[)ect of season. 'I'he Indian
found thill nuu'li deadly tire-water could be bought lor
Huffalo skins, and also tiiat the hides of the females
and calves were the softest and most valuable.

"So then the massacre began; for it was outriuflit
nuirder to kill the females and young. Whites and
Indians went out to kill, as an army prepared to ma-
no'uvre, surprise, tra}), and give no (piarter. The ihif-
faloes were chased by men on horseback, who shot with
})istols, as more easily use<l with one hand, and were
also shot at from ambush with the long-raugi; rifle, sn
that the poor bewildered things, often seeing no enemy.
did not know in what direction to escape, and ImddhMJ
together helpless victims. Still they lield their own
and incrcasiul until the last scene of all took place; and
it seems to me that it was only yesterday.

"A railroad stretched its iron arm across the conn-
try, — it was the I'nion I'acilic. Have you ever sciii
llie ants rush out of a great hill that has been <\\>
turluid? Could you count them?"

"(Jh," saitl Kap, "I've seen them oftcm, and \o\\\

could 1]
water ii
" Wei
never ai
nil I libers
u single
of mine
one Jiund
gei-ous, J
liad to 8t(
the Muflfu
eni and t
as great s
easy way
port the
nit'iit tliat
tlie exile o
slinnkiiiir
■^Ivinned ca

M0NA1WHS /.Y EXILE

138

f the

lUOU-

t llie
plcu-
rille.
settler
' Take
I* food

liidiiUi

females

)uti'i;j;ht
tes and

to lU'.l-

"l»e Uuf-

lot \vitl>

liid wevo

rille, sii

xMU'iny.

oil' own
u-e; ami

.yi'V sei'ii

iin«l V'^^i

could no more count them tliau you could drops of
water in a hurry."

"■Well, so it was with the IJuft'aloes ; there were
never any large fourfoots on earth to ec^ual them in
luunbers, and even in my day we have true records of
a single herd of no less than 4,000,000 head. A friend
of mine once, riding on a train, passed for more than
one hundred miles through a single herd. It was dan-
gerous, 1 can tell you, for the trains, and they often
had to stop to let the Butfaloes pass by. At this time
the Hufl'aloes were then in two great herds, the north-
ern and the southern. 'J'hen these began to melt away
as great snowballs do in the sun. Kailroads meant an
easy way to reach the Hui'faloes, an easy way to trans-
port the skins ; for it was the skin more than the
meat that was desired. The engine whistle sounded
the exile of this momirch, and fen* ten years his king(h)m,
shrinking and shifting, was a battlefield strewn with
skinned carcasses. Next, the horns were gathered, and
liiially the bleached l)ones themselves were carried
away to l»e grouml into fertilizer, and thus make the
iililiteration comjdete.

" During a few y(>ars more there were stragglers here
and tliere, and, in IHDO, when I was gning westward
t'nun the Hbudc Hills in Wyoming, I shot the bcitst
whose head and skin we have lu re now. I said, ' I
will take this eastward when I have a home again, that
[my gnnid(diildi'en nniy believe (hat sutdi beasts lived,
and that their graudt'ather knew tliein on their native
jilains, for by that lime tliis king will be in exile." It
lias all hap[>ened sooniu* than I thought.
"Now a few, a mere handful, twenty-four perhaps in

!r-i

134

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

all, live wild in the Yellowstone Park. A Imndmd
more are scattered here and there in kind ca|)tiviiv,
where they may live for some time, hut lose their tvpi;
and spirits like the eaptive Indians. Now you may
travel the plains from New Mexico north and see no
other trace of the Buffalo than a weather-heaten skull,
— the perch for a hurrowing' Owl, or tlie retreat of the
other king, the Rattlesnake.

"As the Buffalo vanished, the Indian as a freeiiuiii
vanished also; his wild heef is gone and he is given
rations in begrudged charity. Ouce hoth Buffalo and
Indian might have been develo[)ed to useful citizens;
now, if we succeed in j)reserving either race, it will he
only as captives. The kingdom of each is destroyed.
and the [)eo[)le of this land are not blameless."

" It's a very sad story, and Vm afraid the left-ovei
BufValoes won't like it very well even in the new Zoiil.
ogy (iarden," said Dodo, attacking the word bravelv.

but

nussniLT

it.

Any sort of land with a IVi

H'c

r "

around it must seem (!raini)y for them. I'm very glad.
anyhow, that I saw tliose at the (Uhmis."

"I'm sorry tor the Indians and the BulValocs holli,"
.said Ba[), sctlemnly, after a long [)ausc wiicn every oiir
.sat silently lookinjif at tht! fire; "but I s'po.se if wliili
people wanted th(^ land, it had to be because of wiiat tin
llrst .selectiuau calls ' progress

The elder pcctple laughed licarlily at this, aud Ni'iB,,!
said, "I don't see wiiat he has to do with Indians ai
Buffaloes; he's old Mr. iloddcr down by the hiid!,'i,B|
and he's never been auywherc." \

" Perhiips not." said ( Hive, " l)ut I know what \l\\
means. This is the way it hai)pene(l. Vou km'

W'idoM

N'ilJagc

•*I (i

jiiinble.s

iiway t\

w'ulei tc

and sjie

iit'i- talki

" ' TJi,

ilei'oss lol

sell yer t

"•But,

Iiili there

«<f»p at th

"'I kn

it's j)rogr(

" Won
iiliikc," .s

"I <loaii
"flipped 111
lucked til
sake.s, ho
'•"'III, jik(f
iiiiiKcred,
'''le tni\
'iiildrcn s;
id'Icr I
'^■'(('Iieii foi
"leci(|,.,I (hi
iliiiner that

MOXARCITS IN EXILE

135

iviiy,
' i\\w
I may
^ec no
skiill,
of llie

\ oMveu
ivU) and

Lti/i'llS '.

will 1h'
stvoved

Widow Hull tV.at has the little house l)eyond East
N'iUage by the t«'Iigute ? "

••I do," said Dodo. "She makes lovely taffy and
jund)les and ginger [)o[) I "

•• NVell, she woirt any more ; they are going to take
in\ay the tollgate and her house, to make the road
wider to run trolley (uirs on. Mrs. Hull has to move,
and she feels dreadfully, and says she'll starve. I heard

L-eeiuan I Iut talking about it to Mr. Hodder

left-ovt'v 1

>AV /oi'il-

bvavcly.

a iViuH'

I'l-y K^'*'^'

t>S bnU\,
'very one
il' wliili'
what 111''

and Nil
dians aii'i
\e bi'i*l;4''

nNvhiH ll'll
'ou kimi

'• ' 'I'he town'U give yer a lot and move yer house
aiToss lots down to the next eorner," said he. 'Yer can
soil yer truck there.'

'•'Hut,' said Mrs. Hull, 'the trolley cars go by down-
hill there and iioliody'll stop to buy. They all had to
st(»[) at the tollgate I '

"'I know that, marm,' said he, getting cross, ' but
it's progress ; progress always hurts somebody, marm.' "

"Won't yer please hand in dis yer tray, Massa
Ulakc," said Mammy liun's cheery voice at the door.
"1 (loan like walkin' on dcm skins and tings, dey
slipited nu^ down yesterday, dey did : gixyd rag carpet
tacked tight am iiiu^ 'nough Tor dis ole 'oman. Lan'
sakcs, how can dey take ph«asure sittin' in dat barn
room, like dey had no good honu^ all fixed nice," she
iimllered, as the door closed behind her.

The tray iield a light su|»per, because after dinner the

children said they (;onld not possil)ly cat a real su[»per;

hut after Dodo and Nat bad made tlirce trips to the

ikiti'lu'ii for fresh sup|»lii's (d' toast and bisciiits, they

ilt'cidcd tiiat it was never safe to say immc(liately after

plimicr tiiat you wouhl not be liungry for tea.

« « » «> w

136

FOUJi-FOOTED AMKUTCANS

"Poor old IJuffalo," said J)odo, sitting on the sotde
by her niotlier and stroking the wavy luiir of the
robe, "you were one of tlie biggest of our fourfonls,
and now all that is left of you is a skin and a stulTccl
face. Please, Uncle Koy, don't you think the slvin
would feel more at home over there on the wall by its
head than in being sat on ? "

Amid the general laugh that followed, Nat went to
the window, rubbed the frost fron the pane, and looked
out.

"Oh, daddy! Oh, Uncle Roy!" he cried, "(ho
moon is out, and the snow looks smooth and crisp !
Could anytiiing l)e jcdlier for to-morrow? Rod says
we can learn to tell animal tracks (juick as anything in
new snow. Suppose 1 should shoot a Rabbit to bring
home to mother, and Ave may even see a Coon ! Only
I thiidv it will be much harder to hit a real ruiiiiiiig
Ra1)bit tiian our Deer target, even with the littk'
shot-gun."

i| iM i|

I Si!

II!

«ABBIT TKACKS

may

the two boys were beside Nut
and Hap. If you had been there, you wouhl have seen
tliiit they were the Doctor and Mr. Hhike, who were
in as hii»h spirits as tlie chihlreu, and phiyed so many
pnuiks tliat Mammy linn coubl hardly pour out the
coftVe for trying' to hide iier hinyliter.

"• Wliere is the little shot-gun?" had been Nat's first
qnt'slion on (*()mint>" down.

Is it loaded ?

'•I thiidv not, but I will look to make sure," said
Mr. iilake. "Ah, (htii't do that," h(i added ((uickly, as

Never d

Nut tiied to look down tiie ♦•iin barrel.
that. Wiiat did I tell vou the iirst day you shot at
the target? ()[)en th(^ gun here at the breech by
imHiiig down the lever so, always being careful not to
IKiint it at anylxtdy or thing. Never take it for granted

137

!<i'

138

FOUR-FOOTED AMlJliWANS

I I

that a gun is not loaded, and never trifle with it nndcr
any circumstances. It depends entirely upon how you
behave toward this little gun Avhether your uncle ever
gives it to you for your own or not ; but ft)r the present
you must be content never to even handle it except
when one of us is with you."

" Aren't you going to take any nighties ? " asked
Dodo, who had come down dressed in a rather confused
mass of the warmest clothes she could lind, half hoping
that, in spite of everything, she might be allowed to go
at the last moment.

" No, missy, the only way we could use nighties at
Nez' camp would be to put them on over our clothes.
A good blanket apiece will be much more useful."

" The stage-driver from (*hcstnut llidge way allowed,
when he came d(>wn last night, they had a big fall er
snow there yesterday, that is, big fer the season,"'
said Rod, as he drove up with Tom and Jerry in tlie
farm wagon, deep with straw to keep feet from chilling.

" Why didn't you bring the sleigh ? " called Olive
from the window, where she stood in the dusk to watch
them off, wrapped in a down (piilt.

" Snow's too soft; be all cut up down by the daypo."

'' There's an ohl sled in the barn, may I take it with
me ? If there's liiick snow at the Uidge, there may be
some at Ne// canq)," said Xat, eagerly.

'* We ha\(' iis much as we (!an carry now, my boy,"
said the Doctor, "and you nniy be very sure if there is
enough siu)W for coasting, Xez will have some .sort of a
contrivance for ynu to do it with."

" ( )h, look I " cried I{a[), pointing toward thcsoutlieast.
'I'he turnpike strctclied a pure wiiite pathway between ■ (j

tlie 2Hi

wJiere i

ing out

"Goc

called L

and thei

in gener

'^Vhi

fatlier, k

" tliat I (

with you

Dodo lai

" unbuild

" Let's

the gate;

Why don"

him.

" Hettei
" <>!• we m;
maciiine,
Iieai'ing H

'' Look

I didn't s

<h)\vn (he

«<)nie tiny

'' Kabb'ii

prints. 1

iiiiollier, t)|
ti'lls (,f a

"''Iv b(;|(>n|

'^'111 yest<

liAliUlT TRACKS

139

tlie purplish gray arch of bare maple branches, and
where it seemed to touch the sky, the sun was saunter-
iiiL,^ out from a purple and gold gateway.

" Good morning ! Are you all washed and dressed ? "
called Dodo, kissing her hands to the sun in particular
and then stretching out her arms to the beautiful world
in general.

'' Which reminds me, speaking of washing," said her
father, kissing her and setting her down inside the door,
"that I do not believe you have been on speaking terms
with your own particular cake of soap this morning."
Dodo laughed and went upstairs "to," as she said,
"nnbuild her clothes and begin all over again."

*' Let's run," said Tom to Jerry, as they turned out of
the gate; "I feel so very fly that I should like to fly.
Why don't you laugh ? That's a joke," he continued,
jogging Jerry with his shoulder and nearly ui)setting
liim.

" Better not try it," said Jerry, settling his gait again,
" or we may be put to haul logs, or in the threshing-
machine, instead of dragging a sleigh, by and by, and
liearing House People tell funny stories."

'VLook at the tracks all over the snow everywhere,
I didn't see any yesterday," said Nat, as they drove
down tlie turn[)ike ; " some big and some little and
some tiny. What do they all belong to, daddy?"

"Rabbits chiefly, — they are almost all ])ad-footed
prints. I see one trail that belongs to a Skunk ; and
iuiollier, tliosc^ shar[) clean jumps by the stone fence,
tolls of a Mink; the smallest, like a bird track, prol)-
;il)iy l)elongs to a Meadow Mouse. You did not see
tlieni yesterday because the little beasts seldom come

"■ <>fMifi»iatiM

140

FO U It- FOOT ED AMERICA NS

out until the second day after a snowstorm. We
haven't time to stop for you to look for them, but we
shall find plenty more at the mountain."

" Rabbits are rather common everywhere in America,
aren't tliey ? " asked Rap.

" Yes, some member of the family is to be found
overywhere, from the Polar Hare of the Barren Grounds
to the Jack Rabbit of the hot sand-deserts of Texas
and tiie soutliern half of the entire West."

" You call some Rabbits and others Hares. What is
tlie difference between a Rabbit and a Hare ? Don't
they belong to tlie same family ? " asked Nat.

"'' Perhaps they work in different guilds," ventured
Rap.

'"• No," said the Doctor, "they all belong to the long-
eared, short-tailed gnawers, with the patent-jumping
hind legs. The difference is, beside size, that little
Hares are born in grassy nests with fur on and their
eyes open ; while little Rabbits are naked and blind and
are born in burrows. iVU our species are Hares. Tiie
Rabbits that House People keep sometimes as pets,
are true Rabbits, children of European parents, and
not American fourfoots, tliough we still continue to
call our Hares, Rabbits, the same as we call Bisons,
Buffaloes.'

"'• See, there goes a common Rabbit now ! " cried Ivup.
'" How lie bobs along and then stops and sits up; do
stop a second, Rod. He's k)oking at something by that
tree and doesn't hear our wlieels, because of the snow!"'

" What (pieer tracdcs lie makes," said Nat. ''I
thought the two big marks wei-e made by his lore
feet ; they look as if he hopped backward, but lie

jp j^ -t

#"4fj

t ^Ye

jriea,

ound
junds

Cexas

hat is
Dou't

itured

i long-
Linpiug
little
1 their
nd and
The
LS pets,

s, and
Luue to

Bisons,

id liivp.
up ; do

by tiiiit
snow ! "
iit. "1
his fore

hut lie

WtMti) Maim:.
((iniy Riibbit.)

Ill

doesn't.

know ? '

" Yes,

out for I

^' 1 kn

his fore ;

" Thei

tree," sa

nose tvvii

you maki

"1 woi

Nat ; " th

their ears

"It's b

cliiisiiig- th

"Precis
one of tli€
why poor
he is iiunt

the daily

the ]

arofer

l.iges or fJ

!it chasing!

" There''

^V'il}'," put

there 'd be

and

uiaum

1 tl

•some on
"I doi

"^lo^v is itj
" Heart

"iiniy wtiy

RABBIT TRACKS

141

doesn't. How me these tracks made, uncle, do you
know?"

'-' Yes, but I am going to let you and Hap find that
out for yourselves.*'

" I know," said Rap; "■ he swings his hind feet around
his fore paws. I've often watched one do it."

" There is a Downy Woodpecker tai)ping on the
tree," said Mr. Blake. " Now Bunny sees it, and his
nose twitches as if he were saying, ' Hello I is it only
you making all that noise ? ' "

" 1 wonder what makes Rabbits so very scarey," said

Nat ; " they always seem to be afraid of something, and

their ears never stop jerking and twitching." ^ '.

"It's because everybod}^ and everything is always

cliiising them," said Rap. . .

"Precisely ! If you could spend a single day inside
cue of their leaf-brown skins, you would very soon see
why poor brother Rabbit is so timid. Half of the year
he is hunted by man ; all the year, in wild places, he is
the daily meat of the Fox, Skunk, Mink, Wildcat, and
the larger birds of prey, and when he comes near vil-
lages or farms the house cats and dogs take their turn
lit chasin£{ him." ,

"There's an everlastin' sight too many on 'em any-
way," put in Rod; "if they wasn't kep' down somehow,
there'd be no use farmin'. If yon mean to grow turnips
and mangels nex' year. Doctor, yer'll have ter clear
some on 'em out o' tlie long wood."

"1 don't see why tliere are any left at all," said Nat ;
"how is it, uncle ? "

" Heart of Nature gives the smaller, feebler animals
many ways of hiding and a great many children, to

n ■ i

142

FOUR-FOOTED AM ERIC j^:^^

make up for the dangers they run, as \vc; iounil he tlid
with the birds. You remember that the Ha\vks and
Owls, with their strong beaks and chiws, who nest in
far-away lonely places, laid fewer eggs than the birds
who were weaker, or more exposed to danger. You
know that the Ruffed Grouse and Bob-white, whose
nests are on the ground, have a great many eggs, and
are protected beside by the likeness in color of their
feathers to the leaves and rocks. Color protection, it
is called."

" Oh, yes, I remember," said Nat. " Then do the
fourfoots have this color protection too, and do they
moult their fur as birds do feathers and change color?"

" Don't you remember the Buffalo moulted his hair
every spring, and looked as miserable and ragged as
any old rooster ? " said Rap.

" Yes, of course, but he didn't change color very
much, only sort of faded, and then plenty of birds like
Sparrows and Thrushes don't change much either."

" Several of our fourfoots change color as completely
every year as the Bobolink or Tanager," said the Doctor.

"Bf 'F 'I* ^i- ' ^

They reached the station not a minute too soon.
After settling themselves in the passenger car, — for
there was only one and one baggage truck, — as the frost
was too thick on the windows for them to look out, they
continued their talk about Rabbits.

" How long must we stay in these cars ? They ure
dreadfully stuffy," said Nat, as he took off his cap and
scarf and helped Rap to unwind his. v

"Less than an liour," said the Doctor. "We go
around tlie hills and the mountain and stop the other

side, ins
we drov
" How
daddy, a
chucks, (
" Our
wish hin
made by
form nia(
young in
soft fur,
Tliree tin
nestful of
there are
the Wilde
not Jiave g
cat have t
" Are tl
try beside
"Twelv
interest y(
"Do te
make it sc
these cars I

RABBIT TBACKS

143

side, instead of going tlirougli and over as we did when
wo drove there hist month."

•■'How many children do Rabbits have every year,
daddy, and where do they live, — in holes like Wood-
cliucks, or haystack houses like Muskrats?"

" Our Gray Rabbit, or Wood Hare, as the AVise Men
wish him called, hides in holes or buirows, generally
made by some other animal, sleeps or lests often in a
form made by its body in the grass, anl cares for its
young in a ground nest, lined with grass(!S and its own
soft fur, which hides the little J3unnies from sight.
Three times a year a single pair of Haros may have a
nestful of young to care for, so you can easily see why
there are plenty of them. But the Wolf, the Bear, and
the Wildcat, who have protecting teeth and claws, do
not have so many young. In fact, the Bear and Wild-
cat have to be content with only three or four."

" Are there many other kinds of Rabbits in this coun-
try beside the Wood Hare ? " asked Rap.

"Twelve or more, though four or five are all that will
interest you."

" Do tell us about them now," begged Nat, " it won't
make it seem so long in getting to Chestnut Ridge, and
these cars are so slow ! "

" ' Yet the way seemed long before him,
And his heart outran his footsteps I ' "

Immmed the Doctor.

"What does that mean? It's poetry," said Rap,
"but I don't understand it."

"It means that when you want to get to a place very
much, you wish yourself there so much faster than you

n iiV:

■^ ii9

nil; i.';

•'vmmmmmmimmmtm

144

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

can possibly travel, tliat the journey seems about four
times as long as it really is ! "

" If we hear about Rabbits now, won't Dodo be dis-
appointed?" asked kind-hearted llap.

" 1 have pictures of them in my portfolio, and you
boys nnist remeuiber and tell her all about them.

" Of these four Rabbits the Wood Hare, the smallest
and prettiest, is something less tiian a foot and a half
long from the tip of his nose to the root of his cunning
little turned-up white tail."

"'• Is that tiie way you measure fourfoots, to tlie he-
jl'uininn of llieir tails?" asked Rap. ''We measure
birds to the end of the tail."

" Ves, but a bird's tail where it joins the body is so
overlaid with feathers tluit it is dillicult to tell where it
Ix'gins and tlu^ body ends ; with fourfoots it is diffci-
ent. If I sliould tell you, for instance, that a Red Fox
was four feet long, you would thiid-c him nnu'h lonnor
thiUi lie is, and not understand his size as well as if 1
said his body was two and a half and his tail one and a
half feet h»ng."

"Yes, I see; if the tail was measured in, he would
seem a giant."

"The \Vood IFare has lai'ge eyes, long ears, the loiii"'
hind legs oi the family, also fur snow-shoes on the soli's
of his ft!et."

"What good ar(' sucli long back legs?" asked Nat.

" 'I'o jiimj) with; every animal family has some |iai'-
ticular way of moving, — loconiotion it is called, — and
Hares are leapers, which is told in the liatin naiiic
Ji'pH» the Wise Men give them."

"Does tiiis Hare ever (diau'jre color and moult?"

" He

a grayi.v

whitish

moult s]

tliat tlie_

that gro

tliins on

most pro

of more

in the Sc

old hair 1

liiiir of

woods wJ

gardens j

hut he sj

there is tl

i foui'

lI you

iiallt'st
a iKilf

iimiii<^

tlie he-
leiisiivo

ly is so

rlieri' it

(lilTci-

ed Fox

iis if 1
le luxl a

I' \V(Ull(l

lie Ioh'j:
he Sdlt's

.(1 Ni.i.

)UU'

|iiir-

- ami

iii

mmii'

ll?

4 «

liA mUT TRACKS

145

"• lie kee[)s xavy niueli the same color all the year, —

ii grayish brown to[) coat with hits of yellow and a

wliitish vest. As to moulting, all fur-hearinuf animals

moult sprincf and fall, and have a long hairy covering

that they wear all the year, and a ^hort soft under-fur

tliiit grows thick to keep them warm in winter and

thins out in spring. Animals from the North need

most protection and have the thickest under-fur, so are

of more value than the same sort of animal who lives

ill the S(mth and has little need of under-fur. All the

old hair has its time of breaking and sheddins.'" like the

hair of our own heads. '* This Hare likes to live near

woods where he can find tender shoots to nibble, when

uanlens are empty and meadows c(»vere(l with snow ;

hut he spends most of his time in brush lots where

there is thick shelter, and he lives in every state in the

Union that can yield him food. Pretty and gentle he

is, yet no one can deny that he is a mischief- ii iker, and

while he must not be allowed to eat our lettuce, cab-

hau'es, oi held roots, we must also be careful not t

extcrmin

ate 1

iiin.

''What good does he do? ('an he earn his living
iiiid pay his taxes ? "

" Ves, he does, in a roundabout way, by being food
for some other animal, who would eat more valuable
tilings if it were not for jxtor little iiunny.

"Anothei' Hare which might be mistaken for the
dray Uabbit is his swanii»-loving cousin, the Marsh Hare
who lives south of North Carolina, taking to the water
like a rat. 'IMiis Marsh Hare has a large head, short
ears and legs, and little or no hair on its soles, so that
its footprints show the mark of the toe-nails. Its coat

14G

FOUn-FOOTET' A MEIiWANS

is darker in wiiiU^i' lliiiii in siimiiKir, iiiid is jilway,; \\
(l('('|K'i' hrowii lliiin llic Wood I lure's, and its tail i a
mere sera]) liiie<l wilii i^ray."

"' Wliy do tliey iiavo shorter ears and legs than he
Wood Ilai'e. and no tiir nnder tlieir feet?" asked ^',it.

••• Mammals, liki' ])irds, are all adapted to the pla (i.s
in wliieli Iht^y live. A Hare living in open woods iiid
lields mnst liavc; h)ng legs to give him speed to run to
cover and h>ng ears to eateh tiie least sound of daiiL;er.
Tiie openings of their ears are sidewise, thougli tiiev
can move tiiem forward and l)a(dv when they are listen-
ing. 'V\\(\ sensi' of smell and luniring in the gnawiiio-
fourfoots seems to Ix; chicjtly used to tell them wIhmc
tlujir enemies are ; whih; the ears and noses of tlie llcsli

^■r

i' 1

Mausu IIauk.

liAIililT TRACKS

147

;U '.lie

plii 'I'S
Is IMUI

run to
[ani;t'i'.
\\ they
lisU'U-
luiwiu;^'
I wlieni
lie llt'sli

eaters serve to o'uide tliem totlie {iiiimal food they Imiit.
The ears of the cannibal beasts open forward, and have

111 tie pockets in their ontsid
lioiirds, to catch the s( unds conim

edufes,

lik

ice so

undi

Q" from behind them.

Why, Mr. Wolf and (^uick have those things in

ears.

Wa often wondei'ed whether they were

their

tears or bites, or imnh^ so on pni-posc," said Nat.

'•To return to our Marsh I Fare, who lives in soft
(Tiound. hiding by (h'list! l)ushes and often hides in the
wiiter itself with Ids ears Hattened back and only his
eves and nose peejiing above it. what use would long
leL;'s be to him ? lie does not go into farms and gar-
dens for his food, but browses on twigs and marsh roots,
lie could not leaj) about in such places, and hairy soles
weiild make his b'ct heavy and soggy when he swin.s,
luid he slinks along close to the ground when on land.
His greatest danger is fi-om great water snakes and
alligators. His nest, made of ehewed-up reeds some-
times nicely arched like a Mcadowlark's, is often placed
(til so small a hummock that it seems to Hoat like that
of a marsh binl, and the very young Marsh Hares have
luiiiiy, chubby little heads (piite unlike the little Wood
Ihnv".

'• ^ Oil must go (|uiti' across country if you exj)ect to
tiiid llie third Hare of tlu^ grouj). If you move west
t(i Te\as in a straight line from tlu^ Marsh Hare's
liiniiils, you will liud the most astonishing member of
llie Hare family. Anvwhere from Texas to Montana,
itr Iroiii Missouri to the i'acilie. if you see a cloud of
(liist following the ground in the open, (U' a ininiature
cvcldiie part the grass, stop a bit and watch. What
is it L;oiiig by '/ A blow ii-away w indmill, a Kangaroo

148

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

turning somersaults, a mechanical flail escaped from
its inventor? No, only a Jackass Rabbit (called Jack
for sliort), the largest and best known of this south-
ern group. When Jack pauses, you will find him a
curious combination of Donkey's ears joined to lono-
legs by a skinny bit of a body about two feet loii^-,
covered above with light brown hairs tipped and stripcil
with black, and a black, tail three inches long, all tliis
standing on large })ad feet. Jack looks as stupid as
his hoofed namesake, but as he whirls along to spread
ruin to held, garden, and orchard, with his endless
appetite, you cannot but admire the muscle and endur-
ance of this prince of (Jnawers. Jack Rabbits swaim
over their range in vast troops. Ten, lifteeu, or even
twenty thousand at one time have been surrounded

.lA< K ItMIIHT.

and dr
the sai
loes.
siiry, if
are to
Kabbits
sportsui
cities tc
meat."

" Arei
kt'ep tile
" Ves,
on tliem
•stole yon
and killt
langlied,
things, I(
and off
lilc; a Ja(
Jiini in a
between ;
tfuiced J
'lid in a I
"Th .
and Ii,,h(

paMicnhir
■•^'I'vp. and
and eatthi
H'liat snil
I'"' end of
"iVrliaj

BABBIT TRACKS

149

and driven into pens and slaughtered, very much after
the same fashion that tlie Indians trapped the Buffa-
loes. Though this sounds cruel, it seems to be neces-
sary, if the great crops, that mean bread to the country,
aiu to be saved. N(j\v, instead of merely killing the
Rabbits and letting the tlesh go to waste, thoughtful
sportsmen have uiade a plan to send them to nearby
cities to be food for the poor who can buy but little
meat."

'* Aren't there any other fourfoots out there to help
keep the Jacks down?" asked Rap.

•' Y^es, the Coyotes, or I'rairie Wolves, used to feed
on them, but pco[)le found that these little Wolves
stole young calves jind si\eep, and tliey turned about
and killed so many of them that the Jack Rabbits
laughed, shook ilieir ears, and said, ' We are good
things, let us eat more an<l raise a great many children,'
and off they whirled again. No other beast can run
liki' a Jack Rabbit ; tlie swiftest Jiorse cannot overtake
him ill a fair chase, aiul there is a famous race recorded
hetween a Jack and a greyhound, wlnue tlie Hare dis-
tiinced his pursuer for two miles and a half and then
hid in a log, leaving the hound (piite s[)ent.

" Tl' lesidt of the Jack Ra]>)>its living as they pleased
and Indding liigli carnival was a series of hunts in
wliicli thousands wiu'c killed ; then tiiM Coyotes in that
|taili('uliU' spol. li;s''Mg no Ja(d<s to fid, took calves,
sh('(^|». and |)oultr\ !(ol(lly. and so trouble foi' ihe farnun-
and cattle raisers ndls along between the two animals.
Wliiil suits the rant hman doi's not suit the farmer, and
till' end of thi5 war is not yet in sight."
"I'i'rha|>s an cartlMiuake may swallow them all, —

' ■!". ' . ' ^J-J^f- ' '.'ii » iJ,M»

150

FOU It- FOOTED AMERICANS

Jacks and Coyotes," said Nat, cheerfully. " No oiiu
would mind, would tliey, uncle ? "

" I am quite sure they would not," said the Doctor,
laughing; "and it would be one less thing for animal
lovers to worry about."

" We are quite lucky to have such a nice sort t.f
Rabbit living here, even if it does eat a little nioie
than we can spare," said Nat. '' But you haven't tuld
us about the kind that changes his volor every year.
What is it called, and does that live in the North or
South ? "

"It is named the Varying Hare and lives northward
from the state of New York, up to Ciiiiada and the
northwestern parts :>f British America. In fac^ its
haunts in the Northwest touch and overlap those ot llie
Polar Hare, wh(> lives as far north as man has hern,
and is the conq)anit)n of the Musk Ox and Polar Bear.
In that far-away liome this Hare always stays the color
of the surrounding snow.

"In size this Varying Hare comes between the Jack
Babbit and Marsh Hare ; it has much of Jack's length
of limbs, ears, and [)ower of running, though it is,
i()rtunately, not as destructive. It has furry feet like
oui' Wood Hare, and the feeding and living hal)ils of
the two ai'c very much alike, exce[)t that the V^iryiiijr
Hare is more rarely seen about in full daylight and
])refers in feed towM'd evening, or in the night, like so
many of <mr f«)urfooli>. The (diangc of color is wlial
calls our attention to it. In sumnu'r its gencn'al liuc
is re(Mish hrown. many of the long hairs having l)la('k
tips. Its nndcrpai'ts ar(( white and y*dl()wish and it>
little turn('(l-np tail is white and Huffy, so that tin

RABBIT TRACKS

151

name Cotton 'i\iil iipplies to it as well as to our Wood
Mare. Tliis dress is worn from April to November, or
a trirte earlier or later aceordinj^ to location. During
autumn or early winter, in its most northern haunts,
it becomes almost white with the exception of a f(^w
(lark hairs that fringe the ears. How is this done ?"

. J^VJ

i^r /

^^^^(^^^B

f xHHBj?

/'A

' i

''■?i /^'''P^^

i/'*^;

^^'^'•— ^

^wUk . 4i^^ — "^^

VAUVINti HaKK.

"Moulting!" said the boys together. "• Moult ing
(lie dark summer iiiiir, and getting new white hair for
winter."

" Tliiit is the way thiit I believer th(^ change is miide,
Itiil IIm' Wise M«'n iiinc disagreiMl abtnit this for some
liiiie. Some of tiieiii tiiink that the brown summei' fur
jTi'ows longer and ciiimges white at the approiich of
winter. Others that the new winter coat conies in

162

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

brown and then blanches, wliile others confess that the}
have not yet decided.

"You know I told you a few minutes ago that our fur
animals have a soft under-fur beside the long hairs.
Some Wise Men say these, in the Varying Hare, are
quite black in summer, but as soon as very cold weather
touches them they begin to grow white at the tips. As
the cold continues the white spreads down, until in
very cold climates the whole hair grows white, and tlio
thick under-fur also comes in white. They say tliat in
spring, when the cold is over, the little white tips break
off the long hairs and the color comes back to the lower
parts until sucli times as they are pushed out by new
hair ; but animals like the Arctic Fox, Polar Hare, and
Bear always stay in the cold and snow and so are always
protected by a white coat."

" Why do you think this Hare moults and grows new
white fur, uncle ? " asked Nat.

" Because I have examined many specimens shot at
different seasons, and I found thai the white fur is
much finer and softer than the brown summer coat, —
a fact very easily seen on the nose and ear tips, where
the change begins ; in fact, the white winter fur seems
to me to be of an entirely different texture, without
the grain and stiffness of the summer coat. Perhaps
one of you boys will, some day in the future, be
the very one wlio will settle this matter — who knows ?
But whether this IIiiic clianges by moulting or not, in
places where it is not so cohl only the tips of the outer
fur are white, and he looks merely snow si)rinkled. So
you see varyiufi is a very good name for the Hare, as he
even varies according to the place where he lives."

Jiap.
"A

AvllO ]

the l{
surpri
asking

RABBIT TRACKS

153

I suppose there is some reason for that too," said
llap.

" All through with the Rabbits ? " asked Mr. Blake,
Avho had been in the baggage car. " We shall be at
the Ridge in a few minutes, and I tnink you'll find a
surprise waiting for you. No, I won't tell ; no use in
asking.

" Did the Doctor say anything about the Little Chief
Hare, a sort of a cousin to Cotton Tails, who stands up,
puts his hands in his pockets, and whistles ? " asked
Mr. Blake, quickly, to divert the boys' attention. " Yes,
I'm not joking, for I've seen them stand up and heard
them whistle, though I won't be positive about the
pockets."
" Do they live near here ? " asked Rap.
"No, miles and miles away. The first one I ever
saw was when I was prospecting with our survey in
autumn, along a cliff beyond the Missouri divide. I
heard a queer little noise, something between a cry, a
squeal, and a whistle, coming from a pile of slide rock.
I waited a minute, and the sound came again and
seemed to either echo or be repeated from several
places. Presently out hopped or rather hobbled, for
they move slowly, a couple of queer little beasts not
eight inches long, with wavy brown and black fur,
small round ears, real Guinea Pig faces, and nothing
but a sort of bump for, a tail. I said to myself, 'You
look something like a Gopher, but you're not ; you
look as if you had tried to be a Guinea Pig, but failed
im aocount of the climate. Who are you?"

" One of our i)arty told nie all its names, — Pika,
Little Chief, or Whistling 1 1 are, and before I left that

III

154

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

region I saw a Pika lioiiseliold, inside a little loose
tower of flat slide rock. What do yon think, but
the little fellows had a regnlar liay ](<ii in there when^
they had cnt stout grass and brouglit ii in bundles in
their mouths, packing it away on the stone shelves us
neat as you i)lease, to have it ready for winter food. 1
knew the hillside was full of these little beasts, for
they kept squealing like a colony of singing mice."

" Who would think that theie is so much difference
between Rabbit cousins," sighed Rap, as if he was op-
pressed by the amount there was to learn even about
the simplest fourfoots. " Different lengtlis of ears and
legs ; even their scraps of tails are different."

" Speaking of tails," said the Doctor, " there is a
great deal more meaning in them than people usually
think. When a Hare is running you may have a poor
view of his head, but if you see his tail, it will give you
a clftw to his name, for each species wears his in a dif-
tereiit way."

" Chestnut Ridge ! Change for Saw Mills and the
Junction I " called a brakeman, throwing open the car
door.

Rap, who had kept his crutch ready during tlie last
half of the journey, reached the door as soon as Nat.
There was the surprise in front of tliem. Good sleigli-
ing, a big wood sled piled with l)hinkets to drag them
to Nez' camp, and Olaf for driver !

bill
he 11 5

!S in
as as
I. I
„ for

renco
IS op-
about

L's and

) 18 a
isually
a poor
ve you
a dif-

,nd the
Ithe car

the last

Nat.
f them

^<.^.

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

^ >.

/^^^

H ^

1.0 ^lii 1^

1.1 f.-^KS

L25 flliu

li&

1.6

%'s-

Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

33 WIIT MAIN STRUT

WltSTH.N.Y I4SI0

(7U)l7a-4S03

o'^

-.,- p.,,«n»».-,a.»../.

IfN

camp t\v\
Olaf, lau
"The fir|
second b|
liorso t\v(
find there

Jioiivd tJiel
lie tell yoj
" Wood

''"'"irfoofH,!
''oxsiiid J

|'''»\vii to t\

M'<»ni the

XII

THE WINTER WOODS

LAF ! Oliif ! How did you know
we were coming this way? Nez
wrote, 'Never mind accepting,
but come,' and so we did ! "
cried Nat, before they had ex-
changed greetings with their
old friend. " Beside, I thought
you lived too far off, — miles
farther away than Nez."
"A Fox came to the lumber
camp two nights ago and barked three times," replied
Olaf, laughing shyly as he glanced at the Doctor.
"The first bark said, 'Some one thinks of you.' The
second bark, ' Go to the stopping-place of the iron
horse two days hence.' The third bark said, 'You will
find there those you greatly love,' so here I am."

" A Fox, how could he know about us ; though I've
ho;ivd they are very wise, and if he did know how could
I he toll you?" said Nat, very much puzzled.

'' Wood people understand tlie sign language of the
Ifourfoots," replied Olaf, "and to show that what this
Fox said was true, next morning when I drove my team
Uowii to the Saw Mills, there I saw a yellow fire-letter
lom the good Doctor, telling me the same thing."

165

"■""""■'"—--'"•

156

FO Ult-FOOTEl) A ME It WANS

" What is a fire-letter ? " asked Kap.

"The letter wliose words come as lightning sparks,"
said Ohif, wlio, in trying to puzzle the boys, fell into
the picture language so common in tlie north countries.

" Oil, a telegram, of course ! " cried Rap.

" But the Fox," persisted Nat. " I don't uuderstaiul
about him." ^

" Hush, do not speak loud or he may hear you, for
it was a very shy Fox that brought me the news, — u
Dream Fox ! " '

" Oh, how you fooled us I " shouted Nat.

" No, I don't call it fooling," said Raj), quite
seriously ; " a Dream Fox may be cousin of a Night-

mare I

So they started on their sleigh-ride in a very jolly
mood, and in a few minutes left behind the dozen
houses and store that was called Chestnut Ridge, as
they cut down into one of the narrow valley roads
that finally zig-zagged up toward Nez' camp.

" It takes more to make a mountain out in the far
west country than it does here, doesn't it, daddy?"
asked Nat.

" Ves, 1 rather think it does; but there is moivi
comfort and beauty to the square inch in one of (niij
mountains, even if they do seem only molehills coin-
pared to the Rockies."

"I see nuue Rabbit tracks," said |{a[), "and <\k\
tracks, too, — dogs that have been chasing tlieni,-j
over by those rocks ! "

"Not (h)g, but Fox tracks," said Olaf, "though tin
print itself might be of a dog."

"Then how do you know it isn't?"

THE WINTER WOODS

157

Eell into
ouiitrit's.

derstiuul

you, for
.ews, — a

:ap, quite
a Niglit-

" I will show you this thing that you may under-
staiul a little of the wood language," said Olaf, pulling
u[) the horses. " You need not fear to stick in the
snow ; it is even, hut not deep," he said to Hap, lielping
him down very gently. " Keep hehind nie, so that we
may follow these tracks without trampling them down.
Are the Fox tracks coming toward us or going away ?"

" Coming toward us."

" Wa will follow them bacikward to see where they
start."

So saying they tracked the footprints a couple of
juuidred feet around some hazel bushes, then on by a
little knoll until they euded, or rather began, in a low
opening between some rocks and a partly decayed log.
Here the snow was trodden down and mixed with earth
anil several red splashes, while foot-prints returned to
tlio hole from a different direction.

''Dogs do not live in ground burrows or between
rocks ; now you see it is a Fox. Here the Fox went
out hungry, very early this morning, for the j)rints are
cluar. There at the other side he returned with food,
— the blood stains are not more than three hours old.
It was not a bird he brought, but something heavier
that [>artly dragged on the ground, for there are marks
lii'ie and there in the snow.

"Turn now and follow the outgoing prints and you
will see what has hai)peue(l; It is not along courst',
tor this Fox found his breakfast (]uickly, Fm thinking."

Thoy turned alxnit and retraced their steps until at
Hast Olaf pointed to where Uabbit tracks came fn)m
unilcr some bushes and went in the same direction as
the Fox nnirks.

lill

168

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

" Here came the Rabbit, but much earlier than the
Fox, for his prints are crusted ; now they run to-
gether."

" Was the Fox chasing the Rabbit ? I should think
Bunny could run the fastest," said Rap.

" No, not chasing, but following him by scent. See !
here the Rabbit has stopped to nibble twigs and buds.
Ah! now we have the battlefield : the Rabbit nestled
in the snow, the Fox came here and crouched, waiting
for Bunny to move before springing. The end was
beyond in the open."

The boys looked and saw where the snow was beaten
down and covered with little tufts of fur, and from
there were no more Rabbit tracks, only a single trail
leading back toward the den, brightened here and there
by blood marks.

" The Fox family had a good breakfast, anyway,"
said Nat, cheerfully. " How I wish I could have peeped
into tlieir house. Can we ? "

" I think we must hurry back ; they will be cold,
waiting in the sleigh."

Soon the road met and followed the river and was
quite shut in on the north by hemlock woods.

"There is a very big mark, — a Woodchuck track,"
said Nat, pointing to a broad trail that came close tol
the road and wont toward the wood again. " I didn't I
know tliey lived in such wild [daces."

" It can't be a Woodchuck, they lude up before it|
gets as cold as this, you know," said Kap.

"Hole up; no, I don't know. What do you mean?'!

"Why, they d(m't like cold, and go into their hole*|
and stay there until spring."

han the
run to-
ld think

t. See !
tnd buds,
t nestled
, waiting
end was

ras beaten

and from

mgle trail

and tliere

anyway,
tive peeped

"Ol

Mice a
"N"o
out eai
feels hi
holes i
first."

" Wh

or else i

" The

Hviiig ki

flieni l)o

is very p

wijitor n

wiiidinill

Cliildren
iioso imd
wisted, b

Do
Tlie

'■^',i^''<ins, sj

little

coni

U'liiter hel
llie

Chii

)nl

thr

slee])

-veil
"iig-h t|

in c^

« on tl

h<l feel
f'"'^Ii.r tail I

(iiiil^

^'•'S Jl H(\

THE WINTER WOODS

169

" Oh, yes, and live on what they have stored up, like
Mice and Squirrels."

" No," said the Doctor, " the Woodchuck lives with-
out eating, and sleeps so soundly that he never even
feels hungry ; the Ground Squirrels that go into their
holes for a time take care to till their cupboards
tirst."

'• Why don't the Woodchucks starve before spring,
or else freeze ? "

" The fat they have gained in the summer by good

living keeps them from doing either, and this fat serves

tliein both for food and fire. Then, too, a Woodchuck

is very particular how he puts himself to bed for this

winter nap. He does not spread himself out like a

windmill and kick off the clothes, as some House

Cliildren I know, do, but curls himself up with his

nose under his, paws so that even his breath is not

wasted, but warms his feet like a stove."

"" Do any other fourfoots sleep this way ? "

" The long Avinter sleep ? Yes, Bears do in cold

regions, sometimes not coming out until May. Their

little cousins, the Coons, also go in for a while in early

winter before there is a good crust on the snow, oVso

[the Chipmunk, and many others beside.

''Even the animals who live on flesh and hunt all
Itlu'ongh the winter are very particular how they go to
Isleep in cold weather, usually manjiging to put their
liioses on their legs, so that these parts tliat are thinnest
|iiH(l feel cold soonest shall have the warmth of their
troatli. The Fox <loes even more, he spreads his
(•usliy (ail to cover liis nose, and as you can imagine
kikes a sort of respirator for himself, for by breathing

\
I

160

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

through his thick tail he gets no icy air to give him a
sore throat."

" Isn't it wonderful," said Rap, as if he could hardly
understand it all. "I know by myself," he added,
"that you can go longer without being hungry when
you are asleep than Avhen you're awake. Sometimes
I've slept twelve hours, but when I'm awake I eat
breakfast, dinner, and tea all in twelve hours."

" The streams are not frozen yet, even tlie little ones,''
said Mr. Blake ; " it ought to be a good season for the
Skunks, who are great drinkers. Does Nez do mucli
trapping? Of course now there can be very little to
take hereabouts."

" He catches Skunks, Rabbits, Minks, and a few Foxes
and Otters," said Olaf. " Up to tliis week he has done
well on Coons, — his place looks something like a fm-
trading post. Nez is bound to catch something wherever
he camps. There's a Fox been eating up a lot of fowls
that belonged to an old woman down in the hollow, jind
he has to be caught, or the poor old body will starve.
This Fox is too cute to trap, so Nez planned to watch
for it to-niglit. He has a good dog and thought you
might like to go out, for old times' sake, though a Fox
is small game after Panthers and (trizzlies."

" Full moon, too, nothing could be better," said tliej
Doctor, adding with a Ijoyish laugli, "it's a duty to
kill a Fox that steals a poor woman's poultry, isn't it,|
Jack ? "

" It's a poor sportsman wlio ever lacks an excuse fo
fair hunting." Then the men began discussing Foxesi
so earnestly that Nat had to speak twice before he \vii>j
heard.

"If

what J
"A

a few i

for the

"Po

mals, -

shoot t]

grow 01

Cactus

hut Por

THE WINTER WOODS

161

him a

luuHlly

added,

■y wlien

nietiiues

e I eat

le ones,"
L for the
lo much
little to

" If that wasn't a Woodchuck trail by the road,
what sort of a broad, low-crawling beast made it ? " :

"' A Porcupine, most likely,"' said Olaf . " There are
a few straying about still, thougli it is rather far south
for tliem."

" Porcupines ? I thought they were Menagerie ani-
mals, — very dangerous ones who chase people and
shoot them all full of sharp spikes like arrows, that
grow on their backs ! I hope they won't come after us.
Cactus prickles are awful, when they get in your hands,
but Porcupine spikes must be worse."

''Xez has a Porcupine in a pen up at his camp, so
you can see it. They do not shoot their quills. When
a Porcupine is frightened, he humps his back and draws
his head down between his fore paws like a Turtle try-
ing to get into his shell. Then all the quills on his
back stand out like a sort of shield, and if anything
tries to grab or bite the Porcupine, that thing will
surely get its mouth and paws full of spikes that hold
on like fish-hooks. He has an vigly sqmire sort of a
tail, too, all covered with quills, tliat he uses for a club
when he is angry, and a blow from it drives the barbed
spikes far into the tlesh of his enemy."

"Mighty queer things, these Porcupines," said Mr.
Hlake. " Sort of living pincushions with the pins put
in point up. I meddled with one when 1 was a bo}',
and I haven't forgotten it yet, — the pins went in point
first and stuck there heads down ! "

" What good are they, daddy ; do they have fur or
make meat, or eat bad insects, or belong to a guild ? "

"Tbey seem to b(^ of no particular use to House
IVoplc, though the Indians are fond (»f their meat and

^■- ■"-••'■•""" " ' "-•'-

162

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

h I

i|
I'll

weave their quills into belts and other ornaments and
use them to trim tlieir rohes. In fact, Porcupines,
tliough gentle and harmless personally, are rather mis-
chievous animals belonging to the (inawers, and eatiiio-
vegetable food. In winter they gnaw the twigs and

bark of trees,
and as they do
not sleep the
winter sleep
they destroy
a great deal
of valual)le
wood. Peo[>le
can tell how-
deep the snow-
lias been by
the naked
bands on the
evergreen
trees where
the Porcui)ine
has gnawed
a \v a y the
bark, for they
are very hun-
gry beasts."
" How big are they," asked Rap, " and do they live in
dens like Foxes or in the earth?"

"They sometimes grow to be twice the size of ai
Woodchuck, and they look larger yet when their quills
stick up. rhey live in dens, in the crevices between
rocks and in tree holes. If you should look in one of

Canada Porcupine.

these

that j

"If

would

THE WiyTEli WOODS

163

pines,
: mis-
eating
TS and

size of a I
tUeii- quills
ges between I
■k in one oi

tliese places, you would find it strewn with the quills
tlnit had fallen out from time to time."

"■ If something bit them so they lost some quills,
would new quills grow in right away, or would they
have to wait for a regular time ? "

"• They begin to grow immediately, but it would take
tliiee months before the quills would be ready to shed

agaui.

" I should think if they ran through the bushes their
quills would catch in everything and come off, and
then any beast could kill them ! "

" Hut they seldom run. Did you ever see a Porcu-
pine run, Olaf ? " asked j\Ir. Hlake.

'■'■ They run, sir ; but not so fast that a man may not
overtake them : they are so slow and stupid that it is
wonderful any yet live. Still in the north woods they
increase more and more, while the good Deer and use-
ful fur beasts are seen less and less."

''Do you remember a toy dog you once had, Nat,
that could be wound up and would walk ? "

" Oh, yes ; only he didn't walk well, and after a min-
ute or two he couldn't go straight, — then he went
very slow and stopped."

"That is precisely the way a Porcupine moves, but
[even up in the pine trees where he spends most of his
Itinie, and is really quite an acrobat in his deliberate
way, he goes from brancli to branch in the same slow
Inianner, as nnich as to say : ' Have 1 not a whole regi-
Iment of spearmen on my back to [)rotect me ? My time
Bs my own ! ' So he continues to crawl about chicHy
at night, sometimes stopping to croon or sing to him-
self, and is really a very unobjcH^tionable object, unless

164

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

nil

you happen to stumble over one in the dark ; and people
who have kept them in cages say they have a great
many mteresting ways."

" I see smoke ; we are nearly at camp," said tiie
Doctor ; " and quite time, too, both my feet are fast
asleep. What shall you do with the horses, Olaf ? It
is rather too chilly to [)asture them in the snow."

"•There is an old barn here below, where Nez keeps
his cow and some hay ; I'll put them there until I ttikt-
you down again to-morrow."

Soon they turned in between the trees, the horses
breaking the path. Everywhere about were the foot-
prints of little beasts, and in a few minutes they came
to Nez' clearing. There was no outside fire, but smoke
and sometimes a few red sparks came from the stone
chimney of the log house.

Nez was busy at his work in the shed, which he had
wholly enclosed with boughs and bark; the boys saw at
once why Olaf said he had a "regular fur shop." 'J'he
place was lined with various kinds of skins, drying
upon all sorts of stretchers, and more were stacked
away under the roof.

"Want to know I " said Nez, heartily, coming to meet
the party, followed by Stul)ble, the setter, the tame Fox,
who now wore a collar, and the two little boys who hail
been tohl tliat they must speak up and be polite. 'I'licv
only suc(H'(m1(m1 fjir enongli to pcej) and stiire while llicvj
held liglit, ench to one of tbeir fiitlier's h'gs, as it' tlicv
thought tlu'ir giu'sts (ii'iz/iy l»e;us or Wildcats. Tlitv
wore (jueer jtenked lioniennnle cajis of undye<l Miiskiiiij
fur, and short, lambskin jackets with the wool insidt
looking very much like a [lair ol" captive brownies.

Nei
for tl
wild V
skin d
lii-st cl
^•"iinne;
- St(
way to
realizec
and no
ing it I
Tile
iiig in
room d
logs we:
stove, u
ring soi
<lelicion
*' Las
.Gfround
smoke,
in thesel
Jiotliingl
around.]
" Villi
'"<>inelt(i
I'iiuik tj
iilca of
(lie edtrj
<'eii(i-('. |l
" Ves.1
little spl

rilE WINTER WOODS

1G5

Nez could have easily bought woolleu caps aud coats
for them iu the Uidj^e village, but he loved simple,
wild ways aud things, and understood the turning of a
skin directly into a coat better than the indirect way of
fiist changing it for money and then buying the needed
garment.

" Step right in by the fire," said Nez, leading the
wiiv to the cabin. Then for tiie first time the boys
realized that they were ([uite cold, — the excitement
and novelty of their journey had kept them from feel-
ing it before.

Tlie cabin was very warm, for two fires were burn-
ing in a space that was scarcely more than one large
room divided by tlie stone chimney. In one fireplace
logs were blazing, in the other stood a small sheet-iron
stove, upon which Toinette was preparing dinner, stir-
ring something with a wooden spoon that yielded a
delicious " have-some-niore " odor.

'' Last winter we had a regular campfire on the
ground in the middle and just a roof draught for the
smoke, but we get too much rain along spring and fall
in these parts for that sort of chimney, though there's
nothing like a fire where you can sit all the way
around."

" Vill you now eat sometings, m'sieurs?" said
Toinette, hospitably, making a gesture toward tlu^
plank table, which they then noticed was set with an
idea of festivity. (Jrt)und pine hung in festoons abojit
the K'i\^{} and was arranged in a sort of unit in the
centre, figured with buncdies and sprays of red berries.

*' Ves. better feed now," said Nez, *'if you want a
litth^ sport this afternoon, 'cause 'long about dark wo

■■matMMMW

166

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

must get after that Fox. I've took a day off and Toi-
nette's brother here is k)okiii' after my traps."

"Isn't it a holiday every day up here in the woods?''
asked Nat, as they sat down and Toinette phiced before
each a bowl of smoking bean soup with little squares of
fried bread bobbing about in it.

" I reckon not ! What made you think tliat, sonny ?
No holidays in winter for a nnui wlio tries to git a
livin' in the woods now'days. It's lindin' tracks and
settin' traps and gittin' the right bait ; then goiu'
visitin' the traps to git yer property before a Fox or u
Weasel helps hisself to it, or it spoils so the pelt is no
good. If it snows hard, yer traps gets buried and
sometimes froze in. Then there's the beasts to skin
and the skins to cure, and the charcoal pit to mind, and
the woodpile to keep well scpiared, and the fire to kcup
burnin'. No, siree, winter's a busy time I "

Rabbit stew followed the soup, then a sort of pud-
ding made of wild apples and barberry jam sweetened
with molasses, which the boys thought delicious.

" I cannot understand where you get so many pelts,
Nez," said Mr. Hlake. " I thought this part of the
country was skinned out years ago."

" It was, and there's nothin' here for folks who want
to get tilings by tiic h)t ; such kind di<l what ihey could
to kill off the beasts. Now, I've read the signs licir-
abouts, and I say to myself, 'you nniy tiike so iniiiiy
(■oons, and Minks, and Skuidvs, and Foxes every winter
and not kill them out,' and when I get jest that in;uiy
I stop and let 'em have fair |day. I sliall stop on
Coons this wc^ek, with a hundred good prlts to tlic
bettcM" ; but I'm not doiu! with Foxes yel, there's tim

mail}'
parts.

'^
this ;
the pt
scraps,

He \
low fu
face.

THE WINTER WOODS

101

Tui-
Defore

many o' tliem for the health of the fowls in these
parts.

''I shonldn't want to kill a pretty little beast like
this ; he seems quite like a clog," said Nat, stroking
the pet Fox who was nosing about and begging for
si'rai)s.

lie was indeed a beauty, with his fluffy, reddish yel-
low fur, line dark brush, bright eyes, and intelligent
face. He looked so innocent, too, not as if he eould
outwit the cleverest of House People, or behead the
biggest gander in the tloek with one bite of his little
wliite teeth.

'' 1 thought you didn't like Fox hunting. Uncle Roy,
and thought it cruel, and yet you are going yourself
to-night." ' \

"The Fox hunting I think cruel is not the necessary
and ({uick killing of a mischievous animal, but the habit
of koe[)ing Foxes in Vhat you might call a tame state,
encouraging them to breed on your ground, and then
turnnig out and chasing them with dogs trained for
the purpose, and when the poor Fox has run his best
and is spent (the longer he is kept going the better the
sportsmen like it), the dogs are allowed to tear him to
pieces.

"The fashion of cliasing any four-footed animal with
(l(»<,'s seems to me no Hjtort. Teaching (me fourfoot to
tear another to Itits is barl)arous, according to my way
of tliinking. I'iVi-n hunting tiic wild I'^ox witii dogs
sccnis a waste of time, since, if we really wisii to destroy
the heast, there ai'e (|uirkcr ways of doing it without
putting dogs to the jtain of such tiresome rnns, or tiie
i'tix (hi'ongii an agony of fear, wiiich, to such an intel-

168

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

ligent aninijil, is worse tliaii even the lingering death
of being torn to bits."

" But why does any one like to do so ? " asked Uap.

" The excuse given for it in England is that it is ;in
historic sport, Ji settled custom, that it makes use for a
line race of horses, — hunters as they are called, — and the
exercise makes a strong race of people. We have an
unfortunate liabit of importing customs without sulli-
cient reason. It was this spirit of borrowing that gave
us the Knglisli Sparrow."

" Per]iai)s they will sto[) it now that there are siicli
fine bicycles to exercise with. Don't you think bicycles
would be nice things to make Dodo and me strong and
tender-hearted ? " said Nat, so innocently that he was
very much surprised when his father asked if lie
thought his stocking would hold anything as large,
and what make he preferred.

"I wasn't fishing for one," he liastened to explain.
" only thinking how good it would he for me," at which
his father and uncle burst out laughing.

^^ T* ^n ^R ^^

Presently it was agreed that Rap should stay at home
with the little boys and Olaf, who was to finish a sort
of toboggan, made from a long wide l)oar(l which lie
had steamed and rolled up in front for a fender ami
fastened with hide thongs. It yet remained to be orna-
nuinlcd liy a picture of Olaf's i)ainting.

Mr. JMakc was interested in trying on a pair of snow-
shoes, that Ne/, had made partly for old times' sake, ami
partly in case the snow should be so deep dnrinLf tin
winter that lie might need them in visiting his traps.

The Doctor anil Nez prepared to give Nat his lir>

i : ' if

THE WINTER WOODS

169

taste of Kabbit hIi noting, aiul soon ^ "uese three, accom-
panied by Stubble, wlio was an all-round hunting dog,
started down hill, Nat holding the little shot-gun in
hands that trembled with excitement, being very care-
ful that it was not pointing at any one, even though
it was not yet loaded.

The afternoon wore away. The toboggan was decked
with a i)icture of a large owl, which the youngest boy,
Dominique, insisted should have a red ribbon painted
al)iiut its neck, though his brother Phonse said owls
never wore such things.

Once in a while they heard a shot, but it was very
still otherwise, with no signs of animal life save the
pranks of a pair of half-tame Gray Squirrels who came
and went in their search for hidden food. The moon
shone silver white before the sun had set, and the two
oxclianged greetings while they struggled with some
clouds that promised more snow or possibly wind and
rain. Presently by this mixed light they saw Nat com-
ing up the slope empty handed and hurrying ahead of
the others.

''Didn't you get anything?" called Rap. "Didn't
you shoot a Rabbit? Whore is your gun ? "

"No, I didn't; but I nearly got one. It didn't see
us a bit and was sitting up nibliling and I ainunl as nice
as couhl be, — just as Uncle Roy told me, with tlie gun
a<jfainsl my shoulder and everything (juite right, — when
the Halibil turntMl round and stai'etl at luc, and some-
how it was so cunning iind conifiu'table and seenu'd to
trust me, that I didn't like to kill it. Wiiih- I was
thiukiiig, it gave a couple of h'iips and was gone I
Thcu I felt dreadfully foolish

t *«

170

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

mm .

" You need not feel foolish," said his father. "^ I
would much rather have you pity the Rabbit than baiifr
away recklessly, with ' blood in your eyes,' as the say-
ing goes. If you sometimes put yourself in the place
of the game you hunt, you will never become a ' Hunt-
ing Wolf/ But what is that animal Nez is bringing? —
it looks like a Fox, — and where is your gun?"

Nat hesitated and stammered : " It is a Fox, the bud
Fox that ate the old woman's chickens, — the one that
you were going to hunt to-night. I shot him, but it
was an accident, and the gun bumped me dreadfully,
and uncle is angry and took it away."

Then Dr. Hunter and Nez came up, the latter
carrying an unusually large Fox over his shoulder,
which he laid down on the snow, saying, with an air of
satisfaction, —

"Thar, he'll give no more trouble with his tricks,
though we are done out of a hunt, unless we go for
Coons. Look at him, old and gray, trap marks on all
four legs, and three toes off one foot; no wonder we
couldn't snare him."

" Nat says that he shot him and that you are vexed.
How did it hapi)en ? " asked ^Nlr. Blake of the Doctor,
while Olaf drew near, eying the Fox eagerly.

*' Let Nat tell his own story," said the Doctor.

" It happened this way," began Nat. " I was getting,'
tinul and i^oid. Stid)blc didn't start many liabbits, so
uiude said lor me to wait a little while by a bunch of
hemlocks that ke[>t tli(^ wind olT, while he and Nlv,
would go around thi; hill, and then if they found iid
better luck we would go home. Then — "

" Yes, but what (dse did I tell you?"

THE WINTER WOODS

171

. ^ I

bang
e say-
I place
liuut-
iig?-

iie bad
le tliat
, but it
idfully,

" You made me take both shells out of the gun, and
told me to put them in my poeket, and — leave — them —
there — until — you -came — back," said Nat, hesitating
and looking very much as if he wanted to cry, which
however was something he never did.

" Please don't make me tell any more," he begged,
but tlie Doctor motioned for him to go on.

'•Then — then I waited and it seemed very hmg, and
I thought I would practise putting the shells into the
o-iiii and taking them out, to amuse myself. One time,
when I liad i)ut them in 1 looked up, and beyond the
hemlocks, only a little bit away, I saw something come
out !)etween the ground and some rocks. I couldn't
tell exactly what sort of an animal it was, but I guessed
it was a Rabbit, and I didn't want to wait until it
looked at me, so I grabbed the gun and shot it off, both
barrels, very quick, and the gun knocked me over."
Here Nat stopi)ed and drew a long breath, as if he
wanted to make sure lie could breathe again.

*' Xez and uncle came running back and thought I
was hurt, and that some one had shot me, because 1 fell
()V(!r in tiie snow. Then they found the Fox not far
from his den, and lie was mostly dead."
"Why did the gun knock you over?" asked Rap.
" Vou see I was in such a hurry I couldn't think, and
put the gun against the front of me where I breathe,
instead of against my sluudder I "

" Oh I hoi" said Mr. Rlake, "I begin to see why
your uncle was vexed. Rut why didn't the Vox see or
snu'll you, I wonder? The idcii, of an old timer like
that escaping traps for a do/en years only to full a vic-
tim ol' a small hoy's mistake."

172

FOUR FOOTED AMERICANS

ii-'

" The Fox was windward of Nat, who, as he sa} s,
must have shot in a great hurry ! "

" It was fine ! " shouted Rap. " Only think, Nattie,
you've shot a very wicked Fox, and you can have the
skin to make a rug for your motlier, and perhaps she
will hang it in Camp Saturday for a trophy ! Please,
why was it wrong. Dr. Hunter?"

" For this reason. Rap. I told Nat not to load liis
gun ; he disobeyed. He shot at something without be-
ing sure what it was ; it happened to be a Fox, but it
might have been a dog, or a calf, or a man crawling in
the brush Every year dreadful accidents happen and
people are killed and maimed for life because sportsmen
become excited and mistake a man for a Deer, a IJeiu-,
or a Fox, and all the excuse thry have is that it was a
'mistake ' People who can make such mistakes must
not handle guns."

The boys looked so very sad that Mr. IJlake said,
'' I think Nat has learned his lesson early and once for
all ,- fortunately, l)y accident his accident wasn't an
accident after all. Did you say your feet are cold .'
I think we had better all go into the cabin."

"They were very cold a while ago, daddy, for my
leggins leaked a little and the snow got in, but now
they feel better, or rather I don't feel as if I had aiiv
feet. 1 think it would be nice to put them by tlie
fire."

" Whjit ! no feeling in them ?" exclaimed the Doctor,
" Nez, bring me a pan of snow into the cabin, and off
with your leggins, my boy. No, don't go near the Inc.
if you do your feet will sw(dl and you will have chil-
blains every winter for — ^I don't know how long."

THE ]VINTER WOODS

173

le says,

Nattie,
ave the
,aps slie

Please,

load Ills
hout be-
X, V)ut it
Avling' in
[)pen and
poi'tsineii
1-, a liear,
t it was ii
ikes must

lake said
once for
,vasu't an
are cold'

, for my
but now
1 had any
m by the

le Doctor.

in, antl oft

hvr tlic lire.

liavc cliil-

long."

" Oil, uncle ! tliat will make my feet freeze hard ! "
died Nat, as the Doctor began to rub them vigorously
witli handfuls of snow.

"No, it won't,'' said Rap, consolingly, "snow draws
tjie cold out ; the miller used often to rub my cheeks and
ems with snow when I went out witii him in winter."

In a few minutes Nat said the feeling was coming
hack, only that it tickled in spots, so his uncle rolled
him in a blanket and dropped him into the bunk filled
with hemlock boughs that was to be his bed later on.
There he lay comfortably watching the people come
to and fro, and the preparations for supper. He was
wondering if his uncle would ever let him have the
oiin again, whether the men would go Coon hunting
that evening, or stay at home and tell stories, and then
he fell asleep.

When he awoke he did not know where he was at
first ; then he saw the supper table spread by the tire-
light, and a man, Toinette's brother, by the open door,
who called to Nez : " Returned am I in the good time ;
there was much fur in the traps, l)ut the snow comes,
dat vat you (;all blinds, — ze squall!" He heard the
Doctor say : "• We must make the best of it ; no Coons
t(i-iiight. It is a good chance for the boys to hear about
the little fur beasts and sec; a few of them." Then
Nat remembered where he was and scrand^led up for
sii|»[)('r.

' !l

' !!
I ii

XIII

NEZ LONG'S MENAGEKIE >

((

^KINNING so many animals about
the cami) makes a great many
kinds of queer smells," \vliis-
[)ere(l Nat to Rap, as tliey sat
down to their supper of oiit-
meal porridge and cott'ee, wliile
Toinette was busy frying
something in a deep pan, which
needed a great deal of turning.
"The smell belongs mostly to
Skunks, for 1 noticed that Toinette's brother had four
or five among the other fur beasts he took over to what
Nez calls his ' iMenagerie,' in the shed, and all those
other animals have smells of their own beside. I won-
der wiiat Toinette is cooking? it looks something like
chicken, but it isn't quite the right shape."

" Maybe it is frogs' legs ; we used to have them often
when we lived in the city."

Nez soon settled tiie (juestion by calling, " Whoever
wants s(piirrel-leg fry, hand up his dish and get it
riglit from the pan," an invitation that was acce[)te(l iit
once.

"What becomes of the rest of the Scjuirrel?" askeil
\i\\\), " is it any good ? "

174

NEZ LONG S MENAGERIE

175

it miiny

;' whis-

they Silt

L- ot Oivt-

I'ee, while

,y frying

lan, wliicli

Iturning.

mostly to

bad four

V to wluit

all those

. I won-

thing like

Ihem often

I' Wboi'vev
ind g^'t it
Icoeptetl at

h'>" aslu'tl

'' All, oui ! it is, iiion enfant, for potage, — ze stew
you call liini," said Toinette, putting a fresh supply of
legs into the pan.

" Delicious ! " said the Doctor. "I have eaten Squir-
rel before, but it never tasted like this."

"Spiled in the cookin'," said Nez ; "easiest beast
there is to spile, but," giving a glance full of pride at
Toinette, " the woman knows jest how long to stew 'em
fust, jest how long to fry, and jest how to season, and
that's the whole sense of cookin', 1 reck'n. Why, along
four years ago up in Canada we was pushed for meat
onct, and Toinette she cooked up a fat young Porkipine
so you couldn't ha" told it from young lamb, — yes.

su'ee

f "

"Didn't you have an awful time picking the quills
out? They must be as thick as feathers on a chicken,"
siiid Nat.

"They only grow quills on their backs," replied Nez,
["and you can take the whole skin off to onct without
Iprickiu' a linger, if you slit it and begin underneath."

" Wasn't it a great deal of trouble to take off' all the

Iskins of the little fur beasts tliat are out in your slied ?

|l)oflo and I skinned two moles a while ago to make a

luiff for her doll, but the skins tore even after we had

I'uhbed alum on them and waited two weeks for them

t dry. Mole skins don't smell very good either, but

lot so bad as Skunks."

"It's easy enough to skin fur beasts if you don't
[\ait too long, Imt some things hereabouts, Scjuirrels for
pistaiue, that have nice-lookin' fur, are of no account,
icoaiise their skins are weak like your mole's. I'll bring
\\ w few of to-day's batch so you can look at 'em."

176

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

"Uncle Roy," asked Nat, as soon as Nez went out,
" wliy do the fourfoots smell so queerly, when birds do
not ? "

" Some birds do," said Rap. " Don't you remember
the marsh where the Herons live ? "

" The fourfoots all have odors that vary with eucli
species. Heart of Nature has a use for them like every-
thing else in his garden. Birds depend upon sight iind
do not need the power of scent to guide them like tlie
fourfoots. These, though they all have voices and can
make sounds of pleasure or of warning, also need a silent
language by which to speak to one another, in order
that tliey may leave messages where absent friends can
find them in wood and runways, as House People use
written words. It is for this purpose that the power
of secreting these odors has been given the fourfoots.

" This arrangement has given these animals very keen
noses, upon which they depend far more than on their
eyes for recognizing either friends or enemies. It is
this power that enables every animal to tell whether tlie
beast who has gone over a trail before him is a friend
or a foe, and it also serves as a weapon of defence, for
some of the little Mammals taste so disagreeably that j
tlieir cannibal brothers do not care to eat them. Yoiii
know tliat the Skunk is as well able to protect himsellj
from his big brothers by his odor as if he had the claw.<
and paws of a Grizzly Bear."

"Talkin' uv Skunks, here's a fine one," said Nez,|
coming in with half a dozen little animals in his iirmsj
and holding the Skunk by the tail at arm's length.

" What are those others ? " asked Rap, recogiuziiig|
some unfamiliar animals in the heap.

[it out,
inls do

[iieiiiber

X\\ e-.icli
e every-
ight iiiid
like llie

and can
d a silent

in order
iends can
eople vise
tlie power
luvfoots.

very keen
1 on tlieir
ies. It IS

hetlier tlie
Is a friend

ef ence, for
leealdy that 1

lem. Voiil

ect Uimsell

d tlie claws

said ^^A
n his lU'iiis.]
length,
recognizii^?!

■

CoMMo:^ Skukk.

loilL'' i

illl

OV(j

• Tl

uiidci-
l(tr, '•

will

1 Ml

to proj
the S(.
Water,
rare StJ

NEZ long's MKNAaEUlt:

177

"There's ii Mink, ti Weasel, and, as liiek turns, an
Otter. We don't get many of them here, though they
]()ve about so I'm never surprised to see a few. I've
only found one of their eoasts bv the upper pond."

"Coasts ! what do you mean?" asked \i,\\).

" Why, Otters are as fond of sliding down hill as you
are, and mud makes as good a coast for them as snow.
No, I'm not jokin', am 1, Doctor ?"

" What Nez says i.s perfectly true. Let me show
that Otter to the boys and 1 will explain."

Nez picked up an aninuxl that must have weighed
twenty pounds, with handsome rich, shaded brown fur,
and laid it on the floor by the Doctor. It was about
two feet and a half long from its blunt nose to the root
of its stout tapering tail. Its head was catlike, with
small round ears and bristly mustaches, its legs were
siioit and ended in furry, webbed feet with stout
claws.

" What lovely soft under-fur," said Rap, parting the
limg glossy outer hairs gently with one hand, " and it's
all over him, too, even on his tail."

"•This Otter has the most desirable, also the finest,
uiider-fur of almost any of our fourfoots," said the Doc-
tor, " and like the Heaver and Muskrat he s[»ends a
^ncat deal of his time in and about the water."

"Does living near the water havi^ anything to do
with making his under-fur so thick?" asked \{\\\).

"Very probably it does, the soft close fur being made
1)1 indtect the body from beconung water soaked ; for
tlic Seal, wln» spends the greater part of his life in tht;
water, has the same wonderful, close under-coat, and the
rare Sea Otter also."

178

FO Uli- FOOTED A MERKJA N S

" Where do these Otters live, wh.at kind of nests do
they make, and do they belong to a guikl?" asked Nat.

" Tiiey haunt wooded places near water ; sometimes
a mother Otter makes a home for her two or three
young in a hollow stump, or else in a hole under a bank,
scraping a few leaves together as a bed. Jt is always
within easy distance of the water, where the fish, upon
which tliey feed, can be caught, for they belong to the
guild of Flesh Eaters and like variety in their animal
food, sometimes helping themselves to chickens and
small game. They also have liiding-places in river
banks entered by a liole under the water.

"Otters when Jiot busy hunting food are very play-
ful animals, and one of their ciiief games is what Nez
calls 'coasting.' In sunnner they clioose a smooth
bank stretching toward the water and deliberately lie

UXlKlt AND FlHHKH.

NEZ LONG'S MENAGERIE

179

3sts do
id Nat.
letiuu's
r tliree
a bank,
always
li, upon
cr to the
■ animal
ens and
ill river

on their stonuiclis, spread out their liind legs, give a
pusli and slide down one after another, plunging into
the water at tiie end, only to land again at a suita-
hk' spot, clind) up hill and slide once more. You can
imagine that a slippery nuul-eovered coast is soon
fdiined, which is used hy the Otter community. When
tilt! snow is deep, they make similar coasts through it
(low n toward their feeding places, and they nniy then
1k! easily tracked when on their excursions about
home.

'•Then they don't sleep the winter sleep?" said Rap.
" ilow do they catch fish when the rivers freeze?"

"They are on the watch all winter, like the other
members of the fannly of little fur bearers, or Musfeluhv,
as the Wise Men call them. They keep their lishing
holes open through the ice, and these holes, as well as
their slides, guide people in trapping them. One of
the most likely places to set a trap is in a slideway, or
fiistened securely to a pole under the Otter's favorite
lishing-hole.

'' Why do they catch them with traps, when Nez
savs it is so much trouble to bait them? Why isn't it
easici- to shoot them?" asked Nat.

"in th(! first place all these fur lourfoots prowl al)out
mostly after dark, and are very wild and so keen cd'
scent that it is dillicult to get near them, while at best
11 liiMiter would have lo sho(»t them one by one, and
tliey ndght sink luidcr the ice and be lost. If he uses
traps, he can set a dozen (U- more on a single aft('rno«>n
iuhI h'ave them to do tiieir own wttrk in the nigiit.
Tiicrt! is allot iier reason, t«>o, wdiy it is not best to shoot
them. Can either of you guess it?"

180

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

Rap answered eagerly, " I tliiuk I know. It's be-
cause the shot might make a great many holes in the
skin and spoil it."

" Yes, that is the reason. Now please show us tlie
Skunk, Nez, and then he can go out in the shed and
join his fellows ; his room will be much better than liis
company."

" I think the smell of it is making my head ache,"
said Nat.

*' We will hurry," said the Doctor, " for tliis Connnoii
Skunk is a very disagreeable animal in many ways.
You see, he is a full foot sliorter than the Otter, and
though lie has a tail as plumy as a fountain, gh>s.sy
black fur with white head and back bands, his face
is sly and narrow, wearing a snappish look, and people
say that a bite from his pointed teetli may carry hycho-
phobia witii it.

" lie is a ))()ld animal, too, and whether he goes to tlie
chicken liouse to choose his supper, or prowls antiiiid
the refuse i)ails outside some camp, he is not iiudiiied
to hurry. Full well he knows the power of the ])liiid-
ing, scalding li([uid which is his weai)on, and animals,
that could tear him to bits without the least trouble,
pretend not to see him and keei) their distance. Sn
fearless are Skunks that a pair oflen take up llicir
abode under a barn or even a piazza, and the little
Skunks play about and are sometimes [»etted as baiiii-
less kittens by (he children, until ouv day the illusion
is suddenly broken."

''I should think it would be ludter if llu^y were nil
kille(l out," said Kap.

" I{euieml>er their fur, and thai ihev earn their living'

It's l)e-
is in the

w us tlic

ilied luid

than Ills

1(1 aclio,"

Common
,uy ways.
)tter. and
in, <;'l()ssy
i, his face
,11(1 iR'<>i)k'
rry hydio-

1
oes to the
'Is arouml
t iiu'lini'd
the- i)Hn(l-
1 juumiils,
it trouhU'.
aiu'c. So
up their
th(5 littU'
as lianii-
lu> illusidii

I.riTI-K STUIl'Kl) 8kI NK.

Iv were ii

M'\r

liviiv.

iiii

NEZ long's MENAGElilE

181

l)y eating mice and nnisance animals, as well as grass-
lioj)j)ei'8 and other insects." -'

'*] never heard of Skunk fur when I lived in the
city," said Nat.

*' No, but you have heard of Alaska Sable, which is
tlic name it uses when it puts away its evil odor and
g(H!s in polite society."

''• Vou called this one the Common Skunk. Are there
any uncommon ones?" asked Rap.

" 'I'here are quite a num])er of species, but they are
all common somewhere. The oddest of all is the Little
Striped Skunk who lives in the more southern parts of
tlie (!ountry, from Florida across to the Plains. He is a
wt'iisel-shaped little piece of impudence, with a white
spot on his forehead, all the rest of his body and tail
phiiiie being so striped that you can never say if he is
black and white or white and black, or both ; he might
be a toy aninuil made of strips of black and white flan-
nel. IMack and white is a rare combination for the coat
of ii t'ourfoot. None of our fourfoots are bright-colored,
and there are very few such in any country. I'sually
the color of an animal is arranged to l)lend with his
snnonndings and protect him from his enemies. Some-
tinl(^s, however. Nature wishes to give an animal a strik-
iiijjf coat tliat will be seen by others and warn them to
ki'c|. away from him, and the Skunks wear coals of this
kind. Tiiey prowl about cliiefly at dusk or after dark.
Have you ever noticed how clearly anytiiing white,
li()\v(n'cr small, sliows at night?"

"Oh, yes, I have often," said Kap. " In s])iing when
all the snow has gone, except little l)its under tiu! fences,
you can see it ever so fur away, anil sometimes when

I
I ■

182

FOUli-FOOTED AMERICANS

tlie fine luiiulkerdiiefs iiiother washes blow away down
the fiehl, I eaii find them in the darkest night."

" Tiien you (^an understand tliat tlie Skunk, wlio is
sufliciently protected by his evil odor, may wear tliis
striped flag to warn other animals not to come upon
him too suddenly. Here, Nez, kindly take this fur-
covered sachet away ; the boys will not forget how he
looks, I'm sure."

" Skunks are full of play and tricks, if they do smell
a bit rank," said Nez, as he returned, followed by Air.
Blake. " I've kei)t young uns round camps where I've
been, and they're good eatin', too, if they are killed out-
right and skinned, — no, you needn't whistle, Mr. IJlake.
I've often broiled 'em like tender s[)ring cliickens. They
are stuj)i(l, too, and if you put a trap in the runway
from tlieir holes to the water, they'll be sure to get into
it, and seein' one caught doesn't prevent his neiglibor
from walkin' straight over liim into another trap."

"Do they stay out all winter like the Otters?" asked
Nat.

" That dejH'iids on the place ai)d the weather. About
here they kee[) lively right along, but further nortli
they may den up for a bit the coldest part of the .sen-
son, lint take these other two, the Weasel and Mink,
they are lively most of the time."

"What an ugly-looking little beast a Weasel is."
said Nat, taking the slender animal, which was about a
foot long, in his hand. " Hod caught ever .so many
around the chicken hou.se last summei-, but they weiv
brown and not a sort of dirty white like this one, aiiil
it has a l>luck tip to its tail. Do they moult out in
autunni, Nez ? "

NEZ long's menagerie

183

I . ! i )

" T reckon they do, for tliey get wliitisli all the same
as tlit3 Northern Hare, and when they are real white
folks calls 'em Ermines. When they c(mie from far
north conntries, where it is cold enougii to make them
a in^ood clear white, they are worth a lot of money for
their fur. Hut down here they're no good. This one
strayed into a trap I set for Mink ; it's one of their
bothersome tricks to push themselves into the place of

Wkaski. or Ekmink in Wintkr Dkkmh,

their hetters. See, this fur is a mnssy color, and fur •
tlier south they don't change hardly any."

" ivod says Weasels are very had things and no better
than rats."

"Tliey are much worse than rats," said the Doctor.
"In fact, they are the most nndicious, hhtod-lliirsty, and
wasteful of all our fourfoots. They are all the time
lircakiiig Heart of Nature's law, ^ 'i'ake wiiat ye need
for food,' killing merely for the pleasure of it, and

, V ■'

184

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

only taking a suck of blood here and a bite of flesh
there.

" Tlie Weasel twists and winds its supple body into
holes where nothing but a snake could follow, now
writhing along as if it liad no legs, then stretching its
neck and ])eering round with the wagging head and
wicked eyes of a Cobra. He devours mice, and sliaip-
toothed rats tremble before 1dm. If he could learn to
forsake bird-nesting and chicken-killing and wreak liis
love of slaugliter on the ' nuisance animals,' he might
easily cease being the worst of nuisances himself.'"

" This Mink looks a good deal like the Weasel," said
Rap, "except that it is longer and not hail so snaky.
It is a nice brown, too, like mother's muff that father
brought her frcmi New York long ago when I was a
baby, and that she keeps done up in his silk handker-
chief in a bandbox."

" It doesn't smell very nicely," said Nat, "' though not
so badly as the Skunk. Ls it .^ tierce, wicked beast,
too?"

" For steady-goin' mischief the Mink is only about
two steps behind the Weasel," broke in Nez. " The
Weasel is freaky ; he'll do a lot of mischief in one
place, and then take himself oft' for a long spell ; but
the Mink noses out a tine hen roost and then settles
down under a shed near by to enjoy himself."

" If it's in May," added the Doctor, " half a dozen
little Minks, hairless and blind at first, may be hidden
in the feather-lined nest, and many a choice morsel will
be brought them before they are fully grown in au-
tumn, and leave their mother to start life for them-
selves. Day and night Minks go hunting and fishing

1.'

NEZ long's menagerie

185

Thk Mink.

too, sometimes catcliinf^ animals twice theii" own size ;
now a Muskrat, then a Hare, a Grouse, or a fine Trout,
for the Mink is as much at home in the water as a
Muskrat, swimming and diving easily. "Thus we find
him everywhere, not only in all the temi)erate parts of
the (M)untry, but in all sorts of places, from the haidts
of lonely watercourses to a burrow under the cow
barn."

"It seems very queer that mother's muff once went
sneaking and tramping all over the country," said
Kap.

" If Dodo knew about Minks, and how savage they
are, I'm sure she would be afraid of her little tippet
with the head and claws. I never thought before how

186

FOUIi-FOOTED AMERICANS

III

lit

all our fur things, caps and mittens and gloves, once
walked about. I wish they could tell us stories about
themselves.''

"I know a story a sealskin jacket told me once ui)()u
a time," said Olaf, who had been sitting quietly by the
lire smoking his pipe.

" A real true story, and will you tell it to us some
day?"

" Surely, yes, and some day soon, for it is a winter
story."

"Come, don't go floating up the Pacific to the fur
islands after Seals yet awhile," said the Doctor. " There
is one more important fur beast, almost as large as the
Otter, but it is not found as far south as here. He
loves the dark pine forests that furnish him good shel-
ter, as well as a playground, for he spends most of his
time in tlie trees, even making his nest in a tree hole
in preference to the ground."

" What is he called ?" asked Rap. " Is there a pict-
ure of one at homo ? "

" Yes, and you will find that he looks something like
a cat, and something like a Fox. In the woods and in
books his name is Pine Marten, or American Sable.
When he is turned into muffs and collars, he has a
grander name yet, — Hudson's Bay Sable. He has a
very handsome coat, and, like most of his tribe, the fin-
is finest at the beginning of winter. He has not only
under-fur, but two kinds of outer as well, and his buck
is a handsome mellow shade of brown, in contrast to his
dark tail, which is especially valuable."

"Is the IMne Marten a chicken thief, too, like tiie
Weasel and Mink ? " asked liap.

lii

Bs, onco
!S about

ce upon
^ by tliu

us some

a winter

» the fur
" There
ere as the
eve. He
>H)od shel-
ist of liis
tree hole

3ro a pict-

Lhing lil^e
lis and in
hn Sable.
he has a
He has a
le, the fur
not only
his back
•list to his

I, like the

Pine Martkn and Rkd Squirrel.

lookiii

Ol'OSSW
CIISM ill

He s((

aiiotlic

and w,

"Th

N'ordiw

calls i(
thoy ai(
art' l)i'(i

I(lllir.||,i
ll'iilll ((|

NEZ LONG S MENAGERIE

187

•• I dare say he would eat chickens if they caine in Ids
way, but he does not care to stay about farms, and
lives on Squirrels, birds, and many of the smaller
uuisancie animals, and when driven to it he will eat
even beechnuts."

" My, though ! if those Martins ain't got tempers I "'
said Nez. " And don't they jest tight tierce when
once they start I I saw one kill a Kabbit ; it wasn't
satistied with killin', but went on and tore and chiwed
and (diawed it all to bits.

" Vou shoidd see 'em try to ketch S([uirrels," he con-
tinued. " Martins likes to git up in a tree and drop
down suddent on their prey. That evenin' a, nice, big
K(m1 S(purrel was setting on a i)ine branidi with his
hack t<» llie tree, takin' a naj), though I suspect he was
more awake than he seemed. Along comes the Martin
down from tlu^ tree-toj), peerin' this way and that,
lookin' to make an easy drop. 'I'here wu/ a bran(di
crosswise above the S(piirrel and the Martin luicouldn't
manage the jum[) anyhow. Then he began to spit and
cuss and snarl lik*^ mad, but the S(piirr(d nevtu* budged,
lie sto|)p(Ml still until the Martin went over tct try

d 1

mother side, then opened his eyes, gave a i)ig jump,

>ir (diatt(

it(di

itth

and was otr cliatterin like a watchmim s raliuf.

''There's aiiothei- Martin I've trappj-d out in the?
Xoithwest, that's every bit as big as an Otter and
swims and lishes like one, for whicdi ri'ason some bdks
calls it a Kisher, and some a Whwk Cat Martin, though
tlicv are as mindi gray as bla(d<, and their legs and tails
aiv hrown, and they hxdcs something like a little, lanky,
long-tailed Hear. This Kisher will eat any mortal thing,
from one of its own family to a snake or a I'orkipine.

188

FOU Il-FOOTED AMKllWANS

llow it manages to kill that I never could see, thouL;'li
I found (luills .stuck all over a Fisher inside and out."

" People who know, say the Fisher has the knack of
killing the Porcupine by biting him in the stoniiuli,
where he is poorly protected," said the Doctor. •>!
think he is (piite clever enough to do this, for he niiin-
ages to take the bait out of almost any trap, as you and
Olal' must know by ex})erience, and hides his nest high
\ip in a tree hollow as wisely as an owl."

•' For stcalin"' bait and tra[)s, or makin' a genenil
rumpus, 1 recommend tiie Woll' Martin I " said Xcz.
with feeling.

"' I sup[)»)se you mean the Wolverine, or (iluttoii.
names he gets for his iierceness ami supposed endless
a[)[)etite," said the Doctor.

"That's he every time," said Xez, striking his fist
on his knee. ''If yer can pack more wickedness ami
real thinkin' mischief into a beast not over three foot
long, with paws and « laws like a Hear, and a face liko
a hear, a Fox, and a Wed I' all nuxed into one, show iiio
tliat beast ! "

" Wiiat kind of fur does he wear?" asked Nat.

'• lU'own, «d' as many different sliades as tlie nuittlcs
on a liorse-idiestnut," said tiie D(M'tor ; "the undcr-fiu
l)cing siiort and very soft, and the outer about four
inidies long, wiry and siiaggy. 'I'iic soles of liis feet
even are so hairy that (lie foittprints look almost likt
those of snudl Hears."

"Why do you call Inin sucli a witdce(l beast, Ncz .''
asked |{ap.

"Weil, I re(d<on Fve good reason. In the lirsl [iIikv
he kills anything that comes along, from a moiisf \\\

NE7. LONG S MKNAGKHIK

189

to 11 Deer that's been wounded or gone lame. He gets
most of his game by sneakin' or drop[)in' on it, for lie
isn't a fast runner. IJut wliat's worst about him is,
he's the l)iggest mechller on four legs. If a pair of 'em
oils around eamj) when the men are off, good-l)y to the
out lit. Fust they'll eat everytliing they ean hohl, then
tlu'v'll amuse themselves by clawin' the rest or carrvin'

W 1 1 1. V Kit I MO.

tilings away and scatterin' 'em. As trap spoilers they
hcnts tlie record, — ileadfalis or spring traps \\vi\ ail
tilt' same, they'll get tlie bait without being canglit. and
most likely sp(»il the trap beside."

-What isa .leadfall ? " asked Nat.

"A kind of a tiaj* that is often made by digging ii
liolc and putting bait in and then coveiiiig it up with
sticks and logs, so when the beast yon want to catch,
smells the bait and hunts for it, he falls into the trap,

190

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

liri

l-ii

or tlie log falls and shuts him in ; they are used for all
sorts of beasts from Martens to Hears," said the Doctor.

" Ah, I see I xV deadfall is a place that if you fall
into you die. Do House People ever fall into these
things?"

" Yes, sometimes, unfortunately, and in his knack at
keeping out of danger tliis Wolverine shows even more
ingenuity than man himself."

" You have no Coons now ? I'm sorry, I wanted Nat
to see one so lie would rei'ognize it if he should come
across it in the home woods."

" Nez I uncle I daddy I Look (juick, one of the
beasts has come to life and lias climbed up that beam
by the chimney," whispered Nat, suddenly jumping up
and getting behind his father.

"• Speaking of Coons, there is one now," said the
Doctor. " Is that a camp pet or a visitor from the
s :

"He's a i)et," said Nez. "He belongs to Dom'nik
and the Fox to IMionse ; we took him last May from an
old tree over by the pit, when we were cuttin' poplars
for charcoal. Keep still and maybe he'll come down
and play with Foxcy — he d»)cs sometimes."

The boys watched (juictly for a few minutes. At
first the Conn, or Raccoon as he is really named, sat up
with his paws folded like huiry hands and watched
tliem. He was about two I'ccl and a half high, his
body was covered with wonderfully soft, deep, brindled
VVoodchuck-colored fur, and the round tail that liiuit;
nearly a foot below the beam was banded with gray
and black. His bright eyes and [)ointed fact- wore an
ox[)resMion of innocence, and yet of great intelligciice

NKZ long's MENAGEIilE

191

also, that closely reseinl)lc(l the Fox's who was sitting
luider the table looking iij) at hiin.

Presently Mr. Coon came deliberately clown to the
floor, ambled on all fours to the table with the awkward
gait of his big cousin, the liear, climbed on top and
be^an tasting the various scraps of food that remained,
using his iove paws exactly like hands.

The Fox came h'om under the table and sat U}) on
the broad bench sniffing anxiously. The Coon paid no
attention to him, but picked up a piece of bread, jumped
off the tal)le, dipped the bread in the water pail, ate it,
took a scrap of meat, washed it also and then gave it to
the Fox, with all the quickness and intelligence of a
monkey, and then began washing more bread for him-
self.

Tlie boys could keep quiet no longer.

" Why does he wash the bread ? " asked Nat aloud.

At this the Coon retired to his beam, pushing the
last bit of bread into his njouth with one paw.

" Washing their food is a great habit of Raccoons,"
said Mr. Hlake. " I've seen hundreds of them down
about the southern lagoons, and they bathe and swim
and [)iuldle about the water, poking under stones for
ciaylish, mussels, and little crabs, half the night. In
fact, the last half of the Latin name the Wise Men give
them. Infni\ refers to tliis washing habit of tlieirs.

"Vou should see them scampering rcuuid by niooii-
bgbt, like a parcel of monkeys at l>lay. Down they
conu' fnnn the high trees when* tliey iuive theii" nest
linies. splashing over the lily pads and sliding into the
water. They are fond of everything eatable, from crabs
to sweet corn, and often fall victims to this love of the

MMk

mym

192

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

coniHekls. An autumn Coon hunt was one of tlie
events of the year on the old plantations, and it is not
yet out of style."

" Mammy Bun says Coon hunting is fine sport," in-
terrui)ted Xat. " She suys the men go out with dogs
and axes and chase tlie Coons, and they generally i-im
up a tree, and then if the men can't shake the Coon out
of the tree, they cut it down and let the dogs figlit the
Coon and shake it to death. I think that is a cruel
way to kill such a pretty four foot."

" I quite agree with you," said the Doctor ; " it is
even more unnecessary than allowing the Fox to lie
torn to bits after he lias run iiis best; for though the
Coon is very bright in some ways, he can be easily
trapped and the Fox cannot."

" Every one is sleei)y," said Rap, presently ; " the
Coon has gone to slee[), and the Fox too, all curled up
like a dog, and (^laf will nod himself into the fire in
another minute."

" I think you and Nat had better climb into your
bunk in the corner and join them in dreamland," said
tlie Doctor. *' Vou see Toinette and the little boys liiivc
disap[)earcd under tlieir l)lankels in the otlier room."

"The snow lias stopped falling and the wind is drift-
ing it around at a great rate," said Mr. Hlake, opeiiiii-
the door as lie spoke, when u great whirl of snowfiiikcs.
like the luunch of a fiiiry tree, slij)i)ed past liim into the
cabin and tui'iied to drops of water (»n tlie Ixiaids,
"Suitptisc wc take a mouthful of air before^ we turn in.
Ne/, \\(! will go with you to put the Fox and the ('(hhi
in their pens, and see if your fur shop is safe."
« <i» • «i» «

ne of the
1 it is not

sport," in-
with dogs
lerally run
e Coon out
vs fight tlie
i is a crutl

tor ; " it is

Fox to be

though the

n be easily

iiitly ; " tlie
I curled up
the fire in

b into your
nhind," said
le hoys liave
»r room. '
ind is drift-
Ue, opciiiii','

snowflakcs.
Iiim into the
Itlu^ hoards.

\\v turn ill.
lid the <'<»'ii

'llIK UA('«'(M)N.

NEZ LONG'S MENAGERIE

193

''We can't undress very much," said Nat, beginning
and ending by taking off his shoes, "so it will be real
easy dressing in the morning, and I want to see the
Porcupine that is over in the shed the tirst thing.
Don't go to sleep yet, Rap, 1 won't be a minute." Kap,
however, was asleep the moment he sank between the
new red blankets, — a present from Mrs. lilake to Toi-
iiette, — that covered the armful of hemlock branches
that served as a mattress.

The men came back, went to bed and to sleep, and
soon the wind outside was the only sound, while occa-
sional flashes from the smouldering log lire kept the
cabin cheerfully light.

For some strange reason Nat could not sleep; he
dozed a dozen times ; then the wind whistled between
the logs of the cabin and he started up again. Once he
saw a couple of mice chasing each other about the
hearth, tlien a shadow moved along the roof timbers.
Was it the Coon ? No, for both Coon and Fox had
been taken to their sleeping-quarters in the shed.

Nat looked again ; the shadow grew deeper, took a
solid form, and dropped to the floor. An extra bright
Hash from the Are showed him what looked like a
bundle of some white-tipped fur. The mysterious
thing was nothing more nor less than an animal — a
Porcupine ! He could see its eyes glitter as it moved
awkwardly across the floor to the very corner wliere
lie was lying.

I 'i

-J
II

■•7- k

XIV

FOXES AND SNOW-SHOKS

,EERIN(t out and very mucli frigliteiUMl.

js._- at first Nat was going to call, tlien lie

""*"'f^%^>j'c||f^ tliouglit that perliaps he miglit startle

tlie Porcupine and make liim angry.

so lie staid quite still waiting to see

w^'!9icz:^i;r^ what would happen. Everything was

painfully quiet ; why did not one of the

others wake up? Even a snore would have

sounded conq)anionable.

Tlie Porcupine ambled toward tlie bunk, but
stopped by one of the posts tliat supi)orted it and began
to gnaw with Ids strong, sharp-cutting teeth. Next lie
sampled all four legs of the table, then went to the
water pail ; he seemed to s(;ent the tracks of the Coon
and Fox and crouched in a heap with his quills bristliiio'
on his l)ack and his tail ready to strike. Finding that
lie was not disturbed, he began walking about again,
finally climbing up to a log that ran across the face (if
the chimney , (]uite near tlu; I'oof.

In spite of feeling a tritle afraid, Nat (iould not lii'lji
noticing how easily tii(! I'orcupine (dimbcMl and swinii;
himself about, but when the animal had settled himself
cond'ortably on the beam, something happened that was
so strange that Nat first rul)bed his eyes to 1)0 sure that

1U4

FOX A'.S .1 .V 1) SNO 1 1 '- SHOES

VX)

lu' was really awalcc, and tlieii nianat»'e(l to wake Map

le Poreiipiiie was

t(* share in liis astonishment. Tl
siii.n'ing : 1

'• Wliat is it, and where did it eonie from?" whispered
Kap, only dindy eonscions of where ])e was,

Nat whispered baek all he knew of the matter.

'•It must be the tame Porcupine from the shed that
(•rt'[)t out when Xez went to put back the Fox and the
Coon,"' said lva[), who was (piick to draw conclusions,
" so J don't think he'll hurt us ; but 1 never knew be-
fore that they could sing like that ! "

Tiie Porcupine's song was indeed very strange. At
first it sounded like a particularly hiip[)y tea kettle,
al)riiii with boiling water ; then it began to rise and
full, liaving some quite musical notes, linally dying
away, blending with the whistling of the wind.

Hy th'S time somebody stirred in the opposite corner.
Ne/. tuml)led up, with the instinct of a woodsman, to
l)Ut more wood on the tire, so that Nat ventured to call
his father.

'' A P(n'cupinel Nonsense! Where?" shouted ^Ir.
Blake, not over willing to come out of his blankets.

"Tlie stories in your head and the fried Scpiirrel in
your stomacli have made a plan between them tt) give
you some dreams I "

" Really no, daddy. Rap is awake and has seen it too,
and we've heard it sing. Oh, be careful, it's coming
down again I "

Mvcry one was awake now. Toinette and the little
hoys j)eeped in from their part of the cabin, Nez lighted

' Tilt' author is indclitcd to Mr. Ahliott II. 'I'liayer and Dr. E. A.
MoMnis for information reuardinjj,' tlu; habits of I'orcnpini's.

196

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICAN H

a lantern, the Doctor began pnlling on his boots, while
Ohif took a long- pole belonging to an eel spear from
tlie corner.

" What are you going to do, kill him? " asked Hap
'• ( )h, now lie's np on the table I "

'' No, pnt him in this bag," said Nez, taking an old
meal sack from nnder his bnnk. " The only way to
catch one of these critters alive without wishin' liini
dead is to poke him oif' somewhere into somethiiisr.
So " — Scratchy Push, and after a short struggle the dis-
turber, making queer faces all the while, was securely
bagged and the cabin retired to sleep again, while tlie
Porcupine spent tlie night under the table, too much
disgusted by the small size of his quarters to give
another concert.

*****

It was still dark the next morning when the hoys
smelled coft'ee boiling. Other things beside the early
liour contributed to the darkness, — the windows were
small and few at best, and the panes were turned into
ground glass by the heavy coating of frost. The pail (if
cold water did not make bathing seem attractive to Nat.
who edged away from it, saying that he had not bronoht
a sponge; but Rap, who was used to rough living, (lij)pe(l
his face in the water, shook off the big drops, luid
polished it with his handkerchief.

"I don't believe my hands will be clean for a month,"
said Nat, looking at his red, chapped, grimy paws.

" It's fun camping for a little while, but beds witli
sheets are so comfortable, and Rap, — don't you think
in winter camping is pretty smelly ? "

" Yes, I suppose it is ; but then you know real camp-

FOXES AND SNOW-SHOES

197

iiio- in wild places is different from [)layini>" lit it as we
(1(1 ; those jjeople work all day and an; too sleepy at
iiinht to notice smells. Nez is so busy all day long
out in tlie cold, that when he comes in he's too sleei)y to
l)()ther about little things. Toinette cooks things A 1
iUivway. 1 wonder what we are going to have for
breakfast ? Son'<ething that's fried in a big pan of fat.
Do you suppose it's doughnuts ? "

" You supposed right," said Nat a few minutes later,
;is Nez called them to the table, where there was a flat
willow basket piled high with the puffy brown balls.
Here comes ham, too, with funny lumpy sauce poured
over it. I wonder what it is ?"

" Sauce of ze chestnut, vary line, m'sieurs ; ze sauce
of my count ree. I mak also ze dish of ze countree of
ma 'usband — ze doonut, but zat ting of his countree,
ze pi, I mak not, bah I Shall it kill de red from the
cheek de mes (jargons? I name it not wiz ze pate of
ma countree whose top it shall fly away vile you

hue.

The Doctor laughed heartily at Toinette's dislike of
pie, saying : '"• You are right, Toinette, pie is very poor
food for little boys ; but I have hard w^ork to make Nat
think so. Though I do not believe in doughnuts for
breakfast, yours are so light and free from grease that
you nuist not expect to have one left."

" Ah, you are vary polite to zay it," replied Toinette,
blushing and pouring a sort of porridge into the bowls
that stood at the children's places. " Zis is ze plumb
potage of Fete de N(")el, but we did have it on ze fete
day of ma 'usband's countree — ze T'anksgiving."

Nat and Kap were soon iishing the big raisins out

198

FOUli-FOOTEI) AMERICANS

^■11

of tlie liot p()n'i(lt»e witli their spoons, as eagerly as
l)omiiii(]nc and IMioiise.

'' Isii''t it good ? "' said Rap, as lie neared the bottom
of the ])o\vL "Scrape, scrape, scrape," said Nat's
spoon for answer.

'■fC TJC r^ 7|C Sft

Tlie boys were very ninch disaj)pointed at tlie con-
dition of the snow that nun-ning. The wind liad blown
all night and drifted it so badly tlnit tlie liiils were
qnite bare, and coasting was impossible, while sonic of
the little hollows were full.

"In my day coasting never amounted to anything
bef(>re Christmas," said the Doctor ; "these early snow
flurries sel(htm lie eveidy. One thing, Nat, if Nez will
lend you a pair of snow-shoes and siiow you how to use
tliem, you can practise nicely down there at the foot of
the sloju'."

" r should thiidv I could walk on them without being
taught how," said Nat. "The snow-shoes Toiiu'tte
showed me yesterday looked something like tennis
rackets with toe loops and aid\le-ties to keep them on.
Sliding along with them would be just as easy as any-
thing."

" So you think. If you succeed in walking ten steps
on them to-day, you shall have a pair of your own. We
schlom liave snow, down at the I'arm, deep enougli to
make such things necessary, though you might liiid
thi'Mi usel'ul in goijig to school some morning aftcra
storm lu'foi'c the roads arc^ broken," said Mr. hliikc.
lo(»king at tlie Doctoi* willi a twinkle in his eye, wliiili
liowever Nat did not notice.

Soon tliey went out to tlie shed to have a more pin-

FOXES AND SXOW'-SirOES

109

igerly as

e bottom
lid Nat's

-J the con-
Kid blown
liills were
ie some of

I anytbing
Lnirly SHOW
f Nez will
bow to use
tbe foot of

bout being
!S ToiiH'tte

ike tennis
h) tbem on.

iisy as any-

L ten steps
own. NVe

cnou^li to
luuiJfld linil
iiii^ alter ii

eye, whii'li

I more i)ai-

ticular view of Nez' Afeinigerie, and look at Nat's Fox,
which was to be skinned for him to take liome.

•' I wonder if the tame Fox knows that the old Fox
may be one of his relatums, perhaps his grandfathei' ? "
said Rap, as the little beauty sniffed about the skin
that Nez was peeling off as neatly as a glove turned
wrong side out.

'• 1 slumld not be surprised at anything a Fox nniy
know," said the Doctor, "for in .spite of the fact that
they are continually hunted, they still manage to out-
wit IIou.se Peo[)le, and increase and live even about our
hen houses. This little Fox evidently recognizes one
of his own family. I even fancy I can see a look of
recognition in his eyes as he sniffs."

" Which do you think are the very cleverest Ameri-
can fouifoots ? " asked liap.

"The Ih'aver has a very special sort of intelligence
in the way of building his home, damming \i\) the water
necessary to protect it and in storing up food; but for
pure wit and cunning I think the dog family, or
('(iitli/(f\ nuist be given lir.st place."

••The dog family I I didn't know there were any real
Anu'riean dogs," .said Nat.

" Wolves, Foxes, and the Coyote of the plains are
first cousins of tiie dogs we keep as comi)anions.
Don't you know that we have called our hig dog Mr.
Wolf heeause he is ab(»ut the size and the shape,
lliough not tlie color, of tlu^ Timber Wolf.'"

"These I{ed Foxes look like dear litth^ collie dogs,
except that their tails are rounder," said Uap.

"You have often watehetl Mr. Wolf and (,)uiik go
liuutiiig together, starting olV as if they had a regular

200

FO Ult-FOOTED AMERICA NS

plan of ciuu[)iiigii, working to ami fro on a scent they
have found, gaUoping, sneaking, and finally stalking
their game ? "

"Oil, yes I" cried Nat, "I've often seen them, and
then wlien they come back if it's a Woodchuck or a
Muskrat or a Skunk tliey have cauglit, Mr. Wolf brings
it up to the back door and they both bark and bai k
until some one comes and tells them how clever tlicy
are. If their noses are much bitten, as they most!}' are
when they've caught a Woodchuck, they wait for Olive
to put vaseline on them. Just plain vaseline; they
don't like the kind with the carbolic smell, that yon
put on our hands when they are scratched ; it makos
them sneeze aud cough and rub their noses in the ij^rass.
1 wonder why ? "

" Jiecause the mcnd)ers of the dog family have sucli
a keen sense of smell that every odor seems many times
more i)owerful to them than to us. This is the reason
that the Fox can snudl the scent of human lingers on
tlu^ tra]) set for him unless it is dipped in water, or
snu'ared with the blood of a fowl, or some other means
is taken to divert him, and even then he may have sus-
picions."

" 1 should think baby Foxes would be very pretty."
said iiiip. "What tinu; of th(! year are they born ? I
mean to look lor some next season."

"They are b;>rn hereabont in March or Ajjril. In
May, when I was a boy. I nsi'd often to s«!e half a (Id/cii
of these bright, sliar[»-nosed little pups playing ahoiii
the entrance to their earth bnrrow, or creeping iiioiii:
tlie rocky Ie(lge or at the base ol" the hollow tnr llml
was home t»» tlnMu. Hut mamma was always sure to In

FOXKS AND syOW- SHOES

201

iieai' to warn tlieiii ot' (liinnvr, an«l they obeyed wliatever
signal slie gave them and disa})[)eared as quiekly as the
little grouse hide under the leaves."

'••Are there as many kincls ol" Foxes as there are
Kid)bits, or only one kind?" asked Nat.

•"There are about ten different kinds, or sjxx'/cs, as

the Wise Men say (1 wish you to remend)er the word).

Some of them are really tlie same animal, who wears

somewhat different fur, aeeording to the plaee where

he lives. Take this Fox of Nat's for example. We

call him the Red Fox, being in Latin lliljws fulviift.^

You see, lie has a eoat of rust color and yellow, lie

liiis two half brothers; one called the Cross Fox, uul

hecause he has a bad temjjer, but because his color is

]„ .-ly red and yellow and [)artly ashy browu, which

u . . e)'08(< mark on his shouhlers. lie is also related

t(. lUer half brotlier of our Ued Fox, the lUack or

Silver Fox, whose coat varies from dark gray to black

with a sprinkling of whitc-tii)pe(l hairs and a white tail

ti[). 'I'his condition of fur is [jrized because it is so

very rare, and as much as one or two hundred dollars

lias been paid for a siugU; skiu. No one but the very

Wise Mcu can tell these I)rotiu'rs apart half the tiuie,

and even one of the wisest of these calls our eonunon

animal the Ued-Cross-Silvcr-IMack Fox."

"Oh, deal', what a lot to rcmcuilu'r, anil after all, that
is only one kind, - .vyxv/fw, I mean."

"There arc a couple of (dhers, very distinct varieties
that you cau easily remember, -the (iray Fox and the
Iti'autiful white Arctic Fox of the I'olar regions.
"Tiic (Jray is the common Fox of the southein parts
1 Scu plate, page 158.

. i

202

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

of the coiiiitiy from the Athuitie to the Pacific. Its fur
on tlie back is a 'pepper-and-salt' gray witli a red and
white Avash on tlie throat, sides of neck, sides of body
and legs. Its head is broad, and it is neither as graceful
nor as finely furred as the Red Fox. This (iray Fox is a
more snarling, disagreeable beast than his red brothei",
but does not seem to be a Wood-thirsty hunter, and kills
merely what he needs for food. Though he is fond of
grouse, chickens, Rabbits, and the eggs and young of
game birds and domestic fowls alike, he also eats
M(;a(low Mice and several kinds of rats, which habit
should b(! set down for a good mark beside his name.

"The Gray Fox can climb well, for he has strong
curved nails that stick out beyond the furred toes, so
he often escapes from his enemies by going up trees
that may be (piite branchless for twenty or thirty feet.
He also prefers a hollow log or tree to an earth burrow
as a nest for his ])up[)ies, which are not as numerous or
as })ret(y as tliose of our Red Fox."

"• I can reminidu'r about that," said Nat. "The (Iniy
Fox luilongs to tlie south ; our Red-Cross-Silver-IMack
Fox to th(! mitldle and not too far north, and tlieu
there is ii white om^ for the very far north."

" Ves, tlie Arctic Fox, M'ho lives as near to the never-
found Xoitli Pole as men hav(f been able to go.

" lie is bundled up iiiid dressed in tlu; very best style
for an Arctic cxploicr, iind for this reason lii^ looks
more like a cur dog, and has not the dapper, tliorou<,''li-
bred ai)i)earnn('e of liis sifck red cousin. This Arctic
Fox has a bunchy body with short, round, fur-liiicd
ears, and mil's of fur which give his face a catlike
expression. Sunnner and winter his coat is white,

Its fill-
red and
of body
Q-racefid
■ Fox is a
brotlier,
and kills
s fond of
young of
also eats
ich habit
4 name,
.as strong
id toes, so
f np trees
hirty feet,
tb burrow
jnerous or

'be (J ray
ver-Ubu'k
and tbeu

tbe nevcr-

l)ost style
be looks

tboroni,'1i-
'his Arctic

, fur-liiied

> a eatliki'
is wbitf.

Aufiu Kox.

FOXES AND SyOW-SIlOES

203

hut by Angiist the inider-fur begins to thicken, and
when this Fox wears his heavy winter coat ami is all
Avhite, with the exception of his light brown eyes, black
nose, and brown claws, he is indeed a beautiful animal.
The under-fur is soft and thick, even the soles of the
feet being well padded to give their owners a firm foot-
ing in travelling on ice, as well as for warmth. The
tail is short and very bushy, while the longer fur is
tliieker on tlie back than underneath."

'•' What does this Fox eat 'way up there, and does he
luiike a home burrow in the snow ? " asked Nat. " I
should think he would be awfully wild, and he must
work very hard for a living."

" There are no hen roosts to rob, but you nuist not
forget the Arctic breeding birds and the Polar Hares.
Many an anxious day this white Fox must give the
Siiowflake in its lowly nest, while the Eider Duck and
(ireat Snow Goose must think this four-footed snow-
drift a veritable spirit of evil. The little ground-
i)urrowing Lemming also helps to fill up the chinks in
Mr. Fox's stomach. Then there are the bits of flesh
and fat that the Polar Bear leaves behind when he lias
('a[itured a fat Seal, and fish are to be had for the
cateliing or often the picking up. In such a place
tlie Fox docs not have to look for a refrigerator in
wliich to stow away sj)are scraps for the next meal.
I"v(^ often wondered liow he manages to get his nu»at
into the over-ripe state that all the dog family consider
80 delicious."

" IMease, uncde," interrupted Nat, "why do dogs like
spoiled meat so much better than fresh? Quick always
i'oUn and rubs his head on any old fish or dead bird he

204

FO Ult-FOOTED AMElllCANS

«i

!■

finds, and Olive lias to keep two collars for liim ; as slie
says, ' one to wear and one to air.' "

" It is an unsettled (question why this rolling is done ;
bnt it is a fact that the dog family, with a few excep-
tions, are as fond of rolling in carrion as a cat is of
catnip. The Arctic Fox is more clean and particular
than his cousins, perhaps because he has less chance of
having spoiled meat left on his hands, and his odor is
far less disagreeable than that of the Red Fox.

" The Arctic Foxes live in burrows between earth
and rocks," continued the Doctor, " very much like
their more southern cousins ; but instead of being wilder
tliey are much less sly and suspicious than other Foxes.
It is easy to see the reason of this. They live beyond
the usual reach of civilized man, and the Eskimo who
hunts them seldom uses firearms, so these Foxes stop
to look at pursuers or bark at them from the doors of
their dens very much like half- wild dogs. They fall
into the simplest kinds of traps and count their worst
enemies the Polar Hear and ever-hungry Wolf, who
vie with the . in hardiness. Tlien, too, tliey enjoy the
safety of color protection, — snow-white fur to blend
with the snow itself."

" Talking of Foxes," said Mr. lilake, coming across
the shed where he had been helping Nez fold the Fox
skin, fur in, so that it could be carried back to the fanii
to be cured, "do you know how Foxes defend them-
selves when they fight each other ? "

"No," said Kap, "unless they bite and scratch I "

"They stand at a little distance apart growling and
snapi)ing ; when one springs, the otiier brings round
his bushy tail to act like a shield to his head and throat.

as si

is clone ;
\v excep-
cat is of
(articular
[iliance of
is odor is

•

een earth
audi like
ing wilder
ler Foxes,
^e beyond
dvinio who
j'oxes stop
te doors of
They fall

heir worst
SVolf, who
enjoy the

r to bli'ud

liing- across
Id the Fox
to the farm
fend tliein-

latch ! "'
|)wling and
ings round
land throiit.

FOXES AND SNOW-SHOES

205

so that all that his adversary ^ets is a mouthful of
fur."

" Isn't that clever ! Have you ever seen them do it,
daddy ? " said Nat.

'*No, but a friend of mine — the man who made all
the pictures in your uncle's portfolio and knows so
luueh of the w^ays of this family of Wolves and Foxes
that he is called 'Wolf by his friends — sa}^ it is so."
''• You know," said the Doctor, " 1 told you long ago
that every animal has something that serves either as a
tool or a weapon, and if you listen to all there is to
hear about the tails of our fourfoots, you will lind that
they are even more useful than ornamental. The big
tail, or brush, of the Fox, as hunters call the prize they
seek, may be a trap to catch burrs and a dead weight
to carry wlien it is water soaked; but you see it is a
shield both in battle and to keep paws and nose warm
(luring winter naps."
" Can Foxes swim ? " asked Nat.
"As easily as dogs," said Mr. IJlake. "I know a
story about a very clever Fox, whose fur, one summer,
was full of fleas who bit him so cruelly that he went in
swinuning to cool himself. The fleas, not wishing to
he drowned, climbed up on his head, which was the
only dry part of him.

''The Fox felt very comfortable for a while, but
when he went ashore and shook himself dry, the fleas
([uickly went back to their old hiding-places. This
hothered the Fox a good deal, and he tliought about
the matter for a great many days, when he lay in his
den hiding from the bright light, in which you know
very few of our fourfot)ts care to be seen.

' i ; '

206

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

" ' I liave it ! ' lie said to liimself. That night there
was a full moon. The Fox went down to the river
where the light came in beautifid silver stripes between
the trees. He pulled several bunches of old, worn fur
from his tail, and made them into a ball which he held
between his front teeth, so that the fur rested against
the end of his nose, then he walked slowly and care-
fully into the water and began swimming up and down.

" Soon the fleas collected on top of his head, as usual.
Then he let himself sink lower and lower until only the
tip of his nose and the ball of hair remained dry ; tlie
fleas crawled to his very nose tip. When he drew tliat
under water also, they took refuge in the ball of fur.
Quick as a flash the Fox let go the ball, and, diving,
swam back to shore, where he stood laughing a^ the hall
became water soaked and the fleas were drowned ! "

"Oh, daddy, is that a real true story? Did your
Wolf friend tell it to you ? "

" I don't remember that he did, but until we meet
the clever Fox who drowned the fleas, and hear wliat
he has to say about it, no one can prove the story

untrue."

« m « « «

" If you reckon on tryin' these snow-shoes, you had
better come down in the holler before it gits any
softer," said Nez, bringing out the shoes. This par-
ticular pair was very simple, made of a hickory strip.
bent in an oblong until the ends met. These ends were
fastened firndy together, and bridged in the centre by
a cross-piece. This frame, which really looked sduic-
thing between a lacrosse bat and a tennis racquet, was
latticed with strips of rawhide cut thinner than slioe

FOXES AND SNOW-SHOES

207

laces. In front of the cross-bar was a little opening,
to let the toes move when the foot Avas fastened to the
bar, by slipping through a stirrup-like loop. These
shoes were a trifle less than four feet long, and a foot
and a half across at the broadest part.

'' You stick to the regular model, I see," said the
Doctor.

" Yes, I do ; the mighty long ones and the round
ones may have their uses in places and si)ots, but I
don't want none of 'em," said Nez.

On arriving at the hollow, Nez slipped his feet into
the loops, and went across the drift with slow, even
strides, swinging one foot over and past the other, his
hands in his pockets, his body bending slightly for-
ward. The boys were surprised to see that the shoes
sunk several inches into the snow.

" 1 thought they would help you keep on top," said
Nat ; "I don't think they are much better than boots."

'* For a small snow like this, they are not," said Olaf,
who had come up from the direction of the river.
"But fancy to yourself a snow eight feet deep or ten,
without a crust to hold you up. How should one walk
on it ? At the first step one sinks, at the second one
would fall and smother. AVith snow-shoes one may go
on, sinking but a little, and if many men walk one after
the other, soon a good trail is made. Beneath this trail
may he the frozen sea or the deep ravine, but tlie snow-
shoe will not let the wearer sink to it. The suow-sIkx^
i means food and life in the far northlands. There Nat-
iure gives it to the fourfoots themselves — from the fur
jfoot-[)iul of the Fox to the widening hoof of the
h'lii'iljou."

208

FO UR-FOOTED AMERICANS

Meanwhile Nez Avalked across several times in the
same tracks, to make an easier path for Nat, who was
impatient to try his luck.

" Now be careful," called i\[r. Blake and the Doctor
together, as Nat l)alanced himself on the shoes, feelincr
that his feet were unnaturally far apart. One step,
another, and Nat's feet had collided, his left shoe step-
ping on the heel of the right, making him nearly turn a
somersault and land head down in the snow, gasping
and struggling.

The pai'ty laughed heartily, for Nat had been so very
confident of success.

''If that were big snow he were lost!" said Olaf.
" If you feel to slip, stoop down, that you do not t oiiie
off, so — " and Olaf squatted to show his meaning.

Nat was picked up and tried again, but this tinu; lie
spread his legs so far apart to keep from interfeiin«|'
that he could not bring them together again, and stood
still laughing, his arms crossed to keep him from si^rinvl-
ing, as if he were a model for a fancy letter A.

" Never mind," said the Doctor, " you will learn bv
practice if we have nuu^h snow this winter, for I ain
going to ask Nez and Olaf if, between them, they c.iii-
not rig us up half a dozen pairs of snow-shoes, so tlmt
all the household at the farm can have walks over the
fields when the roads are choked and impassable."

" How jolly I " cried Nat, and then stopped as he saw
the wistful look on Kap's face and remembered that
snow-shoes wonld be of no use to him.

" We must have one of those flat toboggan sleds, too,
uncle," he added (pdckly, smiling at Rap, "and thcnw
can take turns in dragging Dodo and mother, for they

FOXES AND SNOlV-SIfOEH

209

Deen so very

would 1)6 sure to be tired, and Iviip eaii ride on it, too,
whenever lie wants to come."

"I'm glad to have you introduced to snow-shoes,"
said Mr. Blake, " because tliey hold an important part
ill the life-history and hunting of some of our biggest
oiune, as well as furnish the ' reason whv ' some of our
nohlest animals, like the Moose, are following the
IVatfalo to the Happy Hunting (i rounds."

Olaf, Nez, Toinette's l)rotiier, and the Doctor v ere
talking earnestly together as Mr. Blake turned toward
them, and the boys heard the words, "deer," "sharp
tracks," "fine buck," "last night," ending with Nez'
usual exclamation of surprise, " Want to know I "

"Jacque lias seen a Deer two miles below here,"
said Olaf, "in a cleared bit in the woods. He saw
liiui in the snow last night, but was not quite sure
because of the drift. Early to-day he saw the sure
prints, and later the Deer himself browsing with two
does, where the wind had bared the grass."

" Deer were plenty all along here and over toward
the farm in my father's day," said the Doctor ; "it will
be wonderful if they are straying back again from
some overcrowded feeding ground."

"Perhaps they liave run away from a MeiiPTerie,"
suggested Nat.

"I think not," said the Doctor; "it is evidently a
little family party starting off to explore for itself.
At any rate we will not welcome them wi.ii bullets in
the usual fashion, but after making sure of their where-
abouts leave them in peace."

" Who knows, Nez, but we may be able to turn your
bit of woods here into a place for preserving and pro-

! • I

210

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

fill

tectiiig some of our fouifoots, and mako you chief
gamekeeper and ft)rester general."

" I'm willin', Doe, but 1 must get a peep at 'em to
make sure," said Xez, his sporting blood throbbing.

"Yes," added Olaf, "we will go down tliis afternoon
to make sure that the Dream Fox has not been showing
his picture book to the good Jacque."

"If you will keep me, I will stay and go with you;
I must," said Mr. lUake, capering about as gleefully as
Nat or Dodo when they suspected a surprise.

" 1 shall take the others to the liidge then and come
back and wait here one, two, three days more then, until
you are read}-," said Olaf, looking pleased.

"Which reminds me tliat we must be starting home-
ward in less tlian an hour," said the Doctor, looking at
his watcli.

"Oh, r want to see the Deer too ! " (iried Nat.

" Sorry to say no to anytliing so temj)ting ; but i
promised to bring you botli safely back to your motlieis
to-niglit. Who knows, liowever," said tiie Doctor,
cheerfully, "but tiiese same Deer may stray over to the
farm woods and make a visit ! "

Tliey went back to the cabin for early dinner ami
to say "good-by" to Toinette and tlie boys and niako
them promise to return the visit by coming to tin
(^iiristmas party at the farui. 'J'liey found the boys
waiting with a stout l)ag l)etween them, in which \\;\>
sometliing that nu)ved about a great deal.

" Wluit have you there — tiie lN>rcui)ine ? " usknl
the Doctor.

" liilly ('oon," replied IMionse, plucking up couriij;i'|
to speak.

FOXES AND SNOW-SHOES

211

*' They maku a gift to you of the Coon to be your
ami, your friend, to take a la viaison, to your 'ouse,"
L'xplained Toinulte.

The l)oys were deliglitud, of course. " jNIannny Hun
will think we have l)rougiit her an okl friend; but I'm
not sure what your luollier and tlie dogs will say," said
tliu i)octor in an undertone.

mm « m m

Tiie journey home passed like a flash, and six o'eloek
saw Uap seated l)y the stove iu liis mother's little
Idtclien eliatlering of all the wonders of the trip, end-
iii^' l>y telling her that her mink muff had onee killed
chifkens, while she listened as eagerly as if lie had
niado a voyage round the world. ■

Meanwhile the Doctor decided that the Coon was to
•;(» ill tlie barn, and not be introduced to the family
until next day. Dodo was being entertained by Nat,
ami was so interested that she almost forgot to eat her
siijiper, and afterward coaxed her uncle into bringing
till' portfolio of pictures into tlio wonder room, that
slie iiiight lo(tk at all the Foxes and other litth; fur
bearers, liut when she came to the picture of tlie l*or-
i'Ui)ine and heard its story, she gave a little sliiver and
uxclaimed, '" I'm glad now I stayed at home, for if I liad
seen liiiii iu tlie <lark, I should have jiuuped up and
sdvanuMl, and tlu-n y(>u wouldn't have heard him siug,
and most likely he would have stuck me so full of
inickles that I couldn't sew my Christujas presents ! "

ISBV'fi

WOLF!

one

" liistoii. and I will Icll v<tu (lici stcn'v of tlic irrciit
(ii'iiy Wdir, \vli()S(? picture! you liavo Iutc, and alsn
about liis I ll«' hai'kiiijL^' hrotlici'. tl;" Coyote."

"It is sure to !><' a, jl,^oo(I Li'-cc story," said Dodo,
"hecausi! Wolves Ljolilde jjeople, you know. W'litii
you lived far away, were you good friends with Wolvts
unel(( ? "

*'Uur American Wolves are not man-eaters as some

912

.hoose one

1 * ''

^?" asked

rday, wlieii

■

to select ii

choose this

siiid Niit;

If \ ^

looks as if

iioH'd to it."

in'iutcd on

w\ f

>, any trai),

WkF >

nove."

m '''■•/ '

Doctor, set-

pi of skins

'a(liii;jf then)

)l" the ^nr;U

(', and iilsii

■ ^^i^

* «

■ M.,^^1

said l)o(li).

,o\v. Wlu'ii

vitli Wolves.

■■«^>r*;;-

[I'l's as sonio

TiMHKK Woi-r.

if^ il llij

in;/ hh

•'iK'll ()|

WOLF!

213

! i

of their Old Win-lcl brothers are thought to be, but say-
iiio- that I am a friend of Wolves and know all about
thiiiii — that is quite a different matter."

" A Wolf has no friends ; he is hated by twofoots
and fourfoots alike. As for knowiii// all about Wolves
we may know some things and think we know others,
but the comings and goings of a Wolf are as mysterious
as the track of the wind itself. Tliey move from place
to place so suddenly and so swiftly that it would be
easy to believe they flew on tlie storm, as witclies were
said to do on broomsticks."

" Why do you say that some Wolves in other coun-
tries are thoiu/ht to eat people — don't you believe they
do ? " asked Nat.

*' riiey may sometimes, but it is best not to believe
all that is said alxmt animals; for there are a great
many of what Rap calls " boast stories' floating around,
I'spei'ially about Wolves. [The Wolf is one of the easi-
est aiiiiuals to see doubled and hear (luadrui)led.^ One
may believe that a whole pack is outside the tent, bent
on tearing you limb from limb, or swallowing you,
sleeping blanket and all, when it is really oiUy one
mangy starveling, snifling about for scraps of bacon or
a hit of venison you have cached a little carelessly."

''("ashed ! " said Nat. "• I thought cash was money.
II(AV could you make money out of meat, uncle?"

'•('ached, with a r, means hidden. It's a word that
ramc from the French, round by way of the Canadian
voyageurs. It is in common use in camp talk ; a i-ache
is a hiding-place. The (iray S(|uirrel, instead of oach-
uuj liis nuts all in one [)liice as a Red Squirrel does, puts
t'acli one in a separatt? cai'Iu'."

214

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

"Oil, yes, I can mule rstancl that," said Dodo.

" When the Squirrel goes to find a nut, he phi} s
cache-cache then, for that is what French chihlren call
hide-and-seek," said Olive, hiughing.

" Wolves all over the world bear very much the same
character. The Wolf is an emblem of deceit and cun-
ning. A Wolf, in the legend, ate lied Riding Hood's
grandmother and tried to trick the child herself. When
it is said of peo])le, ' They have hard work to keep
the Wolf from the door,' it means that want, or some
trouble as cruel and cunning as a Wolf, is threatening
them. The (J ray Wolf, whose skin (the larger of the
two) lies there on the floor, is, next to the (irizzly Bear,
the most cruel and desperate of our fourfoots. Yet ho
is a coward ; if he Avere not he would have given battle
to the death to thousands of the pioneers who, as it was,
struggled inch by inch in face of desperate dangers to
settle this country. Why the Wolf is such a cowiud
no one knows ; but, fortunately, he is, or his race would
not yet have been driven back until even the sight of
a Wolf, except in a part of the West from Texas to
North Dakota, is a great rarity."

" If this old Wolf skin could only tell what it knows.
the story would not be a dull one. I^ook at it tlieiv.
with its long bristling gray and black hair, briii(iU'(l
with traces of an undcr-ciolor of yellowish brown at its
base. 'IMie under-fur is soft brown, while on the belly
both hair and t'ur are white. There is a bit of buff alsn
about its lace, ears, uiid Hanks. See its black whiskt'is.
the slantwise eye holes, pointed ears, and straight, busliy
tail.

"The body and head are both long. This Wolf

WOLF!

215

he pities
klreu cull

I the same
t and Clui-
ng Hood's
If. When
•k to keep
it, or some
lireateuiug
•ger of the
riz'/Ay Hear,
:s. Yet lie
riven battle
10, as it was,

must have been four feet and a half from nose tip to
root of tail. Ah, yes, you handle the empty skin freely
enough ; but give it life, let the strong white dog teeth
snap in its jaws, the bright eyes gleam, and its long-
drawn howl come from the black lips, and you would
not stay near it long. If it only could si)eak ! " said
tlic Doctor, pausing and looking at the fire.

"' Wough-ow-ow owou-ough," sounded a weird voice
outside the door. " Wough-oble-oble-oble-ough-o-u-
gooow ! "

"• I lorrors, what is that ? " cried Olive, startled from
her usual calmness.

"■ It's Wolves ! " screamed Nat and Rap.

"• A wliole pack, but they've come for bacon scraps,
they don't want us," shivered Dodo, trying to seem
brave.

Even the Doctor was a little startled, but the sus-
pense only lasted a moment. It was broken b}- a ring-
ing laugh which, even before he came in, they all knew
belonged to Mr. Hlake.

'^ Oh, daddy ! daddy ! " said Dodo, " I didn't know !
How can you be such an intimate friend of Wolves
that you could cry their cry, when uncle says they
have no friends ? "

" I'm not sure that I am a friend of theirs either,''
said Mr. Blake, throwing himself down on the wolf-
skin rug; "but I've been among them where they live,
and have heard their talk, and have seen their work."

"Tcdl tliem your story of this WoU skin, then," said
the Doctor: so after thinking for a few moments, Mr.
Blake Ix'gan : —

" Kvery one knows the name of Wolf. This animal

216

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

is sometimes called Gray Wolf, and the Wise Men now
say Timber Wolf ; but the simple word Wolf stands for
both cruelty and cunning. His family history, from
the time the white men came to settle in this land, is
full of dark deeds and darker punishments. The Ind-
ians repeat many tales about him, and tell how that
long ago the Wolf ate of the meat of knowledge. This
meat was the flesh of the great wide-eared, hornless
Deer who is no longer living, but who was so wise
in his day that he taught the winds how to blow.
Whoever among the fourfoots should take one of these
Deer by fair hunting, and eat its flesh, won great
wisdom for his race, with keen eyes to read hidden sign
languages and a nose to scent every message of the
wind.

" The l^ear only licked a bit of this magical meat ;
this brought it cunning and stupidity. The Fox, being
too small to hunt it, nibbled at a piece he did not kill ;
this gave him cunning, together with the penalty that
he should be hunted by the beasts of his own tribe.
The Puma seized a piece of flesh another beast had
hidden, and so was given cunning and a sure, swift leap,
but heavy paws tliat weigh in running. Then a Wolf
slew tlie last wing-eared Deer of all, not by fair chase,
but by trap and treachery, so that the Deer in dying
branded tlie Wolf a coward.

"'Hunt and lui ever hunted,' he shrieked. 'Hunt
with hanging liead and tail ; liuut treacherously witli
wile and snare, for you will have grcji^ need of cunning.
An enemy comes from far across the seas, who walks
upright as Bears walk, having a moon-white face, in
one hand carrying fire, and in tlie otiier the fine white

WOLF !

217

earth that kills,^ and he shall likewise devise magic
Avands to spring and hold you fast.

" ' You will wage war together, this man and you,
but he will conquer. And as a punishment for your
way of killing me, you shall fear lo kill him, for your
real name is Coward ! '

''So after many years the white men came from over
seas and settled, though at first there were but few,
and the Wolves still roamed at will about the country
— from the land where the snow never melts, down
through the woods and plains to where the Rio Grande
runs slantwise through the country and the prickly
Peccaries and cacti live. The northern Wolves were
large and grizzly ; but those in the hot south were
smaller and had thinner fur. Wolves wore handsome
robes in those days, and had as many names as Bobo-
links. They were called White Wolves and Black in
tlie northwest. Red Wolves in tlie cactus country, and
Gray Wolves everywhere.

"There wer<' some smaller Wolves, v/ho were less
savage and less swift of foot than their brothers, more
doglike and talkative, who babbled the secrets of the
tribe and liked to hang about the homes of House
People, rather than live in woods or caves. The larger
Wolves disliked them, because they were afraid lest
they should tell tribe secrets ; so they turned these
small ones out U> be a tribe apart, to feed on meaner
ijfame, and snatcli and steal in oi)eii places.

"These small Wolves were given charge over sheep,
Jack Kabbits, and such timid things, and men called
them Coyotes (ground burro wcrs). But tlie Coyote is

1 Stryrlinine.

218

F0UR-F001\ED AMERICANS

»
€'

'•:«

;|i

fii

also a cunning huntsman, and lays his own traps and
chases Antelope on the plains ; yet to-day there is
hatnd between the two tribes, and, if a hungry Timber
Wolf meets his little brother, he will often eat him !

"Look at that Coyote skin on the settle; you can see
it is of a finer texture than this Gray Wolf robe. It is
sOi-'tly furred, a dark ripple running from head to tail
and across the brindled slioulders, it has white lips, a
rusty face, and a black tip to the tail, and measures a
full tail length shorter than this Gray Wolf's pelt.
The Coyote is little more than a vagabond wild dog,
who barks and howls around the edges of settlements,
licking his lips when a lamb bleats or a cock crows.

" When the Buffalo herds blackened the plains, the
Gray Wolves lived by following them, snatching the
calves or killing the wounded and feeble old ones.
Then great bands of Deer, Elk, Antelope, furnished
them with food at all seasons ; for Wolves with their
spreading feet could follow these heavy, sharp-hoofed
beasts over the deep snow, through which they sank,
and, spent and overcome, soon became the Wolves'
prey.

" As the country was settled, the Wolves crept back ;
for whether the Indian's tale was true or not, a spell
seemed to i)revent their killing men. Gun, trap, and
poison were all turned at the Wolves, who were also
chased with dogs ; but still they worked mischief among
horses, flocks, and herds, and still the cry among the
frontiersmen was ' Wolf ! Wolf ! how shall we destroy
him?' '^

" Wolves have another fault besides sneak hunting,
they break Nature's law, 'Take what ye. need to eat;'_

WOLF !

219

and kill in times of plenty as if for the mere greed of
killing, snatching a bite here, a fragment there, then
wasting all the rest. They also have one virtue, which
is common enough among the birds, but rare in four-
foots, — tjiey love their mates; and a friend of mine
wlio knows Wolves as well as we know people, tells a
stoiy of the fiercest, slyest Wolf of all the southwest,
Avlio, in despair at having lost his mate, rushed lieadlong
into a trap.

''The home life of the AVolf is very short. His house is
only a hole under some roots, or a sheltering cave, which
covers half a dozen little woolly puppies in the late
spring. Then the Wolves are happy, for it is the season
when the Deer are fattening on the young gi-ass and
wear soft new horns. From this time follows six months
of good living, then half a year that is a war with
famine. Wolves do not sleep the lazy winter sleep like
Bears, but hunt in packs, plotting to make a living like
human thieves. If it had not been that long ago they
ate the meat of knowledge, they ^vould be gone and no
one would understand the cry of Wolf I As it is, there
arc still many of them in the northwest grazing country,
and they increase here and there mysteriously from
Texas to North Dakota even if men continually hunt
and harry them and Deer are few ; for if bread fails
them, they relish cake, by which I mean to say that, if
they can't find venison, they are quite content with veal
and mutton.

" All fourfoots understand the speech of scent, more
or less, but Wolves certainly are wise with uncommon
wisdom and have a wonderful sign and scent language,
if one of the tribe dies of poison, the others will not eat

ti ■ r

ii I'ii

■iil

I 'i

M' :i!:

220

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

food scraps in that place. Does a Wolf of some ot)' ;r
tribe run by, driven by fear; lie may not be even seen,
but he writes in his track and stopping-places the
message that he wishes other Wolves to know. Every
hair that bristles on a Wolf's back has its own mean-

ing.

"Now listen to the story of this Wolf, whose skin
is on the floor. He and his mate hunted togetlier,
often dashing at a horse or Deer, tearing its running
sinews from behind, with tlieir sharp teeth, or some-
times picking up a calf that ran beside its motlier.
always having good eating. Often they would find
a Deer's trail, running from its day cover to a spring.
or to its dainty wood pasturage. The Wolves did not
wish to run together openly, for Deer are very swift.
and would lead them a weary race, so they would sniff
the night wind and get before it so that it might not tell
their doings to the Deer. The wind is fickle, an enemy
to all hunters, always carrying along the latest gossip.
Then one wolf would lie hidden by the runway, while
his mate would show herself openly, and drive the
Deer, at first gently, tlien fiercely, until it would rim
blindly in a circle (a habit of the family) to its first
cover, past the very spot where the other Wolf lay like
a living trap; one spring brought down the Deer and
then the pair feasted at leisure."'

" Oh, then that is what 'A Trap ' means on this
picture. The Wolf was a trap for the Deer," waiil
Dodo. "Hut how did the Wolf come to die and lie
made into this rug ? " ^

" Bad days came soon after to the pair. The she- 1
wolf vanished, House People cleared tlie timber from

• I

WOLF!

221

that place and shot most of tlie Deer to feed tliemselves.
The next winter was bitter cold, and yet the snow was
not deep enough for our AVolf to chase and overcome
wliat Deer remained. So he prowled too recklessly
about a camp, and one night stepped into a trap that
grijjped his leg, that hind leg that you see now wears
no toot. The Wolf struggled in vain to pull himself
away, and then with awful bites gnawed himself free,
leaving his foot fast in the trap.

" Soon he grew hungrier and hungrier; he could find
no food. Then, being desperate, he said, ' I would even
kill a man ! '

"Early the next night he stole down to the camping
place, but he found no one there, and the campfire was
nearly out. Wolves do not like lire — and he thought,
'Surely this is my chance, perhaps tliey have left some
food,' so he stalked in as boldly as his mangled leg al-
lowed. Then he stopped, for lie scented man ! Soon
he went on again, for stretched in the corner lay a
bundle in a blanket, — a man, but hurt and helpless.

" The signs said, ' This man went out hunting with
his friends, he lost their track, he fell and broke his leg,
his gun is buried in the snow, he crawled back alone to
shelter.' Then again the signs whispered to the Wolf
as he hesitated, ' Kill him ! He is yours. He set the
trap that robbed you of your foot.'

" Tlie Wolf growled defiantly and crouched beside the
bundle, Avaiting until it should give some sign of life to
j>'ivo tlie rending bite. The bundle moved and raised
itself, fixing its eyes upon the Wolf, look for look !

" The Wolf glared, but saw in those two human eyes
a light that never is in the eyes of beasts. His breath

■(

222

FO Uli -FOOTED A ME RICA NS

'f^;

blew coldly back to him, lie shivered, for in his heart
he was a coward. He longed to bite, and yet he did
not dare.

" The sleeping fire ontside, that marked the camp,
shot ont a flaming tongne. Tlie Wolf started, cronclied,
fearing to pass it. Tiien scenting on the wind tliat
other men were coming, he slunk ont and, not stoppino'
to read the signs, seized a lnni[) of meat, bolted it, and
ran until he readied the wood edge.

"The tramp of many feet bent the ice crust, hurried
words came from tlie camp, mingled with the cry of
Wolf ! and the crash of logs. The tire lea[)ed higli.
Fire also burned within the Wolf; then came the end
— the scrap of meat that he liad swallowed lield tliu
fine white earth tliat kills ! "'

« ^ « ^ 9K

"Oil I I was so afraid the poor man would he eaten,"
said Dodo, with a sigh of satisfaction. '' Who was tliu
man, daddy? — for there must have really lieen a man.
or the skin of the Wolf with one foot gone wouldn't
have been found."

" Was it yourself ? " asked Olive.

vf^ ^ '1^ ^ ^

At that moment a scream from the kitchen turntil
theii' thoughts in another direction, so they hurried out
to tind the cause.

It was easily seen. Hilly Coon, who had escaped un-
noticed from the camp while the Wcdf story was in
j)rogress, in attempting to iielp himscdf to some hrcinl
dough tliiit Wiis rising by the lire, hiid fallen into llif
soft mass, and at Mannny's scream (dimbcd to llic tdp
shelf of the dresser, where he sat, streaming dough.

XVI

COUSINS OF CATS

lie liiid no ih'imI (o liolilcii liis hclt iiiid n'o lo IkmI to
keep wiU'iM. To Itc sure, lie did sl('e|i ncjirlv all ihiy
(•iiil('(l 111* ill tlie liny riu'k over Cumct's slid!, Wiikiui;'
II]) lit'l'oro diu'k I'iicli iiii^'ht let dt'visc fivsli misrliicr.

The Iced and outs were Ivcpl in Imis id><>\(' llic s(iil»l(\
coiiiiccti'd l»y i\ lony", woodt-ii slioul witli (lir sliills Ih»-
liiw. OiM' ni^dit l)illy piilkMl open (lie lilth! si«»l over

224

FOUR-FOOTED AMllTtlCANS

':)

Comet's manger, and when Rod arrived in the morning
lie fonnd the trotter staiulin»>' in a pond of oats, having
eaten so mncli that he hail to talve a (h)se of medicine
and iiave his stomach rnhbed with a broom handle to
cure his colic. For the stomach of a horse is so hiiilt
that when colic once gets inside it is very difficult to
get it out again.

Another evening liilly escaped unnoticed, before Rod
closed the barn, and went into the house cellar. Tiiere
he feasted and revelled all night, only to frighten
Mammy Hun nearly out of her wits, when she went
down to get the potatoes to bake for breakfast, by ani-
bling out at her, (lri[)ping with molasses from the ju<f
which lie liad overturned. This [)articular evening lie
had engaged in a sliglit difference of opinion with
<^uick over a jthite of scrai)s, and so kei)t prudeiith
.i[)on tiie ('am[) rafters, while Quick and Mr. Wolf
eved him in a way that meant trouble for his riiiy-
tailed Furshiu.

Won't you please ciioose thi' tliree Cats witii

nil

bod

ICS

aid l)od(t to Olive, whose turn it w;is ti

select tile picture lor the story.

" I was tiiinkingof choosing the Cats," rei)lied OUvf,
'• 'I'liere are a couple mor(f pictures beside those. Ali,
here they are ! The sjMttted Ocelot, lying in wail in a
tree, and the IMiniii, hunlinu' i^lk."

Tliere is another a little I'lirther over,

ai(

1 I

Jill

"a lean, weaselly-looking beast with a thick tail. It i-
calle»l Civel Cat, though it lias ii Fox lace andaCoim
tail.

" You may take out the pictures with the otlici

COUSIXS OF CATS

225

e morning
its, luiviiio'
i medic 1 lie
liandle to
is so ))uilt
ditiicult to

l)efore Hod
hir. Tliei'L'
to frighten
n she went
last, by iHii-
■om tlie ju*;'
evening;' \w
pillion \vitli
,t pi'udeiitly
A Mr. Woit
or his riu^-

ats with 110
II it WHS t(i

those. All.
in wait in a

." Miid Kai
•1; tail, h'

t!iuiii4h it is not a Cat at all, hut it is a good chance to
tell von wliy it is not," said the Doctor.

■•'IMiis Northern Civet Cal, or Cacomistle (Bush Cat)
iis I he Wise Men call it, thongli it belongs in the south-
west part of the country, has niore names than there

Civirr Cat

lire (lays ni the week, and all heeause iii ajjpearaui'e
jiiil kihits it is a sort of patchwork resembling, from
(lil'IVrciil |»oiiits of view. Coon. Fo\. Cat. and S(,uirrel.
"In killing Itirds ami rol)bi ig nests it t'ollows the
ilnusc Cat. and like it prowls at night and makes an
the otln'i^K .iimising |iet. Its body, covered with Coon-grav I'nr,

226

FO UR- FOOTED A MEU ICA NS

is about eighteen iiielies long and ends in sueli a tliit k,
ringed tail, that yon say Coon at once, and it does he-
h)ng in tlie Raccoon family, and is tlie very least cousin
of the Hear, in spite of its catlike ears, whiskers, and
slender, litiie body. The Civet (-at also makes its honiu
in hollow branches or stuni[)s like the Coon, and as it
clind)s and dodges about, it might easily be taken for ;i
wide-eared S(juirrel, exce[)t for its tail. You see, here
is anothei' case where the tail tells

f "

After placing the pictures carefully in a row below
the ma[), animal tree, and ladder for climbing it, the
children came back to the tire, near whicii, on the set-
tle. Dr. Roy had thrown three skins — plain, s[)otl('(l.
and streaked.

'"How many si)ecies of Cats are there in Noiili

America

asked Olive.

*' Nine : liv<^ with higli shoulders, siiort fur, and loiio'
tails, like tiiose of their c(msins the Lion, Tiger, and
IIousi! Cat, and four of the l^ynx variety, witii shoi-t or
bobtails, long Huffy fur, liigh back legs, and sharply

intcd

I'ars.

All but one of th(^ lono'-tailcd varicti

t'S

belong lo (be southwest, being much more at home in
Central and tro[)ical America than near the Cnitcil
Stat(^s boi'dei'. Beginning with the largest, thcv ;iiv
called tilt' -lagnar, the Puma, the Ocelot, the Vagiiii-
rnndi Cat, and the l\vra Cat, the last two being ((Hii-
parativcly unknown. Tlie I'uma and the ( )celoi ;iiv
tlic only ones tlial conccM'ii us.

"•(>!' the four boinail Cats, or IiVn\es. tbc Caiiiuli:

liVnx belongs to the noi'tli.

Til

spotted

and

IM;

llt'iii

liyiix belong to tbc southwest, leaving us in the mid-
dle und southeast states tlu! Bay Lynx, or Wildcat.ih

COUSINS OF CATS

227

h a tliu k,
t d(ies be-
ast consin
skers, and
s its lioiue
1, aiul as it
aken i'ov a
u see, lievc

row Ih'Iow
)ing it, till'

on tbe set-
lin, spotted,

e ill Xorlli

\v, and long
Ti^jfer, and
itli slioi't (ir
md sharply
lied varietios
at lionu' in
the Unitod
'St, they an'
tlu' Ya|4u;i-
l)t'ing coin-
. Octdot ;\iv

tlu" Caiiad.;
Ian. I riatrau
in ihi' mid-
Wildcat. 11^

he is everywhere called. They all have four toes on
the hind feet and five on the front, and their tongues
are covered with haekward-pointed prickles."

'' There are long-tailed Wildcats in our woods !
!{(((! says so, and I saw them, for they come down to
the harnyard to get swill, and they took some of the
s([ual)s from the pigeon house," said Nat. " They are
dark l)rown and black stri[)ed, and have fat, bunchy
cheeks, and crawl low down in the grass, us if they tried
to ]ii(k'."

''You are both rigiit and wrong," laughed Doctor Roy.
'''idiese cats are wild in one sense, because they live in
the woods, hunt for a living, and are tierce and shy ; but
tliev are the children of Uiww iiouse or barn cats and
no more like the real L^/nc rufna, than we should be
like Indians if we went to t*ie v.'oods, dressed in moc-
casins and blankets, iind painted our faces.

" In speaking of the l{ab!)>ts, I think I told you how
much hel() the length and shape of tludr tails give in
naming them."

"Yes. I remember," said Ivaj) i "tlic Jack had the
loii^'est tail, and tlie Wood Hare -i iunied-up cotton
tail, and tiie V\]'\i not mucdi of a tail .it all."

'•It is till sanici with members of the eat family.
The tail will give you a clew to the fanuly, for as all
these North AnuM'ican (^its are more ])rone to run away
than to face you, tiie tail \' ill be mon^ familiar than the
lace, s(i if you see a W'ldcat with a bobtail, ym will
know him for tlie real kind.

''Having (dios(m three from this group of ten cats,
let us hKd< at them. Two (d' the three — the I'umaand
\Vildc;ii — once ranged (»ver a considerable part of the

228

FO UR-FOOTED A ME RICA NS

United States, touching even the northern Ijorder, wliile
the Ocelot always kept well to the soutli, having once
been fonncl in Arkansas and Lonisiana, but now in
our limits has retreated to or beyond the Rio (iriuido.
Tlie Oeelot is a spotted ])eauty, plueky, and a real gainc
animal, with his skin as varicolored and briglit as a
Leopard's, one of our few richly colored Mannnals.
He is also, as it says on this picture, a 's[»otted disas-
ter' to birds and smaller beasts wlio venture in or
under the tree Avhere he chooses a branch f(n' a divan
whereon to take his noontime nsst. Mottles of light
and shadow playing upon the tree bark and ncstlin^r
in the moving leaves, help liide his ten shaij) clav.s
sheatlied between elastii; foot-})ads. liis four cri.*'!
dog teeth, covered b\ the tightly shut wliiskered lips.
tell no tales of the bristle-covered tongue wiliiiii, that
licks and licks the skin of its prey, until it is tiled
away, and the bleeding Hesh made ready for the meal.

'When he hunts by stalking, lie primers the darkl
iiours, liis eyes shining like lanterns. In truth, tlic
Ocelot wears a coat of many colors, in whicli oraiiocj
brown, and yellow blend and mingle as a groun(l\V(iii;|
for lawny, Idack-edged si)()ts, stripes and streaks wliiili
c.<vi'r tw(t and a iialf feet of body and lifleen inches dl
tail. In habits, he is more of a tree ciit than the (ithi'is;
he too, like them, is no ciin'ion cater, only feeding npnii
prey that 1 v !';i(v'}i 's jiinisclf. Sec the eroiiching li,<,niif
with ears wvll Uj), bacl UA braecfl. and tail hisliiii;,',|
It is in the » \act position of a House Ciil watchiiii,'' a
Mouse. In a Ukoment, if the birds pass unthr tli
tree, there will be a spring, a Ibittei', and a mass ij
fealiiers borne to the ground, and a meal for the Ocdull

Ijorder, wliile

having once

but iH)\\ in

Uio (iriuide.

1 a real g:unt'

[ \)i-ii^lit as a

'd ^lainnmls.

spotted disas-

venture in or

h for a di Villi

lilies ol" liK'lit

iuid lU'stliiiff

1 sharp rhovs

lis four liiiPl

k'hiskered lips.

le wilhiu, tlml

itil it is lik'tl

for the nu'iil.

'tVri

It' tlaii'

lu Irulli, till
whicl

I ()raii<'V,

a u'r<)Uiul\V(iiii|
streaks whuli

It'H'cu iuclii'siil
ill I the ollii'is;

V IctMllU!:

nimii

'flllH

•ouclniin' Hi;
.1 tail lashiii':
'at wiiU'liiiiiT
ass un<ltr tl
aud a iiM^> '

lllu'O.

fh'i.

til
leii
ni(:
crc

W'l

the

((

]ieii

fllV(

kiiK
and
like

Dr.

drau

that I

size.

Cat,

selve

the

and

ear

ada

bjt

Cat
I>ni'i-s
slecj)
it sliii
pet ()]
in ill!

t-f

COUSINS OF CATS

229

"In spite of its climbing pi'opensi-
tii'S, the Ocelot is a swift rnnncr, and
leads the dogs, with whom it was for-
merly always hunted, a Avild chase,
crossing and doubling among the water-
ways of its haunts in a manner to throw
the keenest hound off the scent."

'' Now my three grinning
heads," said Dodo, gazing at her
favorite picture ; "are they three
kinds of cats, or a mother, father,
and child? I think they look
like a family."

" Three different species," said
Dr. Roy; "and the heads are
drawn in exact proportion, so
that you may judge of their
size. The smallest is the House
Cat, an emigrant like our-
selves. The next in size is
the Wildcat, or Bay Lynx,
and tlie largest with the hairy
ear tufts is the savage Can-
ada Lynx, called Loup Cervier
by the early travellers.

" You all know the House
Cat and its liiil)ils : liow it
purrs Avlicn it is going to
sleep or feels pleased ; how
it sharpens its claws on car-
pet or wood, drawing them
in and out at will; how

House Cat.

WlLPfAT.

Canada Lynx.

!' it IS,

230

FO Uli-FOO TED A ME III CANS

II ^!

rough its tongue is when it licks your finger. You
have seen its eyes shine in the dark, au'l ]iOw the pupil
(the little dark spot in the centre tluio lets in tlie
light to make it see) can be made large or small. You
have watched it steal along softly on its hunting trips
as cautiously as a man, and you have seen it give a
mouse or bird the fatal blow with its heavy paw, that
both stuns and holds like a trap. It is a cat's skill as a
bird hunter that made me banish it years ago from tlie
farm, for a terrier will keep the rats and mice in order
quite as well.

" You also know, or at least I am sure that Olive
does, how a cat steals away to find some very private
place for a nest for her little blind kittens, and hoiv
much pride she takes in cuddling them in her arms and
suckling them until they can lap milk or catch mice for
themselves."

" Indeed I do, for a cat once made a nest on a shelf
in a box where I kept my best hat all trimmed with |
ostrich feathers and velvet ! " said Olive.

" Our Wildcats seek out the most inaccessible place? |
in rock ledges and tree hollows as homes for their kit-
tens. When I was a boy I found a Wildcat's nest in I
an old chestnut log, in the wood by the grazing pasture
at the other side of the farm. No, you need not lool|
worried. Dodo, there are none about now !

" It was the early part of May, and a party of us h
gone out to look for arbutus, whic!i made masses oil
fragrant pink among the dead leaves. People all ahoiit[
had been complaining of the Foxes and saying that they
were very bold, visiting some farm every night anil yet
leaving no tracks. We lost chickens and ducks, quite]

COUSINS OF CATS

231

a o^ood-sized little pig, and finally a pair of tame white,
pink-eyed rabbits that were my special pride.

" In going flower hunting this day 1 strayed away
from the others to look for tiie thousand and one tilings
that always made the woods a fairy picture book to me.
I sliould not have been surprised to have found the en-
trance to tlie palace of the sleeping beauty between the
rocks, but instead of J^eauty I found a lieast I "

"Oh, uncle, you are joking; all those wore dream sto-
ries that never really happened," said J . solemnly.

"I said a Beast, not the Beast, and it Imppened in
this way. I was resting on the edge of a moss-covered
rock under the edge of which lay the trunk of an enor-
mous chestnut that had been blown over and gone mostly
to decay. As I swung my heels down and kicked this
trunk, three little furry heads appeared at the hollow
in the end. I took them for the kittens of some stray
cat, and stooping over tried to catch one, but they gave
a cry in concert, something between a spit and a yowl,
and disappeared in the tree. Then I noticed that the
mossy ground by the stump was dug up and there was
the partly covered remains of one of my rabbits I

" Before I could think or put two and two together,
I lieard the snapping of some twigs behind me on the
rocks, and as I turned a most weird and unpleasant
'meau-11-11' greeted me, and there stood a Wildcat, ears
back, jaws snarling, its long legs braced for a spring I I
(U<1 not know tluit tlie American members'of this family
will not, any more than Wolves, attack man unless
driven to bay, that they never hunt in packs, or that
the cat was fully as much frightened as I was, and that
she had merely returned homo in a hurry in answer to

v^<

^^^.

^.v^.

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

11.25

bill

H^ L° 12.0

|22

mi <

UUtI

HiotDgraFiiic

Sciences

Corporation

33 WHT MAIN STRUT
WIHTM.N.Y. I4SM

(716) iza-oos

' '

232

FOUli-FOOTED AMERICANS

the call of her kittens. I saw only a strange monster
spitting fire, ready to spring at me, and imagined I
heard the cries of a hundred more in the trees. Under
these circumstances it was not strange that I ran back
to my companions, with such a tale of horror that the
whole party hurried home as fast as possible to spread
the news, not daring to look behind them, and spilling
arbutus blossoms like a paper cliase trail over tiiree
miles of road.

" Our parents wisely decided that I must have seen
one Wildcat, if not a whole army, and concluding that
the missing poultry could only have been taken by a
beast that climbed, organized a hunting party composed
of six mixed dogs, who understood the Coon trade, live
men and as many rifles, while I was allowed to follow.
The mother Cat was easily treed and quickly shot ow-
ing to her unwillingness to leave the neighborhood of
her log house. I had begged for the kittens to tame
for pots, so they were poked out of the log and put in
a bag.

"All of a sudden, as we turned toward a path to
leave the wood by a different way, our old hound Trum-
peter put his nose to the ground and started off like a
shot, the less well-bred pack following at his heels.

" ' Go home with your bag of kittens,' said my father.
in a tone tluit brooked no argument, as he dashed after
the dogs. Tliougli it was a lonely walk, tlie bag was
heavy, and tl»e kittens chiwed and (piarruUed, there
was nothing for me to do but go.

" Sundown came, no father ; tlie moon rose, and tlie
wives of the four other hunters gathered at our house,
and sat solemnly in tiie sitting-room (now my wonder

rjinge monster
lid imagined I
trees. Under
lat I ran back
liorror that tlie
3ible to spread
m, and spilling
rail over three

nust have seen
joncluding tliiit
een taken by a
party composed
[I!oon trade, iive
3wed to follow,
uickly shot ow-
leighborhood of
cittens to tame
og and put in

v^ard a path to
d hound Truni-
irted off like ii
t his heels,
said my father.

je dashed after
k, the bag was

arrelled, tlierc

rose, and tin'
ll at our IvMjst".
h\y my wonder

COUSINS OF CATS

233

room), where, Dodo, your mother, then a small baby,
was asleep in her cradle. At ten o'clock they went to
their homes, while I peeped at them from the hall
window, and finally went to bed, dreaming of Wolves,
Indians, and Lions.

"About half-past seven the next morning the party
I returned, father carrying Trumpeter over his shoulder,
jaiul our neighbors the pair of Wildcats. They had
followed the trail upon which our hound had started
nearly all night, in and out of brush, marsh, and wood.
When the mah-i cat was linally brought to bay. Trum-
peter, not distinguishing between this savage beast and
I the usual Coon, had attacked him, only to be painfully
j wounded, and then a bullet had killed the second of
jthis pair of robbers.

" I can remember now exactly how the Wildcat
j looked, as it lay on the door stone, for they gave the
female to mo because 1 first saw it. It was nearly
three feet long from nose to root of tail, which was,
perhaps, a little over six inches. It had a round head
and large pointed ears, from which the long winter
hairs were not completely shed. Its long body was
covered with brindled, barred, and mottled fur, of liglit
and dark brown, rusty and gray. Its legs and feet
[seenuMl long ami large compared to its lean nuiscular
hody. My father kept the skin of this cat and tanned
|it. imd, (dd and worn, there it is now on the setth; ! "

"()iily tliiidv," said Nat, as the children began to
lliandle tiu^ pelt and stroke it eagerly, "this old skin
jonoe lived in our woods and friglitened rnelc Hoy ! "
''Did Trumpeter get well, and what became of the
I kittens?" asked Dudo.

i ■ n

\'V\

■*1

1;'!^

!.!

234

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

"Trumpeter was bandaged up and cured after a
while, but it was months before he would go near the
cat skin, which lay on the back of the parlor sofa.
The kittens soon grew very sly and vicious, and fatlier
gave tliem to a travelling showman who came to East
Village." V

" Where do Wildcats live now ? " asked Uap.

" They are scattered quite evenly over the wilder parts
of the middle country from the south up, haunting
places where small Mammals or game birds can be liad,
but they are nowhere common enough to cause trouble.'"

"Now the nicest cat picture of all," said Rap, "the
Puma and the Elk. The Puma doesn't look much like
a Cat — is more like the postmaster's old lean mastiff."

" You make a good comparison there, my boy," said
the Doctor ; " except that it has shorter legs and larger
feet, and a tuft on the end of its tail, this Puma is verv
much the same size and color as that dog.

" Imagine an animal like old Max weighing from W I
to 200 pounds, with the spring and strength of a bundle
of steel springs, feet heavy enough to fell a man with a
blow, and armed with the most powerful movable claws, |
Having more leaping agility than any American four-
foot, clearing twenty feet easily on a level, and in
downward leap able to cover sixty feet, and you will I
have a picture of the Puma, as tlie Wise Men [)refertii|
call him, though he is known in different parts of tlif
country as Panther, Mimntain Lion, and (^)Ugar. Tliel
Puma varies very much in size, those found in tlic sontlij
being larger than their northerly brothers."

" Why is tliat ? " asked Rap. " Among Wolves tkl
northerly ones were tlie biggest."

;ured after a
I go near the
) parlor sofii.
IS, and father
came to East

I Rap.

he wilder parts
up, haunting
■ds can be had,
jause trouble.'"
jaid Rap, "the
look much like
. lean mastiff. '
, my boy," saul
legs and larger
s Puma is very

•hing from 150
gth of a bundle
11 a man with a
movable claws,
A.merican four- 1
level, and in ii|
t, and you wi
B Men prefer till
n\i parts of tlie
(\)Ugar. 'Hie
id in the sontli|

rs.

)ng Wolves tkl

I . i

■ !i^j

Puma huntinu Klk.

-It

COUSINS OF CATS

235

"The dog family likes a cool climate and the cats
[prefer a warm one. Even though the Puma is hardy,
and can live in all climates, one of the Wise Men says
that an animal always grows the largest in the climate
1 that best suits him.

" The Puma sharpens its claws on the bark of trees
lor the earth, and purrs when pleased ; both these
instincts are found in his tame cousin, the House Cat,
who [)rovokes her owners often by scratching the carpet.
Their fur changes color somewhat according to season,
land the young wear mottled coats at first, like young
IDeer."

I suppose he only lives in very far-away wild
Dlaces," said Rap.

"Now his haunts are almost altogether confined to
the rocky and wooded parts of the west and southwest ;
tl)iit not so many years ago he ranged within a few
[miles of the eastern coast and was plentiful in the
idirondacks, in places where people now have camps
md cottages,

"The Puma is feared by all other beasts except a
[liear or a Deer with fully grown antlers, for it both at-
tacks the throat and gives killing blows with its heavy
y,\\\H. But the Puma keeps to the wildest places and
ivhere it was plentiful the Wildcat was usually rare."
" If they lived in such lonely places, how did they
tionio to be killed out?" asked Olive.

" liocauHc, wherever they were seen, they frightened
benple so much that they were killed whenever [>ossible.
riieii they had but two, or at most four, little ones in
Iheir rocky lair every other year, and these took two or
jhree years to become fully grown, so the race increased

III

'ill- in,!''

Ipi 'I

\i'U u

236

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

ver}'' slowly. The only wonder is that there are sol
many left, for they are not long-lived animals, seldom |
living more than fifteen years."

" Didn't they eat a great many people ? " asked Dodo. I
" No, like the Wolves they dread firearms and seldom
or never attack man in spite of all the wonderful stories
you will hear to the contrary. The greatest harm thej
did was to kill food animals upon which man depended.
Deer, young Elk, and also calves, they destroyed easily,
as well as sheep and pigs, and they have been known
to capture, kill, and drag away to a private feeding spot
a beast almost twice their own size. The Puma has one
good quality, — it is not a wasteful feeder, never taking |
new prey while it has a supply of food on hand.

" It is as a hunter that the Puma shows the most in-
telligence. He is a fair hunter, watching signs, wait-
ing until he can get to windward of his prey, then I
creeping slowly upon it and preparing for the spring,
as the human hunter stalks and waits for the right
moment to shoot. It is upon his wonderful leap that!
the Puma depends for his success ; he is too heavy ofl
paw and too short of breath to be a fast runner. M
may trust to one, two, or three springs to catch up witli
his flying prey, then if he does not overtake it hel
does not follow it further. It is this lack of speedl
which allows dogs and men afoot to drive him to cover.l
though of course lie has the advantage of being ablctol
cross chasms on logs and to descend steeps by mean.s
trees. Young Deer are [)erhaps the Puma's favoritfj
food, though he does not despise any animal food, audi
often makes a meal of that four-legged cactus, tlii
Porcupine. Do you remember how Wolves trapped

i f

COUSINS OF CATS

237

the Deer, one chasing it in a circle while the other lay
hidden in the runway to pull it down as it passed ? "

" Yes, yes, we all do ! " chorused the children.

'• The Puma hunts singly more than in couples, so
instead of driving the Deer or Elk (it never tries a fully
grown Moose) it notes the runway and waits for the Deer
to p«^ss the spot where it is crouching. A successful
spring will land the Puma on the haunches of his vic-
tim, where lie fastens his claws until he oan give the
killing throat bite. But oftentimes the Deer starts
quickly and the Puma is ' too late,' and the Elk escapes,
like those in the picture.

" In snow time alone, the Puma seems to hunt by
chasing as well as by the stalk and leap. He can
spread his broad paws so as to make snow-shoes of them,
keeping on the surface while the small, sharp hoofs of
the Deer cause them to sink. In this again he hunts
like some sportsmen, who take a mean advantage of the
heavy Moose and Elk ploughing wearily through deep
snow, to follow them on snow-shoes without having the
Puma's rightful excuse of hunger."

'{'he children laid the Ocelot, Wildcat, and Punflr
skins on the floor, comparing and talking about tluj;,
while ( )live went for the crackers to toast.

Finally Dodo folded her arms, looked up with a sigh,

jiiiid said solemnly, "Even if Pumas do not eat people,

Tin very much relieved to know that they have re-

j treated a long way inland," being perfectly unconscious

that she was imitating Dr. Roy's speech and deliberate

nianner, and not understanding why he laughed so

lioartily that his "near to" eye-glasses bounced into

the lire.

i . 13

XVII

THREE IIAKDY MOUNTAINEERS

".>

A.Y I choose that deer with
the smoke coming out of
his nose ? " said Dodo to
Rap, as lie was turning
over the pictures the next

Saturday evening. 'M

don't understand one bit
ahout the different honiK.
— the cow's that stay on
and the Deer's liorns that fall off."

" Doctor Hoy says we must ask Nez for the story tn
that picture. 1 am looking to see if I cfin find uny
cousins of the farm animals; it seems as if there nnist
be some. Yes, here are two, — a Sheep with monstrous
horns and a white (ioat ! "

'' Oh, uncle ! daddy I " called Dodo, " we have found
wild relations of Nanny Baa and ("orney I "

" Yes," added Hap, "and beside in the Sheep pietuie
there is liilly (boon's cousin, a great fat Bear."

"So you have come to three of our famous 'big
game ' fourfoots in a bmich," said Mr. Blake, " and I
suppose you want me to take you hunting to-niglit.
Very well, we will go, oidy you nuist put on stout

238

'•t

THREE HARDY MOUNTAINEERS

239

we have fi)uiiil

clotlies, thick, easy shoes, or moccasins, bring a pair of
skees apiece, and be prepared for climbing up hill for
miles and sleeping out doors many niglits."
" What are skees ? " asked Nat.

"Tliey are foot gear ; an Old- World invention, half
skate, half snow-shoe, like a pair of small foot-tobog-
gaiis, that Rocky Mountain hunters use in icy weather."
"Then these *big game' animals live 'way out west
ill the Rocky Mountains ! I know those mountains,"
said Dodo; "they hump up all the way from Alaska
tlowii to Mexico. But people need not walk ; couldn't
tliey go there by train, daddy ? "

" Yon can go for a week or more by train. Then at

[the end of a week of horseback riding and walking

mixed, you will be lucky if you see the plump, round

l)0(ly, and the great curved horns that give the name

of Bighorn to this Mountain Sheep, the shyest of all

lour fourfoots.

"Some day, if I do not grow too old and stiff, and
jit" the wasteful Wolf Hunters have not dragged dyna-
mite guns up the mountains and bombarded them all
^)ut, 1 hope to take Nat to see this Bighorn and the
fountain Goat at home. For to-night you must be
[•onteut with a story."

"The big Hear, does he live as far up and away as
the others ? "

'"lie lives in and also below their ranges, but nowa-
llays one must usually look much further for a (Jrizzly,
kuch as the one who is peering at the IJighorn in the
|)icture, than for either the Sheep or (Joats. The
[h'izzly is a flesh eater, with an enormous appetite for
[verything else eatable — frt)m wild berries to honey-

Ilil

240

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

comb. He is sometimes tempted to come near furins.
camps, aiul houses, to pick up dainty titbits, wliile tlic
Sheep and (xoats, being hollow-horned cud-chewors.
belonging to the meat family, like the Jiison, are not
often tempted from their lofty grazing grounds ; but
his foot leaves no sound and he comes and goes unseen.

" In the great National Park of the Yellowstone
River, where the Government, hsj offering protection,
is trying to coax the ' big game ' to make itself into i
Zoological (xarden, — there is a hotel where people I
may stay who wish to see the wonders of the country
without too much trouble. The waste food and refuse I
of this house is carried to a heap not far away."

" A swill heap, you mean, don't you, daddy ? " asked
Dodo. " I shouldn't think the Government would
allow a swill heap in a Park. Uncle won't have one I
on the farm ; he says ' tliey are perfectly barbarous
things, that make pestilence and flies,' so the pigs have]
the clean scraps and everything else is buried ! "

"You are right there," laughed Mr. Blake, "and it |
is nothing more nor less than the odor of this swil
heap, attractive at least from their point of view, tliatj
lures the l^ears, both Black and Grizzly, from tlieii
rocky dens to come and feast within eye-shot of Housj
People."

" Then 1 should think the people could shoot them,
said Nat.

" No guns are allowed in tlie Park, that is one reasoiij
why the Bears are so fearless."

" But I should think the Bears and Panthers ai
little nuisance animals would grow to be too many, aiiil|
eat up the Deer and other fourfoots."

; i

Id shoot tliem."

,at is one reasoiij

I raiitlieis aiKll
e too many, ami

Gkizzly Bkar and Jjighoijn Sheep.

■II 1

eit

11)0

mil
{'iiii

ililS

iiic

rito

Ilfii

IMM

THREE HARDY MOUNTAINEERS

241

"They may in time, but the idea, 1 believe, is to trap
tliu hxrger beasts if tliey increase too freely and send
tlieni to Zoiilogieal Gardens where people may see
them."

" How long do wild animals live ? " asked Dodo.

"That depends upon the sjjecies. House Cats and
Dogs, you know, are considered quite old at twelve, and
seldom live longer than fifteen years. Horses will
average twenty-iive, while on the otlier hand Squirrels
and Uabbits are old at seven or eight."

" How long do Hears live ? "

" [*erhaps twenty or twenty-five years, but it is very
diftieult to judge about wild animals. It is impossible
to keep track of them out of doors. In confinement
they are seldom perfectly healthy, and so do not live
out tlieir natural lives. In fact, among these flesh-eating
four-foots, every one eats some one else, and it is prob-
al)lo that very few live to die of old age."

"Do Grizzly Hears and Bighorns and Goats live no-
where but in the Rockies ? "

"Grizzlies were once found in all the mountains and
footliills of the west from Mexico north to the Harron
(irounds. They did not always stay in tlie mountains
either, but came across open country, poking tlieir noses
most unpleasantly into the affairs of ])rairie travelh'rs,
and carrying consternation into tlie very glare of the
oaniplire.

"Now 'old Ki)hraim,' as the (iriz/.ly is ni('kname(l,
lias lu'cn driven from his hkm'c southerly haunts only to
iiHTcase aud thriv(^ mightily in the cold mu'thwest ter-
ritory, where the largest are found. AVhen a (irizzlv
Hear undcrlakes to grow as large as he can, then tuK'j

242

FO Uli-FOOTED AMERICANS

warning, sheep, range cattle, and linntsmen ! Of all
the ferocious, unstopable, persistent, disagreeable beasts
of North America, this Bear is the chief ! Compared
to him the Polar Bear is a cat and the Black Bear a
kitten ; small wonder then that the Wise Men named
him '' horribilis ' f ""

"' I tliink you must have met a Grizzly out walkin"-,"
said Dodo, " so you can tell us about him. How big
was he and liow did he look ? "

" He looked as big as a load of hay ambling along,
but he measured^ after our battle was over, about nine
feet from nose to tail, and stood four feet high at the
shoulder. As he could not have changed in size dur-
ing an hour, it proves what I have always said, that
going either hunting or fishing turns human eyes into
magnifying glasses, making them see double at the very
least.

" The rougli hairy fur of the Grizzly varies so much
in color tliat hunters, judging by sight alone, often in-
sist that he is several kinds of bear instead of one.
You all know that you cannot judge by appearances
in studying anlmalH ; if you did, you would call tiie
WiiaUi a l)ig lisli. never guessing tliut it is just as niudi
a Mjimmal as a cow.

"The (Jrizzly's suunncr coat is short, brindled brown,
and liis wintcsr, h)ng, heavy, and a l)ulTy brown, not gri/-
zk*d gray as somk^ jn'oph^ think. (Jrizzly, a Wise Man
says, means iiorribh', an<l siioidd be* spclh'd g-r-i-s-1-y,
A laded l»rown will \)v lite coloi- of tliose you arc likely
to se(! in menageries. This l»ear lias a iieavy heiid, a
rather woll'like face, with full cheek tufts of fur hush-
ing out well up to tlio oars, and eyes that express the

THREE HARDY MOUNTAINEERS

243

deep cunning that looks like stupidity. He walks usu-
ally on all fours, but can also charge standing upright,
looking like some giant or ogre in a fairy tale.

"' His broad footprints, for he is a sole walker, also
have something strangely human about them, and hunt-
ers, fancying that they looked like moccasin tracks,
dubbed the drizzly 'Moccasin Joe.' Hut the likeness
to a foot disappears when you see the long, cruel claws
tluit end the toes — claws that are botli weapons for
tearing and tools for digging roots, hollowing out a
den for the winter sleep, or burying the food he cannot
eat at once."

'' Do big Bears like this have to sleep in winter ? I
should think they could keep warm enough to stay
awake with such a thick coat," said Nat.

" III the cooler parts of the country they ' den up,' —
the length of time they stay in varying from a few weeks
to six months, and depending upon the weather. When
a Hear makes up his mind to go to sleep, he is generally
very fat and his fur is at its best. I'm quite sure a thin
Hear would have sense enough not to risk curling up
until lie liad collected some fat about his bones to feed
his winter life fire.

"Now you must imagine a piisture of Moccasin Joe
in addition to the drawing, then take a good look at
tiie Higiiorn and Mountain (Joat, for it was in hunting
for one of these two that I met a (Jrizzly 'out walk-
\\][^,' as I)o(h) says.

"The Uighorn is a slia|)ely, well-built fourfoot, about
the size of a year-old heifer (or in round iiiniibers three
and a half feet to the shoulder), with all the linn plump-
ness (tf a slieei), having the poise and swiftness of a

i t

•

244

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

Deer, and wearing such wonderful horns that lie would
be a marked aninud in any country. So heavy sire
these horns that nature does not oblige the fenude to
carry them, giving her a much smaller pair. It is suf-
ficient for the males, who wage war with each other
and upon beasts of prey, to have such weapons. Then,
too, the small horns of the female tell the hunter who
she is, and if he is a true sportsman he will never shoot
her or her young, unless he is either starving or needs
her vert/ badly to complete some family group in u
museum.

"The coat of the Bighorn is of a bluish dirt gray, tlio
rump is whitish, thick and fleecy beneath, thicker on
the neck and shoulders than on the flanks, and thatched
with a brittle, strawlike outer coat. In fact, at a dis-
tance, if he is standing, the whole animal looks white.
but in lying down seems to melt suddenly into his .sur-
roundings. He is not only a gamey, alert animal, but
looks it ; he hits tlie air of a mountain lover, whose great-
est joy is to climb a high peak and turn his straw-colored
eyes toward the view. This habit of course makes him
doubly hard to kill, for the hunter not oidy has to
climb, but liie Siieep can see everything from his rotlcv
outpost, and tlie chances are that, uidess the sportsman
crawls on the ground for miles from cover to cover.
making himself as flat as a Woodchuck, when lie
arrives within sliooting distance of where the Sheep
was, he will see it calmly watching him from anotlici
pinna(de a mile furtlier up."

" I Hujjpo.se they can juni[) just lik(^ Panthers and i^it
over [daces that people couldn't croHS," said l{a[).

"Tiiey are agih; and <|ui(dv runners and vuu jmiiji

THREE HARDY MOUNTAINEERS

245

group 111 a

moderately, but when they wish to go 'lown a steep
place, they set their feet and coast, for the shock of
jumping so far would kill them, even if their bones
were not all broken.

"So hardy is the Bighorn and family that the lambs
born in the early spring go slipping over the ice after
their parents as soon as their legs can bear them, never
dreaming of feeling cold."

"If they are hardy and live so far away, I shouldn't
think there would be any danger of their dying out,"
snid Hap. • *

'• You would not think so, and yet they yield such
delicious mutton that they are persecuted by all the
flesh-eating animals who are able to take them, in addi-
tion to man.

"The Mountain Goat, on the contrary, is said, by
those who know, to be holding his own better. His
flesli is tough and strong-flavored, and his heavy coat
of thick under-fur and rough white hair, that makes
him look as clumsy as a miniature Bison, is of little
value as a pelt. The Indians, who used to make robes
(if it, prefer the woven blankets o})tained at the trading
stations, and so leave him comparatively alone in his
dizzy pastures."

"The Cfoat doesn't look as if he would be a good
cliinher," said Rap, studying the picture. " He is
short-legged and clumsy and has a humpy wvvV like
a Uison, and his head pokes so far forward that I
shouldn't think ho could see behind him. He hxdvs
as if he would lik(^ a nice, comforlalde pastures lil\(! farm
cattle!"

"His looks belie him, sure enough! He is a foot less

i t

246

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

tall than the Bighorn, and his smooth black horns do
not look powerful, but if I could show you one of liis
hoofs, you would see how he manages to cling to the
face of almost upright rocks.

" Tliis hoof has a soft clinging cushion in the middle
and an edge sharp as a skate ; the foot of one of tlie
few animals who in bitterest weather declines all shel-
ter, and often lies down in the middle of a frozen pool
in face of cutting wind, acting as if he enjoyed it."

" Why doesn't he freeze to the ice and die ? " asked ^
Dodo.

" That is a question I cannot answer. He and his
cousin, the Musk Ox, have the secret of keeping warm
that nature taught their race in the bygone age of ice.
But you can understand how interesting the Bigliorii
and Mountain Goat are, and see why, being within a
few hundred miles of their haunts, I determined to find
them, crossing the Bad Lands to the mountains where
I had friends, without desiring to meet the Grizzly,
who introduced himself to me (piite unexpectedly."

" What are Bad Lands ? " asked Nat. " Places full
of robbers ? "

" No; Bad Lands are the parts of the country, boiiuti-
ful to see from the distance, but where tliere is so little |
moisture tliat few things better than cacti and siidi
like plants will tlirive. Tlie lime-filled, parti-coloidl
soil being tilled with cracks ami cafions, it is a rcgimi
good for game but fnnf for tlie farmer, fun? for the cattki
raiser and very bad for tlie sportsman who, if overtaktii
by darkness, must make his camp wliore he is, for theiv
are no tree signs to guiih' liiin on Ids way."

"Are these Bad Lands all in one place?" asked Natl

ack horns do
oil one of liis
I cling to the

in the middle
of one of the
dines all shel-
a frozen pool
[joyed it."
I die ? " asked

. He and his
keeping warm
»ne age of ice.
g the Bighorn
jeing within a
srmined to tind
)untains where
st the Grizzly.
:pectedly."
" Places full

ountry, hoauti-
here is so little i
jacti and siuli
I, parti-c(d()reil
s, it is a region I
ul Tor the cattle
ho, if overtaken I
he is, for there |

c ? " asked Nat.

iMol'NlAIN UUATS.

\hdi

THREE HARDY MOUNTAINEERS

247

"I should think, if they are, the Government could put
a fence around them to keep people from straying in."

" That would be a fine piece of work," said Mr. Blake,
laughing. " Imagine putting a fence around an irreg-
ular strip, that runs east of the Rockies, making all
sorts of side excursions, from Canada to Mexico, and
containing more than a million square miles! It would
take all the trees in Canada for fence posts, and the
first post would be old and decayed before the last was
put in. But let us return to our story.

" It was in early summer, and the party I had joined
was fairly located for making a railway survey across
the Cascade Mountains, not far southeast of Seattle, in
wliat is now the state of Washington. Look at your
map and you will find that these mountains, named
from the streams of clear, cold water dashing down
their slopes, lie between the Rockies and the Pacific
coast, and are about as far west as any mountains ex-
cept the Olympic group.

" While the camp was waiting for some instruments
that had not arrived, three or four of us determined to
do a little surveying for Sheep and Goats on our own
I account. After keeping together for two days and
1 nights, until we had worked our way well up, we de-
cided to divide, three of tlie party to continue on
above timber-line after tlie Goats, while 1, accompanied
[by Crawling Joe, a typical mountaineer engaged by our
famp as a guide, meat provider, and useful man, was to
I go southward along the ledges toward some woodlands
land plateaus where liighorny were likely to graze."

"Why was the man called CrawUnj JoeV asked
Dodo.

\ \i\

248

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

" Because of his way of hunting Indian -fashion. No
matter which way the wind blew, when he had once
located an animal, whether it was Bighorn, jMoo.sg, or
Elk, he would manage to crawl and tack up against
the wind within shooting distance of it. In doincr
this for years he had acquired the cunning of a snake,
and would often appear by the campfire as suddenly
as if he had come through the ground.

"This particular day he insisted that we sliould
leave the horses behind and go on foot, as the rolling of
stones and other like sounds, made even by tlie most
sure-footed horses, might prevent our getting a sight
of our game. I carried nothing but my pet Winchester,
but Joe shouldered a small pack sufficient for a nights
camping. After climbing pretty steadily for four
hours, we sat down to rest and eat our dinner of cold
food. Finding shelter at the edge of a belt of spruces.
where there was also water, we resolved to camp there |
that night and so left the pack in a tree until our re-
turn, out of the reach of inquisitive Hears, if any should
pass that way.

"Our stalk for Bighorns began about one o'clock;!
Joe took the lead, directing me by signs. In an hour
we were well clear of the woods, and skirting a clift
full of springs and caverns. Suddenly Joe dropped tii|
his knees, motioning me to do the same, then raisijd his
head and gave it an upward jerk. I looked, and liiilfj
a mile away, on a jutting rock tliat stood clean aL^aiiist|
the sky, like a headland against blue sea, was a IJighori
ram, as immovable as if ho were a part of the bluegnivl
stone itself. A little back of him were some ewes,
lambs, and another ram, though as they were lying (h)\vii

THREE HARDY MOUNTAINEERS

249

it was doubly easy to mistake them for stones. The
peak where they stood was like an island. 'Che wind
was blowing in our faces, and Joe signalled me to take
the left route while he turned to the right, thus lessen-
ing the chance of the sheep's escape, at least dow7i the
mountain. Already I tasted the rich roast mutton
with which I had promised to feast the boys of our
camp, who had grown tired of salt meat and venison.

''I dropped on my hands and knees and began to
crawl in a very poor imitation of Joe, for it seemed to
me that every stone I touched was either sharp as a
knife, or took particular pleasure in rolling down hill.
After a quarter of a mile of this sort of work, the ledge
around wliich I was passing was high enough to shield
me if I walked upright, and this allowed me to rest my
strained knees and elbows.

"As I paused a moment to look about, a few bones
caught my eye ; the meat was picked from them, but
tiie gristle was quite fresh. ' Ah, ha,' thought I, ' a Bear
must have been enjoying some spring lamb ! ' I thought
IJear, and instantly I satv a Bear ! Lurching down the
steep and stopping directly in my path was a full-sized
drizzly, who was evidently as surprised as I, but not
so frightened. The Bear rose on its hind legs, waving
its paws, and looked at me slantwise. I returned the
H'lare glance for glance, not knowing what else to do,
lialf ex[)ecting the beast to run, as most fourfoots will,
and feeling backward at the same time for a footing
tiiat would give me range enough to use my rifle.

"As I took a step backward the Bear stepped forward
growling. I had made a mistake ; a female Grizzly
witli two or three hungry cubs in her den does not run

250

FO U It- FOOT ED A MERICA N8

that she may live to fight, slie stays to kill that she ma}'
eat. Oh ! for a tree ! If there had been one in sight
I would have risked running for it, as Grizzlies are not
good climbers like the Black Bear ; but there I was,
I could neither run nor shoot. My enemy gave a grin
and a growl and took another step forward, clawing at
me. I dared not lift my rifle to my shoulder, lest she
should grab the muzzle, but I managed to grasp the
barrel, and swinging it round brought the butt down on
the Grizzlj^'s nose with a heavy blow. She was only
enraged by it, not stunned, and gave a growl, gnashiurr
her teeth with a horrible noise. For a moment 1 ex-
pected no other fate than to become the supper for the
little Bears !

" Something cold slipped along my shoulder and
touched my cheek. Fortunately I had sufficient nerve
not to turn — there was a sharp report close to my
head that made me deaf and kept my ears ringing for
months afterward, but the Bear pitched forward, just
clearing me, and rolled down the rocks to a ledge below,
shot through her wicked eye.

" Then I turned. Joe was behind me, calm and cool
as if he had merely shot a Squirrel.

" ' I saw her a-comin' from the open yonder, and I
reckoned you'd be wantin' me 'bout now. Never mind
skinnin' her until we get our Bighorn — she'll stay
down thar till we call fer her ! I reckoned that shot
would scare the Bighorns, but it liasn't ; they must be |
a green bunch that haven't ever been hunted,' he said.
looking around the corner.

" Sure enough ; the rocks screened us, and the ram
had merely shifted his position, while the whole buuclil

i I

THHEE IJARDY MOUNTAINEEliS

251

were now picking? at. the tufts of orass ])jick of tlie
rocks. I was in no mood for Imntinfif ; hut Joe took it
for »,aanted that we shouhl '^o on, uiu] the excitement
soon put the Bear out of mind.

" liefore dusk we had killed our ram, hut as he rolled
and fell for some distance down the cliffs one horn was
broken off and the other, that lies there on the mantel-
shelf, is the only trophy you can have of the day when
your father was nearly turned into Bear meat ! "

"Oh, daddy ! daddy I " cried Dodo, jumping on his
I knee and hugging him, "what should we have done
jif the Bear had eaten you?"

" It was before you and Nat had come to live with
ime. I haven't taken so many risks since I have had
jtwo little bears of my own to care for."

" Was the mutton good, and did you get it back to
jciimp, and did the other men get any Goats ? " asked
wit.

" Yes, we took the best parts of the ram back to the
bain camp, also the skin of the Grizzly. Our comrades
JLlid not get anything that day, though they did later
)n, and I also have a single Goat horn as a souvenir to
aiatch my ram's horn. Hand them to me, Nat."

Nat stood on a chair and reached the two horns from
Ihe shelf. One was fifteen and one-half inches around
it the base and three feet long on the outside of the
iurve, rough and yellowish gray, while the Goat's
forn was smooth, black, and only eight inches in
3ngtli.
"You see that these two horns are hollow, from a
[ttle way above their base to the tip, like the horns
a Buffido or cow. These are true horns and are

U I

252

FOUR-FOOTED AMEBICANS

worn by the animal for life, unless accident breaks
them off. Tliey are made from a fibrous material akiii
to hair, and cannot be separated from the liead without
making a bleeding wound ; as a straight branch grows
from a tree, if it is broken a scar is left and the sap
runs out.

" The antlers of Deer are not made of this fibre, but
of solid bone. They sprout from the head of the male
Deer in the spring, as a leaf bud does from a twig,
At first they are soft and tender as the young leaf is,
Then they grow and expand in different shapes, eaci
according to its kind, some being simple and others |
many -pointed, like ferns. All the summer they growl
harder and harder, until in autunni and early winter
they are rij)e and fall off as the leaves do, leiiviiii;
a little scar through which the next year's antlers I
sprt)ut.

"There is one animal tliat you will hear about sooii,|
whose horns are stepping-stones between the hollo
liorns nnd the solid antlers. Tliis is the Antelo^jc, wli
belongs to the Deer brancli of the meat family, an
like other Deer sheds its pronged horns, which are still|
partly hollow like those of a cow."

" What do you call them if they are half horn aiiti|
half antlers ? " asked Rap.

"The Wise Men call them prongs, and spoitsnii!
give the Antelo[)e the name of I'rongiiorn."

Meanwhile Mr. IUak(; was unfastening a little omii
ment that hung to his watch-chain, which he hiuidodt
Dodo, saving, —

" Here is something I found the otber day that I
thought was lost. Guess what tliat is, little daughter.

THREE HARDY MOUNTAINEERS

253

" It's a long, very big dog tooth," said Dodo, looking
CiirefnUy at the yellow bit of gold-capped ivory in her
pink [)iilm.

" Wrong ; it is a tooth of the (irizzly that didn't bite

t "

ear about soon,
een the hollow |
■i AuteloiH', \vl
eat faujily, ami
i, which are still

e half hom aiii

and spoitsnu!;

)rn.

ug a littU' tmu-
icli he hiiniU'tli

XVIII

ON TIIK PLAINS

REl»AUATI()N8 for the Christinas
party were keeping everybody hiisv
lit the fiirni. jMany mysterious
boxes luitl bundles kept arriving
from the city, but Dr. Hoy liad in-
sisted tliat the young folks sliould
make some of the gifts with their
own hands. Olive, who was veiv
!----"'*3 deft with her fingers, had littlt
trouble in devising pretty ami
useful things, but with Dodo and Nat it Avas a diffiueiit
matter.

Aline, warm flannel gown was under eonstructioii
for IJap's motiier ; a like one, only of a gayer pattern, |
was already linished for Mannny Ibm — that is, iilllmij
sewing on the buttons. Mrs. lUake had cut out tin
various garments, Olive doing the Uiaking, assisted in
straight seinus and easy places by Dodo, to wii<mi sew-
iug was a vi-rv soh'inn business. In fiiet, she lieid lurj
needle as tiglit a^ if she expected it to jinnp uiil (tf lurj
lingers, iiikI tuggeil iit the liii'cad as if it iiiid (lie slrcn^ll
of a chtthcs-line, —a liabil tiiiit caused many knobj
broken cinlfi, and, I must confess, tears.

" 1 think Nat ougiit to si-w and help us ; lie isii

254

f H

ON nil'] I'LAiys

255

making luiytliiiig,"' she liiul siiid oiio day after [mtting
her mother's patience, and a seam that wonld pucker,
to 11 severe trial.

"• Plioof ! men never sew," he said contemptuously,
"they leave such easy work to girls ! "

'' What is that 1 hear? " said the Doctor from behind
Ills newspaper. "Men never sew? That is a great
mistake, young man. Men are not ordinarily o])lige(l
to out and make their clothes, but a man should most
certainly know how to use a needle. If lie is a doctor,
he must be able to sew up wounds and fasten bandages
neatly. In any profession be is apt to find buttons
missing, even if modern shirts are put together with
studs ; while as a woodsman, traveller, or engineer, such
as you wish to be, he is in constant need of a stout
needle and thread ; a tent cover rips, a gun case is
torn, thorns cut the clothing. A man may not sit
down in the wilderness and wait for a woman to come
hy with Ihindde and scissors.

"I think it will be an excellent thing, Nat, for you
to leani to sew, and you can begin at once by putting
the various buttons on these \vra[)[)crs and ai)rons. I
will teach you bow myself." " Very well, I will," said
Nat, remembering that h(^ and Kap were i)hinning to
make a tent in the spring; "but you needn't te(n'/i nic,
uncle, any one can sew on buttons."

" W'vy fctr [)eopl(^ can sew on buttons jtroperly,''

icorreeted the Doctor, "that is, l)uttons on nu'u's

Iclotliing that will button and stay buttoned. I knt)w

ailiarming young lady who sews beautifully, but when

it eoini's to buttons she fastens them down so Hut und

tii,dil In the cloth, tliul the pi»or but loii-li(d('s gu[te und

i'i

i I

256

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

iHIa

make faces in trying to swallow them, and often do not
succeed at all. One of the button-holes in my over-
coat is suffering from a strained jaw now ! "

Olive laughed and blushed at this, saying that it rcully
was not so verif easy to give the button a nice little neck
of thread to hold it and yet make it strong and fast.

" Double thread, four times through, and wind four
times round tlie neck is my receipt," said Dr. Hoy.

So this is how it came about that Nat was silting
tailor fashion on the wolf skin facing the canij)fiix'.
sewing on buttons, the Saturday before Christinas,
having borrowed jMammy Bun's thimble, wliich lie
wore on his thumb. i

"It's my turn again to clioose," said Dodo, going to
the i)ortfolio ; "but won't you please help me, Uncle
Koy? I want to find one of tliose animals with the
between horns, that are lioUow like a cow's and yot fall
off like a Deer's ! "

"The Antelope, you mean. Turn a little fintliei
over — there is a head of a l*rongbuck ^ (as tlie males I
are called), showing tlie horns, and here is a i)ic'tiiif|
with the doe and fawn being cliased across the i)liiiii liv
a Coyote, while tlie Prairie Dogs watch nervously fmi
tlie doors of their holes, wondering wlien this little!
brother of the Wolf will turn his attention to tlicinl
This picture is (piite a drama in itself, and we only nwd
acUl one more (^liarac^ter to have a grouj) of pliiiiismeii
about whom books of stories could be wiitten. St(i].|
there is the jjicture that I wish, — the liadger.

"If you think a moment about the animals of oiirl
stories, you will remember that thiiv liave almost al

i often do not
} in my over-
! "

g that it really
lice little neck
ig and fast.
xnd wind four
, Dr. Hoy.
at was silting
■ the campfire,
^re Christniiis,
ible, which he

Dodo, going to
lelp nie, Tncle
linials with tlie
w's and yet fall

:i little furthi'i
: 1 (as the mules i
3re is a pictiuf'
OSS the pi 11 in liv

nervoiisly fmiii
when this littlt|
ention to tlieiii.
,nd we only lu'ed
lip of i)luinsiiu'ii

written. Stop.
liadger.
^ aninuils of oiirl

have aluHKst al!

*"!*•■ -^'^

::^t^.

••Sfi:

■■f.-

Ji^ ' i^'- "ji •'.-*■

•0'

^^>'»J,*;if«

"'*i%

i M^-

i'f'-r r'-

Phahuk iVtoH,

DllAMA Ol- TMW I'liAINS.
AnTKI.oI'K.

CoYoTR.

! \

(id

tliC

t'niii
the

Oy THE PLAINS

257

lived in or about woods ou thickets of some nature, and
that tliey liave been cliiefly lovers of darkness — night
Imntcrs — the liuifalo and Jack Rabbit being the great
exceptions. Now we have come to some fourfoots
wlu), like those two, also prefer the open plains.
Naming them in order of size they are the Antelope or
Proiighorn, the Coyote, the Badger, and the Prairie
Dog, wlio even to-day carry on the drama of the plains
in spite of the onward march of two-footed settlers.

'•Tliree of tliese four animals live and feed in the
open light of day, the Hadger alone being a night
prowler. Two, the Badger and the Prairie Dog, sleep
tlie winter sleep, having homes deep under the ground.
Two, tlie Pronghorn and C'oyote, are always watching
and awake, always alert, living wherever their food is
to he iotnid. This drama is not a comedy, it is a tragic
grand chain, liands-all-round.

"The Prongliorn is a cud-chewer, therefore a vege-
tal)le eater and no cannibal ; but the C\iyote eats the
Prongliorn, Prairie Dog, and Badger (when he can catch
him), as well as our old friend, the Jack Rabbit. The
Badger also eats the I'rairie Dog, as well as Rats, Mice,
(iophers, and other nuisance animals, yet the Prairie
Doy; is tlie only one of the four who increases beyond
the possibility of counting, and stretches his villages
from the home of the Peccary in Texas to the land of
the Varying Dure."

"Do tlicy build houses?" asked Dodo. "These in

the picture seem to be sitting by little holes on top of

ant-hills, that look exactly like the tips of the volcanoes

on your niised map in the wonder roouj."

"They tlo not build," said the Doctor; "they dig

H1'l

i n
' ' I

258

FOUIi-FOOTED AMERICANS

houses in the ground, after tlie fasliion of their cousin.
the Wooclchuck. But the Prairie Dogs are very sociable,
living in great underground villages, sometimes t\\ entv
or thirty miles long. We may see the doors of their
homes easily enough, where they sit hunched like little
old women, with their arms wrapped in shawls, yet quite!
alert, like all of the Squirrel family to which tlicy be-
long. But they never invite us inside, or even giveii,s|
a glimpse of the miles and miles of underground pas-
sages that run so deep, that I have often wondered if I
this little beast might not sometimes burrow down to
water, for though they often live near creeks uiid k\
river bottoms, they also seem to be content (piite o
of resich of visible water at least.

"Deep as the passages may be, the Badger knows |
how to dig down to them, and readily captures tlii>
Prairie Squirrel, with its grizzled brown coat and Mar-
mot's face. Thougli called Prairie Do(/, there is notaj
point of resemblance between this vegetable eater ai
the meat-eating dog, except it is in its cry, — ' Vap-I
yap — yap ! ' — which is between a yelp and a bark.

" (Meanly in its habits and rather prettily furred, tlii>
fourfoot is a prince among miscliief makers, and i,s;i|
line illustration of an animal who is becoming not (Hi
a nuisance, but a real (hinger to crops, because of tl
necessary disturbance of the great balance wlnud. "

" What wheel was tliat ? 1 forget about it," m\
Dodo.

"I remember," said Nat; ''the balance wheel iswld
Uncle Uoy calle<l 'The Phin of th(( World,' wlail
things were arranged so that every animal and plaiil
should l)e food to some oilier one, and there should

1 : !

ON THE PLAINS

259

! ;■

be too much of anything. But by and by House
People had to meddle, and without thinking much
about it killed off some things, and then tiie others
crew too many, because there was no one to eat them ! "

'•' That is rather a mixed way of putting it," laughed
Dr. Roy, " but we understand what you mean, which
is something.

"The Prairie Dog eats not only grass, but grass
roots also, and as soon as they have eaten all within a
certain distance of their homes, they move on, burrow-
ing fresh villages, leaving bare, barren ground behind
tliein, only to lay waste fresh grazing ground.

" iJefore the Jiuffaloes had left and farm cattle
roiuned over the plains, and wheat helds made green
seas of the prairies, the natural enemies of the Prairie
Dou's held them in check. But the farmer was more
angry with the Coyote, Fox, aiid Badger tlian with the
seemingly harmless Prairie Dog, and turned his atten-
tion to them, until he found that it was nnich worse to
liave his pasture eaten tlian to lose a few calves and
lambs — and now the war wages fiercely in the grazing
and wlieat lands.

"You may take a rifle and play 'catch as catch can,
until the gunpowder runs out of the heels of your boots,'
like the people in the nursery jingle ; but it is more
often 'catcli as catch cant'' when you inidertake to
rout a I'rairie Dog town.

" I have often siuintered tlu'ough one of their villages,
stiek in iiand, merely to see wliat they wi>uld do. They
were us usual on the watch, each one ch)se to his door.
Very likely a Burrowing Owl, living in some abandoned
hole of the dogs, would drop me a (puiiiit bobbing cour-

I !■■' '
■ l'

260

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

tesy as I passed, after a fashion of its own. Perhaps I
woukl see a sand-colored rattlesnake disappear in one
of the mounds, probably to make a meal and a visit at
the same time.

" As I drew near every eye was upon me. If I raised
my arms or stick, amid a cliorus of yelps, down the
Prairie Dogs would go into tlieir holes, only to bob up
the next moment Jack-in-the-box fashion. It does not
seem to matter how they enter the holes. They can
tun; a somersault down the slope that leads from the
door to the first gallery, and disappear backward, star-
ing all the while.

" Curiosity is often as fatal to them as to bjg game.
Coyote knows this failing and avails himself of it in
hunting them. You remember how the great (iiiiv
Timber Wolves hunt in couples or in packs. Coyote
also follows this family habit. Two start out from ii
den or lounging spot in tlie side of a butte or coulie."

"What is a butte?" asked Dodo.

"A butte is a sort of cliff of sandstone, that rises
sharply from level ground. They are the landmarks
of the plains and often take beautiful or fantastic
shapes, like church spires or castles. Some buttes arc
bare and arid, some are dotted with clusters of pine
trees. A coulie is a cut made by creek or river.

"As I said before," continued the Doctor, ^'twn
Coyotes start out to see what they can [)ick up, suilliii!;
about here and there like the vagabond wild dogs they
are. If they lind the carcass of some large animal, left
by Wolves or human hunters, tliey will gorge them-
selves contentedly U[)on it, for they are the Jackals of
our country and revel in carrion. If, however, tliey

i ,

ON THE PLAINS

261

meet with nothing of this sort, they sit clown like a
couple of House People deciding upon a plan of action,
and look about the country in all directions."

'^ Do they look for what they want? I thought all
fovufoots followed scent the most," said Rap.

"- With tlie beasts of woods and thickets, smell is the
keener sense of the two ; but with the animals who have
been adapted to living in the open, sight is better de-
veloped."

''Of course," said Olive, "I can understand that, for
you cannot see far in the woods, Avhile there are fewer
things in the open country to hold the scent."

" Our Coyotes see in the distance some Prairie Dogs
sitting at the mouths of their caves ; they interchange
signals. One Coyote starts off on a lazy trot ; the
other remains sitting. The first Coyote does not
hurry, however, but goes in a careless way toward the
village, and soon his companion may be seen following
him. Singling out a particular dog, the leader passes
it slowly, but without pausing. Down drops the
Prairie Dog into its hole as if shot. In a moment
his curiosity overcomes his fear. He peeps out, sees
the (Coyote moving off, and so resumes his doorstep
watch, still eying the enemy.

"The moment he takes his place he is snapped up by
Coyote number two, who has followed, all unseen, in
the footsteps of numl)er one. This is of course if all
goes well, and no neiglil)orly Prairie Dog has given a
warning ' Yap I '

''Some spring morning our Coyotes may fancy veni-
son for breakfast, and think that nothing would taste
better than a young Antelope. Again they scan the

i.;

262

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

ilM

plain, slinking along cautiously behind such scant shel-
ter as the}^ can find, or lying Hat on the ground if no
cover offers. In the distance a bunch of Antelope sire
feeding, their pronged horns showing them to be chiefly
males, who would run too swiftly and fight too bravely
if the single pair of Coyotes should follow them.

" While the Coyotes are planning and plotting, let
us cross the plain and look at these Antelopes, who
were once, next to the Buffalo, the most plentiful of
our big game animals, even now holding out bravely
against great persecution, which if it cannot be stopped
will, in another ten years, surely drive them out of
existence.

" The IJuffalo may thrive for a time in confinement,
but the Antelope does not, for he misses the Buffalo
grass of his native plains.

" The Pronghorn is a compact animal, with more the
shape of a Bighorn than of his cousin the Deer. He
measures three feet to the shoulder, has a short body,
and is very easy to identify, first by the black horns
with double prongs that grow just above and between
the large, deep brown eyes, next by the neck bands of
brown and white, then by the white rump, the straw-
like hair of the back being dun color, like the coat of
a Jersey cow. The eyes of the Antelope are of Avon-
derful size and brilliancy, and they are among the
keenest eyed of our fourfoots. The doe (as the female
is usually called in the Deer family) does not wear
horns.

"The twin horns of the little male fawns begin to
grow when they are four months old, and are shed in
midwinter or early spring, but the old bucks usnally

ON THE PLAINS

263

lose theirs in autiinin, at the end of the year's growth
and good grazing. When tlie time comes tliat the old
horn is ripe it drojis off. If you couUl h3ok at it, you
would find it liollow lialf-way up, and see how it fitted
over the bony core from which it grew, and wliich is
a part of tlie animal's skull. Then you would see the
point of tlie soft new horn sprouting."

" Wiiy do Deer have to shed their prongs and horns? "
asked Nat. " Wiiat are they good for, and isn't the
ground all prickly with them ? "

" They are the weapons witli which the males fight
each other when they choose their mates. You have
seen that birds often quarrel in the mating season and
peck and fly at each otlier, and the fourfoots are much
more jealous and disagreeable, the larger ones, like the
Bears and Deer, often fighting terrible battles. Their
mating season is in the autumn, and when it is over
they have no further use for their weapons until the
new ones are ripe the next season."

"Why don't they need them to fight people and
other animals with?" asked Rap.

"Tliey use them in self -protection sometimes, but
in fighting other animals they usually strike with their
hoofs and are able to deal very powerful blows. One
of the ways in which the Deer family kills rattle-
snakes is to spring suddenly upon them with their four
feet close togetlier.

"The Pronghorn has its winter and summer ranges
like the Buffalo. In summer, unless drought turns the
coarse grass into hay, they fare well; but in winter the
poor Antelope huddle together in such shelter as they
can find, and if snowed in, not having snow-shoe feet to

r M
I

264

FOUR-FOOTED AMEIilCANS

travel toward better feeding grounds, they must freeze
and starve if tliorougldy snowbound. Wliy we do not
find more of the cast-off prongs or antlers on ilie
grounds, is a hard question to answer. Indians siiy
because sometimes tiie animals paw up dirt and l)uiy
them, but it is probably because the great army of
nuisance animals gnaw them for food.

" The Antelope fawns, one or two in number, ure
born in middle or late spring, and stay in grassy nouks
under slight shelter for a few days, after which tliey
follow their mothers. Tliis is a time of peril for l)()tli
fawn and Coe. AVhile the fawns are too feeble to run
about, they are comparatively safe, but as soon as they
come out in plain sight the eyes of the Coyote world
are upon them, and tlie does often lose their lives in
striving to protect them. Then tliere are winged ene-
mies also, — the great golden war Eagles, who swoop
down and seize the fawns easily, and are often a match
for fully grown bucks, disabling them lirst by piekiiiir
out their eyes."

''Do Antelopes only live in the far West? AVere
there never any near here?" asked Dodo.

" They have never been found east of tlie ]\Iississi|ij)i,
but they once ranged all the way from the Saskalclic-
wan country down to prickly Pecn-ary land, botli in tlio
green prairie, foothills, and dry, crack(Ml alkali ])lain,
where rattlesnakes and horned toads were: their eom-
panions. Now domestic sliee]» have taken tlieir sum-
mer ranges on the bare shtpes of {\\v foothills, as tlu!
range cattle have re[)laeed the Unrialo, and llie giciit
t'ibe is broken into (h^taehed gi'ouj)S, scattered liero
and there through half a dozen states."

^^m 1

ON THE PLAINS

265

' must freeze
liy we tU» not
tiers oil llie
Indians s.iy
irt and bury
L-eat army of

number, iiie

grassy nooks

I- wliicli they

peril for both

I feeble to run

i soon as lliey

Coyote woi'lil

their lives in

•e winged ene-

8S, who swoop

often a matcli

st by pieking

W'est ? Were

he ]Mississiit|)i,
lu; Saskatclu'-
d, l)()th ill tlio
I alkali i)liiii),
Vi' tbeir com-
a'li tbeir siiiii-
ootbills, iis till!
and tbe <;'n'at
scattered lioie

" I should think tlie Coyotes and Foxes could surelv
tiud the baby Deer when they were hidden in the
bushes," said Rap.

»'So you would imagine, but when the fawns are very
small they are said to have no odor by which they may
!)(' tiaeked, and if tlieir motliers scent harm for them
llit'V give a bleating call, and tlie obedient children
tliitteii themselves close to the eartli and are hidden
liom siglit, in tlie same manner that the little grouse

hsappear i

It tl

leir inotncr s (

•luck.

,s soon as tliey

a IV o

1(1 eiiouiih to have sti'eiiijfth in their lejjs, the fawns

irase hiding, taking to their lieels wiien alarmed —
and how a I'ronghorn runs when it chooses ! Tlie
fiillv •n-own Anteloi)e can outrun a race horse for a
lertaiii distance, and thougli they cannot jump as far
upward as other Deer, they can cross a great space on
a level, and even the little ones bound over tlie ground
as swiftly as Rabbits."

"1 should think if they ran so fast and coidd see so
jfar, liunters could never catch them," said Raj).

"It is a dillicult matter in broken and treaclienms
i,n(mii(l, l)Ut their curiosity makes it possible. To chase
Antelope on horseback at full speed over the plains is
|(lanL,n'i()MS work ; at any moment a iiorse may step into
In iladger or l^rairie Dog's hole, break ids leg, and give
[tlic rider a bad fall. Hut sometimes a herd, on seeing

hiirseiiiaii, will run a little way, then all wheel round
iiiil n'a/e at him before starting once more, which lets
lint «;'aiii time.

"There was a way of attrai'ting Antcdope, called sig-
lalliiig, by waving a Hag on a p(de. ( )n sight of the
kviiviiig object, the curiosity of the animals was excited

266

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

and they came up to look, but it only attracted Ante-
lope wl'.o had not been hunted before, and they are now
growing too shy to be deceived by it. Then, in addi-
tion to tlie protection of their coloring wlien lying down
and their own wonderful eyesight, the Prongliorns luive
danger signals of their own, added to various cries.
When alarmed, they can raise the hair on tlie ruinp
until it looks like a huge white chrysanthemum, being
visible from a great distance.

" Now whihi we have been talking about the habits of
the Antelope, what have our pair of Coyotes planned?

"■ They have sneaked along until they have discov-
ered a doe, grazing tiione and followed by a fair-sizeil
fawn. After taking the lay of the land the Coyotes
separate, one going over a bit of rising ground to the
left and the other (?re('i)ing directly towards its prev.
for you must understand that Coyotes, though swift
runners, cannot overtake an animal like the AnteloiH'
except by forming a partnership of two, three, or four,
spreading out along the runway and duising in relays
— one starting when anotlier gives out, until their
victim is (piite spent.

"Tlie doe starts to run, t\w fawn keeping by lieri
side, its h'gs striking out awkwardly. On they go fur
a mile or so gayly enough, tiui doe gradually tin'iiiiij,Mii
the left toward an accustonuMl track, her white Imilj
bristling in alarm, like a warning cry of ' Wolf" lorm
of her tribe who may heed. Now very soon the kn
begins to lag and the Coyote gains ui)on them. Tin
doe is prei)ar(Ml for thi.s, and gradually drops heliiiilj
keeping the fawn in front of her. One minute iihh
and as the Coyote strives to i)ass and stMze the lu<l. 1

f:!

ON THE PLAINS

267

.(.

will receive a stunning blow in the head from those
locklike hoofs. Then tiie pair will be safe, unless they
are too tired to escape the second Coyote who is waiting
to head them off a little further on. But if the second
Coyote should arrive on the scene before the first is
tUsiibled, struggling is useless, and the little Wolf
1)1 /tliers will have the venison breakfast that they
coveted."

" You said the Badger holes were dangerous for
liursenien. Do Badgers live with the Prairie Dogs?"
iisked Dodo. " The Badger in this picture is very
funny — he looks very silly, and as if he wanted to
sneeze and couldn't ! ''

'' Hadgers make their homes near Prairie Dog towns
or at wood edges. Tliese burrows are very curious
affairs too. They go down fully six feet, then separate
into galleries that lead to different rooms, the master of
the house occupying the largest, deepest apartment all
hy himself. Tiiey aie clean beasts, too, and keep their
(luarters very neat. Foolish as the Badger looks, he is
a liene foe, and it is a plucky dog or beast of any kind
who can nmt him from his hole.

"The Badger is about two feet from nose to tail,
whieh is rather short; tiio l)ody is broad and Hat, the
skin thick and lough, the back and fore legs as strong
as ii'on. It lias a p(>inted nose, keen black eyes, and a
wliite strii)e running from its nose over its head to the
shonhlers. 'IMie general color of its winter fur, which
istiiict' inches long, is a frosty gray. We say of a man
who has peculiarly white-tipped hair, ' IIi^ is gray as a
iiadifcr.' The summer fur is less brilliant, being yel-
Inwisii and faded. Tiiu Badger's chief claims to fame

268

FO Uli - FO (} TED A MFE ICA NS

W:3Bbi n

are his long, cruel claws, used both as tools and weapons,
which, combined with his sharp teeth, make him an
animal to be attacked cautiously. Both back and front
feet have live strong toes set well in the flesh, armed
with claws that make the Badger a veritable steam

IUdukk.

shovel for digging. Once give him ever so small a
start 1111(1 he can burrow Taster than anything run
ToUow him. Or let liim back into iiis hole, hraiiiii,'
his hind IVcl, and any Dog, Fox, or ('oyote who trios to
draw liim out will be lorn, bitten, and most likely luivo
his throat cut."

*' Are lliidgers good for anything but to keep down

ON THE PLAINS

209

W W . fft W''''^/'^'

nuisance animals?" asked Rap, getting up reluctantly,
for lie was obliged to go home early that night.

'' Ves, paint and shaving brushes are made from their
stilTer tail-hairs, and their pelts have a small value in
tlie fur market."

•• I've finished my last button," said Nat, jumping
up as liap closed the door ; " but my lingers are all
cnnnped."

"I should think they would be," said Olive, "sit-
ting all in a heap and pushing the needle witli your
tluunb. The buttons look very nicely, though, don't
they, father?"

" Ves, and you see they all have nice little necks, and
llic button-holes do not make faces when tliey swallow
tliciu," added Nat, i)r(mdly.

"The last present is linished — now eimies Cliristmas
and tlie tree !" cried Dodo, claj)ping her liands. "• May
\ve (»it('n our baidv and see if we have enough nioiu'y to
hny Ihe bird book for Rap? Y(m said we miglit wiien
llic sewing was all done. Ves ; here it is, I liid it in
tlie wolf skin to liave it all ready. Oii, wliat a lot of
pi'uiiics, and a gold dollar ! Who put that in, I wonder?
it was you, daddy, I can tell by the way the end of
your nose winks I Do ctuuit for me, Olive, the pennies
«Iil ■-

) so

"Four dollars and lifty cents," said Olive, after
coiMiling twice over.

"Hurrah!" shunted Nat, "the liook l{ap wishes oidy
costs three (lollais and lifty cents, so we can buy him a
hig ht»x of real city caiuly too I "

il to keep (U'Wii

XIX

UNDER THE rOLAli STAR

UCH wind and threatening

weather, then two days

of falling snow that

buried the fences, and

at last the northwest

wind sent the clouds

scurrying, and bright

sunshine returned with

the day before Ciirist-

mas.

" It is like the pictures in a fairy story ; do look at
the trees and the top of the rose arbor ! " said Dodo
that Friday morning, as she rubbed a peep-hole in tlie
frost on the dining-room window. " Rod is breakin::r
the road up the hill, and all you can see is the top of
his head, and Tom and Jerry step in up to where their
blankets are strapped. It's lucky we had the Clirist-
mas tree cut down and waiting in the shod before the
snow came."

"It isn't in the slied," said Nat, mischievously, com-
ing in witli dancing eyes and a very red, cold nose, the
only parts of his fact^ that could be seen l)etwci'ii liis
mnlHer and cap ])rim.

*' ( )h, where is it ? " wailed Dodo. " Do you think

870

UNDER THE POLAR STAR

271

any one has ^olen it — was there any trail in the
snow r

'^ Ves, some one has dragged the tree ont ; T saw the
fo()t})rints and marks of the hranclies ! "

"Do let's go and tell Uncle Hoy, or it will he too
late to cut another."

''Nat is teasing you," said Olive. " Father and Un-
cle Jack are the thieves, for 1 see them dragging the
tree round to the camp now."

Bang! went the door, and the dining room was empty.
*****

The tree touched the ceiling and was fastened to a
beam with wire to keep the top steady, while the stand
that liehl it was so prettily covered with moss and pine
needles that it looked quite like the ground where the
sprnce grew. Pine knots would have been tlie proper
lights for a camp Christmas tree, but Dr. Hoy was so
afraid of setting the old dry beams afire, that he ob-
jected even to candles, and so Mr. Blake had sent to
the city for a number of tiny electric lights that would
twinkle in safety.

Nat and Dodo helped twine the beams with ever-
greens and hang the decorations on the tree, but no
more. They would not for worlds have peeped at even
the corner of a present, i\wy were so fond of Ifcing sur-
prised. In s})ite of the tem})tation to go outchjors, they
were too nuudi excited to care for making snow houses,
or throwing snowballs, and kept in a perfect iidget un-
til three o'(do('k, tile hour when Rod was to take the
hig sleigh to the depot to meet the party from the
inonutain.

• « 4l> « •

272

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

3- t

" They are coming, they are almost at the corner, for
1 can hear the bells ! " cried Dodo. " Now they've
stopped ! "

" They are waiting for Rap and his mother, you know
the sleigh was to call for them. Here they are ! "
shouted Nat, dashing down to the gate, — "that is,
all I) Lit Toinette ! "

Sure enough she had not come. " Got basliful at
the last minit," said Nez ; " allowed she'd better stay
home and keep house along with her brother who's
winterin' with us, but they're goin' over to the Kidge
to-morrer to keep Christmas Canady style with some
country folks o' theirn. Reckon they'll see their Cluist-
mas candles in church ! "

This was a very long speech for Nez, and he inuiie-
diately retired to the barn with Rod, looking as if
lie was afraid of a real house with carpets and cur-
tains.

Olaf took some oddly shaped parcels from the bottom
of tlie sleigh and carried them to the stoop, driving
Phonse and Dominique in front of him lii^e a pair of
balky geese; but they soon felt at home and began to
talk when they had been introduced to the dogs ami
saw Clammy Bun preparing supper.

" I think those long bundles look as if they migh
hold show-shoes," said Nat to Olive ; " but wluit is
in that green bag, I wonder?"

" I have brought my ilddle," said Olaf. its if in answor
to Nat's (juestion. " Vour fallier sulci to me: 'Oliif. I
liavc a banjo ; bring your iiddle and we will make nuisii
together.'"

Olaf often spoke slowly, as if he thought in his own

! |.M

UNDER THE POLAR STAR

273

tongue and turned, the words to English as he said them,
yet always using good language.

The children began the entertainment of their guests
by nhowing them everything on the farm, from Sausage
up, and had only half explained the wonder room when
the bell rang for tea.

''Tiie little boys have brought funny knit nighties
and nightcaps with red tassels," whispered Nat to Dodo,
as he returned from showing the Brownies — as Olive
called them — their room and had helped unwind some
of tlieir wrappings.

Supper was a rather mixed, but very merry, meal.
Olive liad dilficulty in keeping Dodo from asking the
lirownies why they preferred fingers to forks, while
Mr. Wolf and Quick saw instantly that something
unusual was in the air and roved about the table try-
ing to snatch scraps, something that they had never
before dreamed of doing. Hut then if Christmas comes
l)ut once a year, having a party of two Brownies, a real
live woodsman, and a Fin who knows a Dream Fox, is
raver yet.

The men went out in the clear starlight for a breath
of air and to smoke their pipes. Rap's mother helped
Manuny Bun in washing dishes and making the kitchen
neat, so that by eight o'clock everything was in order
for tlie march upon Camp Saturday.

" Isn't it nice?" said Dodo to the Brownies; "eight
o'clock is go-to-bed-time on commcm niglits, but Christ-
mas eve it is the very beginning, for daddy says we
may stay up until ten I "

Tli(^ Brownies, however, did not understand much
about time, for they usually went to bed whenever it

■!■

*i i

274

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

grew dark. While they all stood waiting for the sign
to be given for opening the camp door, a scream came
from Mammy Bun, who was already inside.

" For de Ian' sakes, Massa Doctor, come hyar right
smart ! Billy Coon, he am in der tree eatin' eberyting I
I tink he hab bit one o' dem fancy lights, shor' nulf ! "

The waiting procession immediately stampeded.
Fortunately the tree was fastened at the top, or Billy's
fat body would have overturned it and wrought dire
mischief. As it was, he had only eaten a few lady
apples and a candy cane, so he was driven into a far
corner, where he sat devouring a string of popcorn that
caught round his neck, for the Brownies were deliglited
to see their old friend, and the children all begged that
he might not be banished.

The tree lights twinkled in e? rnest, and made such a
blaze that the Brownies blinked, and an hour was spent
in exploring the branches of the tree after the ground
had been gleaned of the larger gifts. If this was not
a story of fourfoots, I would tell you all about the
presents, — the names of the bicycles that Olive, Nat.
and Dodo received, of Rap's bird book, jMrs. Blake's
soft sealskin jacket, the Brownies' toys, Olaf's carved
pipe, and Nez' knife that had a blade for everything
and one extra. I must not even whisper about these
things, except to say that the snow-shoes were tlune:
but hurry to tl.e story that Olaf told as he gazed from
the tree to the campfire, listening now and then, as if
his words came from tlie wind outside.

" Wlio sliall choose the pictures to-niglit ? " askeil
Olive. " It is Dodo's turn to-morrow, but tliis is an
extra evening." *

:'!

UNDER THE POLAR STAR

275

"Let Olaf choose for himself," said the Doctor.
*' He has a story in mind and knows what he needs to
iUustrate it."

Olaf took six pictures from the portfolio ; the first
three were of a Polar Bear, a Caribou, and the Musk
Ox, a shaggy, brown beast with drooping horns, that
looked half sheep and half Buffalo. The other three
were of Sea Lions, Seals, and a Walrus.

"They are all strange, far-away, cold country ani-
mals," said Rap ; " just the right sort for a winter
story."

"^line is a tale of ice and snow, long nights and
short days, of a country >/hose north border sleeps in
the twilight a third of the year, — if it were not so the
people would be sightless from the snow blindness, —
a land of hunger and cold, of jore famine, and then
brutal huntL.g. We may call this place Fur Land,
and it lies under the Polar star and is the place where
the white Bear rug and sealskin jacket are at home."

"Please, Olaf," interrupted Dodo, "if you know
about this far-away, cold country, can you tell if the
Reindeer tliat Santa Clans drove have any American
cousins, and why children never see him driving over
the roofs or coming down the chimneys any more ?"

"Yes," said Olaf, hesitating a moment; "those Rein-
deer have cousins living with us. They are called the
Caribou, and grow of two varieties, — one short-legged
and stunted, that tracks the treeless Barren Grounds,
and the other here pictured, tlie Woodland Caril)ou.
ihit ' why do children no longer see the good Santa
Chius?' That question has a sad, sad answer, coming
from unfair hunting, which drives so many line things

276

FOUli-FOOTED AMKliWANH

out of this land. Think you Saint Nichohis will hrincr
his maijic Deer here for men to shoot with their hnw.
reaching guns ? He knows their cruel hearts too well,
and. keeps away so that no man, pointing to a row of
antlers over his chimney-piece, may say, ' Tliose are

Woodland Caribou.

the horns of Santa Claus' Reindeer ; 1 myself shot
tliem all with a single hullet ! '

" Come then, whistle to our Woodland Carihou tn
take us to this Fur J^and, but do not be impatient; kj
has far to journey to us.

"He has his home in the woods, upon our northern I
borders and on into the British Kingdom, as far as trees

UNDER THE POLAR STAR

211

5«ftw"li««wl>»»i^

; I myself shot

(Tiow to give liiiii shelter. In summer he loves cool
iiuuslies, where he feeds on plant roots and fresh tree
buds ; in winter he journeys to high ground and paws
the snow away to find gi'ass, moss, or lichens, so he is
uhvays restless, moving about more than his stunted
brother of the Barren Grounds, and we must often look
fill' and wide to find him Ah, he is a fourfoot built to
stand the cold, and shod for snow striding I Look at
his picture. See the strange antlers, both palmed and
lined, brancliing downward as gnarled old trees, no two
pairs growing (piite alike. Even the female Caribou,
or, as she is called in this tribe, the cow, wears small,
si)ike(l liorns. See his long, stout hair that makes a
thatcli like straw to keep the wet and cold out of his
undercoat. He is not pretty, this Caribou ; ah, no I his
face and neck look faded, and he is at best a dingy sort
of brown with a lighter colored rum]). His tail is lined
with wliite, and, when raised, becomes liis signal flag of
danger. See the foot gear he wears ; is it not wonder-
ful? Two hoofed, spreading toes, curved inward, with
two more behind, all edged with stiff hairs. When he
phmts liis feet his hind legs bend toward the ground,
making long snow-shoes such as no other deer wears.
Tlie [)alm-horned Moose, the largest of our deer, sinks
in the snow, and after much running, falls exhausted.
[The l^lk, tlie king of all his tribe, has small, sharp-
I'dged hoofs ; but this, the third from the largest, the
iiwkward Caribou, wears such snow-shoes that, if he
were tamed and trained, he too, like his lleindeer
cousin, Avould be a useful beast of burden in our bleak,
Inorth country.

"He does not come ; whistling will not bring him ;

I f

«ii

278

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

>/ -!!

we must go without him, for we cannot wait. Per-
liaps, as he sheds his great antlers near Christmas time,
he feels shy and helpless. I will call the 'Day-Dream
Fox ' to guide us. Look well at the map while wo are
travelling open eyed, for he leads the mind in minutes,
where it would take the feet long montlis to follow.

"Go up through our plains to tlie British countries,
where the great company of Hudson's Hay catches
fur for half the world, and the Beaver, Otter, Suble,
Mink, Wolverine, and Silver Fox still flourish,— on
across Assiniboia and Saskatchewan. See, we find the
names of fourfoots everywliere : Bear Lake and Rein-
deer Lake, while curving from the Rockies toward
Huds(m"s liay we cross the Caribou Mountains."'

" Did you learn American geograpliy when you went
to school 'way up in Finland?" asked Dodo, "or did you
learn it by walking over tlie country?"

" I learned a little even then, and much more after-
ward, and I have lived in this Nortli Country for tlirte
years. Beyond tlie Caribou Mountains we come tn
(Jrcat Slave Lake, and from tliere up to the waterV
edge we are in the Barren (irounds. Barren of trees.
of everytlnug but liercest Wolves, tlie White Fox, Musk
Ox, Caribou, and a few grim Bears who wear cliaiijfcil
faces from their gri/./ly mountain l)r()tli(M's, throngli liv-
ing in this bare wildtu'iiess. This place is like a battln
ground, \vlitM(( Wolf kills Ox, Caribou, and Kox, whih
the Indian, wluui Ik^ ventures up so far, kills all tlu'si'|
in turn.

'• Tliiu'e T can fancy the Musk Oxen standi ui,' in
herd of twenty or nuu'e, pacikcd (closely for dct'cnn'.J
frightened by scent of blood, as if wild <logs or Wolvf

] wait. l*er-
iristmas time,

* Day-Dueam
, wliile \vc are
id in minutes,

to follow,
bish countries,
i Hay catches
, Otter, Siible,

flourish,— on
,66, we find the
ake and Hem-
lock ies towai-tl
mtains.""
wben you went
do, ''or did you

icli n\ore after-
nmtry for three
ns we come to
to the water's
\'Mm\\ of trees.
riiitc Fox, Musk

wear ('l»anj,nMl
crs, tliroui^h liv-
> is like a l)attli'

, and Fox, whiM
r, kills all th("si'|

Ml staudin|4 in
m.ly for <l*'»'^'i>''*'l

1 do«^s or \\o\\A

t
\

\
\

■

' i »>■

' ' \

■\ ^ ,

u:nder the polar star

279

siinouiitled them. If it were spring, 1 should know
that the young calves were there inside the protecting
ring". WliJit iire they watcliing? One of their herd
in terror sniffs and paws tlie ground where a Wolf has
dragged some bleeding meat, like the ox in our picture.
This beast, though called an ox, is really more like a
great sheep, measuring over four feet at the shoulders."

»' How is it more like a sheep? " asked Nat.

"Tiie Wise Men say that its teeth are like a sheep's,
!in(l its feet like those of an ox," said Dr. Hoy, to help
Olaf, who knew what he had seen, but not so much
about the bones and building material of animals. " He
has, you see, an ox's nose, but his horns curve strangely
downward. His brown robe is longer and thicker than
the cor.t • " any other of our fourfoots, (piite covering
his she- . ep's tail. The hairy coat is abuost two
feet long, wnile underneath, packed closely to the body,
is a tlcecc blanket that falls away in summer."

" I see his funny, turned-in, hairy, snow-shoe toes,
and lie has a bit of a Buffalo's hump," said Dodo, afU^r
h)nking at the picture. " How (pieer it is to lind that
such strange beasts belong in our America I "

" Yes," said Dr. Koy, "and, what is more, with the
exeeption of (ireeulaud they live nowhere else but iu
Ndi'tli America."

" Does the Musk Ox make good meat, like the Buf-
falo?" asked Kai).

"Oil, no, very poor nu-at, coarse and tough, with the
rank llavoi- of musk that gives this ox its nanu'. Only
Wolves and starving Indians care to i«at it. 'Die skin
is tougii and serviceable enough if you can get it off
withuiil tearing."

Ill

280

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

'■i

]

"What does the Musk Ox eat?" asked Nat.

" Moss, wiry grass, and licliens, a scanty living diiT
from beneath tlie snow with the liooked horns, or scraped
up with the hoofs that do double service in digging und
helping the ox climb rocks, and also to run swiftly over
slippery ground. The cud-chewers fare poorly in the
Northlands. Where the prowling flesh-eaters can feed
upon each other, the grass-eaters often go hungry, and
all the beasts of the l^arren Grounds are flesh-enters,
save the Caribou and Musk Ox.

"Now we go further north and reach frozen sea edges.
Round the.se ice-clad borders prowl the Polar IJeiirs,
following the ice downward as it creeps to open .sea in
winter, and going north again in summer, .seldom com-
ing twoscore miles inland, like the coast-loving Eskinin
himself.

" Wiiat is he made of, this great, clumsy, half-ton mass I
of flesh, clothed in thick, yellow-white fur from noso tip
to j)oint of claws? ( 'lothed ? — no; padded is the hcttii
word, for his long nccik and small head grow from it
rolling bale of fur on legs. Tliis White Hear slccjjsoii
ice and soaks in ice wat(!r, never dreaming of the i'(dd,
Can lie be warm-blooded flesh ? liut yes, he is. The
slie HeiU's brin<^ fortli their young in icy caves ami
hardtMi tiieir cubs to swim with them in icy .sons, mid tn
f()lh)W lludr ])iirents while they tnud^ and hunt down
their Seal and Widrus meat, or shuflh' along the slion-
to feed upon (hiad Whides.

"A great hunter is (liis Hear, (piitdv of tooth inil
claw; he .'.talks the Seals as ujcn do, stealing l)(diini
them when they come upon land, sei/.ing tlieiii wlitu
they turn to hide in their water-holes. Over all (In

I Nat.

ity living dui,'
)nis, or siii'iiped
in digging and
Lin swiftly over
} poorly in the
eaters can feed
go Imngry, and
ire tlesh-eaters.

rozen sea edges.
le Polar lieais.
3 to open sea in
er, seldom com-
t-loving Eskimo

^y, half-ton mass
ur from nose ti[t
led is the hetter
id grow from w
i Hear sleeps on
intr of the cold.
yes, he is. 'i'lif
1 icy caves aiul
iey sens, and 1"
and linnt dttwii
idong the sliom

(d< of tootii illl'l
stealing heliini
i/.ing tliem wluii
s. Over all i1h|

111

Polar Bicah and Skal.

■f

•

UNDER THE POLAR STAR

281

laiuls and seas of ice this Bear is king of fonrfoots.
Of man, too, he was king, when man meant only the
Eskimo armed witli a knife and spear. Then Bear
hunting v.as dangerons indeed, — hlow for blow, tooth
against knife-blade, arm of muscle tipped with long
claws against brittle harpoon. Now a long-range rifle,
keen eyes, and a steady hand, have turned the peril
from man to Bear, and soon the great hungry beasts
will have left the Arctic twilight as the Bison left
the prairie. Snow may be her bed, but the she Jiear's
heart beats warm and lovingly for her cubs, — or rather
cub, for she usually has but one, — and she will let her-
self be killed before man or beast may touch it.

"Tramp, tramp, tramp, go the Bear's feet through
the snow, leaving the even-planted print of lieel and
too, as a man's foot does. Now follow them round
Hudson's liay, across tlie north coast, turning south-
ward down Alaska. Then crossing Behring Strait, go
on to wliere ice floes go through the chains and dots of
islands to the Pribilofs, where in summer there are no
iiigiits and in winter moonlight is daylight, the islands
where tlie sealskin jacket lived when it was at home,
for I can guess that this jacket was once the covering
of tliree baclielor Seals ! "

' i

■ ?•

m» « , M tim » i MM i M a a mtmmmimimtAki ^ t i mf ttm m

. '1

^ :-^.

A SEALSKIN JACKET AT HOME

lE now leave dry land, though
when one follows the Polar
Bear over the caked ice,
who can tell if it is earth,
rock, or frozen water tliat
lies underneath.
iji. j '*• The tribe of fin-footeil
■ -.jwrtff^ ] watermen (^IHnnipedii) live
on tlie frozen sea edges and
islands from Labrador around the north coast to the
Pacific Ocean. The Polar Bear spends tlie chief part
of liis time on thf^ ^and, going in fishing and swimming
for pleasure ; but tliese watermen pass most of their
time in the water where their food is, floating Avitli
drifting ice Hoes, and hauling up on the islands to rest
for a time in summer wlien tiieir cu))s are born."

" Why do you say liauling up ?" asked Nat. "■ Haven't
these beasts legs, and can't they walk? In my spelling
book it says liaul nutans to pull or drag."

"It says rigidly," answered Olaf, "for these beasts
drag tliemsclves wlien on hmd, and their legs are not as
the limbs of Deer or Hear, l)ut fli[)])ers set deep in tlie
flesh, shaix'd half like tlie lins of a fish. To see them
it seems impossible that tliev should move at all, eitluT

282

! >'

A SEALSKIN JACKET AT HOME

283

in ^^'ate^ or on liiiid. Four kinds of these fin-footed
ones I know, for two of my three cokl northern years
1 lived where they are killed. Pah ! it was a cruel
country, reeking with smells, and mine was a loathsome

living.

'•These four watermen are named the Walrus, the
Sea Lion, the Sea Bear or Fur Seal, and the Harbor
Seal. Of these the Walrus is king, if size and ancient
name make royalty. Jiack in the legends of my coun-
try this 'Whale Horse,' as he was called, of the Atlantic
coast is pictured, and one was taken to good King
Alfred's court by Otliere, the Viking. What they
thought of it I do not know, but those were the days
when men believed the sea peopled with monsters and
saw mermaids riding on the waves, and fashioned the
Unicorn upon their shields from memory of that spike-
nosed Whale, the Narwhal, that they had doubtless
seen stranded upon some northern beach. But no
dream beast could match the Walrus in homeliness.

" Look at the picture of this lump of fat, flesh, and
bones — it is the giant of the coast, those on the Pacific
shore growing larger than their Athintic brothers. Is
he not monstrously ugly? Twelve feet and more from
nose to rumj), twelve feet and more in girth. The huge
wrinkled neck sui)porting a small head with small eyes
and two long tusk teeth, while the rough whiskers
on the snout look like seaweeds clinging to a water-
mossed rock. What has the beast to help him either
swim (»r walk ? Four lind)s so deeply sunk in flesh and
skill tliiit you see only five-fingered hands, wearing skin
mittens. These serve well for paddles, and their owner
ran rest almost upright in the water, floating easily, for

28-1

FO Ult - FOO TED A ME RICA NS

all about his chest and neck are layers of oily fat or
blubber, which make a life raft of hiin, while his thi(;k,
tough hide, scarred with wounds from rocks, harpoons,
Bears' claws, and the tusks of rivals, keeps him from
growing water soaked and chilly, lie is warm blooded,
and yet able to stay under water half an hour at a time
without coming up to breathe.

" How does he feed tliis great body of his, and lay
up the layers of fat that draw his hide in creases like
seams in rocks ? By digging clams and water roots,
scraping mussels and other shell-fish from the kelp beds
with his tusks, and he also uses these tusks as hooks to
help in pulling liimself over the rocks and shoals of tlie
summer breeding-grounds."

" Why doesn't he eat seaweed?" said Dodo. "1
should think it would be a great deal of trouble to
open clams enough to feed such a 'mense thing ! "

"All of this tribe of Pinnipeds^ as the Wise Men call
them, live chiefly on animal food," said tlie Doctor,
" tiieir teeth showing them to be flesh eating or car-niv-
o-rou8^ but Olaf will tell you that they do not stop to
open tlie clams — they are not so dainty in their iisli-
ing as the Crows ! "

"No, they swallow them by the bushel, shells iiiid
all," continued Olaf. "If it hurts them or not, wlio
can say, for they tell no one their secrets, but it may
be tliat they are complaining when they cry and roar.
as they do at all times of the year, with a growling
lioidv tiiat might be tlie call of a wild goose goldiii.
Sometimes in the spring and early summer, the season
of cool fog on the northwest breeding islands, I have
stood on a clilt' and could not tell by sight alone if it

»f oily fat or
ile liis thu'k,
ks, luirpoDiis.
!ps him from
rai'in blooded,
lOur at a time

E his, and lay
in creases like
I water roots,
the kelp l)eds
ks as hooks to
\ shoals of the

tid Dodo. "I

of trouble to

ise thing 1 "

Wise Men call

id the Doctor,

ting or car-nil'-

do not stop to

y in their lisli-

hel, shells and
jni or not, wlio
t'ts, but it may
y cry and roar.
ith a growling
d goose goblin.
nner, the season
> islands, 1 have
sight ah>iie it it

-.;»V

^ ..i .■i<» .^ ^^j ^ ^ . ■■iitinai'l^-

Enf»t Stfon THam'fKon

%'■ ^

I rt

I
I

Atlantic Waluus.

a
I

A SEALSKIN JACKET AT HOME

285

\vas ocean all about me — then I would hear their honk

below, different in key from the roar of the Sea Lion."

" Aren't they awfully fierce beasts to meet ? " asked

Kap.

"They look fierce, and when killed with spear or
liarpoon may give the whaler or Eskimo some scars
or crush him by rolling their ton weight on him, in
their terror to get back from land to sea. But that
is all, and how can such a piece of clumsiness long es-
cape extermination if he is hunted persistently with
the rifle ? "

"Are they good for much ?" asked Nat. " Of course
vou couldn't use that ugly skin to make fur coats, a-nd
(liiddy says that the oil from wells in the ground is
easier to get nowadays than animal oil."

''We could do without them well enough, but they
mean food and clothes, heat, light, and life itself to the
poor Eskimos. Even with the Walrus, life to them is
I not easy; without him it means awful, slow starvation.
Listen to what the Walrus gives. First of all, his
[coarse meat is the Eskimos' beef, their only change
from fish, for many of them live out of the range of
Bear meat and dare not venture through the Barren
Grounds for the Musk Ox. Walrus meat is eaten fresh
and also packed away as food, for all the year Tts oil
Iffives liim liglit and fuel also in that treeless hini."

'Oh, then the Eskimos have oil stoves, the same as
Ive do ! " cried Dodo. "I wonder if th'.y make the
Ichoky, smoky smell that the one does in daddy's dress-
ling room ? "

"They burn the oil without the stove, and the smoky
Bmell is very, very large," said Olaf, spreading his

! 11 '

286

FO Uli-FOO TED AMERICA NS

hands wide apart and wrinkling his face as if he re-
menil);ji'ed a very bad smell. " Next to the oil in value
conies the hide. When it is stretched and well (hied
it makes a fine cover for boats, that is stronger to stiiiul
the sharp-edged ice than any wood conld be ; the hide
also serves to make harness for the Eskimo's slt;(l<Te
dogs. The strong sinews of the back make thongs for
bird and iish nets, boot laces, and thread for sewiiirr
boat covers and clothes. The gullet or throat is used
for boot legs, with the flipper bottoms fitted on fm
soles. The intestines, which are perhaps sixt}- feet
long, are cut in strips, and when stretched and dried
are sewn together to make the waterproof clothing that
these i)eople wear in their fishing and hunting."

"Oh, dear, how much the jjoor ICskimo women must
have to sew I " murmured Dodo, '"•and what long si'iuiis;
I've seen Mammy liuu take those v.'ormy looking iiisides
out of a cliicken, and even they were ever so long I"

'•'i'lie tusks, tliough ol" a poor (piality (►f ivory, senv
many |»urposcs, not the least of them being to (liidc
away for s\u;\\ iron and steel articles as the lOskiiim
needs l)ut ciinnot make. Now you can well undcistiuiil
how he (M)uld not livelong without the beast tliat vieliN
him so much. IJut greedy peo[)le, who have many ittlin
ways to make a living, do not think of this, and lit diii
st(»am vessels that (^an go everywhere, with guns lliai
(ill from far, and take from the Kskimo his all.

"This Walrus is a lirst cousin to the Sea hciir ni
Fur Si'al «)!' the jacket, ami wc must go down tin
Hehring Straits to catch Jiim in his home. Down piM
the St. Iwawri;ncc and Si. Matthew Islands, tlu^ \Viilrii>
summer haunts, we come to the I'ribilof Islands, St!

A SEALSKIX JACKET AT HOME

287

Paul iiiid St. (leoi'ge, — where I spent tliose two years
of iiiuch disofiist ! "

'' Wluit does Pribilof mean ? " asked Nat. " It sounds
[IS if it iniglit be the Indian for pretty-far-off"; where-
upon Dodo huighed in o>reat glee and said, —

"I sliall always eall those the Pretty-far-off" Islands,
for it is a true name for them and mucli easier to
i'eint'nil)er tlian tiie other. 1 missed tiiat last week in
my geograpliy lesson ! "

" I'rihylov was the name of the Russian ex[)lorer who
discovered this group whieh now belongs to us," said
Dr. Hunter ; "his ship the St. Geon/e giving the name
lo (Hie of the islands. These islands were too far off'
siiore for Indians to reaeh them, so that tlie Sea Rears
and Sea Lions lived there in peaee until the eoming of
liviUzed people a little more thiMi one liundred years
aLfo, hut sinee tlien tlie cry has been, ' Kill I kill ! kill I
— bulls, cows, cubs, everything ! ' — the IJuffalo's story
aijaiii, but this time carried out to sea until tlii^ [nnn\
persecuted water brothers are the cause of dis[»ute be-
tween nations, and it seems that soon notbing will be
left of lliem but the v^ery fxnicH of content ion ! "

"Wasn't it awfully cold on these islands, Olaf?"
asked Uaj).

"Not HO c(dd as cm the mainland, far less c(dd than
you woidd think, for the warm I'acilic current tlows
around them. In midwinter, it is true, ic(! tloes c(nne
from (lie north and bush the song of the surf on the
lieaclies, yet it is not so keenly «'old as it is here. With
•hiiie conies summer, for there ai'e no half seasons like
your spring and fall. In winter there are no days, in
siunnier no nights."

288

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

"It seems quite right, too," said Nat, "for in a ]tliice
like tliat there can't be many leaves to sprlnj u[) iiiid
fall down again."

" Summer is the season of cool fogs and mists tliiu
shield the Seals from the sun and keep them cond'ort-
able while on land. In fact, the summer weather is like
your autunni season."

"Then it is no wonder, fis one story says, thiit tlip
Seal tribe, ages ago, going from its Aniarctic lioinc (in a
swinnning excursion, should have found these islands a
pleasant camping spot and passed word of it to all tlu'ir
relations," added Dr. Hoy.

" What do you call the peojde on these islands, riicl;'
Roy ? " asked Nat — " Eskimos or Indians ? "

"They are Aleuts, one of the lowest northwest hihcs
of Indians and akin to Eskimos."

"Now," continued Olaf, "picture to yourself a fine.
full-grown male Fur Seal as he comes up on the Innil
tlie last of May to select the s([nar(^ of shore; he wislies
for his sinnmer home, lie is not more than live or six
years old, wiiich is th(^ prime of Seal life. He is uioiv
clever than tlie Walrus, moves more easily, and incus-
ur«?s al)out seven feet from tij) of nost; to whiM'e liis tail
would be, if it had not forgottim to grow. At lliis tiiiir,
fresh from tlie feeding-grounds, h(! is fat and sIkmiIu
weigli liv(! Iiiindred i)ounds. His head is small, but tin
eyes huge and speaking. Ht; \vears a long nuistiitln,
but it is of bristles and not like that of the Wiiliiis|
and be has a way of closing his nose and ears in swii
ming to keep waler ont. The neck is long and tlivl
shoulders are thick, and he is a better shape, nut slDp-
ing HO much aft aH the Walrus. His fore linil>s luv

A SEALSKIX JACKET AT HOME

289

for in a i>la(;e
qjrinr/ up and

11(1 luists llr.u
tlicm comfoit-
weatUer is liko

says, tl\iil tilt'
L'ctic \\o\\w (>n;i

tiiese islands ;i
)f it to all llit'iv

ie islaiuls, I'ml''
i\us :
iiortliwest trilifs

youi'self 11 iiiu'.
up on tlu' liuiil
shore he wislu's
than live or six
ll'(>. lie is inoiv
usily, and mtw-
to where liis tail
^v. At thistiiiK
^ Tilt nnil slinulu
is snuilK i'»t tlu'
I lontj; niusti\cln^
i,|- the WaliiN
lul ears in swim-
is loni;- ai»<l tli''
sliai>e, not slop-
is fore Uiul)H \w

merely a pair of bl irk gloved hands, but his hind feet
iirc wider, like a drawn-out human foot spread at right
alleles from its body. lie uses these fore flij)pers in
walking (piite like legs, and, though he shuttles along,
(Iocs not cling and erawl like the Walrus. His hind
nippers propel him through the water like paddles.

Ska liKAR OH Fur Skal.

'•The mule wears two eoats, like most fur beasts.
One of shining, strawlike over-hair, the otlier the soft
uniler-fur we see in jaekets. At tlie first glances you
would siiy that this Seal is dark brown in color, with
siMiic wiiitc or gri/.zly liairs. 'I'he female is n>uch
smaller, not measuring moi-e tlian live feet. Siie is less
tliimsy and of more grnceful shapes. Her head is well
foniKd and she has gentle, lustrous eyes. Her skin,
wht'ii wet, varies in color from beautiful deep gray juid
u

lEiSiCiit^s"

290

FOUli-FOOTED AMERICANS

whitish underneath, to tin ashy l)rown mantle and huffy
belly, when dry.

" From early May until the middle of June the Seals
come from their winter feeding-grounds and haul upon
land. The males come first, each striving for the place
lie likes best and fighting fierce battles with his rivals
to seciure it. Thus it happens that the strongest Seals
keep the best f)laces near the water's edge, and tlic
weaker are driven further inland.

" When the females come in late June or early .fulv.
only a day or so before their cubs are born, tliere is
fierce war, each male Seal seizing the mates he wislus
to come and live in the scpiare of ground he calls liis
house, lifting them as if they were only so many kit-
tens. Thus it hai)pens that those strong ones near the
shore secure a houseful, while those iar up have hard
work to find even one mate. Then there is always a
herd of roving ba('heh)rs, young Seals and those who
have no homes oi' mates, who go together in a separate
place to spend the summer. The law holds that these
bachelors are the only ones that should be killed fdi
fur, and that uo guns or dogs shall aid in their killiiii,',
If this law had been kept, then would the tribe still
hold its own.

"The fur of this Sea Hear nnist be taken in June or,
July, before; the winter coat is shed, or in early aiitiii
when the new coat is f •esh, for the law says these ii
uials may not be; taken on American ground bet\veeii|
October and .lunc."

*' IJut supitosc! [)eo[)le fidlow them and kill them in
the Wiit(M' and shoot the females, too, — what Iiapim
then? " asked i{a[).

A SEALSKIN JACKET AT HOME

^91

Lie and \)att'y

une tlie Seals
11(1 liiiul upon
. for the place
itli his rivals
Di-ongest Seals
edge, au<l tlu"

5 or early .luly.
born, there is
ivates lie \vislK's
aid he calls liis
[y SO many l^it-
ig ones near tlio
ir up have havd
lere is always a
and those wli"
un- in a sepaviilc
liohls that tliesf
,\d be Ivilled U
. in their VW^^K
Id the trihe still

tiikenin .TumM.i
L. in early autumii
[w says these iuii-
ground hetwm

and hill tl>em ii
L __xvhat li'-nr'

'•'I'louble," said Dr. Hoy. "Trouble between nations,
unwise, angry words in tlie newspapers, and the killing
out (>r Seals ! "

" 1 1' Seals may not be chased with dogs or shot at,
how are they caught? " asked Olive.

"Tliey are driven up to the killing gronnds, as pigs
or cattle are driven to the slaughter liouse I " said
Olaf, "and in this way it is done.

"The l)aehelor Seals, who are chiefly those under five

or six: years old, live by themselves, and lie near the

water and sleep soundly, but in the homes or rookeries

lliere is noise and tumult all night. These bacheku's

sleep on the beach, one close to the other, like rows of

tiles upon a roof top. Down go the drivers, native

Islaiulers, and take their stand hetween the water and

[the Seals, who, being awakened and seeing the men be-

jtweeii them and the water, start landward, thinking to

escape, and so are driven up 1o the killing places near

the villages, where the Seal families will not he dis-

[tiubeil hy them."

Isn't it very slow walking?" asked Dodo.
Ves, very; for though a Seal can run a few yards,
lu' can walk safely only half a mile an hour, and the
Jlrivers nnist he careful not to hurry the Seals, or the

tieat inak(>s their fur drop off and spoils the pelt."
"If a Seal is driven too fast He gasps and has to sto[)

[lid fan liimself, for Seals have no sweat glands to cool

jiT the l»l(i(»d, and can <udy pers[)ire hy panting, like

lo^'s," said Dr. Roy.
"Cure must be taken not to kill very young Seals

Iso. A Seid's skill is best when it is three or four years

ill. aflei' ihat it grows uneven and ragged. The pelt

292

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

is taken quickly, as soon Jis the animal is dead, lest it
heat and the fur loosens. Is it ready then to make a
coat? Ah, no; it must be dried and sent awav for
skilful hands to pluck out the long rough hairs tliat
cover the soft fur, and then they dye this under-lur to
tlie soft color that you know, tlie color of tliat jacki't
that has in it the pelts of three Seal bachelors. Of
the killing of tlie Seal I will not speak, oidy to sav
that 1 could not harden myself to it and so I caiiic
away.

"Meanwhile what happens in the rookeries? The
male Seals roar and light among tiiemselves, tlie ynuiio'
are born, and the cows go daily to the sea for fodil.
sometimes staying all night and leaving the snckiiiins
hungi'v, for the cows are poor mothers, not caring mudi
for their cubs. The males are brave, however, and
light most iiercely to defend their homes. So jealoiish
are these homes guarded, lest any rival should toiuli
their families, that the males will not leave to go down
to the sea for their food, and so they stay on land ami
starve all sunnnei". In the autumn, when housekoejiinci
is over, they are thin and wrettdied, having used up nil
their fat, like the IJears at the end of winter."

" Mow strange," said Olive, "the Hear goes witliniiij
eating in winter and the Seal in summer ! "

"They suffer greatly in hot weather," contiiiiieil
Oluf ; "you may seo them lying on their sides faniiiiij
themselves with their hind flippers, or find the feniaki
as soon as the young have learned to swim, slccpiiii,'!!
the water with only their nostrils out. This lialiit
floating and sleeping makes them an easy prey tV
Sharks and the lierce Killer Whales. Even on lai

SEALSKIN JACKET AT HOME

293

i dead, lest il
en to mi\l<e a
ieiit awuv for
ig\i liaii's lluit
is uiHlev-i"uv to
of that jacla't
\)aclielovs. (M'
\k, only 1«> say
and so 1 ciinu'

ookevies ? Tlio
elves, tbe yoini'^
.lie sea fov fond
ucr the s\i('klii»:4s
, not caving muili
^-e, liowevev, ami
lies. Soiealously
•vl sliould touoh
leave to go *^'>^^"
stay on land aii<l
•hen lionsekceimic
,,^vinguse(lui.;ill

winter."

r.ear goes Nviti^oiii

ner •

vatiiev," <^^>^»^">'^"^'
their sides fanniiv:
>, iind tiie fonvaW.
, SNvin^ sleeinuiJ"
^^t. Tins i>ai)lt<
an easy l>vey i'
les. Kven on Va

(lio Seal sleeps so soundly that 1 have crept up 'ind
i>ull('d his wliiskers hefore lie awoke. In August the
homes hreak up, all is in an uproar, and the 'choo-clioo-
choo" call of the female sounds loud ahove the surf,
though it is I)ecend)er hefore the last male has left for
the winter feeding-grounds.

"The Fur Seal's brother, the Sea Lion, haunts these
sanu! islands, though he is hunted elsewhere with Otter
spears and guns, lie is useful cliietiy to the natives of
tlie Aleutian Islands, giving them all that the Walrus
yields tlie Eskimo.

"The California Sea Lion looks much like a male
Seal, hut his neck is straight and thinner and Ids front
tlippers are cased in mittens without even a thund),
while the Seal, you see by the i)icture, wears shoi't-
tiiio-L>iv(l gloves. Tliis Sea Lion wears no fur, but is
ciivered witli short hair, wliich varies in color with the
season from yellow to dark hrowu. His voice is a deep
lion's roar tliat can l)e heard above the storm, and his
food is almost like the Seal's, — fish, shell-fish, crabs,
and a few sea-birds. His flesh is not bad eating, and
tlie fat and blubber are without the evil smell that
makes the Si^al so sickening to liandle.

"This Sea Lion is shy, keener of eye and ear than

the Sea Hear, and must be hunted by moonlight, the

hiving season being early autnnni. When tlie Lions

wake suddenly, like the Seals they start to escape the

ivay they hiipi)en to face, some going seaward, the

thers being slowly driven up to the villages, for they

an only ('ree[) and Inddde along, and they hav none of

|lie tdeverness of the Fur Seal. These also we will

ave at the killing grounds ; to follow tliem would only

U ■ 1- I

294

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

sadden you. But we know at best they are useless to
us, and trouble tlie Fur Seals by worrying tlieni iind
disj)uting their breeding grounds, so the Aleuts aii'
welcome to them.

" Another waterman there is that, even now, you nuiv
see for yourselves some day about a rocky harbor or
river mouth. He wears hair and no fur, and he is tlio
true Seal, not the Sea l>ear. He is, or was, common to

IIakbuk Skal.

all coasts, and has many names, — Sea Dog, Hair SimI
Common Seal, or Harbor Seal."

" Harl)or Seal is the name that Wise Men prefer."
said Dr. Koy ; " and when my father was a youuo- ninii
these Seals haunted the rocks of New York harl»oiiii
great nundjers. Uobbins Jieef, that we have so oftm
passed, Olive, was (;alled after these Seals by Diittli
sailors, robyn meaning Seal in iheir language."

"I knew not that," said Olaf ; '••but in s[)ring llitvj
herd about Newfoundland, having their young in Mii
and June, but going to the warmer sea islands i

A SEALSKIN JACKET AT HOME

295

tre useless to
ii<T tliem and
te Aleuts aio

now, you may
cky harbor ov
, and he is tlip
as, common to

Doo-, Hair Seal.

ise ^len prefer."
was a youno- uwii

York liarluu' iii
Nve have so o{tin|

Seals by Huuli
lani^uag-e."

ut in spvini^ ^^'^1
eir young in ^l'^
^eu sea islands «

winter. They are beautiful little Seals, with dull
yellow skins, often handsomely mottled with black,
sucli as they cover trunks with in my country ; and
among the Greenlanders it is said the women love
the skin above all others for miking trousers."

'• Do savage women there wear ticusers, the same as
some women do here when they ride bicycles ? " asked
Dodo, much to her uncle's amusement.

"I have not seen those savages here," said Olaf ;
'' but up in the north land women must dress much like
men, or they would surely freeze.

" The Harbor Seal cow has a gentle, half-human face,
and a better heart than the Fur Seal. She is a kind
motlier also to her single cub, protecting and loving it,
and grieving if it dies. These seals are shy beasts, too,
and are never caught in great numbers, even though
llieir flesh makes the best seal beef. They lead lonely
but happy lives, catching sea-birds and tishing and
sporting in the water with their families.

" Now we will leave these watermen and hurry back
home across country lest the ^ Day-I)ream Fox ' grows
.sleepy and the real Dream Fox finds us far from home,
and we have to lie out in the snow like the Polar
Bear."

Then Olaf blushed and looked down, as there was
a ela))[)ing of hands and everybody thanked him for his
story.

'•It will be my turn to clap at you to-morrow night,"
he said bashfully to Nez.

"1 didn't think the watermen would be half so inter-
esting," said Hap : "• and it's almost ten o'clock already."

" We nnist light the tree once more, have our supper

:n !

296

FO Uli-FOOTED AMERICANS

and songs, then to bed, and see who will wake first to
say 'Merry Christmas' in the niornhig," said the Doctor.

Av. Blake began to pick at his banjo and play a lively
jig, accompanied by Olaf with his fiddle. Instajitly
Nat, Dodo, and the Brownies began to skip about, Xez
keeping time by slapping his knees.

"Let me have your violin, Olaf," said ]\lrs. Blake.
" I can play that tune, and 1 am sure that you can
dance a sailor's hornpipe."

Blushing up to the roots of his light yellow hair, Olaf
stepped into the space cleared for him, and danced all tlie
intricate in-and-out steps with a will. As he finished,
a slight noise turned all eyes toward the passageway,
and. there was ]\Iammy Bun doing side steps and ii
double shufifle all by herself, in spite of rheumatism.
So the music ended in a shout of laughter, and Maminy
waddled off to bring some light supper, followed by
Nez and Olaf as waiters, while ^Ir. Blake threw a bas-
ketful of pine cones on the fire to make a final blaze.

jJi ijt Alt ^)L ^LL

"Now for our Christmas hymn," said the Doctor.
when the dishes had been cleared away, the tree stood
in darkness, and only the firelight danced along the
walls and on the strange mixture of faces, — wliitu.
black, and bronze.

Mrs. Blake went to the window and threw back the
curtains ; the warmth had melted the frost on the
panes, and the starlight shone in clear and bright. Mi.
Blake took Olaf's violin and drew a few notes from it,
and then the hymn rang out, Mrs. lilake, Mainim,
Olive, Dodo, and the boys beginning, the Doctor and
Mr. lilake answering : —

A SKALSKiy JACKET AT HOME 297

" Wiitchmau! tell us of the night,
AVhat its signs of promise are.
Traveller ! o'er you niomitain's height
See that glory beaming star ! "

'J'he children's voices warbled as sweet and fresh as
the notes of birds ; even the Brownies caught up the
tune, though the words were unknown to them. As
they linished the last verse, Olive opened the long win-
dow softly and the snowy hills showed clearly in the
piercing starlight. Then she whispered, " Wish the
stars a ' Merry Christmas,' and let peace and happiness
ill at the window ! Mother taught me to do it when 1
was a little girl."

'' Merry Christmus I Bress de chile ! / remem-
bers ! " cried ]Mammy Bun.

Then they went to bed, and Billy Coon, who had
been crouching behind the chimney and was entirely
forgotten, came out to forage for more popcorn.

.m »

i I

XXI

m -^'

BiM,

HOKNS, PllONGS, AND ANTLERS

HRISTMAS was a perfect win-
ter's day, witli no wind and
no thawing ; a day for sleigli,
sled, or snow-shoes. Snow-
shoeing being the very new-
est amusement, Olive, Nat,
and Dodo practised wulkinif
for so long that at night tlieir
feet were quite tired and sw^ol-
len with their elf orts to keep up and the cutting of the
thongs ; so they were glad to hobble to tlieir places by
the campfire as soon as supper was over. As to tlie
Brownies, the novelty and excitement of seeing so
many people quite overcame them, and they stumbled
from the supper table to bed.

" What pictures will yon choose ? " said Dodo to Nez;
"because you promised to tell us a story to-night."

" A picture of a Moose ! A good, big Moose on tlie
rampage will about do for my story," answered Nez.

" Here is one running very hard, with steam blowing
out of his nose," said Rap ; "• but please, Nez, before j
you begin the story, Avon't you tell us about the dif-
ferent kinds of antlers tliat the Deer wear, juul Avliy,

2t)8

lIOltNS, PllONGS, AND ANTLERS

299

5 us

s a i3ei*fect win-
1 no wiiul and
I day for sleigh,
-shoes, ^now-
tlie very new-
it, Olive, Nut,
■actised Avalkiiig
at at niglit their
Q tired and swol-
le cutting of the
their places by
,ver. As to the
nt of seeing so
id they stumbled

aid Dodo to Nez;
•y to-night."
)ig INIoose on the
answered Nez.
th steam hlowini;
liase, Nez, hefuw
AS about the dif-
r wear, and Avhy.

if they are shed every year, some pairs are so much
bigger tlian others. 1 always used to think that the
antlers staitl on, and grew bigger and bigger every
year.

"' You've eaught me there," said Nez. " 1 know the
o'iiuie I've shot and how 1 got it, and that Deer do shed
their horns ; but you'll hev to ask tlie Doctor all those
reasons why."

'' This is as good a time as any to make a procession
of horns, prongs, and antlers, and look at them care-
fully as they go by," said Dr. Roy. "Olive, please
take out the pictures of lieads, horns, and antlers ; also
the drawings of the INIoose and the American Deer, and
tiie group of the Elks chased by the Cougar, tliat we
had several weeks ago, and also the Caribou picture
that we had last night. •

''You remend)er tliat the first division of the meat
family wore hollow horns like a cow's, which were
made of hairy fibre and grew around a solid core, and
that, though they were of many sizes and curved in
different ways, they were never branched or divided.
Nat, can y(ju tell me the names of our four wearers of
horns, without looking at the pictures ? "

"Yes, 1 remember them all, — the IJison, Bighorn,
Mountain (ioat, and the INIusk Ox."

" Now, Dodo, do you remember tlie one whicli, though
it belono'cd with the Deer to the second division of the
meat family, had pronged, hollow horns, and shed them
every year ? "

" Oh, yes ; the one that you stepped on when you
went from one part of the family to the other — step-
ping-stone you called it; Antelope or Pronghorn is its

ff'

300

FO Ult-FOO TED . I MER ICA XS

iiiiiue. See, I can put my finger on ihe
picture without loolving tit tlie print-

mo-

f V

ANTJ'U.orE.

Mountain Ooat

" Hrtivo I Now we come to tlie Deer
/ family itself ; all of its members wear
antlers of solid bone — bone with no
hollows in it, or marrow like the other
bones of the Deer. See how many dif-
ferent shapes we find among these antUns.
^ I^ook first at one thing — the enhiruud
knot or burr where the antler braiiclics
fnmi tlie liead."

"'• Yes, I see," said ( )live ; " it is roiiu'li.
and swells out something like a joint.
It looks as if the antler wcru
fastened on there."

"This is the place Avlieiv
tlic old one se|)arates when it
ripens and falls off, and wlii'ie
the new antler s[)routs."

" Does it Ideed and limi
the Deer, the way it docs td
have a to(»th out '/ '" iiskcii
Dodo, who lia<l I'cccntly shed
her two up[)er front tcctli.

" Tliat depends uixin liow
H'ady the antlers arc to full,
If they arc (piitc dry and
ri|»c, they separate easily ami
bleed very little ; but if tlitv
are knocked off by a lilnw,
or lorn fnau their seckiU

Ml .SK (»X.

nORXS, PliOXC:,, AND ANTLEli.S

301

: '» it is VI tu",'!!.

when the Deer lock and entangle their antlers in light-
ing', as they often do, then the stump bleeds profusely
and causes pain. In either ease a sort of plaster of
vuiiis and thick skin soon grows over the wound.''

" Tiiese antlers are the same as teetii, tlien,"' said
Dodo, solemnly ; "one of mine tipped over itself and
scarcely bled at all or hurt, hut the other luid to be
jerla'd with a string, and it bled lots I "

"Or more like leaves," said Olive. "Don't you re-
iiK'iiilier the great leaves on tlie magnolia; in the sum-
iiuT, tliey hekl fast to the branch and sap came out of
the socket, but after the lirsi frost tliey dropped of."
themselves, leaving a little dry scar?"

••Oh, yes, I do," said Kap. " How soon after the old
aiith'r is shed does the new one grow, Doctor? \'ou
Slid tiie Antelope's new horn was sprouting under the
ohl oni' wlien it fell oft'."

" With tlie true Deer there is a time of rest rs there

is with trees, and the antler does not begin to sprout

; until s[)ring, when the Deer finds fresh green food once

more. 'I'hen tlie veins and skin, \. hieh covered the scar

that llie (dd iiutk'rs kd't, begin to sv ell like a darl<-

cohned l)ubblc, tiie straight beam of the antler appears,

and alter a time begins to l)rancli at tlic top. It goes

on t,ndwing until midsummer, tine after tine developing,

a'coi'diug to the age of the animal. As yet tln^ whole

antler is covered by the lilm (d' skin-covered v(dns that

have enlarged with it and aid the inside veins in supply-

|ini,Mlie bone food needed for such I'apid growth. Iji

|ti) this time tint outside of the antler is rough ami has

II furtiMl IVelin<: to the toU(di: 'bidng in the vtdvi't * this

is railed.

302

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

"The antlers are now liardening fast, and tlie Deer
rub tlieni against tree trunks and on tlie ground until
this velvet, being no longer needed, peels off in strips
and dries away, leaving the smooth polished bone in
early autumn, when the antler has attained its complete
growth.

"Now comes the answer to your question, Rap, about
tlie various sizes of antlers. The first pair on a younir
Deer are usually straight beams witii few tines, but tliev
increase in size eacli year, the wonderful pairs we jiear
of belonging to very strong Deer upward of six nr
seven years old, the size depeiuling botli on streiigtli
and age. The end and aim of tliis wonderful growth
seems to be to furnisli the jealous, quarrelsome still's
with weapons for lighting eacli otlier during tlieir roiiit
ing season, wliich is in autunni ; for sliortly after this
mating time the shedding begins, though some IKvi
keep the antlers nuich longer than others, and Muoso
usually siied theirs some time before Klk. As you look
at the various heads, you will see that the antlers diffn
in shape. Those of the American Deer and VAk iiiv
tlie most alike, both being lined, but the l)cam of thi
American Deer's branches outward and forward, ami
tiio beam of the l^lk's outward and backward. TlR'se
two D(!er also have eom[)a('t, trim feet, with the liiiil
toes, called dew claws, set well up; but these clovdi
hoofs cut tlirough the snow iind nuikt; them vcrv liolii-
less in seasons of deep drifts.

"Tlie Moose and the Woodland (\iril)ou arc \h'
somewhat evenly paired. The Carihou, as you havi
seen, wears (urious antlers, curving and l)i'nding cvtivl
wliich way, forward and back, with ootli tinctl and Itil

,, and the Deer
le ground \iiitil
;ls oft' in strips
jlished bone in
led its eoni[)lt'te

tioii, llap, iibout
pair on ii young
sv tines, but they
L\i pairs we hear
)ward ot six or
otb on strenj^tli
onderful growlli
uarrelsouie slii|4>
iring their ami
shortly at'ti!r lliis
ouu'h some Dm
liers, and Moose
Ik. As you h)uk
the anth'rs (hftVr
)ec^r and I'^lk iiiv
(he beam <>i" ll'f
nd forward mi'l
,iU!k\var(h 'Hiw
t, with the liiii'l
hut tliese elovcii
V. tlii'Ui very \\v\-

(^ivibou are iiU
il.ou, as yii Imv'
iiid l)en(lin;^- evn
,th tim'ti aii'l I'll

1. ^VouI)I-\^l» CvuiiJuL'. 2. M<

;i. Ki.K.

HORXS, PItONGS, AND ANTLERS

303

I 1

shaped (or as the Wise jSIen say palmate') ends, while
the Moose wears his wliolly palmate, standing out wide
behind his ears like sounding boards, and sometimes
spreading six feet from tip to t.p and having forty
points. The foot of the Moose, too, is more loose and
shul'lling, like the Caribou, though it does not form a
coiiii)lete snow-shoe. The greatest point of difference
ill these two is in their ears, the Caribou having very
small and the Moose very large ones.

'' liook again at these four Deer : two, the Elk and
American Deer, are always beautiful when at rest and
(Ti'aei'i'ul in motion; while the other two, the Moose
and (*aribou, are interesting and curious, but ponderous
and awkward. Your first thought regarding a ]\Ioose
must always be of wonder as to why his ears are so
lonsf, how he came by his sv.'ollen, overhanging nose,
calh'd the muffle, and the hairy "bell' hanging from
his throat, for wliicli no one luis discovered the use ;
whih' the Caribou's legs seem uneven and you wonder
if his antlers grew on his heiuL < r wlutlier tliey were
made <>f i)ieees picked uj) and glued logether at random.
A>;aiii tiie four may be divided into j)aiis according to
the liaiints they seeiv. Tiie Ameri;:an \)i'\iv and the Elk
or \Vai)iti, i*t,e park land an<l woods with running
\vater nnd liigli shade ; the Moose aiid Cariltou seek
low ground, marshy tiiiekcts. and the neighborhood of
lidxes and ponds, enduring eohl better than their grace-
ful hrotliers.

The Moose is the largest Deer in the world, aii!!
(luile as homely as l.e is larsre ; he stands six feet at
the shoulders, Ids head is long like a donkey's, and hi^i
large cars are far down, buck of the small eyes. His

ao4

PO Uli-FOOTEi) A MER WANS

jtuly is short aiul sot on four long" lugs; tlio front 1( <j^s
being' long'or tliiiii the back, give it a sort of hump at
the shouhlers. Tiie winter coat is dark brown above,
witli thiclc under-fur of a lighter cohjr, and the liair
hangs loose and manelike about the neck; the sunnufr
coat, however, is soft and fine. As to the female, iin-
agine a very large, long-legged donkey cut out of
faded, weather-beaten, brown Canton flannel, uiid
stuffed rather scantily with straw, and you will have
an idea of Madam Moose ; but her mate finds her
beautiful, lights for her, and is very Jond of her.

"This grotesque beast once ranged through all tlie
northern stiites and territories of this country, from
the Atlantic to tlie I*acili( , bei ween the frontier state:'
and territories U[) to th . land of the I'olar IJear. Xow
its rHiigt hits shrunk on every side ; there are a few
in the Nortiieast and otliers in the l»ig game country

from the Y^iUowstoiUi Park nortiiward.

'V\

ley are

vaiiisliing fast, however, and their solitary habits and
haunts \\\o\\v Iiave saved them, for thi^y feed ever in
sheltered jilaces, tlieir food being coarse grass and water
phiiits, while in winter they Itrowse on ti'cc buds and
even evergreen branches, which their heiuht al

K'.n to rcacli casilv. Moos(> hide was the Indi;

lows
Ills'

f*;ivorite h-atiicr for moccasins, and Moosi' meat tlieir
standby next to IJiiffalo beef.

"Next in si/*' to ilie Moose comes the Mlk, or \Va|iiti
as the Wise \\('n say. il (L" Moose; must be; com|»ai('(l
to a doidvcy in looks and vdicc. the male lOlk lias cer-
tainly all the grace and |»ois(! of a beautiful horse.
I lis head is delicate and shapely, the antlers evenly
balanced and carriecl high, the eyes full and restless,

HORNS, PRONGS, AND ANTLERS

305

tlio fi-Diit It 'j;s
t of liuuip lit
brown iil)ovo,
ami the li;iir
; the summer
le female, iiu-
y cut (»ut of
flauiiel, and
you will hiive
ivate tiiKls I'er
, of her.
hvough all llie
cour.ti-y. fnim
frontier stiito:'
ar liear. Now-
here are a few
ivanie rouiitrv
i. They are
ary habits inul
feed ever in
rrass and water
tree ])uds and
heit^-ht allows
the Indians'
)se meat their

•(

I'.lk, <»r Wap'"'

1st bi! coniiiarcl

ilr l-:ik has tri-

icantifnl iioisr.

iiiitlers cvfiily

ill and restless,

the shaded brown body round, shapely, and set firmly
on the legs. The bull Elk stands five feet at the
shoulders and often grows to weigh half a ton, though
the females are far lighter. The Elk has a thick skin
and heavy winter under-coat of fur. His flesh yields
line, rich, satisfying meat, and his tallow is prized in
wood cookery. But when we praise his personal beauty,
we Imve said our best word for the bull Elk, at least.
His temper is extremely disagreeable, and he is selfish
iiiul !it times cruel, both to his mate and the young
I fawns, driving them away from the best fodder and
])laying the tyrant in every way.

" The Elk once ranged in almost every part of the
United States, and half-way up through the British
I'rovinces ; but wild, shy, hating the sight and sound of
}uan, they retreated westward very quickly as the coun-
try stittled, and, leaving the plains and prairies to the
Hison and Antelope, settled in the mountain parks
wliere the water supply ^vas good. In and about the
Yellowstrne Park there are many herds of Elk, perhaps
numbering 50,000, and their cast-off antlers are so plen-
tiful in that region that long lines of fences are made of
tliem, But as they often seek winter food and shelter
out of the bleak park in a place called .hickson's Hole,
I pot liuiiters have a clianee to capture them almost in
si«,'ht of (lovernment protection. IJeady as they are to
I'lit any kind of vegetable food, even to gnawing bark
from trees, they fare poorly in winter, simu) their range
jlias been shut in on every side, and, weakened by lack
lof food, they often starve :md freeze in considerable
immbers, their skeletons being found where tliey have
lain down in a group and been too weak ever to rise.

306

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

^^B

" Our last Deer, the Virginia Common, or, as it is
now to be called, Aiierican Deer, is the daintiest and
most lovable of all. Each one — stag, doe, or fawn — is
equally beautiful whether lying in some vine-shaded
haunt, sauntering toward a brook, standing in a clear
pool, as if looking at its own image, or, when startled,
flying over the fallen logs and underbrush, as if its
little feet scarcely touched the ground.

" Its home is North America at large, if we leave out
the far north, so that its name is very suitable. Even
to-day, in spite of persecution, there are but few states
which have not a family or two of these gentle creatures
hidden away in some wood or valley. To me this Deer.
fine as its flesh is, has always seemed more of a pet than
a game animal — more like some intelligent though sliv
friend tlian a creature to be hunted.

" I have never shot one, even under bitter stress of
hunger, without regret, and if I stopped to think of its
appealing eyes and sensitive, quivering nose, the morsel
of venison for whicli I had worked so liard would fairly
choke me. To adapt a famous verse, — ' Its beauty j
gives it the right to live.' Hunger, desperate hunger, is
the only excuse for killing such animals as these, and
as hunger makes man a savage, we must then expeitj
to ilud savage instincts in liim.

" Three feet high at the shoulder is this little Anitii
can Deer, and the best runner among our fourfodts
It is (piite hardy, and may be seen in its high wiiit(;|
haunts feeding as clieerfully on buds, moss, or beed
nuts, pawed Inboriously from under deep snow, as wlmi
in its ri(!h. suninier, river [)asturage of marsh L-TasNl
water plants, and bei'ries. Almost all wild animals \m

HORNS, PRONGS, AND ANTLERS

307

.1, or, as it is
daintiest and
5, or fawn— is
e vine-sliacled
ing in a clear
when startled,
rusli, as if its

•

if we leave out
uitable. l^veii
but few states
gentle creatures
fo nie this Deer.
ore of a pet tkn
gent thougli sliy

f bitter stress (if
d to think oi its
nose, tiie luovsel
ard would fairly
^^.^__-'lts l)eauty
sperate hunger, is'
als as these, iiuil |
uust then expeet

this little Auu'ii'
g our fouvfnot>'

ui its iug^» ^vi"^^'

Is, moss, or Ijeecli'

ocp snow, as \vii<i

,e of niavsli \^^

lUvildamuuasl"V<

water in warm weather, and the Moose and American
Deer revel in it, taking to bathing and swimming like
small boys.

" This little Deer has slim legs, a slender body, and a
wedge-shaped, white-lined tail for its danger signal.
Its summer coat is rich and varies from rust color to
buff, while with its winter coat its ruddy beauty
changes to sombre grays and browns, like the moult-
ing of its meadow mate, the Bobolink.

" TJie does, who wear no antlers, are devoted to their
young, and if you ever see one of the soft-eyed mothers
tending one or two tiny spotted fawns, either in the
wild country, or in a Deer park, I'm sure, hoys, that you
would never wish to point your gun at them. You
think a calf or a colt, a puppy or a kitten amusing in
its gandiols, but for pretty ways no animals are so
attractiv^e as these spotted fawns."

" Do Deer sleep the winter sleep ? " asked Dodo, who
was growing tired of what she called "plain facts," and
wished the story part to come ; " and do these pretty
Deer fiu'ht for their mates like the others ? "

"Tliey do not sleep, neither do any of the family;
but 1 nuist confess that they fight, and sometimes
fiercely to the death. Several times their skeletons
liave been found with antlers locked so tightly that
|tiie Deer could not part or feed, and must have died
Kif hunger, and 1 have read of three heads being found
leked thus together. Now that you have had your
iiiots, we will beg Nez for his story."

''Only one more question please, Doctor," said Rap.
['Will Doer ever chase House People or toss them on
[heir antlers?"

f t

308

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

"A wounded Deer brought to bay Avill sometimes
hurt his pursuer, but there is no real danger to he
feared at any time of the year except during their mat-
ing season in autumn. Then with their powerful lull-
grown antlers and quick tempers they are not oiih-
equipped and ready to light each other, but anything
else that crosses their path, using their feet as well to
strike and trample. But even then, they have such a
dread of the scent of man and gunpowder that they
seldom interfere with him."

" Come, Nez, it is vour turn now ! "

-ill sometimes
danger to \)e
•ulig tlieir inivt-
powerful lull-
■ are not only
, but anylUiiig
feet as well to
^ey have sucli a
wder that they

XXII

NEZ' BIG MOOSE

jVKE say yer won't like my story,"
said Nez, shyly, as he leaned for-
ward toward the '''e, tipping
up the bench on aicli he was
seated, and began whittling a
miniature tent-pin from a scrap
of pine kindling that had fallen
on the hearth ; for, in spite of his
years of tramping, he had never
conquered tlie nervous Yankee
habit of keeping his hands busy. He did not raise his
jliead as he spoke, but seemed to be talking to the fire
I more than to the people, his words being such a dialect
niixture that the children had to listen well to under-
Istand him, and I am sure if they Avere to be spelled
[quite as they sounded, you would never be able to
Ireiid them.

" IVe seen enough Deer in my day and tried heaps
3f ways of huntin', some fair, some ornery, some mean,
1(1 some meaner ; but, lookin' back on it, there's only
[)iie way of huntin' and one beast worth huntin", — that
Jvay is stalkin' and follerin', and that beast is jNIoose!
)f course I don't mean huntin' to feed yer camp or
rurself. Feed huntin' is different, — anything yer can
|at and anyway to get it goes then.

309

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

11.25

■so

2.2

III

840

2.0

PhotDgra|iiic

Sciences
Corporation

^^^

13 WMT MAIM tTMIT
WIMTIR.N.V. )4SI0

(71*) •7a-4»03

^^•^^

[I ^

) -'I

}inr

310

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

" 'Long about ten years ago, when I was raound out
Montana way, Elk huntin' was good 'nough fer me.
I didn't mind chasin' over rough, bust-up ground then,
or climbin' mount'ins as high as trees grew. Elk
weren't so hard to git, winter or summer, for they go
in sort of flocks, and when you'd see one you'd likely
strike a bunch, but Moose are lonesomer and only travel
in slim families. In summer all you needed for Elk
was a little know-how and a long-range gun, for though
they're scary beasts they are kind of stupid 'bout some
things, and don't put two and two together as quick as
some others. While they are a figurin', in comes yer
shot. Of course if a stag sees yer, he's likely to give a
whistle and set the bunch runnin', but anyway you
can't expect fourfoots to wait for yer to come up and
sprinkle salt on 'em, any more than birds.

"Elks don't have an easy life. In winter the poor
things come down to git in warm hollers where they
could paw the snow away and find grass, and if the
snow was deep they'd gnaw bark and flounder araoiuid,
so it was easy gittin' them. Deer's fine huntin' too, if
yer go at it right, and good sport; but there's too
many short cuts through sneak trails that folks has got
in ther habit er takin', and then braggin' of their kill.
— it jest about sickens real sportsmen ! "

"Please, Nez," said Hap, "you say Moose, Elk, and
Deer ; aren't Moose and Elk both Deer ? "

"Yes, o' course they air by rights, — it's only a way
o' speakin'. Anywhere I've been, if yer say jest Deer,
without any other handle, it means common Deer, \'ir-
gimiy Deer, or what Doc calls American Deer, because
it's the one best known from Caiiady to the (lulf. A

NEZ' BIG MOOSE

311

8 raound out
ugh fer me.
ground then,

grew. Elk
', for they go

you'd likely
id only travel
eded for Elk
in, for though
id 'bout some
er as quick as

in comes yer
kely to give a
; anyway you
3 come up and

inter the poor
;rs where they
iss, raid if the
inider araound,
huntin' too, if
)Ut there's too
it folks has got

n' of their kill

doose, Elk, ami

it's only a way
r say jest Deer.
imon Door, Vil-
li Deer, because
o the GuK. A

woodsman nor an Injun never says Deer if he means
]\Ioo&e, Elk, or Caribou, Mule or Blacktail, or any o'
the others."

"What do you mean by the short cuts that people
sneak through ? " asked Olive.

"The ways o' killin' that don't give the beast fair
play, and are more like butcherin' than huntin', — fire-
huntin', houndin', jackin', and all sorts of water killin',
runnin' 'em down on snow-shoes, waitin' at the salt
licks, and ' callin' ' for Moose.

" Fire-huntin' is creepin' out in the dark where you
think there are Deer by a pond or marsh, and flashin'
a torch. If there's any Deer about they'll stop still
and look at the light, and their eyes ketch the shine of
it so you can see 'em and get good aim and shoot 'em in
the head, for they don't see anything but the liglit.

"Jackin' is 'most worse, and folks use it on Deer jind
Moose. You take a boat, and sneak at night in the
shadders raound a pond where they wade in to feed on
water-lilies. You have a covered ' Jack ' lamp on your
cap, and when yer hear a splash, yer turn and Hash yer
light that way. Half likely yer'll see two stars close
over the water, and they'll be Moose eyes. Then yer
can shoot, or if yer feel real mean and ugly and can git
the canoe between the Moose and sliore, you'll make
him swim fer it until he's tired, and then kill him."

• I think those are mean, horrid ways," cried Dodo ;
"hut I suppose of course only wild, savage sort of
people do it? "

" You're mistaken there, young lady, ^fy ! don't I
mind down home in Maine, when I was a little shaver,
how the fellers used ter come from the cities all rigged

mmmmm

312

FOUIt-FOOTEB AMEIilCANS

'i;

i ■ . '

1 .
1

!, -^ S^ i^i

' ilaK If

J:H '

L\i ■

1 ff '

• . :

* ^^9*'

up, and calkerlatin' to git jest so many Deer and a Moose
or two in jest so many days. Nothin' would do but
some one must guide tliem to the Deer, and guide the
Deer to 'em, and introduce 'em with a gun and fire and
tricks, — the quicker all the better for those 'sports.'

" I do hear this guidin' is a perfession now up tliat
way. But land alive. Doc ! what would the fellers
West call that kind o' guidin' ? — the ones we knew
that lived at Red Ranch. When we and they went
huntin' we all pitched in and tramped and starved
alike." And JMez looked into the fire as if he saw
something miles away.

" But your first big Moose, — tell us how you caught
him," reminded Nat.

" Yes, I'hi workin' raound to him. It was that fust
season that I was lumberin' in the Saskatchewan coun-
try, and we'd been workin' hard gittin' logs ready to
haul when snow come, and as it come about we had an
off spell fer a week, waitin' fer orders. A liglit snow-
fall come 'long the last of September, and old Dom'nick
Pardeau and me allowed to git a Moose, for we wine
'bout tired o' beans and bacon in camp, and most of
the outfit was too fresh with guns to do better than
scare game away. So we allowed to go on a reg'lar
Injun still hunt, trackin' and watchin' signs, which
wasn't hard then, on account of the snow that took
the footprints. If you want huntin' that only an Injnn
can do right, try to follow Moose signs in plain ground
with jest moss and leaves to show the longish prints.
Of course we had to hunt this way in day time and try
to trail the Moose to his bed, for they feed and rove
night times, and hide away to sleep somewhere soon

NEZ' BIG MOOSE

31S

after light. It was the season for call in', but that was
night work and I hadn't caught well on to that then,
though I did it seasons after when it wuz my turn to
keep the camp in meat."

" Is there a season for calling ? Why can't you do
it any time, day or night ? " asked Rap.

" Because Moose only talk and shout and make a
noise in the mating season. You have to ' call ' in the
night, because if it was light the Moose would see you
was a man and not its mate. My sakes ! aren't Moose
keen, though ! Nothing but Wolves can beat 'em at
smellin' and hearin' ; but then, look at the size of
their ears ! "

" Yes, and their noses, too ; I guess they were made
to hold extra big smell boxes," said Dodo.

"They can smell anything. If yer reckless with a
ciunpfire, or let the wind carry a whiff of tobacco even,
you'll see no Moose that day. Then, in spite of their
big bodies and horns, they can steal off on those long
legs o' theirn as soft as a Wildcat, and they've got
human sense enuff to lie down faciii' their tracks to see
what is follerin'."

" They have very long legs, to be sure," said Kap.

" The longest of any beast in thi% country anyhow.
Tliey air jest made handy to pasture on trees and
busli tops and keep above decent snow, and if they
want a mouthful of short grass they've got to duck
for it. Now the Moose is a bog trotter, except in dead
of winter, and Dom'nick and me allowed to go down
to tlie pine swamps, for, though it was cold and there
was some ice, the Moose hadn't left their water feed-
in' and made up parties to yard for the winter."

314

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

" Do they live in barnyards in winter ? " asked Dodo ;
" and if they do who feeds them ? "

"Not much they don't. Yards are places where
there are food trees and bushes growing handy so that
two or three Moose families can live there all winter,
treadin' trails through the snow to the trees to feed,
and when they've eat up everything they can reach,
bark and all, they move on. This time when Dom'nick
and me started out, the Moose were reckless, as they
are at this time o' year. We'd heard them crashin'
through the woods, beatin' their horns in the buslies,
and callin' in the night araound the clearin', for they
don't seem to mind the noise of axes choppin' so long
as no one fires a gun.

" We tied on our lieaviest moccasins, made out o' tlie
hind-leg skin o' Moose, took our rifles and small packs,
and started down toward the ma'sh land. I tell you it
was cold ! The fog was tliick as smoke too, but it let
up after a spell and then began to snow again. After
crossin' raound about for some time and tryin' to keep
headed to the wind, which wasn't easy, for sometimes
it wouldn't blow at all, and then it would whisk up
squally from anywhere.

" ' Tracks soon be covaired ! See here Moose vas
been ! Big Moose vary angry, tore tree, here lum
eat,' said Dom'nick, wlio was a Canady Frenchy, but
talked ch()pi)y like a hiilf -breed. '

" ' Yes, but all that wasn't sense last night when tlie
snow come,' said I. Jest at this minit we struck a
trail comin' from over across a deep, black ma'sli,
makin' toward tlie liigher wood. Dom'nick stooped
down and looked careful.

NEZ' BIG MOOSE

315

"'Two bull Moose, von cow. Big Moose found
mate, gone over wood, home to big marsh. We fol-
low ; maybe hev bad time, maybe get big Moose. Not
talk now — creep.' So then we crawled on and on.
It stopped snowin' after a spell, and nigh about noon I
signed to Dom'nick that we'd better halt and eat.
I wasn't as used to the snow^ and cold as I got to be
later, and I'd twisted my ankle in an old stump and
was feelin' pretty mean.

" ' Can eat walkin',' was all he said, makin' off.

"Pretty soon we come to a place where there had
been a Moose fight. Bushes were all torn up and
tramped raound about, but from the signs it must
have been the night before too.

" ' You see ? You want stop to eat now ? ' sneered
Dom'nick, forgettin' I was young in the bizness.

" I tramped and stumbled on another half hour and
then I sez, sez I, ' I'm goin' to stop riijht here and eat
and make a fire too ; if you don't like it you can go
along.' He didn't say a word, and he didn't stop, nor
even look araound. I bunched some dry brandies and
started up a little blaze, warmed my hands and eat my
chunk o' bread and bacon. Then I stamped out the
lire and looked araound wonderin' if I'd foller Dom'nick
or turn about.

" I was jest standin' between some pine balsams,
}ifivin' my gun a wipe, when I heard a crashin' far off,
aH if a storm was tearin' down trees; but there wasn't
any wind then, and the snow had cleared, yet I couldn't
see anythin' comin'. Crash ! crash I crash I nearer
and nearer. I grabbed my gun and waited. I could
iiear hard breathin', but I couldn't tell first if it was

f I:

■tammamiBBBm

316

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

my own or sometliin' else's. You often git that feeliii'
when yer fresh to huntin' and hear big game comin'.
Pretty soon I knew the breathin' belonged to both of
us, me and the other feller, who was the biggest Moo;s(3
I'd ever seen, comin' dashin' along over old logs, snortiu'
and blowin' like a sawmill engine. I up with my gun
and shot for behind the shoulder, but he didn't stoj),
and came straight on, and I thought sure I hadn't
teclied him and my aim had gone over 'cause he was
comin' so fast. I couldn't fire again ; he was too close,
and makin' fer me furius. I looked to git behind a
tree, but jest then he fell over not twenty yards from
where I wuz.

" I come out, when I saw he was dead for sure, aiic
took a look. He was shot through the heart, and as
fine a moose as anybody could want. I didn't know then
how tough his meat'd be, or about measurin' horns and
countin' spikes in those times, but you can measure
that pair now, over to my camp, and though they're old
and shabby, they'll tell you five foot eight and thirty-
five points. Then I saw there was blood on the front
of his horns, that couldn't have come from himself, and
I began to wonder what had become er Dom'nick. I
couldn't lift or skin the Moose myself, so, kind er set
up by my kill, I followed Dom'nick's trail.

" I must have kept on four or five miles, when tlie
woods sagged down to swampy, thick-covered ground
again. Tlie Moose trail was clear enough, but Dom'nick
walked to head him off, not in the trail. Then I come
to a place that puzzled me ; the snow was melted by a
warm spring, and I had to pick up the trail again on the
other side. While I was thinkin', I heard another great

t that feeliu'
jame comiii\
ed to both of
iggest Moose
logs, snortiii'
with my gun
J didn't stop,
lire I hadn't
cause he was
kvas too ch)se,
git behind a
y yards from

for sure, aiic
heart, and us
n't know then
in' horns and
can measure
r\i they're old
it and thirty-
oil the front
1 himself, and
Dom'nick. I
o, kind er set

lies, when the

vered ground

but Dom'nick

Then I come

IS melted by ii

1 again on tlie

another great

D
D

NEZ' BIG JuOOSE

317

crashin' and thrashin' in the bushes a little way ahead.
I listened ; the animal that made it wasn't runnin', but
seemed to be beatin' around in one place. I crawled
along careful, lookin' fer trees big 'nough to climb if
a big Moose charged at me, for I'd been hearin' tall
stories of how skeery they are most of the year ; they'll
fight anythin' or anylDody they think is chasin' their
mate. I didn't have to look long. Down the gap I
saw a Moose, near as big Jis the one I'd shot, bangin'
and batterin' away with his horns at an old spruce, and
up the tree, sittin' on a rotten old branch not a foot above
the Moose's reach, was Dom'nick, without his gun !

" I hurried along then with my rifle ready, for I
reckoned the branch he was holt to wouldn't last long,
and I couldn't git an aim on the Moose wliere I was.
The Moose didu't notice me a bit, though I made some
noise, but kept poundin' at the tree. Then I fired, but
my hand shook and the Moose swung his head araound,
give one snort, and started off into the bog. I had clean
missed him.

" ' You vary poor shot I ' said Dom'nick, tumblin' out
of the tree, for the limb broke clean off jest then.

" I was mad, but I'd seen enough o' Injun manners to
keep cool, so I sez, sez I, ' We've got 'nough Moose
meat five miles better to camp than here. I jest wasted
a shot to let you out o' that fix! Where's yer own
gun?'

"Dom'nick looked at me, and then he laughed and
clapped me on the back, and said, ' You hav' ze good
luck, I hav' ze bad, so I tell you. I walk long way,
find two bull Moose fightin', makin' each odder bleed
wiz horns; cow track run awjiy home to marsh. I

318

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

creep vary near — they not see me. I aim, fire, bang !
Only hit one in horns because movin' so much. I move
quick to get anodere shot; one Moose run awaj'^, one
vary mad — him run at me. I hit gun 'gainst tree, he
jumps out of hand, den I run! Angry Moose awful I
Can break chest in wiz horns, can kick like horse. I
get up tree, bad tree, little few branches. Moose vary
inad. Bang, smash! I feel branch crack, then you
come. Can smoke now. Good ! Both smoke pipes.'

" I reckon we were glad enough to git back to camp
with a couple o' Moose steaks we hacked off, and the
boys went out with horses and brought the carcass back
afore the Wolves scented it. I wasn't goin' to say a
word, but Dom'nick he told, and let the laugh on him-
self!

" ' Nez will be big hunter some day,' said he, ' he has ze
luck. Ze luck and good gun are great t'ing in woods.' "

"Is that all?" said Nat, as Nez stopped. "I wish
there was more."

" Want to know ! I reckon that's all 'bout the Moose,
but part of the story is goin' on yet. Dom'nick he took
a shine to me, and nine years ago when I come back
East from Montana, I found he'd jest died and left me
his traps, fixin's, and good will. Also his darter (tliiit
was a bit of a gal when I went West), if she'd hev me,
— and she did. She's Toinette, my wife; so you see
that Moose story ain't ended."

" Oh, I understand," said Dodo, after thinking a mo-
ment, " and she speaks a kind of French like Dominique I
But what kind of language do you speak, Nez ? "

" Want to know ! Why, American, for sartin, jest
like you do ! "

NEZ' BIG MOOSE

319

Dodo opened her mouth to exclaim at this, but her
father broke in ; —

"Certainly, north woods American. Tliere are al-
most as many kinds of American spoken here as there
are states in the Union, but you see, Dodo,#there are
only a very few people in each state who speak pure
American or English, and the others doubtless think
it a very strange language."

" Jest so ! " exclaimed Nez.

"Are there a great many fences built of Moose
horns ? " asked Rap.

"Nope, I've never seen one," said Nez, "nor found
more'n an odd horn here and there. The Injuns allow
the Moose claws earth and snow over 'em to hide 'em,
as soon as they're shed. Seems likely, too, and then it
stands to reason that the horns mould, and rats and
mice gnaws 'em away."

.!'', ! ■ ;

Mi i'

i 4

/ • XXIII

FISH OR FLESH

^URING the holidays the children
spent most of their indoor hours
in Camp Saturday, and New
Year's night found them [)re-
paring to make candy from
the kettle of molasses l!iat
Olive was watching anxiously,
waiting for the exact moment
to take it off the fire, which
is so important when you are
going to "pull" molasses candy in the proper old-
fashioned way.

" I am going to choose all those footless animals
that look like fishes, but are Mammals," said Nat.
selecting some pictures. "I wonder why Mammals
look so very different from each, and if the Wise Moii
arc svrc that these Wljalcs and things arc not fishes."

" Many animals, of even the same species, arc adu])te(l
to live in widely different i)laces," said the Doctor. "If
yon look at the lower hranclies of the animal tree, you
will sec that of these aiiinmls without hackl)ont's, some
live on land and some in water. TIkui look liinjier
among those liaviiig backbones : tlic fislies live in water;
frogs live in water and toads on land ; alligators in

820

FISH OR FLESH

321

water and snakes on land, while with birds some live
wholly on land and a few mostly on the water.

" Of course when we speak of the milk-giving, warm-
blooded order of Mammals, we usually think only
of animals with four legs, quadrupeds as they are
called. But an Alligator is a quadruped without being
a Mammal, and a Whale is a Mammal without being a
quadruped."

"It's a kind of a puzzle how it can be, isn't it?" said
Nat.

"■ Not if you remember m — mammals, m — milk," said
Dodo, quickly.

"You must have often heard the saying that 'the
exception proves the rule,' " continued the Doctor ; " so
the story of these footless ones is the exception to prove
that four feet are the rule among Mammals. Look at
your Mammal tree. What is the lowest branch of all ? "

"Pouch wearers," said Nat, "are on the lowest
branch that grows with us, though there are two others
lower that are only stumps. Opossum is the pouch
wearer, but there is a picture of him in the portfolio,
and lie has four legs and a curly tail. Why is he lower
than no-legged beasts ? "

" I will tell you that when we come to him. Wliat
is the next branch ? "

" Sea Cows ; and the ladder says there is only one
species in North America and its name is Mans'tce,
and that it is eight or ten feet long. Isn't it ugly,
though I Its face looks like one of those big tomato
worms."

"We thought the Walrus hideous and grotesque, and
the Sea Lion awkward," said the Doctor ; " but what

322

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

can be said of this Manatee, wlio is almost helpless on
land, being unable to raise his solid, sloping body on his
flippers, though when he is in the water his fat acts as
a life-buoy, and his wide, round tail makes him an ex-
pert swimmer. If you could see his skeleton you would
notice that his flippers are really arms coming fiom
flat shoulder blades, and ending in five-fingered hands
which the flesh hides. Also, that instead of strong teetii
for eating flesh, he has small weak teeth fit only for
chewing vegetable food. Uncouth as the Manatee is.
he yields three valuable things, — good oil, good meat,
and good leather, and, if protected, would have been of
great use to the people of the coast streams of Florida,
where he lives. \

" Though the Manatee spends its life hi water, it
cannot stay under water more than five or six miinites
at a time, and when it comes up to breathe it gives
people a chance to shoot it. Sometimes, however, it is
caught in heavy nets spread across the rivers that are
its favorite feeding grounds. While eating, the Manatee
floats, using his flip[)ers like fans to guide the long sea
grasses and water [dants, among which he often hides.
to his mouth. People tliink that early mariners, in
looking down through clear soutliern watcMs, saw this
monster floating ni)right and waving its flip[)ers, as it
looked up tlirongh the swaying gnisses tiiat surroundeil
it like long hair. Iknng surprised and very nnicli
frightened, they lost no time, on going back t(» shore, in
spreading tales of the l)eantiful nuMniiiids they had seen
combing tlieir ;iair and riding under water on the l)M('k>
of Dolphins, whihi they sang sweet luring music. \\\
can Hi\ii for ourselves iiow much mistaken thev were

st helpless on
ig body on his
Ills fat acts as
3S biin an ex-
ton vou would
coming from
ingered hands
of strong teeth
th fit only for
lie Manatee is.
oil, good meat,
d have l)een of
ims of Florida,

i
fe in water, it
1 or six minutes
preathe it gives
), however, it is

rivers that avo
ng, tlte ^lanatec
ide the long sen

he often hides,
rly mariners, in
wutors, saw tliis
ts tlii)[)ers, as il
that surroundeil
and very niucli
hiU'k to shore, in
(Is they had seen
iter on the hacl^
ling music, \^t
lidvcn they weiv,

Thk Manai kk

FISH OR FLESH

323

but nevertheless one of the Manatee's family names is
Siieuia, or Siren, which does not seem as uitable as Sea
Cow. No less a personage than Christopher Columbus
believed that these Manatees were mermaids, but con-
fessed himself disappointed in their beauty. In an ac-
count of his second voyage we read: 'The Admiral
[Columbus] affirmed he had seen thereabouts three
mermaids that raised themselves far above the water,
and that they are not as handsome as they are painted,
and that they wore something like a human face,' which
1 belie vi; is the first mention of our Sea Cow in history.
'' The Manatee is slate-gray on top, with a few scat-
tered hairs ; the belly is whitish. Though it has only
fore limbs, in resting on the river bottom as is its custom,
it curves its tail fins to support its back, after tlie fashion
of legs, and balances by resting also on the tips of its
fli[)pers. One or two calves are born each year, to
whom the Cow is most affectionate, being said even to
shed tears if she is separated from them. One would
think that there need be no fear of such a useful, harm-
less animal becoming extinct ; but man kills on water as
well as on land, and the Manatee, if it does not possess
the 'fatal gift of beauty,' has a gift that exposes him to
even greater danger from the half-wild people of his
haunts : he is wonderfully good eating, the meat being
coni[)ared by different people to young pig, veal, and
hunb. So it will not be long before we shall have to
say 'good divy' to the Manatee. He may change liis
skin, as he does every year ; men will not change their
habils, but keep on killing the geese that lay the golden
eggs, like the people in the fairy story."

« w « « «

■

I :

324

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

" Olive, quick ! the molasses is boiling over," cried
Dodo. And Mr. Blake had barely time to snatch off
the pot and prevent a great spill.

" It's ready to pour out," said Olive, trying a little of
the mixture on a spoon ; " then as soon as it is ropy,
we can begin to pull. Don't put it out on the snow,
Nat; we want it to grow tough, not brittle, this time."

7^ ^ V W V .

" The next branch on the Mammal tree is a very deep
water one, the Whale branch, and the Dolphins and
Porpoises are sort of twigs on it," said Kap, studying
the picture. " The ladder says that Whale comes from
two words, meaning roller, and that they can't move on
land, and they live on animal food."

" Yes,"* isaid the Doctor, '' the Whales are all rollers
and the Porpoises too, though the Dolphins are quite
graceful cand sportive, varying their rolling motions by
wonderful leaps, so that I do not wonder the mariners
cliose them to be the mermaids' horses.

" When this Whale tribe was developed. Nature set
out to build some Mammals like swimming oil-tanks, to
furnish light and heat to man until he should have
learned to bore into the earth and draw oil from wells.
As usual. Nature succeeded very well, and among tliese
Wliales are numbered tlie largest living Mammals, some
species reaching eiglity feet in length. All of this order
yield more or less oil, but the two most valuable species
are the great S])erm Wiiale, or Cachelot, and the Bow-
head. The Sperm Whale has, in a hollow in his head,
a lardy substance called spermaceti, from which candles
are made ; also yields a perfume called ambergris, and is
entirely covered, under the skin, with a layer of fat

FISH OR FLESH

325

blubber, which not only keeps him afloat, but when
tried out yields barrels of sperm oil. This Whale is
()[ a curious shape, being obliged to turn on his back
when lie wishes to take anything in his mouth. If
you could see the skeleton of a Whale you would find
that he has five finger bones hidden in liis front fins, the
same as the Manatee. It is impossible to realize his
immense size when seen in the water, but if by chance
one is stranded on a beach, men seem but pigmies beside
him. The nostrils of the Whale are high on the top

> ' ■ '[ ) '■ ■

^^"l^r^^^-T'^

•

il-

'""■" '(!»?!!^

-^tl

■^ - ■"'

ai^.

f^-

—irfe'"- • ; - ■

U iaglll

Spbum Whalk.

of its head so as to be as far out of water as possi-
ble. People used to think that Whales took water into
their mouths and blew it out through their nostrils, a
proceeding which is called spoHtinr/ in Sea Stories. But
the ti'uth of the matter is, that, breathing slowly as
water animals must, but with great force, the warm
breath turns to a fountain of spray when it comes in
contact with the cold air, and so the mistake arose.

" Hunting these Whales was once tho great industry
of the New England coast, and many stories and books
have been written about it ; but those days have passed

326

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

with all other times of good hunting, and for the same
cause.

"The cow Whales are exceedingly fond of their
young, sporting and playing with them in the water,
pausing frequently, and floating on their sides to givo
the calves a chance to take their milk food. If a young
Whale is caught or wounded, its mother usually gives
her own life ratlier than leave it.

" As the whalers paid no respect to the season when
the calves were young and helpless, but even followed the
cows into the only homes they had, — the bays where
the calves are born and are nursed, — it is little wonder
that a hundred years or more of such work has thinned
out these sea giants. Now Whale fishing is chiefly done
in the Northwest, where Behring Strait joins the Arctic
Ocean, and steam craft with long-range guns and dyna-
mite bombs are hastening the extinction of, at least, the
useful members of the order.

" Man may get oil from the ground, but there is
something yielded by a few species of Whale, like tlie
Bowhead and Finback, for which no substitute has
been found. 1 mean whalebone, which is really no
more true bone than is a cow's horn. The Whales who
give this substance liave no teetli, and large, broad
mouths, so that if they open them to take in a mass
of mollusks (tlie shell-fisli upon which they feed), tliey
would either have to swallow a great quantity of water,
or risk losing their meal. Nature made a provision for
this, just as the grooved saw-tooth bill was arranged to
strain tlie water from the food of the duck. Plates of
horny fibre were developed from the part of the Whale's
mouth called the palate, so as to make both a gate and

FISH OR FLESH

327

for the same

a sieve to strain the water off, and allow only the food
to be swallowed. This gate is arranged in such a way
that it lifts up like a drawbridge when the mouth opens,
and closes at the exact moment when it is needed.
You can well imagine that any substance at once strong
and yet pliable enough to close inside a Whale's mouth,
must be very durable and flexible.

"This whalebone, made into strips, is used as the
foundation for many articles, chief among them being
the best driving whips and the ' bones ' for corsets and
dress waists. But the real whalebone is growing rarer

Finback Whale.

and more costly each year. The Arctic Bowliead yields
the finest, longest baleen^ as the Wise Men call this
whalebone. The Finback Whale, such as you see in
tlie picture, also grows baleen, but it is of a poorer sort."

" Why are they digging a hole in this Wliale with a
shovel ? " asked Dodo.

" That is the old-fashioned blubber sliovel with which
tlioy used to cut the blocks of solid blubber from the
Wliale, just as you have seen tnrf cut, in order that the
fat may be boiled down to extract the oil."

" I wish you would tell us all the ways of catching
Wliales, and all the places they live," said Nat.

328

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

"That would take too long now, and your candy
would grow quite hard ; but some evening I will show
you pictures of all the Whales, and read you about tlie
fisheries from one of the great black-covered Goveriniient
books in my study. I only wished to show you now
that they really are branches of our Mammal tree, even
though these branches trail in the Atlantic, Pacific, and
Arctic oceans.

ii^^^>

1;|

ThK I'ORPOISE.

" The common Porpoise that we see rolling about the
sounds and harbors, and his brother the Dolphin, seem
mere babies in size compared to these true Whfiles. The
Porpoise travels in parties of various sizes, and makes a
terrible fuss in getting through the water, rolling, snuf-
fling, and grunting like a pig, from which noise, togetlici
with the small piglike eyes, it took the name of Sea
Hog and Herring Hog. Every time a Porpoise rolls lie

FISU OR FLESH

329

shows the long fin on his bacli, and this violent effort is
made to allow him to get his nose sufttciently out of
water to breathe. Porpoises are of very little use to
man, which accounts for the numbers constantly seen.
They often do positive harm in our home waters by eat-
ing quantities of fish that travel in schools, like harbor
blues, herring, menhaden, etc. They are said to be
good fighters and, when in a herd, able to surround quite
large prey and drive it in any direction they choose.
Tlie young are curious creatures, looking, when a few
days old, like black bottles about two feet long. Por-
poises very seldom spring wholly from the water like
Dolphins, though they have been known to do so, even
leaping over boats when badly frightened.

''Of Dolphins there are many species, found in all
salt waters, and ranging in size from five to fifteen feet.
They seem to be made for beauty rather than use, and
are as swift as the Porpoises are clumsy. We hear of
them everywhere, in mid-ocean chasing fishes or each
other with dash and vigor, or sporting and leaping from
the water in a spirit of pure fun. They seem to be the
gentlemen-of-leisure of the ocean, a sort of literary fish
placing a much more important part in poetry and his-
tory than in reports of the fishing industries. When is
old Neptune ever pictured as taking a ride through his
watery kingdom armed with his trident, that lie is not
driving Dolphins? When he is carved in stone to play
kini^ and sit beside a fountain, who are his gentlemen-
in-waiting? Dolphins. If a Prince in a fairy tale wishes
to send a magic ring to his Princess, imprisoned in a coral
cavo, who bnt a I)(dphin does he choose to carry it?
" Ves, Dodo, 1 know tlie molasses is ready to pull.

^^■,::lflf:

Ey ■ .1

330

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

fil

DULFUINS.

- I •
Butter your fingers, then dip tliem in flour, or I shall be
asked to dress blisters to-morrow. Meanwhile remember
that if any one asks you how you know that Whales are
Mammals and not fishes, remember to tell them that
the Wise Men say, —

"* A fish has cold blood, breathes through gills, and lays eggs;

A Whale has warm blood, breathes with lungs, and cares for its
young as a cow does.

A fish has tail fins that run up and down, lying flat with its body;

A Whale's tail is set crosswise and it is moved in swimming like the
blades of a propeller, while both tail and front fins do not look
unliko the hind feet and flipjDers of its blood brother, the
Seal.'" /"

" Quick, Nat ! " cried Olive, " your lump of candy
will fall if you pull so slowly. Now, one, two, — pull;
three, four, — double it over." Then, for the next
half hour, Camp Saturday was enveloped in sticky
silence.

XXIV

RATS AND MICE

HREE blind mice! Three blind
mice ! See how they run, see
how they run ! " sang Dodo.
" That is, how they would run if
they could," cried Nat, as they
^^ rushed into the wonder room
^ a little before tea time, carrying
a long cage rat-trap between
them. " Look ! five of such queer little things. They
are not house mice nor moles, nor like the pretty White-
footed Mouse that comes from under the hearth in
camp. See what blunt faces they have! What do
you think they are ? "

" Meadow Mice," said the Doctor, " and a fine, healthy
lot of them, too. Where were they caught?"

" Rod set the trap in Olive's pansy frame, because the
plants were bitten and he had seen a rat or two about
that side of the barn, and this morning when he looked
all these were in it. You can catch 'most anything in
one of these traps. Big or little, if it steps on the plat-
form it falls in," said Nat. "Stop fussing, and keep
still, so we can see what color you are."

" A brownish-gray coat, a light vest, short tail, small
ears,, and only pin-head eyes," said Olive, looking over
liis shoulder. "It's a very stout Mouse, is it not,

331

332

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

i]'M

^1*1

Mkauovv Mouse.

father? More like a I'rairie Dog or Wootlcliuok in
shape than like one of its own family."

"It is a chunky Mouse, but in the great Order of
Gnawers to which it belongs, we have many variations
of a general plan, and striking contrasts are to be seen,
particularly in heads and tails. If you wish to be intro-
duced to some of the four-footed nuisance animals now
is the time, for these Meadow Mice are as troublesome
about the garden and orchard as the rats in the granarv.
or the I louse Mouse in the pantry ; and rats and mici; aii'
largely res[)()nsible for the bad name worn by the entire
(^rder.

Huts !

Tlicy fotij^lit tlio (l()j;s and killed the ciitf, *

y\nd l»il lilt' hiiltics in tlic ciiidlcs;

And ale llic cliccscs oul (if llic viits,

And licki'd tlio h()||[i I'loni (Im* cuuk'H own ladles!'

RATS AXD MICE

333

WoodcUuck in

»»

great Order of
many variations

are to be seen,
wish to be intvo-
ice animals now

as tronblesome
in the graiuuy,

ats and miee aio

vii by the entire

catp,

s own ImUi'rt!'

'• Do yon remember how anxions the Mayor of Ilamelin
WHS to get rid of tlie rats, and wliat a mean trick he
plityed on the Pied Piper? Also, how the blind mice
cliiised tlie farmer's wife nntil, in self-defence, ' She cnt
off tlieir tails with a carving knife I ' And they've been
in mischief ever since."

"I wonder why the first farmer's wife didn't kill
them instead of cntting off their tails," said Dodo. " 1
tliink she was crnel."

" Perhaps they all hid in a crack and tlieir tails hnng
out, and so she cnt them off to pnnish them, and remind
tlieni not to chase her again," snggested Olive.

"This Meadow Monse is one of the tribe who ate
the lily bnlbs hist spring," continued the Doctor, '"and
who, f()lh)wing in the Mole's tunnel, gnawed the juicy
roots of the geraniums so that they broke off a little be-
low the ground. I have owen seen their runways twist-
iiio- ill and out among the glass tufts in the old meadow,
iiiui between the stumps or fence posts, under which
they liave winter lodgings. In summer they live almost
wholly on the surface of the ground, making nests
among the grass, and at that season, of course, they
destroy a certain amount of corn and damage stackecl
l^niin by nibbling it from the straw, but above all they
are garden pests. 'I'hese mic(^ do not sleep the winter
sleep: and if theie is no snow to protect the roots of
siiruhs and fruit trees, they arc sure to snffci' severe
'^niawiny. Karlv in the season I saw a nuinlu'r of them
ill tlu^ new [teach oriihard, but 1 think this dee[) snow
will save the trees this year."

"Are they common mice?" asked Olive. "It seems
stiiiigo that 1 have never seen any before."

334

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

"Yes, they are very common, at least, through tlie
half of the country east of the Mississippi. They fted
chiefly at night, which is prohably the reason you hiive
not noticed them."

" Then people who live the other side of the j\Ii.s-
sissippi are not bothered with them ? " said Nat.

" They may not havo this particular Meadow Mouse.
but there is sure to be a near cousin for every part of
the country, and one for every day in the year too.
Why, aside from all the other gnawers, tliere are two
hundred species in the family of Rats and Mice alone."

" What makes a species ? " asked Nat.

" One line day, long ago, some Meadow Mice from a
certain place might have been accidentally carried far
away from home to a place where the food and country
and climate were entirely different from where tliey
were born. They had to change their habits a little to
suit their new home, and after many generations this
change of habit made a change in their looks. Their
feet might be laigei', or they might have grown a new-
pattern in coats. Then some Wise iSIan noticed this
and said, ^ Here is a new species.' So the Wise Men who
are trying to draw the family tree of tliese iniisanee
animals cannot hnish it yet, because, no matter how t'acli
one works on his tree, someone else is always going
out and finding new species that nuist be added as
twigs."

''Then I guess we can't learn all the names of thai
family," said Dodo.

"N(», indeed. 'I'liere are about ten species, howevti.
belonging in different parts of the country, whose jiict-
ures 1 can sh.iw you and whose names you must try to

HATS AND MICE

335

tlirougli the
. They fted
isou you biive

} of tlie ^lis-

l Nat.

eadoNV Mouse,
every part of
the year too.
there are two

d Mice alone."

)W Mice from a
,ally carried i'av
od and country
m\ where they
labits a little to
renerations this
looks. Their
crrowu a new
ui noticed tliis
Wise Men who
these nuisance
matter how each
s always ^niiif;
st he added us

names

of tlnit

;i)ecies, howeVfi.

ntry, whose jml-

you must try tti

remember, for you may very likely see tliem all in their
liomes sooner or later. Take your trap with you to tlie
camp, for it is nearly time for supper, and this evening'
I will give you the list."

* ■ * « Id m

Doctor Roy brought an old blackboard from his store
closet, and setting it by the animal tree told Nat that
he might write the names of the ten nuisance animals,
togetlier with the parts of the country they inliabit, and
a few^ facts about tliem.

Quick and Mr. Wolf were lying before the fire, and
took a great interest in the mice which Dodo was vainly
trying to feed witli crumbs.

'^ You'd like to give them a shaking, Qnick, wouldn't
you? But you can't, for I'm going to collect a men-
agerie and begin it witli these and Billy Coon."

"• ril give you a Gray Squirrel. I caught one a week
ago to-day. It was so hungry it came right in our wood-
.slied, and it's a beauty," said Hap ; " only j'ou'U have
to be carefid, for the dogs don't understand about wild
pets, and I'm pretty sure theyaie watching out to shake
Hilly Coon."

"" See liow nicely that mouse is sitting up and wash-
ing his face, just like a (!at, and what pretty little paws
lie has! Even if mice are nuisance animals I like them,
and I think they are nuich more fun to play with than
dolls," said Lodo.

"I wonder how you will like it in the spring if you
tiiid they have eaten the tulii)s that you [danted so rare-
fully," said the Doctor.

" I .shall be vi'ry, very much disappoint(Ml, iuul m-a-d,"
said Dodo, decidedly.

336

FO Uli-FOOTEJ) A MEIUCANS

"Our nuisance animals beloiio- to four fliffereiit
groups, so we will begin with the best known,, — the
lannly circle ot" Hats and Mice.

"• The White Lcnimitu/ conies lirst on niv list. It is ■,>,
rather wicked destroyer of grass and roots, belonging- to
the cold north country with the Caribou, Musk Ox, and
Polar Bear. It furnishes many meals for the Arctic
Fox and the Snowy Owl, who evidently intend that
Lennnings shall not become too ])lenty. It is short and
thick-set, about the size of a M(de, with small ears, what
Olive calls ' pin-head' eyes, and a scraj) of a tail like
a Kabbit. In common M'ith many of the northern
animals it wears ' [)rotective coloring' in its coat, being
covered, feet and all, with white fur in winter, chang-
ing to shaded browns in sununer, the season that it
burrows in the ground. Its winter nests are of moss
above ground or in little snow caves.

"The next is that swinnning, burro\\ing' gnawer the
Muslcmt^ who is eveiy inch a rat as fai- down as his
llattcncd tail and scaly, webbed hind legs, where be sun--
gests the shape of his burrowing and nnid-pi(!-midvintf
brodier, the IJeaver. lie is a heavy aninnd, with short
neck and long, shar]) hind claws for digging, and fore
paws like hands, with four lingers and a thumb, lie
secretes a nuisky odor that gives him his name.

"Tiic Miiskrat is certainly the aristocrat of his family.
for he wears a most beautiful soft fur coat that neither
mud nor water can destroy. (\'our father, you I'emeiii-
ber, has a cap made of it. ) lie linds |ilaces suilal»le Im
his home in the greater jiait of North America, and
there are few ponds and sluggisli sticams that (h» net
tell tales of him. He lives and linds his food in tlic

HATS AM) MIC I:

3:17

\v jliffevtiiil
lown. — the

list. It is ;v
belonginp: to
usk Ox, iuid
1- the Arctic
inteiul that
is short aiul
all ears, what
if a tail lila'
the northern
ts eoat, being-
vinter, chaiiu-
eason that it
s are of moss

10' o-nawer the

down as liis

where he sn*--

n(l-piiHUnldn<4

111, with sliort

v(ril\U". ivi"^ ''"'^'
a thiiinh. Ho

uanu'.

t of his family.

it that neitlu'i

r, you riMnrni-

•cs suilahh' I'oi

Ameriea. itn'l

is tlnit do 1'"'

his food ii» tlu'

water, and seems out of his t'lement when on land. Ho
[uefers to attend to his affairs at night, wIk'U tho sun
cannot spy upon him, and he is sociable as wtill as shy,
j)referring village life to solitude, so tliat many of the
domed winter liouses, built of reeds, sticics. and mud, are
usually found near together. These homes are built
in shallow water and are entered from below ; there is

.Ml SK 11 AT.

ii conifortabh' living-room inside, just above the water
level, with many passages fiom it wherti tl»e family can
hide in times of danger. The doorway being under
water, allows tlie Muskrat to go out in winter, wlieii
tlie surface is fro/en, ami secure marsh roots and tlu!
otlier vegetable fttod that he needs. So lie does not
.slei'lt the winter sh'e[», nor yet store U[» food like tlie
lieaver.

■■•■

ill

838

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

" The objection wliicli classes the Muskiat among nui-
sance animals, is not because they eat valuable things,
but because of their burrowing habits ; they cause river
and pond banks to cave in, and undermine mill-dams. I
know of a large and valuable tract of marsh, the drain-
ing of wliich has been twice abandoned because myriads
of Muskrats kept burrowing through the dikes. The
Muskrat's summer liome is in a bank burrow, and at
tliis season he varies his vegetable food with fresh-
water nuissels. He is a great lighter, and has been
known to attack people on slight provocation, and
witliout being cornered.

"■ Tlie true Kats and Mice liave bright eyes, large ears,
soft fur, and naked, scaly tails. They eat both animal and
vegetable food, wliich liabit is called being omnivorouH.
The MemJoir Mouse we have been discussing eomi's
liist among these, and next the graceful White-footed or
Deer Mou»e^ that you have made friends with at the
iiieside. 'J'iiis mouse must feel (pnte at home here in
camp, or he would not show himself so freely, for they
are very shy by nature, feeding at night, and pre-
ferring the shelter of wheat stacks and outbuildings to
liouses, though I believe they are the common House
Mice of some districts. Tliis mouse is a great climlu'r
and jum[)er, placing its nests in all sorts of nooks; now
in a bird or S(|uirrers nest high up in a tree, then again
neatly weaving a round home of its own in some bush
a few feet above ground. They eache grass seeds and
grain undi-rground, and altogether this little Di-ei'
Mouse is so [)reity and dainty, with its white feet and
vest and ruddy l)ntwn ba»d\, bright eyes, and iiuig bhui
whiskers, that I am glad to say that it does little harm.

HATS AM) mill;

839

"Now you must jump from a mouse a little over three
inches long to the great Cotton llat^ who is as big as a
Chipmunk and e(iually mischievous. Fortunately we
do not have him here, but he is common from Virginia
southward. His body is about six inches long, with a
medium tail. He has round ears, and wears a rusty
l)rown coat and gray vest. Though he usually is kind

Cotton Hat.

enough to keep out of gardens, lie riddles fields and
meadows with his underground galleries, and you can
sue liis fooli)aths winding through brush lots and W()«)tls.
lie does much harm by sucking the eggs of game birds,
iR'sides eating grass and vegetables. This is one of the
nuisance aninjals that the (Jray Fox helps to keep down,
und it should be renu.Mubered to iiis creclit. The Cotton
l{;il was so nanu'd betniuse he Wi\s the* familiar species
nf (olton lields, and was su[»pose<l always to line his nest

340

FO lIli-FOO TED A MEllKJA NH

with cotton that he luid collected and stored, but he as
frequently uses leaves and grass.

"Another one of the family about the size of the last
is the Marsh Hat, who is so fond of swimming that lu;
seems almost like a link between the true Rats and tlu;
Muskrat. He makes^ his nest at the foot of a stuni[) or

Mausii li at,

sometimes in the centre of a little island of reeds as llu'
(Jrebe does, jnm[)ing directly from the nest into tlio
water and swinnning away.

"The Woinh Tr<ul<\ oi- l*<i<'k lint is (]uite a characli'i'.
Ilis [u'rsonal ai»[)eiiran(H' is extremely liiindsome : In'
wears a coat of tawny ijfrnv fur with wliite vest mikI
lioots: ho has bit»' mild eves, while Iiis face weai's ukip'

JiATs AM) MICE

^41

red, but he iis

of the Iliibbits gentle expression than the cruel, greedy
look of II rat. His gnawing habits do not seem to get
liiin into very deep disgrace with the farmers ; it is liis
iiinhition that leads him into trouble. He wislics to be
an architect, bric-a-brac collector, and pedler all in one.
if he and his wife nialce their home in an outbuilding or
attic you will think the liouse full of evil spirits. Tliis

^Iw'' ^^^1

j^ r iSjty ^^^^J^^^IB^^^^^^^^^^^^II

WKK^K^sj^i

^^"'°*^'?^^u^^r^^^HB

"^Kt^^^^^^BS^

■» iafe*:-i«""»-— — •.» ^_

- %

—sa^

W()(»l> OH J'A( K KaT.

llat comes, sees, takes, hides, and sometimes returns,
articles with lightning rapidity. What for, no Wise
^hui that I know is able to tell. Do the Ifats decide to
make a nest under a busli, immediately they set to work
to stack up a heaj) of out-(h)or rubbisli as higli as a Musk-
lat's lodge; paper, sliavings, corncoi)s, chdiics pins, ohl
stiaps and buckU's from the stabl(», ends of i'o|)(!, ncws-
piqiers, a kid glove, all iiaving l)cen found stored away

342

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

inside one of these strange homes. Once in my Colorado
camping days a pair of these Rats turned our 'dug-
out' camp topsy-turvy during a two days' absence.
Tliey filled the tea kettle from a heap of shavings and
splint wood that had been cut for kindling, mixed a
quantity of fish hooks in a sack of flour that was up on
the roof logs, emptied a case of shot on the hearth, and
made away with every tin spoon our outfit could boast.
In return, they filled the frying pan with a lot of sti(3ky
cones that they must have brought from half a mile
awa}. When we returned they seemed to think they
had improved the camp and made it more homelike,
and peeped at us proudly from between the boughs.

" Rats, however, who cannot keep their handb^ off the
pro})erty of others, may be interesting, but eve!». if tliey
are bric-a-brac collectors, they never should be allowed a
foothold inside one's home. Meddlesome House People,
hear, and take warning I "

*****

" Be careful. Dodo," said Olive ; " ii: you keep moving
that trap, the first thing you know the door will come
unhooked and all those mice will get out, and Quick
will tear everytliing to bits trying to get them."

"Our second group, the Gopher family, contains
upwards of thirty members, two of whicli are fairly
common.

*'The Gophers are stout burrowing animals, seven or
eiglit inches long, with outside cheek pouclies for carry-
ing home tlieir provisions ; strong, long, gnawing tcetli,
and powerful fore limbs armed with (les[)erate claws for
digging out their liomes. I lappily they do not live very
near us, but th(;y are a scourge in the prairie regions of

i*i^

HATS AND MICE

348

tlic middle West. Gophers not only destroy grain and
tliu roots of forage plants, turnips, mangels, etc., but
they waste the land itself, making it a network of bur-
row s and pitfalls and throwing up the dirt from their
lairs, not carrying it through the main entrance but
bringing it out of side ways, and heaping it until it makes
great mounds that cover and destroy acres of sprouting

PUUCHKU OK MULK UuPHKR.

crops. Then they are restless animals, moving constantly
iiiid making new homes, so that the Gopher plague goes
on the list of farming miseries, side by side with grass-
hoppci's, seven-year locusts, and blizzards. Yet the
farmer seldom thanks the Hawks and Owls for their
missionary work in the Gopher community, and wages
war on the Coyote who, in (Jopher Land at least, does

344

FO Uli-FOO TED A M ERICA NS

fannijig more good than harm. The (iophers are iv[\[.
ous though easy iinimals to tia[), for tliey only livi; in
families during a very short time in the year, eacli iiidi-
vidual preferring a nest to himself. Poison is daiijer-

UkAY PonCKT (ioPHKU.

ous to domestic animals, when scattered about freely as
it would have to be in such cases, so that much hoiioi is
waitiufif for some one who shall invent a cure for tlif
(io[)her plague, but it must be a cure that is not woiso
than the disease."

"Perhaps you will find it out, Rap," said DikId.
smilin*g confidently at him.

" The well-known Ihd, PonchcJ or Mo/e Gopher^ the
cliief species of the middle West, has a clumsy reddish-
brown body as long as a C'hi[)muidv"s, a large head, iiinl
very wide, hair-lined, cheek i)ouches reaching (o the

BATS AND MICE

345

sliouUlers ; small ears, small eyes, ami long giiawincr
tcH'ili that ovcrliaiin' the lips. It sleeps the winter
sleep, \vhi(;h I wisli you to remember the Wise Men eall

'•Tlie (fyvr.y P' -ket or JVorfheru Gopher is found
fiutlier north than any of its kin, touehing his ]{e(l
l)i()tlier's haunts, and ranging from ]\Iontana to the
plains of the S;iski\tchewan country where Nez shot I'lis
Moose. This s[)ecies is smaller than the Red Pouched
Gopher, and has hoary, brownish-gray fur; otherwise it
does not greatl}^ differ from it.

?ap," said Dodo.

KaN'CAKOO IvAT,

"Now come two liohter, more oraceful fourfoots be-
loiioiiig to the Family of Pouched Rats and Mice, —
the Kangaroo Rat and the Pocket blouse.

"The Kanyaroo liat looks like a joke on legs. To

346

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

begin at tlie opposite end from usual, he has a tail six
and three quarter inches long, while liis body only
measures five inclies and a half. Tliis tail ends in a
sort of brush, and he can use it as a rudder or turn ;iiul
twist it like a snake. Next come wide hips and a very
liigli pair of legs, particularly long from foot to knee
like the Jack Rabbit's ; after this tlie Rat slopes rapidly
to'ward short arms, a pointed head, trimmed with outside
cheek pouches, fur-lined round ears, bright eyes, and
long whiskers. His coat is of soft shaded brown. These
Rats are rarely seen, for they feed at night, but 1 have
watclied them by mooidight, and they hop about on
their iiind legs like some mechanical toy, holding tiieir
tiny paws together across their chests, as if they did
not know what to do with them. Tiiey are soutlicrly
Rats, enduring great heat, and they make large hxlges
or houses, sometimes two and three feet high, aniontr
tlie Spanish Bayonet plants and aloes, which servo as
hotels to several families.

"Tlie .Pocket Mounc also belongs to tlie south, and
is an inch smaller than the Kangaroo Rat. It, ton,
has a long tail, long back legs, and outside cheek
])ou(dK's. Its coat is a lighter brown than that of tlie
Deer Mouse, and it also wears a white vest.

" I^ast, least, but most interesting of all is the 'honp-
in;/ }r()tti«\ with brown coat, white vest, three inches of
body, and live intdies of tail ; and surely a three-inch
Mouse who can jump ten feet is entitled to give his
name to a family. It is a gentle Mouse, too, and does
little hnrm to the farmer in the northein half of North
America, where it belongs, being content with seeds.
tlie softiM- nuts, and berries. It stores up food in gionnd

BATS AND MICE

347

he has a tail six
1 his hocly duly
s tail ends in a
Icier or turn aiul
hips and a very
3m foot to knee
at slopes ra[)i(lly
ned with outside
bright e3X's, and
d brown, 'riiose
light, but 1 liavo
Y hop about on
3y, holding tlR'ii'
, as if they -lid
3y are southerly
ike large lodges
eet high, anionic
, whieh serve as

» the south, and
1 Uat. It, ton.
I outside (diei'k
than that of tlie
vest.

all is the JiDiip-
:, three iiudies of
•(dy a three-inch
illed to give liis
se, too, and doi's
•n lialf of North
itent with scimIs.
ip food in ground

Poc'KKT Mouse.

Ijiurows, but makes its nest in a variety of places,
rsiiully it is a careful, well-lined att'air oidy a few
iiulics underground, but frequently it creeps into a
lioilow post or makes its home in the chiidcs of a
woodpile, from whicdi it steals toward dusk when the
Rats come out. It liibernates in tlie most titorough
manner, one Wise Man believing that it stays in longer
tlian that slee[)yhead, the Woochduick. It usually
goes deep into the ground or to some out-of-the-way
coiner for its long nap. Tlie waking hours of tlie
,luin[)ing Mouse are tlie most interesting to us, when
it moves among the waving hay lields, creeping slowly
on its uneven legs, tilling its pocd^ets with provisions,
and then, siuhlenly folding its arms, takes to the air.
Hounding along without seeming to toU(d» ground after
the first leap, it is tlie perfect picture of free motion."

348

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

" Oh, tlio tiai) is coining open and tlie mice aie gettiii[)'
out I Hold (^ni(;ic, Nat, do I " screamed Dodo. TIk le
was a scunic, a tew shrill barks, a contused spectacle of
Dodo fallino- over the trap, Mv. Wolf tumblino- over
Dodo and [)ntting his heavy paw on a running mouse,
while Quick disi»p[)eared under the Wolfskin iii<r.
When Dodo untangled herself, four Meadow Mice,
killed l)y a single shidce eacli from Qui(!k, were sciit-
tered about tlie camp, while Mr. Wolf still lield his prize
under his paw.

" It's my fault, I know, but my menagerie is all
deaf' I " (juavered Dodo.

"Never mind," said the Doctor; "it is rather soon,
but that is ',\hat usually happens to private menageries."

.Ii Mi'iNii Mill si:,

ce are gettiiio-
Dodo. Tin re
lI spectacle of
.umbling over
liming mouse,
^^olfskin ni<r.
leadow Mice,
ck, were seat-
held bis prize

3nagerie is nil

is rather soon,
Lc menageries."

XXV

MISCHIEF MAKKHS

350

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

why Quick and Mr. Wolf shared their rug with a mon-
grel terrier, a collie, and a setter pup, — six pounds of
sausages, divided between five dogs of mixed sizes aiul
a coon, having produced good nature and a desire to l>o
to sleep in Dogville.

Rap had brought his Gray Squirrel as a gift to Nut,
and an old wheel cage having been found in the attic,
Frisk, as they named him, was safely housed in it and
became an object of great interest.

" He is ever so much bigger than the Red Squirrels
and Chipmunks we have here at the farm," said Nat,
" and he has the finest tail I ever saw."

" The plumy tail is an important feature in the Squir-
rel family. Saiuridee, the name the Wise Men give it,
means ' those who sit in the shadow of the tail,' and
you can see when Fiisk jerks his tail over his back that
it makes quite a good umbrella."

"Chipmunks haven't such nice tails, though," said
Rap; '■'theirs are (piite thin and not a bit plumy."

"They belong to the striped-backed Ground Squir-
rels, who are of a lighter build in every way."

" Are tliere any Ground Scpiirrels ? I thought thoy all
lived in trees. Do Scpiirrels gnaw things, and are lliey
nuisance animals like the mice and rats?" asked Nat.

"The Ground Squirrels are all more or less mis-
chievous, as you will realize wlien you remember (liat
in climbing the ladder to look for tlie Woodchuck and
I'rairio Dog you found them on the general branch
belonging to the (iround Scpiirrel family."

"So we did," said Olive; "but I liardly realized lliiit
tliey were related to Scpiirrels oxcei)t in the fact tliiit
they are all gnawers."

MISCHIEF MAKERS

351

g witli a mon-
six pounds of
lixecl sizes and
a desire to <40

a gift to Nnt,
id in the attic,
)used in it and

5 Red Squirrels
Lvni," said Nat,

re in the Sqnii-
ie Men give it,
»f the tail,' and
er his back that

, though," said
it plumy."
Ground Squir-

way."

thought they all
gs, and are tliov
? '' asked Nat.
ore or less mis-
I renieniher tluvl
Woodeluudv and
> general brancli

july.

•dly realized tluit
in the faet tlud

"Perhaps, daughter, you will write the list on the
blackboard for us, so that we shall see the connection
more plainly. There are sixty or seventy North Ameri-
can species of Tree and Ground Squirrels, but if I tell
you of seven or eight, besides the Woodchuck and
Prairie Dog, which you already know, it will bo as
much as you can remenil)er."

Tree Squirrels.

.Mediuin-sized ears. Cheeks with inside jiouclies for carrying
food. Clawed feet suitable for clind)ing. Plumy tails.

Here l)elong, beginning with the smallest, the Flying, lied,
(J ray, and Fox Squirrels.

Ground Squirrels.

Smaller, with cheek pouohes, living in ground, but spending
some time in the trees. The best known of this group is the Chip-
niiink.

Next come the heavy, ground burrowers, the Prairie Dog and
Woodchuck, whom certainly nobody Nvoidd ever accuse of trying
to climb trees, and then follow two S[)ermoi)hil('s, the mischievous
(iroiMid Sipiirrels (so called) of the plains, who seem to bear a
vcscniblanct^ to both the tree and ground varieties, sonm having
large and others small tails.

*'You know something about our Gommon Squirrels,
Kap; suppose you tell us what you have noticed," said
the Doctor, "and I will lielp you over hard places."

" Pve watclied S(juirrels a good deal, but I shoiddn't
like to say tliat 1 know tliem," said Rap, hesitating ;
''fur wlien you think you've seen all their ways, you
lind you've only just begun. Tlicre are plenty of
Squiirels heieabout, and they seem to live in a great
muny different places. Tlie (Jray Squirrels and the Fly-

352

FOUR-FOOTED AMEIilCANS

iiig ones seem to like the Miller's far woods best, wher
there are oaks, hickories, and beech trees, but the lied
Squirrels live farther over toward our house, where the
trees mostly have cones and berries like spruces and
cedars, with choke cherries and hazel bushes growiiin'
along the stone fences, and the Chipmunks live riglit
in the stone fence and under our woodshed.

" I think tlie Flying Squirrel is tlie prettiest of theiu
all," continued Ka}), pausing as if he did not know-
exactly where to begin. "It has n dear little face with
very black eyes and a few long whiskers. It is a sort
of mousy gray on to[) and white underneath, and ils
paws look like tiny bits of hands, with the tops of the
fingers swelled out, and it has long nails that are (k>v-
ered up by the fur.*'

"(lood!" exclaimed the Doctor; " liow did you see
so mu(di in the dark, which is the only time tins Squir-
rel is out?"

"I liad one in a cage last winter; the Miller's boy
gave it to me. It grew very tame, and I let it out in the
spring so it could go and lind a mate and not be lonely,
but it came back to the lio^^e hist sunnner and crawled
in niv window. At first I tlunmht it was a bat that had
flown in. and then I saw that it liad a tail and no wings."

*' If it bus no wings, how can it fly?" asked Dodo.

"The skin of its hiwk rcaidies down on its legs, the
siimc as if I pnt a Idaidvet over my bacdc and fastened it
to my wrists and ankles. It runs np to tlu; to[> of a
tree, or out to the end of a brantdi, and gives a l)ig jmiij)
down or across to another tree. It doesn't really fly or
lliq> its iirms as if fhey were wings, but spreads them to
keep from falling and catches the wind like a Hat kite."'

i best, whei'
but the Red
5e, where the
spruces an 'I
ilies gi'owiii!^-
ks live riglil
i.

.tiest of them
lid not know
ttle face with
It is a sort
leath, and lis
le tops of liie
, that are cov-

w did you see
nie this Sqnir-

Q Miller's ))oy
t it out in the
not be lonely,
av and erawU'il
a bat that had
ind no wings."
isked Dodo.
)n its legs, the
md fastened it
o th(! top of a
ves a big jmnp
rt really lly or
;pivads them to
ike a tlat kite."

Fl.YIMt SijUtUKKI.H.

MISCHIEF MAKERS

353

" Why doesn't it go crooked and spin around ? "
asked Nat ; " a kite would if it hadn't a string to hold
it and a long tail."

"You must remember," said the Doctor, "that a
Squirrel is alive and springs in the direction he wishes
to go ; the skin flaps help him to remain in the air, and
his tail, which spreads flatly and is not thick like other
Squirrels', both balances and steers him. Olive, dear,
look in the portfolio and give me the picture of the
Flying Squirrel. There, now you can see at a glance
how he goes ! "

" Then they can only fly down or across, but not up,"
said Olive.

"They can rise very slightly, but not much higher
than a Gray Squirrel can by leaping. Tell us what
else you have noticed about them. Rap."

" The first time I ever saw them was three years ago
in spring. The Miller's boy said there was a hickory
tree with a hole in it, back of their pond, where a lot of
long-tailed Bats lived. He was looking for Wood-
peckers' eggs late one afternoon, and he saw the hole
bnt he couldn't quite reach it, so he knocked on the
bark to see if a bird would come out, and instead out
popped one of tliese Squirrels, but the light seemed to
hurt its eyes and it hurried in again.

" A couple of weeks after, when the moon was full,
we went up to the woods about Bat time and climbed
way up in an oak tree that stood close to the hickory,
and waited for the long-tailed Bats to come out.

"Tlie Niglithawks were out, and the Whip-poor-wills
and a couple of kinds of Bats came along pretty soon,
and wc saw a Skunk sneaking across to the pond, but
ax

354

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

nothing came out of the hole in the hickory. I thouglit
the Miller's boy had mistaken the tree, when all of a
sudden he gave me a pinch. I looked over, and there
were the things coming out of the hole and runniiig
and scrambling up the tree like Mice. I knew as soon
as I saw them they were some kind of Squirrels, but I
didn't know they could fly, until one got to the top of
the tree and put riglit off into the air to another tree
twenty feet away, all the others after him as if they
wej'e playing, for there were a couple more holes fur-
ther up in the tree that we didn't see at first.

" We couldn't make out about the way they flew tliat
night, so we kept going there all summer and up to
snow time we found out a good many things. Tlie
Squirrels didn't mind us a bit after they saw we
wouldn't touch them. They had sort of playhouse
nests made of leaves and stuff up in the tree brandies
that they used in summer, but in spring when the little
ones are born, and when it grows cold in the fall, the}-
stay in the holes."

"Do they lii-her-natef'' asked Dodo, who was taking
great pains to learn the word.

" I don't know whether they sleep all the time in
winter like Woodchucks, but they pack away food,
because we saw them, and they stay in their lioles any-
way. There's another real cute thing they do, — tlie
moiliers take their little ones and fly away with tlieni
if they are frigliiened.

" Last June one of the oldest Squirrel trees was
partly blown over against another, find though it was
dtiy time, a Squirrel ran out of her home with a good-
sized young one sort of tucked up between her arms

MISCHIEF MAKEBS

355

who was taking

and her chin. She sailed right off to an oak tree with
it and went back to get another, but when she saw that
the tree was jammed, she seemed to know that it couldn't
fall any further and so she went over and brought the
young one back. Do you know she held it and steadied
it with her mouth, and it had its arms tight round her
neck as if it were a real child ! "

" I'm going up to see them next spring," said Nat.
"Are they good or bad Squirrels, and what do they
eat?"

" They are harmless little creatures," said the Doctor,
"and trouble the farmer very little. Their chief food,
beside nuts, consists of seeds of various kinds, insects,
beetles, and, I am sorry to say, a few birds' eggs and
birds that their night-prowling habits and flying leaps
make it very easy for them to take. All the Tree
Squirrels do some harm, if there are too many about,
as well as iheir ground cousins, but they are so jolly
and companionable, adding ho the beauty of woods and
byways and the pleasure of our walks, that 1 am in-
clined to excuse the tribe as heedless miscliief makers,
rather than condemn them as evil-doers."

" Red Squirrels are pretty bad to have near the gar-
den," said Rap, feelingly. " This year the}' split up half
of our seckel pears to eat the seeds, and they stole lots
of the red pie-cherries to get the pits. They think that
clierry stones are some early sort of nuts, I guess, and
half of July^ they sat up in that tree twirling them
ronnd in their paws while they gnawed into the meat.
I wouldn't mind that so much, but they suck birds'
eggs and bite little birds, too, when they feel like it.
They know where all the birds live, for they are up

356

FO UR-FOO TED AMERICA NS

and down every tree. They can watch the bush n* sts
when they cut across lots on the fences and walls, as
they do all the time, chattering and carrying tales about
what they see.

" A pair of Red Squirrels made a nest under the old
shingles in our woodshed. The little ones were very
funny at first, with very big heads and bare skin, and
as blind as kittens. I thought that these were day
Squirrels, but this pair used to whisk out at niolit
sometimes, and didn't they chatter and scold if any one
went near the nest ! Mother said they were good com-
pany for her."

"Why do you call them Red Squirrels, uncle?" asked
Nat. " I saw the pair down at Rap's house, and they
had bright brown coats and white vests, such as the
Deer Mouse wears, not the same color that we call red
in birds like the Tanager and Cardinal."

" It is a careless way of speaking, Nat ; there are
very few bright-colored Mammals anywhei-e in the
world, and there are none, belonging on our tree, who
wear gayer coats tlian the Ocelot or Red Fox. So for
lack of anything brighter we call this Fox red when
blight bay would be the exact term, and we say lied
Squirrel when we mean rusty brown. However, you
may call tliis happy-go-lucky fellow any color you
please, it will not alter his disposition, for he is the
most interesting, impertinent, inquisitive, and talkative
member of his family. In spring and summer lie is
both heard and seen, leaping from stump to stump in
some cleared field, exploring old logs, and rummagino
in tlie brusli pile, as if looking up storage for his pilfer-
ings, squabbling with birds, scolding Chipmunks tliat

MISCHIEF MAKERS

357

come too near his home, and keeping up an incessant
chiitter from morning until night. Then, as soon as the
seeds are formed in the cones, he spends his days in the
evergreen trees shelling off the cone scales and drop-
ping the cobs to the ground, packing his cheek pockets
full of seeds to carry home, or else, if he has plenty of
time, dropping the cones to tlie ground, and carrying
tlieni one by one to his cupboard to shell at leisure.

"He makes his home in a great many places, both
above and below ground, but prefers a nice tree hole
for winter, with its crevices well stored with nuts and
seeds, though he will eat almost anything he can find.
He does not hibernate, but merely stays indoors dur-
ing bitterly cold and windy weather. If it is snowy
and bright, you will often see his footprints in the
vicinity of one of his storehouses. If his provisions
fail, he gets into mischief by pruning trees of their
biggest buds, or making excursions to the woods and
meddling with the bait in traps set for better game ; for
though the Red Squirrel has sweet meat, he is rather
small to be classed with food animals. That doubtful
honor belongs to his big brotliers, the Gray and Fox
Squirrels. Cheerful as he is, he is not without troubles
of his own. Hawks and Owls will pounce upon him,
and many annoying insects insist upon living in his
furry coat. These parasites, as they are called, aboimd
on all 'nuisance animals,' and seem to be one of Nat-
ure's ways of keeping them from overrunning the earth.

" There is no need of describing the Gray Squirrel, for
you have one to look at to your hearts' content. See !
he lias eaten all the nuts he wishes and is trying to bury
that last one in the sand in the bottom of the cage."

353

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

"See

" He uses his paws like hands," cried Dodo,
liow he pats and scratches to cover the nut, and curls
his tail over his back. Now he has gone in the wheel
for a race. He is ever so tame ; how long have you liad
him, Rap?"

" Only about a week. Gray Squirrels grow tame very
quick, but you must be careful they don't bite you.
One nipped my hand almost through, a couple of years
ago, when I put it into his nest."

" Tlien they live in holes, too," said Nat ; " they must
need quite big ones."

" Yes, and they build great wide tree nests, too, for I
climbed up to what I thouglit was a Crow's nest one
year, and it had four queer little blind Squirrels in it.
They took ever so long to grow, nearly three montiis,
and after that I used to see the old ones sleeping in the
nest in daytime. Tliey seem to go out most morning
and night."

''Do they sleep in winter?" asked Dodo.

" I'm not sure," said Hap ; " sometimes I've seen ilieni
in the winter and sometimes I have not."

"It depends upon the weather," said tlie Doctor.
"The Gray S(piirrel does not really hihcrnafe^ but stays
curled up in bad weather like the lied Scpiinel, just as
in very cold places he nests in a liole ; in a medhuii
climate he uses either a hole or tiee nest, and further
south usually a tree nest. One jcnuirkablc thing al)niit
liim is that instead of storing his food in piles, or lillinij
rock or tree luillows, be makes a sei)aratc cache for eaoli
nut, and exactly how he liiuls tlic place again, tlic very
wisest of Wise Men is not sure. Some say it is by a
keen sense of smell, others a good memory. For niysclf.

1 Dodo. "See

nut, and curls

ne in the wlieel

g have you liacl

grow tame very
don't bite vou.
couple of years

'at ; " they must

nests, too, for I
I!row's nest one
L Squirrels in it.
y three niontns,
3 sleeping in tlie
it most morning

)odo.

s I've seen them
t."

xid the Doctor.
('rnafi\ but stays
Sfjuirrcl, just as
e ; in a nuMlinm
lest, and furllicr
;ablo thing aUout
n piles, or (illiiii:
to cache for eiicli
(! aijfain, the very
ne say it is by a
)ry. VoY myself.

THK GllAY Stil'imiKL.

^ * - '

MISCHIEF MAKEUS

359

I think it would be easier to remember where a nut was
buried than to smell it through several inches of snow
and frozen ground."

'■'• Oil dear ! " sighed Dodo, " if he has such a smeller
as that, how he must choke when he lives in a wood
where there are Skunks."

" One thing more about this popular Squirrel, who
with us, as you see, wears a light gray winter coat tinged
with brown. Further north he sometimes appears with-
out rhyme or reason in a fine black coat, just as the
Scieech Owl is sometimes gray and sometimes red — a
Dichromatic Phase is what the Wise Men call this.

" If the Gray Squirrel changes his hue according to
whore he lives, his cousin the great Fox Squirrel out-
docs even the Varying Hare. I will show you some
colon i> '"tures of him in my Audubon and Bachman's
Quadi ,' ' that I sent for to town last week.

" See, one is black with white nose and eai*s, one is
gray with yellowish legs, and a third is yellowish brown
with white ears, nose, and a dark face. The commonest
coiit worn, and the one most often seen, is dap[)led gray,
with the nose, ears, feet, and under-parts wliitish. One
thing you can be sure of, no matter wliat this Sipiirrel's
coloring may be, he is very large (less than two inclies
shorter than a Woodclnu^k), has a long tail, and white
ears and nose. He is found in some one of his many
coats in most parts of the United States, where he can
tind high ground and tall pine trees, lie likes cones and
has his home nest and nursery in a tree hole, though he
usually makes an outdoor nest wliich he uses as a summer
house. If you luippen to be near where the Fox S(piir-
rels live, yon will surely see or liear them, for they come

360

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

out by day and liave a loud, barking cry. As a rule,
they take life easily, making their homes in colonics
near grain fields and managing to do the farmers a gieat
deal of damage. But as many of these Squirrels arc
shot for food, the farmer gets some of his grain back in
tlie shape of Squirrel meat.

CUII'MUNK.

"Now let us spend five minutes on tlie ground witli
the Chipmunk and liis kin. You all know the ('Iiip-
nnndc as well as you do tlie ('lii)»ping Sjjarrow, even
if you liad not liis j)ictur(^ before; yon."

"Oh, yes, I know him just as well as I do a Uohiii."
said Dodo. "lie's llu; Sipiirrel that has a hole midcr
one of the s[)ru('('s wiiere tlu; hannnoek is hung, and
Htays mostly on the ground, but runs \ip trees for cones
and to peep in nests, too, Homelimes. lie's little and

MISCHIEF MAKERS

361

■. As a rule,

5S ill colonies

inners a great

Squirrels arc

irraiii back iii

u' ground \vitl>
now llu' Cliip-
Sparrow, even

I do a Uolnii,"

IS a liole undor

is hung, and

trees for cones

llo\s little and

jerky ; his coat is brown and yellow, with black and light
stripes running the long way of liim. His tail is rather
tliin, and I know he's got cheek pockets, because I've
seen tliein puffed out so full he couldn't speak, and that
one by the hammock is as friendly as a Catbird."

'' Good ! " cried the Doctor, while the others clapped
tlii'ir hands. " You have given us an excellent snap-
shot picture of his Munkship. If you could look into
that hole under tlie spruce, you would see that there aie
inaiiy little passages and storerooms running this way
and that, from tlie bedroom where the Ciiipmunk is
probably sleeping soundly at this moment. They have
tiiiu fur, like the Flying Scpiirrel, and dread the cold so
inucli that tlicy h<de up early and never even peep out
until March ; so if you ever see a small S(|[uirrel frisking
over the snow, you will know that it is a Red S»[uirrel
and not a Chipmunk, without looking for his stripes.
They also cache food in different phices, like the (iray
Sqnirrel, and nest often in old stumjjs or under stone
fences. They eat all sorts of seeds, from weed seeds to
cherry pits, some insects, and they also, I am sorry to
say, suck birds' oggs.

'•Only this summer, Dodo, I saw your pet sitting
near tlie liammock liolding a IJobin's egg carefully in
ills hands, while he was sh)wly su(d\ing egg-nog out of
lis hcauti fully tinted cup. A Ixxdc, and a big one at
that, could bo written about the Chij)mnnk's interesting
ways, but we must leave him to glance at the pictures
III' two of his vagnbond kin, of the Spermopliile iMunch
III' the housc; that bother the farmers of the plains and
prairies, one even scrambling among the ledges of the
Uneky Mountains.

362

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

,.,(1

" Spermophile means seed lover, and these little beasts
eat seeds of every description, and are cannibals to boot.
I have merely a bowing acquaintance with them, but
the Chief of the Wise Animal Men at Washington
says: 'Scarcely a seed or grain grows where they live
that is not eaten by them . . . wheat, oats, bailey,
rye, corn, etc. . . . But their food is by no muuns
restricted to seeds, for they are fond of fruits, roots,
and insects . . . eat lizards, mice, or any kind of fresh
meat. ... If one of their own species is found dead,
it is promptly eaten, thus proving that they are canni-
bals. . . .' They do eat harmful insects also, but not
enough to pay for the crops of corn and grjiin, whieli
they commence to devour .as soon as the seed is planted.
And they keep on, with the ear in the milk and the ripe

H'l'lUl'Kl) SrKKMOl'IIII.K.

MISCHIEF MAKERS

303

lese little beasts
nnibals to boot.
witb them, but
at Washington
where they live
it, oats, bailey,
Ls by no means
of fruits, roots,
ny kind of fresh
3S is found dead,
, they are canni-
cts also, but not
and grain, which
e seed is planted,
milk and the ripe

grain, cutting and gnawing the season through. The
Spcrmophiles, therefore, are on the farmer's misery list
with the Gophers, and the owners of wheat fields, at
least, are beginning to think the hungry Coyote a rather
clever dog after all.

''Tlie best known of these ground burrowers of the
plains, that reach east of the Rockies from the Sas-
katchewan country down to Texas, is the pretty Striped
Spermophile. He is an inch or so longer than a Chip-
munk, lightl}'^ built and slender; his coat is striped with
light brown bands, alternating with dark, light spotted
bands, the whole coat being as exquisite and even as
a woven fabric ; yet he is a perfect nuisance, disliking
woodlands, but ai)pearing as soon as the trees are cleared,
and never venturing far up mountain sides.

" His big brother, the gray mottled Rock or Line-
tailed Spermophile, begins his range where the striped
one halts, burrows among the loose rocks on the sides
of the Rocky Mountains themselves, and is the com-
monest Mammal of the pifton belts. Here, being out
of the wheat centre, he turns his attention to robbing
liens' nests, and has a bad reputation."

" What is a piflon belt ? " asked Rap.

"Pinons are the western nut-bearing pines, and of
course the Ground Squirrels like to live near them."

"Why couldn't they train terriers to catch these
Sperniophiles? " asked Olive.

" They have a trick that dogs do not like," said the

Doctor. " Tlic}' let a dog or other animal come (piito

[close, and tlien turn round and kick up the dust so

viil»idly that tlie poor boast is both blinded and choked.

So much for tlie Mischief Makers!"

364

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

"Oh, look at Mr. Wolf and listen to Rod's pupp,-,"
whispered Nat; "they've had too much sausage party I
The puppy is crying as if he was afraid, and Wolfs liair
is all ridged up and he's growling! "

"I think he must be dreaming that the butclun's
Newfoundland dog is walking on his side of the road,
and lie never allows that, you know ! " said Olive.

Rock Si'kkmophile.

XXVI

THE BEAVER'S STORY
(as told by himself)

A^^ — >^wE AVERS are strangely wise animals,"
X \\ said Dr. Roy, the eveninnr tliat Nat

I J / ^^^^^ '^ Beaver picture, ''and the

' '^ best way to give you a glimpse of

their habits and homes will be to road
you a Beaver's story of himself."
So saying the Doctor took some
sheets of paper from the table
and asked Nat to bring a lamp,
for they usually listened to the
stories by the fire-light alone.

" Wlio wrote this story ? " asked Dodo, " for of course
a Heaver can't write, at least, I mean, in our lan-
guage," for she liad come to believe that animals can
(la almost everything. " Is it your writing. Uncle Roy,
or is it daddy's ? "
" Come and see for yourself."

" It is nobody's writing ; it is printed with a type-
writing machine," said Olive. " I suppose Olaf would
say that the Dream Fox did it."

" No questions answered," laughed the Doctor. " No
matter how the story found its way into words, or if it
sounds like a fairy tale, I can promise that every word

866

366

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

of it is true. If you doubt it, you may ask the v. ry
first Wise Man you meet.

(A Rkaver lkaves his Wouk to chat a Few !>roMEXTs ix

THE Moonlight)

"'I am a fourfoot of a very ancient family and one
of the oldest of Mammals. Land and water both
desired to own me, so Nature planned me to be shared
by both, giving me the fore paws of a land animal and
the strong webbed liind feet of a swimmer.

" ' As I sit on this low bank and look at my reflection
in the pond, it seems to me that, though I am a decidedly
remarkable and intelligent beast, I am very plain, or,
an ill-natured person miglit say, ugly in a[)pearance.
My body is about three feet long from my nose to the
beginning of my tail. I slope fore and aft, humping
up in the middle like a haystack. My long claws are
of the pattern given to biirrowers, from the Badger to
the Gopher, and my four gnawing teeth, of a strange
design, are curved and powerful, the lower two being
five and tlie upper pair four inches long. Yet they are
set so deeply in the jaw that little more than an inch
of them is seen, like tools that are braced deeply in
their liandles to giv^e extra strength. The outside of
these teeth is of a stronger texture than the inside,
which causes them to wear down toward the back,
giving them the cutting edge of a keen cliisel.

'"Look at my tail I It is nine inches long, and in
the middle half as wide as its length ; it is a fiat, scaly
paddle, in fact. You shall see how it serves me as a
rudder, a danger signal, and a mason's trowel.

" ' Tlie color of my fur coat is usually reddish brown,

lay ask the very

Few pigments ix

t family and one
and water both
I me to be shaved
hind animal and
mer.

ic at my reflection

[\ I am a decidedly

m very plain, or,

y in a[)pearance.

1 my nose to the

ind aft, humping

[y long claws are

)m the Badger to

seth, of a strange

lower two being

<T. Yet they are

lore than an inch

braced deeply in

The outside of

than the inside,

oward the back,

1 chisel.

;hes long, and in
; it is a flat, scaly
t serves me as a
trowel,
ly reddish brown.

-AT.,

'}^i-MM:L

•^/^f

A^ ,,/

f i

liKAVEKS AT WoRK.

■

J*.

.^9nBB

■'■y

, 1

:^i V

THE beaver's story

367

tinged variously with yellow and sometimes veiled with
l)lack. My under-fur is all plain brown, about half an
inch long and soft as a Seal's. It was this fur that led
my race into trouble, and caused us to be so popular
with trappers that we were killed out from about the
rivers and ponds where House Children might have
seen our lodges and runways as freely as they do those
of the Muskrat. Our soft, even fur made fine Beaver
hats; our pelts were strong and elastic — they made
good gloves; our tails were layered with fat — they
made good eating for the Indians. Once -..'e were so
important that the great Fur Company of Hudson's
liay stamped our name upon a coin for a sign of valuu,
''1 Made Beaver."

"'So we were trapped in and out of season, cruelly
and wastefully, young and old together, until we are ^^11 1
a small tribe, and in all this wide country we iu'iabi^
but a few solitary spots, and so you do not know us,

"'I am a wonder to the Wise Men, and there are
many things about me that they cannot understand.
According to their ways of measuring and judgiiijj, I
am low among the Mammals. Tliey find that I have a
small heart and lungs, that I breathe slowly, have no
skill as a hunter, and prefer to live on harsh vegetable
food, such as the bark of soft-wooded trees. They look
at my teeth and put me in the tribe of o i.,\vers, — the
family of Rats, Mice, and other nuisance animals. But
when they come to watch me at my work, and see that I
am a wood-chopper, architect, engine-, r, and mason, they
are indeed puzzled, for they say : ''A Beaver has a small,
smooth brain ; people who think have wrinkled brains.
How comes this, for a Beaver thinks and plans ? " Then

368

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

■ i

the Wise Men confess that I am the most interestiii'-
animal on the whole Mammal tree (except man himself),
and that they really know very little about me, Tlio
Indian, who knows all our ways, holds us more higlih ,
weaving many stories about us, welcoming us as pets in
the lodges, and loving us as House People love their
dogs.

" ' Now you know liow I look. I will tell you how
and where I live, beginning with the springtime, in
May, when every industrious pair of Beavers who own
a home burrow and a woodpile, have, maybe two, or
maybe half a dozen little Beavers in their liouse. As
you know, we live about ponds and watercourses, aiul
our summer liomes are made in this fashion : Finding*' a
good bank of clay or loam, by Ji favorite stream, we look
for a place where the soil is braced by tree roots. TIkmi
we dive and begin a burrow under the water, going up
into the bank, cutting through roots, and rolling out
stones, until we have made two chambers, — an outer one
for food, and an inner one above the water level for a
living room, with a [)lace for air to come in at the toji
among the tree roots. You may wonder why our door-
way is always under water. It is so that we may swim
out and not rise to the surface near our home, sliowintjf
enemies wliere we live. Does not tlie Ovenbird slip
from lier nest, and, running througli tlio underbrush,
make her flight at a distance, ft)r the same reason ?

"' A few weeks after our young are born they begin
to gnaw soft bark, and then they soon join us in our
wood-cutting excursions. Tlie trees we love best for
food are those with juicy l>ark, like tlie yellow bircli,
cotton-wood, poplar, and willow. If we are very hungiy,

THE beaver's story

369

we can eat walnut, ash, and the harder maples ; but we
do not relish them, and we sometimes use lily roots and
grass for salad. It would be wasteful merely to gnaw
tiie bark around the trunks of trees, besides this is not
as tender as the bark covering the branches ; so, as we
may not climb, nothing is left us but to fell the trees.
Then we select a tree a foot or more in thickness, and
begin our cutting from each side, upward and down-
ward, our teeth making short, chisel-like grooves, hew-
ing out wide chips. When the tree falls we run, and,
diving, swim to our burrows lest some enemy should
liear the noise and catch us at our work.

" ' When all is quiet, we come out again, and like
good craftsmen begin to chop our wood in lengths to
carry home. We cut our fagots, measuring by their
weight instead of length, so that a thick limb will be
chopped in strips a foot in length, a thinner one two
feet long, and so on, for we know how mucli a Beaver
may carry easily. The wood is then taken to the store-
house of the Ijurrow. The thick pieces we roll along
down the bank perhaps, liolding them between paws
and chin in swimming, whicli we do easily, using our
tails as rudders to guide us with our load. The smaller
twigs we hold in our moutlis, the ends trailing over our
shoulders to the ground. If any logs are liard to move,
wo often use our tails as levers to pry them along, and
our tails also help us to lift up in our arms the great
stones, which wo often have to move in building.

'' ' When the right trees are near our water liomes,

all goes well, but sometimes tlio near woods are all

I'aton or otherwise destroyed. The water from the

[)onds often runs back and Hoods tho lowlands wlieru

2 11 ,

ill

370

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

we have cut down all the trees, making it so wet that
no more trees will grow ; and rich, tall grass springs up,
covering the decayed stumps. House People call these
places Beaver Meadows. We do not like the wood of
evergreens, and so often we have to search far away
from water for our food, and after the trees are cut,
they must be carried a weary distance home. We have
two ways of doing this: one is to make a straight patli-
way by felling everything that would interfere with us;
the other is to dig a canal between ponds or streams
and, letting in water, float our wood home, as House
People float their logs from lumber camps to sawmills.

" ' Having made our canal, three feet wide and as
many deep, we must arrange to keep the water dee[)
enough for our work. Deep water is a " must be " in
the Heaver world, whether in canals or in the ponds
and rivers. The water must be high enough to cover
the doorway of the burrows.

"'Next comes our work as engineers, for we have t<»
build dams to k(>ep the water back and make it stand
at tlie exact depth we wish.

'"House People have all seen the dams that keep
tlie water in their mill ponds; but we build longer,
better ones than theirs, sometimes perhai)s they may l>i'
only a few feet in length, but at others many hundred.
Ol'ten we begin by interlacing growing bushes willi
sticks, lilling the gaps with stones and mud on the water
side, then niding sti(0<s from tin^e to time below, until
we have made our hairier sirong enough. At other
times we build over fallen trees, and raise a dam from
them of almost soli<l mud, strengtluMied with treebouglis.
We are never wasteful, ami sehlom use fresh wood for

THE beaver's story

371

this work, but save the sticks from which the bark has
all been gnawed ior all our building. Another thing
we do, — we curve our dams up stream. Do you know
why? If you were trying to push something, or some
one back, would you stand straight u[), or would you
bend forward to meet the strain, and thus gain added
strength ? You would bend, of course, and so we bend
our dams to push the waters back. We may be stupid
and clumsy and ranked with Rabbits and Hats; our eyes
and brains may be small, but you nmst see by this that
we are rather clever at thinking.

" ' All summer we feed and work and play, making and
repairing dams and felling our wood by night, but some-
times stopping to be idle, and rolling and basking in the
sunlight. We are ever on the watch, however, even in
play time, our keen ears catching the faintest sound of
warning, and our alarm signal is far reaching. Our
sentry has but to dive, bringing his flat tail with a
(piick, sharp blow upon the water, and the noise is
I'clioed far and wide. S[)at! spat! spat I go the tails
of all the Heavers in the region as they disappear.
I'iVen when we lie sunning ourselves, we are on the
idcrt, for it is Heaver law tliat when at rest every i)air
must lie fat'ing each other so that, one looking each
way, notliing may steal up unawares, and if we are
suspicious even, we rise up on our haunches and listen
lo catch every breath.

'''In September tlu^ serious task of cutting winter
wood l)egins. We do not sle(?p tlie winter sleep, so
we need food in plenty and better slielter tlian our
hank burrows, for we live in places where ice and snow
liavo a long season. Once in the far back, perhaps, the

372

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

climate was not so cold, but the Wise Men say that we
American Beavers have been building dams and winter
lodges for thousands of years, and they can prove their
words by digging and showing you our ancient earth-
works. How we came to need our island lodges is a
legend in our family, but one that Heart of Nature will
not yet let us tell, lest no one should believe it.

" ' Eacii Beaver family has its own lodge, for though
we are sociable we do not approve of hotel life, and at
most, several families may have lodges in the same
pond. We Beavers know the places where warm
springs, deep from the earth, feed the ponds, and near
these spots we make our buildings. Starting from some
sunken island, we begin our heap of sticks, building a
thick mud and wicker wall and arching poles to support
the roof of a living room, which is some half dozen feet
aero.-, and well above the water line. This lodge has
two entrances below water, — one for the family and
one for food wood.

" ' Before ice and snow stop our tree-cutting excur-
sions, every Beaver household moves into its lodge anil
has a sunken woodpile close at hand, from which the
daily provisions can be taken by swimming under the
ice. We Beavers can swim a half mile under water
witliout rising through the breathing holes. You may
wonder why, in the cold countries where we live, tin-
ponds and livers do not freeze to the bottom, or sudden
thaws drown us out. In the iirst place, we make our
dams the right heigiit to give us the exact depth oi
water we need, and nature guides us where to build near
the warm spring holes that keep the ice thin, and tiie
heavy snows also helping us by shutting out the cold.

THE BEAVER'S STORY

373

1 hen, if we see a freshet coining, we make a gap in the
clam to let the water off, or if it rises too quickly, as
sometimes in early spring, we swim for refuge to our
sinnmer bank burrows. Sometimes our woodpile grows
water-soaked and sour, and we are glad when a thaw
Idts us cut down a fresh supply ; but usually our win-
tor life is happy and comfortable, for here in this spot
no trappers may come to harry us from our liomes.

" ' Our children stay with us until they are two years
old, so each lodge harbors, besides the parents, the eight
or ten children of two seasons. We are affectionate
lunong ourselves, but are bound to keep Beaver law,
which says that the young of every lodge, when fully
grown, shall go out, find mates, and build lodges for
tliemselves. Also, that they shall always go further
down stream tlmn their old homes. Down stream
means the building of new dams and extra labor, which
is most suitable for those with strong young teeth.
Tlie older Heavers, when they need new lodges, may
go up stream to easy quarters ; for as a Beaver grows
old, and toward the end of his fifteen years of life, his
teeth are dulled, and he cannot cut wood so easily for
liouse and dam building. Beaver law despises laziness
mid says no Beaver sliall steal from another Beaver's
woodpile, and I he penalty for such a theft is death !
Tlie Indians know tliese laws and how well wo keep
tliuni. Often ir. a long cold winter, when all our bark
is eaten, we gnaw up the hard wood itself for food, or
[liiich and starve rather than break the law.

" " Each pair of Beavei's are rulers in their lodge,
building and rei)airing their own dams unaided except
hy members of their families; for sociable as we are, we

374

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

neither live nor work in colonies. If our young do net
choose mates the first season that they leave us, thes'
may come home that winter, but not again. Afterwards
they must join the wanderers and those Beavers vvhn,
having lost their mates, refuse to take another. Thus or.i'
lives go on, — hewing, storing, planning, building, and
repairing, unless trappers break up our peaceful homes.

" ' I who tell this story live on Lost Creek, which runs
through protected land, where no trap may take me, and
I am fat, liappy, and content. I have a mate who is a
clever tree chopper, and we are now building, raising
our dam a foot or so, and mending places where our mis-
chievous cousins the Muskrats have poked holes ; some-
times they even try to share our lodges witli us, like the
impudent rats they are. We must deepen the waior
around a new lodge that we shall finish to-morrow ; its
roof poles are of poplars from the nearby bank, the sides
are braced by willow and poplar basketwork, and I have
beaien the mud covering hard and smooth with my flat
tail. Our lodge has a broad entrance for wood also, where
the cuttings will not stick wlien carried in, and a large
dry room for my family of nine young and half-grown
Heavers who helped me with the work, thus learning
liow to hew and build tlie lodges some of them will have
to make for themselves next season.

" ' Yet in spite of all this work of mine, the Wise Men
say, and tliink tlicy [)rove it by my body, that I am bnt
a slow, lowly Mammal, no huntsman, and a cousin of
Rabbits and liats, with a small smootli brain tlnit has no
l)nsiness to tliink and [)lan. I prove by my own works
that I have both thonglit and judgment, and I wish tliiit
you could visit me and see niy work yourself.

^•

THE beaver's story

375

young do not
3ave us, they
Afterwards
Beavers who,
ler. Thusoviv
building, and
iceful homes.
;k, which runs
y take me, and
mate who is a
ihling, raising
where our mis-
d holes ; some-
itli us, like the
pen the waier
to-morrow; its
bank, the sides
rk, and I have
|th with my flat
ood also, where
in, and a large
x\u\ half-grown
, thus learning
them will have

" ' Hist I the alarm beat comes down river I Beaver
law says dive and strike water with your tail in going ;
so travels the signal through the moonlight. I hear a
crashing in the brushwood — now my turn cojues ! A
good evening to you I ' (The Beaver dives.)

" Splash ! not a Beaver within sight. The September
moon shows heaps of sticks and black water, while a
restless Moose, seeking its mate, wades along the pond
edge drinking and snatching mouthfuls of water-lily
stems that will be soon cut down by the frost, then
bellows a joyful answer to a faint call from far up the

river.

I, the Wise Men
r, that 1 am but
Ind a cousin of
lain that has no

my own works
land 1 wish that

rself.

XXVII

"B'ARS AND POSSUMS"

J^:ilHAPS INIammy Bun will tell us a
stoiy about ' Possums and Bears,' "
said Mr. Blake, as they gathered by
the campfire before supper one Satur-
day evening in February, and Kap, on
looking through the portfolio, had chosen these
two animals of widely different sizes and fami-
lies.

" Perhaps she will," echoed Dodo, clapping her
; "for she's promised to cook supper for us to-
— 'ole-time supper,' she calls it, with hoe-cakes,
eggs, frizzly bacon and rice done up somehow witli
pickle sauce. We had it once before, and it was
dreffly good ! "

"It says Opossum on the picture," said Nat, "but
everybody calls them Possums, from Mammy even to
Uncle Roy. Mammy knows lots .about them, and she
says tliey are nicer to eat than spring chicken or little
roast pig.'*

" But how can she tell us about Bears ? " said Dodo.

"They are great savage beasts of cold countries and big

mountains. Mammy never lived in any such places I "

" You are thinking of the Grizzly l^ear and liis grout

wliite brother who tramps along the shores of Arctic

370

hands
night,

''B'ARS AND POSSUMS

377

vill tell us a
and Bears,""
' gathered by
»er one Satui-
, and Rap, on
1 chosen these
;izes and fanii-

o, dapping her

)per for us to-

,vith hoe-cakes,

omehow with

and it was

■5

,aid Nat, "but

amniy even to

them, and she

jhicken or little

s ? " said Dodo.
)untries and big
such places ! "
ir and his great
lores of Arctic

seas, but the beast of our picture is the common Ameri-
can Bear, called Brown and sometimes Black Bear, who
is still found in almost every state in the Union and in
a few places in Canada also, in spite of the fact that
lie has been diligently hunted from the moment House
People set foot on these shores.' '

"Are there any very near here now?" asked Dodo,
aiixiouslv.

" Not in this state, but in others near by ; iu Massa-
chusetts, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland,
Virginia, and all down through the mountains of
Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana where
Manuny was born, though she moved up to Kentucky
later on."

" Are they as strong and savage as Grizzlies?" asked
Kap.

" They are as strong for their size, but not as savage
and will never attack man unless cornered, or in defence
ot their young."

" What made you choose a little and a big animal for
a story. Rap? " asked Olive, " and two that aren't alike
iu any way ? "

" I'm not so sure about that," said Mr. Blake ; " for
though they live far apart on the Mammal tree, there
are four ways in which they do resemble each other. 1
will give you a riddle, and you must answer it at the end
of the evening. Why is a Possum like a Bear?

" Meanwhile, Dodo, run and ask Mammy if she will
tell us a story, and while she is cooking supper I will
tell you a few things .about the Black Bear, as we see
him in the North, that Mammy may not know."

"Yes, she will come I " said Dodo, flying back; "she

'■}■: '. :

378

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

says tliiiikiiig of making lioe-cakes by a wood lire takes
her straight back to Possum days. Only she's going ta
bring her griddle to bake the cakes on; for she says onlv
po./r trash that had no griddles baked their cakes (jii
hoes down Soutli, and she wants plenty of hot ashes
raked out in front."

"• jNIammy shall be obeyed," said Mr. Blake, ariangin^-
the iire.

*' Yes," said liis wife, smiling, "find T think Ave had
better go in a far corner and keep out of Mammy's wav
until suppei' is leady. She is very good-natured, but
set in the opinion that ' too many cooks spoil the

broth : '"

''Good advice, as usual. Now look at this picture of
the HIack Bear. He stands a trifle under three feet at
tlu! shoulder, weighs commonly anywhere from four to
six hundred pounds, and in the early part of the winter
season at least, wears a smooth, glossy black outside coat
that makes his pelt valuable for many purposes, from rugs
to fur trinuuing. I le has long claws, and four sharp dog-
teeth or meat-eaters. His hind leos seem lono-er than
the fore lei»'s when he ambles alonn", and he walks on the
soles of his feet as man does, which make him what the
Wise Men call a pl(intt'(/r((<]c Manunal.

"In the more northerly places this Bear lives in dense
evergi'een fcrrests, and dens up from four to six montiis
in the cold season, but in the South his haunts are
among the cane-brakes and tangles of live oaks and
palmettos, and he does not hi-fn>r-nafe. Either in the
North or South, however, he is a wary beast to hunt,
liaving keen ears and many cunning ways. He is hard
to reach unless trailed by dogs, which method of taking

,'oocl lire takes
she's going tn
r slie says only
[heir cakes on
' of hot ashes

ake, arranging

think we luid
Mammy's way
(l-natiired, hut
)oks spoil the

this picture of
er three feet at
re from four to
t of the winter
ck outside coat
)oses, from rugs
four sharp dog-
;m longer than
le walks on the
e him what the

ir lives in dense

to six months
his haunts are

live oaks and
Either m the

heast to hunt.

s. He is hard
ethod of taking

JVARS AND POSSUMS'

379

him is about as barbarous a sport as exists out of tlie
country of Bull lighting. Even if the liear has done
evil things and you do not care for him, it is cruel to
urge spirited dogs within reach of his teeth and claws,
for Bruin is courageous when brought to bay and sells
his life dearly.

" The Black Bear is ranked with llesh-eaters, hut he
should have an order all to himself, to he called, 'The
Order of ( Gluttony,' for he is ready to eat anything at
any time, — lish, tlesh, game, poultry, turtles' eggs, frogs,
fruits, and berries, all mixed together with as nuu'h honey
in the comb and out of it as he can scoop from hollow
trees, in spite of the pointed remonstrance of hordes of
angry bees. Honey failing, he will sit in a cherry tree
and gobble until you would expect to hear the cherry
stones rattling about inside him.

Black Bear.

380

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

" In winter, when Bears den up, they of ti .. unknow-
ingly set traps to catch themselves. Sometimes a Euiir
prepares a cave home with a good bed, but more often
merelj'^ hollows out a place under a bank or tree root to
curl up in. Snow comes, covering everything many feet
deep. Thawing and freezing makes a hard outside crust,
and the Bear's warm breath melts the snow inside until
it is turned into a thick ice cage that shuts him in.
Sometimes huntei's see the steam rising from these caves
or break through them quite by accident, and Bruin
is caught."

" Do they live in family holes, like Beavers ? " asked
Rap.

"No, each Bear has its own den. The cubs are born
in these dens late in winter, and of all the feeble, miser-
able baby animals. Bear cubs are the most forlorn. They
are no larger than kittens, furless and blind, and they
do not open their eyes for a month or more, while their
mother is obliged to play that she is a sitting hen and
keep them warm under her fur until they are a couple
of months old. When five or six months old, however,
they become very clever, doing a hundred funny tricks.
Only two or three cubs are found in a den, and they are
usually two years old before any little brothers come to
disj)ute their rights. Cowardly as these animals are
generally, it is a very dangerous thing, when walking on
snow-shoes, to break through into a she-Bear's den. If
possible, she won't let you go to tell the tale of where
you found her."

" Are Bears good to eat ? " asked Rap. ''

"It depends upon circumstances; if they are young,
fat, and have lived upon clean food, nuts and berries —

''B'Aiis Ayn possums"

381

yes. If they are old, stagy prowlers, who have been
alongshore fishing for a living, or eating carrion— they
make decidedly poor food."

" De bac'n am done to der turn, and de caikes is all
ready," said iNIammy, and they hastened to tiie table.
* * * * ^

" IVars and Possums," chuckled Mammy, looking into
tlie fire as they gave her the seat of honor, all having
helped wash the dishes so that no time might be lost.

" B'ars and Possums, hoe-caikes and bac'n, dem was
fine times — dat is, when they ivas fine ! Seems like I
can see der old cabin right on de edge 'tween the fields
and de sweet-gum and gincos an' 'simmon trees ! "

"Was that where the Possums lived?" asked Mrs.
Blake, gently, because when Mammy went back to the
good old times, they were so many miles off that it was
sometimes difficult to get her home again.

"Possums? Possums lib eberywhar! Lib all ober
Souf when I was a gal. Dem times gone, like 'nuf
Possums gone too ! Possum lib in tree holes, same as
Coon does ; eat ebery kind ob tings, same as Coon does.
Possum goes a w^alkin' out at niglit, same as Coon does;
Possum make good eatin', same as Coon does. My Ian ' I
how Sambo did like Coon and l*ossum I Massa Brans-
comb he war very 'ticular no folks should hunt Possum
and Coon in spring and summer time. An' when he
dasn't go huntin' of 'em. Sambo he jest sing about 'em,
like he'd fly away — 'Possum up de gum tree' war his
fav'rite song.

" Den when he war a cortin' me, time he stole de
Mockers ter git de banjo, he corted me wif Coons and
Possums too. My ! didn't dis chile hab good eatin'

^ 1

''%

382

FOUR-FOOTED A MEIilCANS

long dose times ! " and Maainiy broke into a mellow
laugh.

''Then Mr. Branscomb protected Possums on his
plantation?" said Mr. Blake.

"Doan know if he call it pertected. All he says
was — 'Doan let mc ketch none o' you boys a touchiii'
Possums till de corn's ripe. If dey need killin', I kin
ten' to it myself till den.'

" One day he come roun' to de cabin and he says :
'Doan you know dat little I'ossums has big 'lashuns dat
lib down Australy way, what carries dere babies in a
big apron pocket, jest like Possum does, and am bigger
dan a man, and jump, jump 'long on liind legs quicker
dan Rabbits run ? Well, den, you listen I Dis big cousin
he swim ober sea and come here visitin' lit'le cousin
lalong in spring and summer, and if he find niggers
chasin' lit'le cousin in de woods, he put dem niggers in
his pocket and carry dem off wif him. Hims name
K-a-n-g-a-r-o-o ! ' Lan'I how Massa roll dat word out
long I And dough we know he were a foolin' o' us wid
stories, we didn't go in dem woods dose times nebber!

*' Now de Possum am a cunnin' lit'le foliar, not nnicli
bigger dan a cat. He got briglit lit'le eyes an' a white
face and a snout mos' like a pig. lie got a soft co't,
some sho't brown fur, and some long and white, only it
don't lie soft like cat fur; it all stick up and rumfles.
His lotir l(!gs lias got liands on all ob dem, insle.id o'
feet, and lie can climb like {\v mischii'f. He liab got
aiioder ban' too, a 1-o-n-g rat tail, dat cuil roun' like cm-
snake. It holes on jest like it war a ban', and Possum
wind it roun' dor branch and bang hissclf down and gn
mos' t(M' slee[).

''B'ARS .(.VI> POSSUMS

» "

383

" But ain' dem Possums got qneev ways ? I seen 'em
often walkin' along der fiel's sidewise-like an' slow-like
in de moonlite, lying down and [)layin' dey're daid if
anybody touch 'em, den up to monkey tricks all b}^
(lerselves. Dey can smell good too, — as good as dogs,

and keeps roun' der oder side ob trees when folks is
cMtmin". Ain' do lit'le IN)ssum putty I Not when (h'v
so hery lit'le, dougb. Den dey is iiowcrl'iil small, like
lit'le mice, and di r nia slie liab to kccji 'em in her
apron pocket morna, month bel'o' di^y can go out walkin'
on dere own legs. IVior Ma- Possum, she linb a dicllly
wturyin' time, an' am worse olY'n Kabltits ; lor she hab in

384

FOUlt-FOOTED AMERICANS

her tree hoF maybe twenty Possums ebery year, and
habe ter tote 'em all roun' — Rabbit she kin leave hers
in cle grass nes'.

"• When little Possums furst goes out walkin' dey
want ter ride on der ma's back, and when she try to
shake 'em off dey curls dey tails round her like dey
was a hangin' to a branch ! Yah ! Fse seen 'em I 1 h
he-Possum he walk curious like — set him foot flat down
like men does, an' shor's you born der B'ars walks diit
way too !

" Doan I mind one frosty time afore Cris'mus, Sam])o
and me were goin' ober to his sister Liza's cabin, de
caine-brake side er de plantation — she did de laundry
fer de big liouse. But she weren't to home, and when
we got dere, such a sight! Eberytin' was upset! De
bake oven was all gone ; de meal jar was cleaned out ;
de wash tubs was rolled out, and one was bust, and de
nice rocker dat your gran'ma. Miss Olive, givo Liza
when she war mar-ied was split in kin'lin's.

" ' Dere been a B'ar dis way ! ' sez Sambo, softlike,
leanin' down an' lookin' at de footprints; 'an' a Ing
B'ar too ! '

""Does yer tink lie's eat Liza?' savs L a quakin' and
sinkin' down like der jelly (tonic cooks makes.

'' 'Slio, no ! Liza's all right. B'ars doan eat f»)lks, —
only dey 's full ()' mischief. Lan' sakcs ! he's took Liza's
pig! It's over yonder and part eat, and Imre der ITar
liab chawed and (dawed dvr tree liigh up ns liiin conid
stretcli ; dat's a sign for oder IVars ! I. el's .-.kip!' says
Sambo, a grabbin' me and slartin'.

"' Wliatfer?' says L ' Vou jest 'iitwcd lie wouhlnt

eat us !

I »

''jrARS AND POSSUMS''

385

iVcd lie wouldn't

"'What fer? Fer ter tell Massa Bianaconib, and
den he'll tak' de dogs out! 'Tain't offen IVars come
near de cabins, dough de far woods am full ob 'em ! '

" 'Twarn't an hour afoie de dogs was out, and I could
hear 'em yelpin'. Dere was most twenty of 'em. All
kin's, — some hounds, some tarriers, and some not anv
kind at all. I heard 'em go along down de edge toward
Liza's cabin, and den when Grip — he war an ole hound —
let a yell, I knowd dey had struck de track ! Well !
well I Sambo he neber come back till nigh morniii'.
He 'lowed, dey had a long run and a glor'us light wid
dat B'ar. Dat Massa Johns (he was d* ol)erseer) was
clawed, and Grip was bit, and two cur dogs gut killM ;
for dat B'ar jest backed against a tree, and fight all ober
till Massa Bransconib shoot him in de side !

" Massa gib Sambo some ob der best meat, 'cause he
found de B'ar tracks, a leaf o' fat, some libber, and er
chunk er rump, and nex' day we chop it all up wif
bac'n and peppers, and tie it tight in dat leaf er fat,
and fry it in der pan. It mak' de finest eatin' sassage
in de worl' ! Sambo he got er taste er sport and meat,
and 'lowed he liked 'em boff, so nex' night, seein' dere
was a moon, he went for Possums wid de Hiuidolph
boys, — C{i\sar, Job, and Marcus-Uelyns. Dey had
some or'nery dogs, and Sambo took de axe, and he
'1ow(m1 to know wlieie dere was tine "Possums.

"Way <ley do, dey get de dogs on de track, and
I'nllcrs "em close uj). Sometimes de I'ossunTU get co't
on de ground, and den he loll up and jtlay daid, and
f^n't kilt easy. Odder Hmos he hide in de tree hole,
and d«'v iiab to cut down der tree, and oddei- times lie
slick to a branch and curl liis tail ar(»nn'. ami den de

386

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

boys shake him off, and de dogs dey finish him. Do
you know, sliore as you born, if dat man Sambo didnt
fotch home fi'ee Possums and one big Coon. My, we
libbed high dat week ! Roast Possum wid an apple in
his mouf ! Lan', I kin taste it dis yer minut! "

"I don't see how you could eat anything as pretty us
Billy Coon," said Dodo, repioachfuUy.

'" Sho, honey ! it was only meat to we uns, and meat
was source. We eat 'em like you uns eat chickens.
We didn't eat no house pets like Billy. An' de B'ars,
if dey wain't kep' down der wouldn't be a pig left to
mak' bac'n on de 'hole plantation, and what ud we
uns be without bac'n! Lan' I but dat fuist Possum
war good I De f urst one Sambo an' me had after ve
got mar-ied. An' dat Coon he war as fat as grease, an'
dem Car'lina taters dat Massa gib Sambo, 'count ob der
B'ar, dey was jest meltin' wid der bac'n fat ! Lan' !
lan'! an' warn't dat Possum cracklin' all ober wlien he
war roasted ! We had comp'ny all dat week, I tells
yer, but yer ought to see dat — Lan' sakes ! " cried
Mammy, coming suddenly North again, '-Possums or
no Possums, I near done forgot to set dat sponge for de
buckwheat caikes ! "

"Now, who can answer the riddle?" asked Mr. Blake,
as soon as the laugh at Mammy's sudden exit had suit-
sided. " Why is a Possum like a liear?"

'* I can," said l{a[), eagerly. " 'I'licy botli walk on tlio
soles of their fe(!t, they can bolli (dimb trees, tiiey will
botli eat 'mosi aiiyiliing, and the lil(l<' licai's and Pos-
sutns are feeble and tiny and aren't good foi' nuudi wlieii
tliey are born, and lake a lot of tiiuding before tlieir
eyes are open."

XXVIII

Vmm MOLEI'OWN TO BATVILLE

uns, and meat
i eat cliickeiis.

All' de IVais,
3 a pig left to
\ what \i(l we
, furst Possum
e had after ve
t as grease, an'
), 'count ob dor
'ii fat! Lan'!
1 ober when he
t week, I tells

sakes!" cried
, "• Possums or
t sponge for de

dved Mr. Blake,
•n exit had sul)-

»(h walk on the
trees, they will
I 'ears and Pos-
f(ir much when
IIP' lu'fure their

388

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

> f

" Uncle says he will read to us, but we can't have
the Audubon animal books or any of the others to liold
in our hands or look at, for fear the measles should hide
in between the leaves to steal a ride, and pop out and
visit somebody else."

Tlie children behaved very well. Dodo was a little
fidgety at first and couldn't bear to look at her speckled
hands, and, as gloves pinched, insisted upon having
stockings pulled over them and fastened at the she el-
ders. Nat laughed until lie cried when he saw her
sitting up in bed trying to feed lh;iM<^lf.

"O Dodo I" lie gasped, "you look exactly like the
picture of the Manatee fanning his food iiiLo his mouth
with his flii)pers !" '*

A week passed, aii-i the children were sitting up by
the lire i)laying cV>ockers with a board ruled on a box
cover, and black and white bone buttons for men, when
they hcaid Doctor lioy's voice saying, "It was hanging
rpside down to the roof in the far end of the root
cellar, so I fetched it for the youngsters ; thought it
might please "em ! "

" r wonder what it is," said Nat. " It must be a
coooon."

Then the Doctor came in carrying a board covered
witli a win; cheese screen. "Here is a visitor that you
will be very glad to see, and who will not be afraid of
the measl.'s. Let me introduce you to Veapfrfilio sidni-
latux, — tin. little Hrowi) !*>at who had hung himself up
for the wiiiter sleep, but, as you see, he is now (piite
wide; awake and ready to bite my linger, tliongh the
light confuses liim so that lu; is trying to find a dark
corner of the board to huh' in."

b we can't have
e others to hold
isles should hide
nd pop out and

)odo was a little
i. at her speckled
ed upon having
ed at the she mI-
hen he saw her

fcxaotly like the
)d into his month

ere sitting up by
lI ruled on a box
Ins for men, when
" It was hanging
end of the root
^ters; thought it

"It must be a

^ a hoard covered
a visitor that you
il not be afraid of
o VeHpcrfilio snhu-
{ hung himself np
S he is now ([uite
inger, tlioiigh the
ng to lind a dark

FROM MOLETOWN TO BATVILLE

389

"Isn't it jolly I" cried Nat. "You said that we
couldn't understand riglitly about the Hat's wings, and
how tliey were different from a bird's or a Flying
Squirrel's, unless we saw one. Will you tell us about
him here to-day? Because you said we couldn't go
hfick to camp for another week."

" Yes, that is what I intended. See, I have brought
up a few pictures. You can look at them, and then
they shall have a wliift' of sulphur to choke any measles
that might wish to follow tliem back to the portfolio.

Little BnowN Bat.

" We iiave climbed the ladder almost to the last
hranch of our Mammal tree. Here we f;nd at the very
to[), close to man himself, two orders of very strange
hcasts, one living underground and one in the air. We
have seen how our Mannnals are adapted to the con-
ditions in whicli they live. How water-lovers have
wi^bbed feet for swimming, and climbers sliarp claws,
l»ut in tljcse two great orders, Insectivora or Insect-
eating and Cliiroplera. or Wing-iiandcd Mammals, the
Itiirlicnlar d('V('l()i)nRMit, which the Wise Men call i<j)<'-
cltilizifdoiu is truly W(»u(U'il'ul.

390

FOUR-FOOT KD AMERICANS

Let us begin witli the Jnsect-eateis aiul go under-
ground to Moletown. Tliis tiibe has a great many
different colonies scattered all over the earth, but the
residents of Moletown, that you are likely to see, will be
the Sinews or tlie Moles themselves. You would never
know by mere sight that these stupid-looking, mouse-
colored animals, with round, furry bodies, small eyes,
and various kinds of sliovel claws, belonged so high up
iu the Mannnal tree, but tlie Wise Men have placed
them tlicre l)ecause of their special features, some of
wliich yon could not possibly understand.

"Tiiat tlie Mole was made to tunnel in the ground
and live in the dark, vou can see for yourselves very
easily. Take this 2)icture and notice how strong and
powerfid tlie head and fore parts of the body are com-
pared to the small hind legs. The arms are fastened
close to the short neck to take up as little side room as
possible in burrowing, while the hands are broad, heavy
shovels, flesh-colored inside and edged with five short
fingers. The [)ink nose is pointed and very • ensitive,
the e3'es small and so protected with skin that man}"
people think them wholly blind. The fur is short, soft,
of a beautiful silvery ash gray, darkening to lead color."

"I remember the fur," said Dodo, " aiul how badly it
made my iiiigers smell when I tried to sew it, and you
said the smell ])rotected the Mole. Do all the people
in Moleto vn have this smell, Uncle Koy?"

"Yes, oni' M(tles and Shrews are so perfumed that
only a very hungiy fourfoot will eat them, but Hawks
and Owls ar(( not so parlicnlar.

•"The AIolc thai yon have often seen this summer
is the .'onunon specie's. lie has a ('(Uisin hereabouts,

>, and go under-
s a great many
e earth, but the
}ly to see, will be
{on would never
-looking, mouse-
dies, small eyes,
^nged so high up
len have placed
eatures, some of
id.

3I in the ground
yourselves very
how strong and
he body are com-
rms are fastened
ittle side room as
are broad, heavy
1 with five short
id very ■ ensitive,
skin tluit man}
fur is short, soft,
nir to lead color."
and how badly it
) sew it, and you
)o all the people
)y r

;() perfumed that
Lheni, but Hawks

cen this summer
)HsiM hereabouts,

FROM MOLETOWN TO BATVILLE

391

who wears an ornament on Lis nose like the rays of a
tiny ox-eyed daisy made in flesh ; tiiis thing is siij)-
posed to aid his strong power of scent and has given
him the name of Star-nosed Mole. Tliis Mole has a

Star-noskd Molk.

longer, thicker, hairier tail than his common cousin,
hut his arms are not so ])owerful, and he has not the
perfect shovel liands. Now, how do these tunnellers
live, what do they eat, and are they doers of good or
of evil?

" When the jNIole enters fresh ground to make a home,
he first burrows a slanting pathway a couple of inches
underground; below this the main avenues are extended
tln-ough the section he considers his farm. These wide
avenues by being constantly used become smooth and
iirni from the pressure of the animal's body, and he does
not willingly leave tliem, but often lepairs them if tliey
cave in. At intervals there are short side roads from
these avenues, that serve as hiding-i)laces or switch
tracks, for a Mole to step into when he meets one of

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

turn |2s

us, 12.0

11:25 iu

— *"

1.6

^>'

fliotographic

^ScMices

Corporation

as WIST MAIN STRUT

VVIUTIR, NY. I4SM

(7'«)I7]-4S03

r-'M'->

392

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

'i^';'^

pi I

•I! I

! 1 ]

»! i',^

I M
I !

his family in the main passage. Six and eight inches,
or even a foot or two, below ground, connecting with
the main avenue we find the nest, — a comfortable,
domed room something the shape of an inverted six-
inch flower pot, furnished with a good bed in one
corner. This nest also has several outlets to allow the
family to escape in case of an earthquake, such as a
sub-soil plough would cause in Moleville, but wo must
not confuse these avenues with the shallow burrows
the Mole is constantly throwing up in his daily search
for food.

" Moles live chiefly on animal food, insects, grubs, and
earthworms being on their daily bill of fare. So when
we see a lawn or held ridged and uneven from their
tunnelling, we must remember that, annoying and un-
sightly as it is, if the piece of ground were not full of
evil-minded insect or worm life, the Moles would not
choose it for their hunting ground. The Mole once
having established a home can make endless excursions
from its main avenues directed to his prey, by his keen
senses of touch and smell, as accurately as the Wolf or
Fox. Wlien frost seals the ground, he dives into a safe
deep nest and stays tliere until early spring, when he
goes in search of a mate, but in ojjcn winters I have
seen his 'hills' rising through an old cornfield in
January.

" People who say that the Mole eats bulbs and plant
roots make a mistake and judge by appearances only,
wliicli you have both learned is a dangerous thing to do
when climbing the animal tree. Moles do root up the
ground and duturh plants, when grubs and larvje are
liiddon among their roots. Ahn iSfeadow Mice follow

» . I

FROM MOLETOWN TO liATVlLLE

393

I eight inches,
)n nee ting with
a comfortable,

II inverted six-
)d bed in one
}ts to allow the
lake, such as a
e, but we must
hallow burrows
bis daily search

sects, grubs, and
fare. So when
)veu from their
inoying and un-
were not full of
loles would not
The Mole once
lUess excursions
•ey, by his keen
as the Wolf or
lives into a safe
pring, when he
winters I have
lid cornfield in

Ibulbs and plant
[pearances only,
I'ous thing to do
do root up the
and larvse are
i)\v Mice follow

in Mole tracks and nibble anything they can find, from
tulips to turnips. But we have no positive proof that
Moles eat vegetable food. In fact, they ;ire ravenous
meat-eaters, and wlien the experiment was made of
feeding a captive Mole with vegetiibles he very soon
died of starvation.^

" The Mole has his regular times of feeding, his sur-
face burrows being made commonly at early morning,
noon, and night, wet weather favoring, his work by
softening the grouiul. There are many traps invented
to catch him, and owners of fine lawns and fiower gar-
dens owe him a grudge and would willingly l»esiege
Moleville with fire and sword, killing every inhabitant
if possible. From their standpoint he is a great nui-
sance. Nature would say, I suppose : ' He is doing my.
work, get rid of the evil insects yourself, — cut off his
reason for living with yon and the Mole will go.' Mean-
while here at the farm I shall continue to set traps for
him.

"There is another family of insect-eaters called Shrews
who are closely related to the Moles, though looking much
more like mice. They are small and slender, with tiny
ears and eyes that can at least tell light from darkness,
though their wonderful senses of touch and smell are
their chief guides. They feed both day and night, some-
times running along the surface of the ground in broad
daylight. Tiiey love the woods as a Mole does the open
country, and have their holes in oasily reached places
under roots and in logs, for they lack the Moles' shovel
hands for deep burrowing.

"Tlie Short-tailed Shrew is our most common species.
1 Dr. V. Hart Mcrriam. }f(tmmr(l» of Adh'oudiU'hs.

394

FOUn-FOOTED AMERICANS

It is a vigorous animal, not liibernating in the coldest
weather, and you may almost mistake its tiny footprints
on the snow for bird-tracks. It is a savage little beast,
too, and a blood-thirsty fighter, being the especial enemy
of the Meadow Mouse, or Vole, as some people call it.

" Many Wise
Men whose
words we can
trust have told
of battles be-
tween these
Shrews only
three and three-
quarter inches
long and Mead-
ow Mice four
and one -half
inches long.
One of these
men, in order to
sec exactly how
it was done, put
a Shrew and a
Meadow Mouse
into a box and
watched them. Soon they were rolling about in a rough-
and-tumble light, the Shrew biting at the ears of the
Mouse, which he finiiUy killed and immediately began
to eat. So when we tliiiik how mischievous the Meadow
Mouse is, wo should be very grateful to this Shrew
with tlie lead-colored fur and short tail.

"There is another Shrew, common in the middle

mirsi^

5(Ti> Thtwf. I'x.

Short-tailkd Hhrew.

II the coldest
iny footprints
3 little beast,
special enemy
;ople call it.

" Many Wise
[en whose
Olds we can
■list have told
f battles be-
ween these
hrews only
liree and three-
uarter inches
Diiff and Mead-
w Mice fonr
nd one -half
nohes long.
)ne of these
len, in order to
eo exactly how
b was done, put

Shrew and a
leadow Mouse
ito a box and
)ut in a rongh-
le ears of the
idiately began

s the Meadow

,0 this Shrew

n the middle

FROM MOLETOWN TO BATVILLE

395

West, that contests with a tiny pocket mouse the honor
of being the ' least beast ' on our Mammal tree. This
is the Least Shrew, who measures only a trifle over two
inches in length. When we think of the length of a
Whale, and that both Shrew and Whale are living
Mammals, belonging either on American soil or in
American waters, our Mammal tree seems to bear the

1 ^^m^^^^'

The Lkamt Shkkw.

most wonderful fruit of which our country can boast.
I hope that many children may follow us in our climb,
as far as they are able, without being made dizzy by
trying to explore the maze of the smaller branches and
twigs.

"Look at your Hat; lie has eaten the slireds of meat I
gave him. I will take him out and spiead his wings for
you to see. It is always better to follow Nature's plan
and travel upward instead of downward ; so let us go up

396

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

i -t

ill the trees to Batville and see how its inhabitants live
and work.

" First look at the specialization that enables the Bat
to fly with real wings, — fly, and not merely sail like
the Flying Squirrel," said the Doctor, holding the Bat's
wings open. " See the shoulder, elbow, and long fore-
arm. The fingers begin to divide at the wrist, so the
hand has no palm. There is a sort of hooked thumb,
and then the other fingers grow long and support the
skin that makes the wing, as the frame supports an
umbrella. The hind limbs, you see, are small and very
weak in contrast to the strong collar-bone and long

arms.

" Oh, yes ! " cried Nat. " Rap said a Flying SquiiTel's
coat was like a blanket fastened to the wrist and ankles,
and the Bat's wings are all skin like a three-cornered
shawl, with its arms fastened in the top corners and the
point fastened to the tip of its tail."

"Yes, and you remember how the bird's wing was
like an arm with only the beginning of two fingers and
thumb, that served as a frame to hold the fringe of
feathers. Though birds are not Mammals, their branch
of the animal tree grows very close by."

"Are all Bats made the same way. Uncle Roy? I
remember a picture of one in a book that I had. It was
called the Vampire Bat ; it ate people and belonged to
some very far away country. It must take a very big
sort of Bat to kill peo[)le."

" Tlu wings of all Bats are made on the same plan,
though their bodies vary greatly in size ; but the forma-
tion of teeth, noses, eais, and so forth, varies according
to the needs of the different species. Thus the Fruit-

habitants live

[lables the Bat
erely sail like
ding the Bat's
and long fore-
B wrist, so the
ooked thumb,
id support the
3 supports an
mall and very
one and long

ing SquiiTel's
ist and ankles,
three-cornered
prners and the

■d's wing was
vo fingers and
the fringe of
;, their branch

ncle Roy? I

had. It w.as

d belonged to

ke a very big

le same plan.
Kit the forma-
ries according
us the Fruit-

FliOM MOLETOWN TO BATVILLE

397

eating Bat has ears and eyes of moderate size, while the
insect-eaters have very large ears, small eyes, and wide
mouths fringed with hair, tliat make a sort of fly-tr.'ip
akin to the Whip-poor-will's beak. The Fruit-eating
Bats have a raised-up ring on the tongue, which gives
them great sucking power. They are thus able to suck
the juice from large fruits that they cannot pick and eat.
Sometimes when very hungry they have been known
to suck the blood from the small surface veins, or
capillaries^ of cattle, or even people, but they never eat
people or do any of the savage things that story books are
so fond of relating. The real Vampire Bat of tropical
America, Desmodon rufus^ as the Wise Men call him, is a
little fellow no larger than our Little Red Bat and has no
middle front teeth or molars, but instead has two sharp
dog-teeth that he uses to prick the flesh so that he may
suck blood. Me will sometimes fasten upon the toes
of sleeping people, and the negroes are very much
afraid of him. Our familiar Bats are small and of the
insect-eating species. Four belong in the family of
Twilight Bats, called Vesjyer-til-ion-ithv^ and one to the
family of House Bats.

"Numerous as Bats are, very little is seen of them,
for they are lovers of darkness, not coming out to hunt
their insect food until after the last Vesper Sparrow has
gone to sleep, and the Whip-poor-will has begun to com-
plain. They are obliged to take a very long winter
nap. You have seen that tlie insect-eating birds leave
us earlier in autumn than the seed-eaters ; so for the
same reason Bats, who do not migrate, go to sleep when
the frost clears the insects from their airy hunting
grounds. Then they flit away to some dark old build-

Ti-X

[!V

1 t

398

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

S !l

ing, cavern, or abandoned mine shaft, far enough from
the air not to freeze, and hanging themselves up by the
hind feet, fall into such a deep sleep that you cannot
detect the faintest breath."

" What a dreadfully cold way to sleep," said Dodo,
shivering at the thought. " Hanging up so that the
wind can blow right through them and nothing to keep
their feet warm. Do they always sleep that way in
summer, Uncle Roy?"

"Usually when found in the daytime hidden in out-
buildings or under large leaves they are hanging in that
way, and their young are often found clinging to them
and nursing in this position,"

" Do they build nests ? " asked Nat. ^

"No, they either suspend themselves wherever they
happen to be, or crawl under the roofs of old buildings,
which they sometimes occupy in great parties. You see
they hang up to go to sleep as naturally as we lie down."

" Can they walk at all, or do they always fly ? "
asked Dodo.

" They can walk along slowly and with a good deal
of trouble by clinging witli their hooked thumbs, their
wings being folded and sticking up like the hind legs
of a grasshopper. '

" The House Bat (called the Snouty Bat by the Wise
Men, because of its curious nose) is a small light-
brown species common in the South, which makes
attics and roofs its favorite resting-places. It seems
to use its feet more than any other species and may
be heard shuffling about after dark, making the same
noise that you would imagine might come from a
party of mice on crutches.

' enough from
Ives up by the
at you cannot

p," said Dodo,
ip so that the
othing to keep
) that way in

hidden in out-
anging in that
iiging to them

wherever they

old buildings,

•ties. You see

; we lie down."

always fly ? "

;h a good deal
i thumbs, their
the hind legs

^t by the Wise
a small light-
which makes
ces. It seems
jcies and may
dug the same
come from a

FROM MOLETOWN TO BATVILLE

399

" This Little Brown Bat tliat Rod has brouglit seems
to have been living alone in the root cellar, though I
dare say if we looked we sliould find others. You saw
them last summer flapping about when we were looking
for Whip-poor-wills."

"The Bats we saw seemed much bigger than this,"
said Nat. " Aren't there any larger ones here that we
might have seen ? "

" Yes, we have the Brown Bat, who is the same color
as this little brother, but spreads his wings two inches
further, and the beautiful Red Bat with liis shaded
'golden-red' coat frosted with white. This Red Bat is
one of the earliest to come out at niglit, and may some-
times be seen even in cloudy days, and it is more com-
mon here than the Little Brown Bat, and is not much
larger. It is a most devoted parent, and mothers have
been known to follow their children, which are usually
twins, to the rooms of houses where they were made
prisoners. Still I am quite sure that our visitor, this
Little Brown Bat, is the species that has flapped in
our very faces this summer, for anything on the wing
seems much larger than when held in the hand.

" There is a very beautiful sp :^ies called the Hoary
Bat, with frosty gray fur, that 1 have found in the
far hickory woods, and though it ranges from the Sas-
katchewan country down through the highlands as far
as Mexico, very few people except the Wise Men know
it for a Bat — and why ? Because in the first place it
does not begin to fly until quite dark, and then its
flight being both rajnd and direct and its wings long
and pointed, they may mistake it for an owl."

"Can it hoot like an Owl?" said Nat. "The Bats

h'n^'i

400

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

' !■

.^;JX.^ .._..

I've seen never make a scrap of noise ; the first thing
you know they seem close to you and before you can
Avinlc they have gone, and daddy says tliey will never
touch you or claw your hair, as Rod says they do."

" You are right; the flight of a Bat is silent. See if
you can tell me why."

"I can," said Dodo, whose eyes were sparkling and
dancing as they always did when she thought of an
answer almost before a question was asked. " You said
a Nightliawk made a noise because tlie wind blew
through its wing quills when it dropped, just like when
I blow on my little comb and it whistles, and a Bat has
only skin wings with no feathers to whistle with ! "

" The exact reason — a stringless violin makes no
sound. But what shall we do with our Little Brown
Bat? Suppose I take him back to the root cellar and
see if he will hang himself up and go to sleep again."

"Oh, yes I" said Dodo; "and then by and bye when
lie is all aired Rap can see him."

T^ TT* * 'I* ^F

" Did he hang up again?" the children asked eagerly
when the Doctor returned.

" He flew about a few moments and then disappeared
in a dark corner. When Rod brought a lantern, we
found five others all hanging to the roof, like so many
cocoons in a row. Their eyes were shut and they
sliowed no signs of life, but 1 could tell our friend
from the others because he was breathing quickly and
shifted his position when the lantern flashed on him.
So by and bye you can all go and see how Batville
looks in winter."

" It will be nice to go back to camp again," said Nat,

he first thing
ifore you can
ey will never
ya tliey do."
silent. See if

sparkling and
houolit of ail

" You said
wind blew

jUst like when
and a Bat has
le with ! "
lin makes no

Little Brown
I'oot cellar and
leep again."

and bye when

asked eagerly

3n disappeared
a lantern, we
, like so many
ihut and they
ell our friend
ig quickly and
ashed on him.
I how Batville

fain," said Nat,

FliOM MOLETOWN TO BATVILLE

401

after a pause, " but what shall we do for stories ? The
pictures are almost used up, and we have climbed to
the top branch of the tree, and by and bye it will be
too warm for a campfire."

" Bless me ! " exclaimed the Doctor, " how sad you
are. One would think you had the knowledge of the
whole world to carry. You have only made a little
fluttering excursion in this wonderful tree, groping
your way like a Bat in a strange garret ; now you can
begin at the root again and stop to rest on any branch
that pleases you, reading delightful books on the way.
Then, as soon as Nature opens her door again, the door
of Camp Outdoors, you can use Camp Saturday for a
nmseum, a place where you may bring your treasures,
— cocoons, snake skins, twigs, stones, mosses, — .all with-
out let or hindrance.

" Speaking of museums, you have been so good while
you have been ill, and obeyed about not popping your
heads out of windows or doors, that I will tell you a
secret — a great surprise!

" Dear, don't choke me ! Dodo, you know I told you
tliat you mustn't hug any one until you took the stock-
ings off your arms, and turned from a Manatee back to
a little girl.

" The secret is this ! Early in March, when the days
grow a little longer, your father and I expect to have a
party, and your mother, Olive, Rap, Nat, and yourself
are to be the guests. We are going to New Yoik to
spend tlie night at a hotel, and visit the Natural History
Museum, and also to see a few four-footed Americans
that live in the Park. I know that you often visited
both tliese places when you lived in the city, but I am

2 I)

402

FOUR-FOOTED AMElilCANS

.'. II,: ■''-" -■

' -i-J

,j;^

sure you feel a different interest in your four-footed
countrymen since you have climbed their Family Tree."

" I do already, Uncle Roy," said Dodo. " I used to
look at the stuffed skins, but they seemed dead, far-
away beasts, like the Lions and Tigers. Now they are
real people, just like Quick and Mr. Wolf."

" Oh, how jolly it will be taking Rap around ! " said
Nat ; " and then, if we go to a hotel, we can have striped
ice cream and ride in an elevator ! For, do you know,
Uncle Roy, I've told Rap about them, but I don't think
he really believes thiit elevators are real things."

jr four-footed
Family Tree."
. "I used to
led dead, fai-
Now they are
•

around ! " said
111 have striped
do you know,
■j I don't think
hings."

XXIX

A FOUR-FOOTED DANCE

FORE the children liad tired of
Camp Saturday, or the snow had
quite disappeared from the north
side of the stone fences, it was
March, and that part of the month
when the sun rises and goes to
bed promptly at six o'clock.
The time of the year when he-
paticas, lodging in the leaf mould
of sheltered banks, are unfurling
their petals, when the brown carpet of the woods is
fragrant and rosy with arbutus flowers, and tufts of
broad green leaves dot the marshes and low meadows.
The children were quite well again, school kindly took
a double holiday to have a smoky furnace cured, and
so all the family at Orchard Farm, except Mammy Bun
and Rod, started on their excursion to New York.
Now in some respects excursions are very much Jilike :
people see, hear, and eat a great deal more than is good
for them, and are consequently usually rather tired and
peevish for several days afterward. This excursion,
however, was of a different sort; it had only one motive,
and that was to see in two days as many of the four-
footed Americans as the city had to show.

■]ft'

404

FO Uli-FOO TED AMEliWA Nti

When they were on the cars, Mr. lilake said incident-
ally that he was going to give Olive something as a
reward for having been so patient with Nat and Dodo
and their perpetual questions, but added that he was
quite sure that they could never imagine what tlie gift
was to be.

" A big box of books," ventured Rap. '

" A new album to paste her pressed flowers iiT,"
gubssed Dodo, "because the old one is crammed full."

"No, something bigger than those, — a nice pony cart
so that she can drive herself anywhere she likes," said
Nat, earnestly.

" Wrong," said Mr. Blake. " I know how fond you
all are of birds and their nests, of beasts and fl(»\vers and
bugs, so I tliought you would like to make a collection
of such things as you iind about the farm, and let the
village children see and enjoy them also. As I know
that Olive may be trusted with it, I am going to buy
her a fine new gun so that she may slioot all these things
for you."

" Why, daddy, I'm perfectly astonished ! " cried Dodo,
turning red and fairly bristling witli indignation. "Do
you want to turn our Olive into a wicked Hunting
Wolf, and just wlien we've coaxed tlie Wood boys to
stop sliooting Meadowlarks and made them promise not
to t «l:e but one egg out of each nest if tliey mu»t go
collecting?"

"Don't worry. Dodo," siiid Olive, laugliing; "for
lliough I have not tlie least idea about the pres(!nt, 1 can
tell by the twinkle in Uncle Jack's eyes that it is some
very harmless, nice sort of gun he means."

" Shall we have striped ice cream I'o" lunch or dinner?"

A FOUR-FOOTED DANCE

405

laid iucident-
ne thing as a
at and Dodo
that he was
^vhat the gift

flowers iiT,"
iinned full."
lice pony cart
le likes," said

tiow fond you
id flowers and
e a collection
n, and let the
As I know
going to buy
11 these things

" cried Dodo,
piation. "Do
;ked Hunting
^Vood boys to
n promise not

they must go

ugliing; "for

present, 1 I'iin

hat it is some

ch or dinner?"

asked Dodo, suddenly changing the subject as they left
the cars, Mr. and Mrs. Blake going down town, and the
others up, iu Dr. Roy's charge.

" No ice cream or sweeties at all to-day," the Doctor
said firmly, " if you wish to go tramping about to see
the animals. First, we will go to the Park and see the
live Grizzly and Polar Bears in their den, and I can
promise you a peep at Coyotes, Timber Wolves, and
Foxes, besides the Puma and the Ocelot. I know thjit
you will thiidc that they look very unhappy in their
cages, and they are not nearly as comfortable as they
will be when they go to live in tiie Zoological Park."

"• Oil, there is a donkey I " shouted Nat. " I wonder
if it is the same one that we used to ride when we lived
here in the city? May Rap have a ride now, and then
Dodo and I?"

" Why, uncle I I do believe you've brought a bag of
dimes and qnartei-s on [)urpose," said Dodo, as the Doctor
took the necessary money for three rides from a well-filled
pouch.

" I am not an old man and more or less wise, without
knowing that plenty of small change is a must-he,, if
you wish the wheels of an excursion to move smoothly
and not jolt all the pleasure out of it," said the Doctor,
pocketing his bag again.

j|j ^M ^U j^ ^U

'I'hat night when the Orchard Farm family met at a
hotel that overlooked one of tlio Park entrances, the
lirst question the (children asked was, — "lias Olive's
gun come ? "

" Yes, here it is," said Mr. lUake, leading the way to
a table that was covered with brown paper parcels and

406

FOUR-FOOTED AMERTCANS

l. ■\

a mass of packing material. " Here is a gun, here are
the bullets, and the trigger goes so — snap ! "

"It is a beautiful camera!" exclaimed Olive in
delight, sitting down by the table in a state of surprise
and bewilderment. ''A real camera, with legs to stand
it on, as well .as a handle to carry it by, and it holds
glass plates or rolls of film, whichever you prefer, —
not one of those miserable little trick boxes that was
all thiit I ever expected to buy for myself."

" Yes, and see all the trays and bottles and things, so
that you can develop and print your own pictures,'"
said the Doctor, growing enthusiastic as he looked,
" with yards of lubber tubing to work the shutter so
that you can set the box on a fence, hide behind a tree,
and catch snap shots of a Robin building his nest or a
Squirrel scampering by. How would you like to go
into partnership with me, daughter? For I think that
we two can make a set of lantern slides tliat will o[)en
the eyes of the village children to wild things near home.
What ! supper time already?"

Then they all went down in the elevator to the
dining-room, enjoying liap's surprise at everything he
saw.

" r don't like riding <1nwn^'' he confessed; "it makes
you feel all loose inside, just like when you've found a
hornet's nest in an old tree and go to get down quick
and have to slide because there aren't many branches."

The next day the children went to the Aruseum of
Natural History, nnd as they eniered the great doors
and were greetcMl by Tij), the elephant of cir(Mis fame,
Dodo said: " Where shall we begin? If we begin down-
stairs, I am sure we sliall never get to the top in one

A FOUIi-FOOTED DANCE

407

day, and if we begin vip top, we shall never get down
again before dark. Who lives on the very top floor,
Uncle Roy?"

" Some of the Wise Men are there ! "

" The Wise Men that count teeth and claws and say
whether the little fur beasts that are white in winter
moult all over or only change the color of their hair?"
asked Rap.

''The very same."

" Don't let's go there, then," wliispered Dodo to Nat,
" because if they are so wise, they would be sure to know
that it is time "or another of my teeth to be shed, and
they might want it pulled out now I AVhat is next to
the top?" she asked the Doctor hastily.

"TJones and stones and shells, but after you have been
introduced to the Four-footed Americans in Mammal
Hall, I will take yon wliere you can meet all the home
l)irds of the farm, the marshes, and the shore, beside
many others that live within iifty miles hereabouts.
For you see these Wise Men, in addition to studying
dry bones, understand the needs of llesh-and-blood
children, and know what will interest them the most in
their winged and four-footed brothers, and so they have
arranged them in a way tiuit they may be easily found."

"•Oh! oh I " exclaimed Dodo as they wandered into
the liall where the Miimmals live, "here are Wood-
chucks thiit look as if they had just come from our
rocky pasture and Inonght a piece of it with them!"

"See this!" said Rap, hopping toward the bit of
mossy woods that slu^ltcicd a Moose family.

"Here nw the Two Kings!" criccl Nat, rnnning
toward the stretch of prairie where a magnificent Bison

sM n

408

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

had stopped in his grazing and was eying a sand-colored
rattlesnake.

" Hush ! not so loud ! " cautioned Mr. Blake, " or you
will have the Indians downstairs breaking out of their
glass cases and challenging you."

Luncheon had little attraction for the children that
day, and late afternoon found them still lingering. It
was growing dusky when the Doctor caught Dodo by
the hand, saying, " We must go now or we shall be
shut in."

" I don't think I should quite like to stay here in the
dark," she said, kissing her hand to a Red Fox as she
passed him. " I wonder if lie is a Dream Fox, and if
he ever comes out of his case ? " '^

# * * t *

"If she only knew," wliispered the Fox to the Wild-
cat across the room, " she wouldn't go home to-niglit."

"Knew what?" asked the Wildcat, without moving
an eyelash or a whisker.

" Who are you that you do not know liow, after dark
on Marcli 21, wo fourfoots all come out of our cases and
hold our spring dance ? " .

"I didn't know it," replied the Wildcat, "because
last year I did not live in a case ; I liad a house in a
hollow tree, a mate, and three kittens."

" All ! I understand," said the Fox, asking no more
questions out of respect to the Cat's feelings. " I will
explain. There is an endless oval path in the sky that
the sun walks round once every year. Spring lives at
one turn of the path, and Autunni at the other, with
Winter and Sunnnei' hidl'-way Ixitween. Now on Marcli
21 the sun always reaches the spot where Spring lives

A FOUR-FOOTED DANCE

409

land-colored

ike, " or you
out of their

hildreu that
ngering. It
;ht Dodo by
we shall be

y here in the
I Fox as she
t Fox, and if

to tlie Wild-
e to-night."
hont moving

>\v, after dark
our cases and

jat, "because
a house in a

cing no more
iKvs. " I will

tlie sky that
pring lives at
10 other, with
^ow on March

Spring lives

and steps over into her garden, walking through it until
he readies Summer; so, on the evening of that day,
we fourfoots may leave our prisons and dance all night
in honor of the season."

" How do you know all this, and who planned the
dance ? " questioned the Wildcat.

"The Wise Men have pictures of the sun's pathway
in their books, and I know it and I planned the dance,
because I am a Dream Fox ! " he whispered. " When it
is quite dark and every one has gone home but the
night watchman, who will not tell tales that no one
would believe, the dance will begin ! "

• * . ♦ # *

" How good one of those Rabbits will taste," said the
Wildcat a few hours later. "It is a very long time
since I ate fresh meat."

"What are you saying?" snapped the Fox. "Sup-
pose every one of us ate what he wished, what would
the Wise INIen say in the morning when they found half
of the cases empty?"

"See, the Possum and the Coon are out already and
drawing up the window shades. Onr friend the Moon
is up; that is the signal. Now the Bison, Moose, and
Elk are starting; they always take the lead in tlie
social affairs of Four-footed Americans."

The larger animals soon took their places, two by two,
ni tlie entrance hall. The Bison Ihst, with the Moose,
Klk, (^iiibou, AnuM-ican Deer, and Antelope behind.
'V\u\ iNfusk Ox, Bighorn, and Mountain (ioat presently
sauntered along together, complaining of the heat.
Meanwhile, the Wolves, Foxes, jiud various Cats had
an argument about the right of way, the l*uma so far

410

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

forgetting himself as to raise a heavy paw and box the
ears of the biggest Timber Wolf, and the Dream Fox
was obliged to interfere to prevent a free fight.

The Rabbits, Squirrels, and little Gnawers kejjt get-
ting under the feet of the others, until the Porcupine,
as Marshal of his Order, undertook to prod them into
place, using his prickly tail as a weapon. As for the
Rats and Mice, it was impossible to make them walk in
pairs, so they scrambled along to suit themselves, the
Jumping Mice and Kangaroo Rats aloue keeping in
pairs and hopping along hand in hand.

It was fully nine o'clock wlien all were ready, and a
belated street band on the opposite side of the avenue
began to play "Dancing in the Barn." '*

" How lucky ! " said the Dream Fox. " It is nice to
hiive music to begin by, but after a little while it
doesn't matter, for every one dances his own way.

"Now! One, two, tliree, four, — face to face, skip
— hop ! Across the hall, and upstairs to the very top,
and down again."

The Skunks immediately skipped forward, leading
the way as an advance guard, waving their tails over
their heads, the procession following merrily. Strange
to say, however, all this multitude of prancing hoofs
and ])aws made no sound.

"Why didn't they wait for us?" gasped a Walrus,
who liad been ;dl this time trying to get out of his case,
to a Seal, wlio was fanning liiniself with liis Mip[)ers.

" VVliat good wojdd thiit do ? " sai«l t he Sea liion ; " we
eouhln't climb up all tlios(! staii's and g(»t down again
before daylight. Suppose we sli(U( (h)wn this lliglit to
the basement; perhiips we can lind some water and

A FOUR-FOOTED DANCE

411

then we can go in swimming." Then they all flopped
off; and you would have expected them to leave great
wavy marks in the dust on the floor, but they did not.

At twelve o'clock the procession came downstairs
again and ended by an elaborate breakdown, danced by
the Polar, Barren Ground, Black, and Grizzly Bears;
tliis was followed by a grand chain, liands all round.
Tiien the animals were allowed to amuse themselves
until the signal " back to cases " should be given.

"It does not seem much like spring," said the Moose
to the Caribou. " I'm wearing my old horns yet, and
I do not see a single green leaf."

" Hush ! " said the Dream Fox. " The Wise Men say
it is spring."

Meanwhile, the Foxes and the Civet Cats were roam-
ing around the bird rooms trying to coax the fat Ducks
and Grouse to come for a walk. But the birds seemed
neither to see nor hear them, while the Weasels and
Minks licked their lips, longingly but vainly, as they
gazed at the trays of eggs.

The Bats tried to hang themselves up in dark cor-
ners, but found the ceiling too smooth; and the Wood-
chucks and Beavers who essayed to burrow holes in the
floor were equally unsuccessful. The Possums and
Coons went down to the wood room and tried to reach
some fine tree-trunks in search of likel}'^ holes for homes;
while the Mountiiin (loatand Bighorn [>ractised mountain
climbing by running np and sliding down the bannisters ;
and the I^its and Mlc^e dulled their teeth in trying to
gnaw holes in the iron doors.

During this time, the Walrus, Sea Lion, and Seal,
who had flopped easily enough f/y/<'/tstairs, were mak-

" •< M ■■

i||.

! r-i-

i I It-

412

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

ing frantic efforts to haul tliemselves up again. For,
at the first corner, tlie Walrus had come face to face
with one of his enemies from the North, an Eskimo
chief, harpoon in hand, ready to charge, while close by
was a kyack, or hunting canoe, covered with the skin
of, perhaps, the Walrus' own brother.

The night wore on; fog had settled over the city,
hiding the streets and the moon — the fog of an early
spring morning.

" How I should like to go out and breathe that wet
air ! " said the Moose, wistfully, flapping his big ears.
"Me, too," sighed the Beaver, sitting up to listen.
"What was that?" ii

" Toot — ^ toot — t-o-o-t ! " shrieked a whistle from the
long-legged railroad on the avenue.

" Hark ! " bellowed the Bison, his nostrils quivering,
as he panted with fear. " Hark ! do you hear that cry,
the voice of the Iron Horse ? It was such a cry that
gave the signal for my exile from the plains. Quick !
Back to your places, Four-footed Americans ! "

The fog lifted as the sun rose, and the Song Sparrow
warbled merrily in the Park, wiiile no one would have
known that the beasts in the Museum had ever left the
cases, unless the Dream Fox had whispered it to them.

* ¥it * M^ *

The morning after their return from the excursion,
Dodo and Nat wore out bright and early to discover
what had l»api)encd in their absence.

"It is spring even if the wind does blow," laughed
Dodo, holding her baton. "Do look at the crocuses on
the lawn."

" Yes, it's spring, shor 'nuff ! " exclaimed Rod, coming

A FOUR-FOOTED DANCE

413

T'dm.

For,
ice to face
ail Eskimo
le close by
h the skin

r the city,
)£ an early

le that wet
is big ears.
) to listen.

le from the

J quivering,
ar that cry,
I a cry that
is. Quick !

iig Sparrow
would have
ver left the

it to them.
t
; excursion,

to discover

\v," laughed
crocuses on

from the kitchen door. "I've got suthin' you won't
like to hear, to tell yer, and suthin' yer will like, to
show yer, if yer come right down to the barns."

" Mother ! Daddy ! Uncle ! " called Dodo, rushing
into the house a few moments later. "What do you
think Billy Coon has done but run away, and Rod says
he won't come back, because it's spring and he's gone to
the woods to find a mate and hire a house. What else
do you think has happened too? I can't wait to give
you three guesses. Dais}'^ has a beautiful little calf, and
it's a lovely mousy color, with great eyes like a Deer.
Please may I name her Clover? Rod says if she lives
to grow up, she will be a fine cow and give as buttery
milk as Daisy. Yes ? Then I'll go back right away
and tell her what her name is," and Dodo skipped down
the walk, singing, " M — mammals ; m — milk! "

iod, coming

,i:'i

hi:''

tj ; ■■■-

> ,

1 ;

1
f

■' ^.

/
\

■{

hi
In
li
at

[ADDER FOR CLIMBING THE FAMILY TREE
OF THE NORTH AMERICAN MAMMALS

-•o><«c

ORDER OF POUCHED MAMMALS

Marsupialia

Family Didelphia

(.Number of North Americnn Species, One)

The females of this family carry
their young, when first born, in a
pouch on the lower part of the abdomen. They have four
handlike feet, and a tail which is used like a hand (pre-
hen-sile, the Wise Men call this sort of tail). These animals
live on the ground and in trees. They are both flesh, fruit,
and insect eaters.

Virginia Opossum Dide/phis virginiana.

Length of body, 17 inches ; tail, 11-12 inches.

ORDER OF SEA COWS
Sirenia

(Number of North American Species, Two)

Family of Manatees
Manatidae

(Number of North A inerlnan Specips, One)

Clumsy animals of southern rivers, feeding upon water
plants. *

American Manatee Manafus americanus.

Length, 8-10 feet.
416

:'lF-! f

416

FOUR-FOOTED AMEltlGANS

IS , I

ORDER OF WHALES, PORPOISES, DOLPHINS

Cetacea

(From Cetus and Ketos, the Latin and Greek words for
Whale, — Whale meaning roller.) All of this order live on
animal food and are helpless on land. One species, the
Killer Whale, eats other warm-blooded animals.

Family of Tkue Whales
Balaenidae

(Number of North American Species, Seventeen)

Has plates of baleen, the horny fibre known as whale-
bone, growing from its palate. Feeds on Sea mollusks.

Bowhead Whale Balcena mysticetus.

Length, 45-50 feet.

Finback Whale Ba/cBnoptera muscufus.

Length, 65-70 feet.

Family of Sperm Whales
PhyseteridaB

(Number of Nortli American Species, Two)

This family lives on squids and cuttlefish, among other
things. It yields the perfume called ambergris. Sperma-
ceti, a lardy substance used in making candles, is found in
a great cavity in the skull. The fat blubber, which covers
the body under the skin, making it easy for the Whale to
float, yields sperm oil.

Cachelot, or Common Sperm Whale . Physeter macrocephalus.

Length, 65-(W feet.

Family of Dolviiins

Delphinidae \ .

(Number of Nortli AmoHenn Species, Twenty-eipht)

Common Porpoise Phocasna phoccBna.

Length, 4J feet.

LADDEIi

417

(Porpoise means Sea Hog, a name relating to the clumsy-
shape and small pigliko yes of the animal.)

Dolphin . . » I Lagenorhynchus acutus.

Lt'iif^th, 10-16 feet.

tera musculus.

ORDER OF HOOFED QUADRUPEDS
Ungulata
Ground animals, living chietty on vegetable diet, a few
sometimes taking animal food.

Division I

(None are imtivt's lierel

Toes one, three, or five, ending in hoofs. The Rhinoceros
belongs here ; also the Horse and Ass, both having one toe,
turned into a broad hoof. At the present day we have no
native wild horses, those that rove the plains being the chil-
dren of emigrants.

Division II

Hoofed toes, even, two or four. Horns, when present, in
pairs.

Omnivora

Eaters of both animal and vegetable food.

Family of rKccARiES
Dicotylidae

(Number of North Amorican Species, Two)

Front foot of four toes, like the domestic pig ; three toes

on hind foot.

Collared Peccary Dicotyles angulatus.

Length, .3 feet.

B
Ruminantia

Cud-chewing vegetable eaters.
2e

r^ <i

418 FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

\ Dkku Family
Cervidae

(XumbiT of North Aiiioiican Spocios, Nine)

Males (and in one species tlie females) having antlers that
are shed annually.

American Deer Dorce/aphus americanus.

Height at shoulder, 3 feet.

Elk or Wapiti Cervus canadensis.

Height at shoulder, o feet.

Moose (Elk of Europe) A/ces alces.

Height at shoulder, (( feet.

Caribou or Reindeer Rangifer caribou.

Height at shoulder, 4 feet.

r ' ^'

Antkloi'K lAMiry

Antilocapridae

(NiimbiTofNortli Aiiu'ricaii species, (tiR')

Nearly related to the Jieef Family, but having pronged
horns, shed annually.

Pronghorn, Prong-horned Antelope . . Anti/ocapra amen'cana.

Height at shoulder, iJ feet.

Bkkk «>u Mkat Family
Bovidse

(Nimilter of North Ainei-lcaii Hpi'des, Five)

All the memhors of this family are good for food. Both
males and females hii\o, hollow horns without branches,
which are never shed. The horns of tln^ males are gen-
erally very much larger than those ol" the females.

Bighorn or Mountain Sheep Oyis cervina,

llcighl, ill shoulder, .'5^ feet.

Mountain Goat Oreamnos montana.

Ui'ight at shoulder, 2^ feet.

g antlers that

I amencanus.

tdensis.

ribou.

viiig pronged

t americana.

• food. T^oth
lilt braiiclu's,
lies ar(» gen-
tles.

'ifina.

7S montana.

LADDER 419

Musk Ox (really a big sheep) .... O^ibos moschatus.

Height jit shoulder, 4| feet.

Males and females with horns nearly efjual in size.

American Bison, or Buffalo Bison bison.

Height at sliDulder, 5^-0 feet.

^ .■ ^ II

THE ORDER OF GNAWERS

Rodentia

The Invgest and most widely distributed group of Mam-
mals, found in all parts of the world. jNIore than nine
hundred have been named, and new ones are constantly
being found.

These gnawers are mostly small animals, with four strong
cutting teeth, living on or under the surface of the ground
or in trees, a few being expert swimmers. They are chietiy
vegetable eaters, though a few prefer animal food.

Family of Squirrels
Sciuridae

(Mori! than Slxly Norlli Aiiu'iican Siieclos)

Sciurus and Sciuropterus — Tree Squirrels

Meaning those who " sit in the shadow of the tail." Good-
sized ears, climbing feet, the front having four and the back
live shiU'p long claws. Sometimes having ])ouched cheeks
for carrying food, and, usually, long, ])lnmy tails.

Flying Squirrel Sciuropterus volans.

Length of body, i\\ iiichcs ; tail, '» iiiclM-s.

Red Squirrel Sciurus hudsonicus.

lii'iiglh of body, 7,^ inches; tail, (U inches.

Gray Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis leucotis.

liength of body, ItlJ inches ; tail, lUJ inches.

Fox Squirrel Sciurus niger cinereus.

Length of body, i;! inches; tail, 1.']^ Inclu'H.

-rr £.;

420

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

Tamias — Ground Squirrels — Chipmunks
Snialler and lighter than the true s(]^uii-i-els, with the back
striped.

Chipmunk Tamias striatus.

Length of body, (5 inches ; tail, i\ inches.

Arctomys — Woodchucks >

With heavy body, short ears and tail ; cheek pouches im-
perfect or none. Gnawing teeth very broad and strong.

Woodchuck Arctomys monax.

Length of body, 14.^ inches ; tail, 7 inches.

Cynomys — Prairie Dogs
Intermediate in size between AVoodchucks and Spermo-
philes. Siiort ears; small cheek pouches; five clawed frcmt
feet. Live in burrows in large communities and feed on
prairie grass.

Prairie Dog Cynomys ludovicianus.

Length of body, lo inches; tail, 4 inches.

Spermophilus - - Spermophiles
liather snmll and slender, tail variable. Ample cheek
pouches ; four front toes. l>elong to prairies and dry, open
plains ; live in deep burrows and store up food for winter use.

Rock Spermophile .... Spermophilus grammurus.

Length of body, lo in('li<'s ; tail, U inches.

Striped Spermophile. . . . Spermophilus tridecemlineatua.

Length ot' body, 7 inches; tail, 1^ inches.

(

Bkavkii Kamikv
Castoridae

(Nuiiilici' lit" N'lii'lli Aint'i'lciiii Sin'clcs, One)

TTcavy skull; ))owerfiil tcctli ; strong front claws. Tail
flat and tongiKi-like. Tlic best builder among Mammals.

Beaver Castor canadensis.

Length of body. 2 feet ; tail. IU inches.

tvith the back

lias striatus.

k pouclies iin-
iid strong.

omys monax.

es.

and Spernio-
3 clawed front
i and feed on

ludovicianus.

'8.

Ample cheek
and dry, open
for winter nse.
mmurus.

'S.

'ecemlineatus.

claws. TmII
Miinnniils.
r canadensis.

LADDER 421

Family of Rats and Mice
Muridse

(Nearly Two Hundred Nortli Ainerk'dn Spocios)

Clumsy, thickly furred body ; small ears ; short tail ; small
feet with furry soles.

White Lemming Dicrostonyx torquatus.

Length of body, 5 inches ; tail, 1 inch.

Heavy animal, head set close to shoulders. Fore limbs
with four toes and a small thumb ; long claws for scratching
ami digging; five webbed toes on hind feet; compact scaly
tail; soft under-fnr with stiff hairs overlying it. Animal
secretes a musky odor, from which it takes its name.

Muskrat Fiber zibethicus.

Length of body, 11 J inches; tail, 11 inches.

Kats and mice — vermin. Large ears; bright eyes; long,
naked tails ; no cheek pouches ; fur soft. Mostly vegetable
feeders, but some eat insects and occasionnlly other animal
food.

Field Mouse Microtus pennsylvanicus.

Length of l)ody, A\ inclies ; tail, 1^ inches.

Deer or White-footed Mouse . . . Peromyscus feucopus.

Length of body, ;>| inches ; tail, ;!1 inclies.

Cotton Rat Sigmodon hispidus.

Length of body, (} inches ; tail, A inches.

Wood or Pack Rat Neotoma floridana.

Length of body, H inches ; tail, 6} inches.

Marsh Rat Oryzomys palustris.

Length of body, (( inches; tail, '.\\ inches,

Ciol'lir.H I<\\MriA'

Geomyidae

(Ximilirr of North Amriii'iiii Siiiclcs. 'I'wcntN I" 'I'lilily)

liurrowing iinimals, hiiving large cheek pockets that open
outside ; wide cutting teeth ; snuill eyes and ears ; short legs.

422 FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

Pouched, or Mole Gopher Geomys bursarius.

Length of body, 8^ inches ; tail, 3 inches.

Gray Pocket Gopher Thomonys talpoides.

Length of body, 7 inches ; tail, 2 J inches.

Family of Poiujhkd Kats and Micjp:j
Heteromyidse

(Number of Xortli AiiU'rieiin Siici-ius, 'I'liirty to Forty)

Kangaroo Rat Perodipus richardsoni.

Length of body, ')J inches; tail, ().[ inches.

Pocket Mouse Perognathus paradoxus.

Length of body, 4\ inches ; tail, of inches.

JUMIMNG MoUSK FaMILV

Zapodidae

(Nninhi'i' of North Aiiiurlciiii S|iiTii'S. Four to Flvf)

Ground aiiiimils, witli long springy hind legs and five-toetl
feet.

Jumping Mouse Zapus hudsonius.

Length of body, ;j inches ; tail, o inches.

VoKcupiNK Family
Erethizontidae

(Number of North Amcrlcim rtpeeles, Two)

Of clmnky build; legs of oven length; back ooveved
with stout (i[uills, almost liiddeu l)y long hairs; short,
stumpy tail. A vegetable eater.

Canada Porcupine Erethizon dorsatus.

Length of body, 2,;^ feet ; tail, bj inches.

1*1 K A Family
Ochotonidaa

(Number of North Amerieun Spi'des, Two)

No tail ; short ears; legs of e(piiil length. ^

Pika, Little Chief, or Whistling Hare . . Ochotona princeps.

Length of body, 7| inches; no tail.

wrsarius.
s talpoides.

•ty)
'chardsoni.

■i.

I paradoxus.

1 and ftve-tued
5 hudsonius.

back covered
hairs ; short,

zon dorsatus.

ona princeps.

LADDER 423

Hake or Eabbit Family
' Leporidae. Leapers

(Number of North Amorican Species, Twt'lvo or More)

Long ears; hmg hind legs; short, ni)turned tail; five
front and four hind toes, with hairy pads. Vegetable
eaters; living in forms or burrows. i ,

Wood Hare (or Gray Rabbit) Lepus sylvaticus.

Leiifith of body, 1(5 inches ; tail, 2} inches.

Varying Hare Lepus americanus.

Lengtli of body, 20 inches ; tail, 2} inches.

Jack Rabbit Lepus mefanotis.

Length of body, 2 feet ; tail, .'J inches.

Marsh Hare Lepus palustris.

Leiiiilh of body, 17 inches; tail Ijj inches.

ORDER OF FLESH EATERS
Carnivora

Having four long, ])ointed, curved, canine (doglike) teeth,
with snuill, i)ointed incisors, or cutting teeth, between ; never
less than four toes on each foot. The animals in this order
are chiefly meat eaters, living on the flesh of Avarm-blooded
animals. Some individuals need a mixed diet, and eat vege-
tables liberally.

If we expect to renuMnl)er their different habits, we must

divide this order into : 1. Land Livers ; IL Water Men (sec

page 427).

Divi.sioN T

TRUE FLESH-EATING LAND MAMMALS

Toes sharply clawed. In some iutlividuals the claws can
be drawn back and conceahMl, !(• kee]> them sl»arp and free
IVoiu wear and tcjir. (\Ve see lliis when the liouse cat
sheathes her claws.) Some ol this groui» are sole walkers,
and some step only on the toe i)ads.

424

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

Cat Family
Felidae

(Nninber of Xorth Ainerioan Species, Ten)

Our native Cats are flesh eaters, living in solitary pairs,
never hunting in packs. They wear soft, thick fur ; have
round heads ; ears of medium size, either round or pointed ;
large eyes, the pupil (the dark spot in centre) having the
power to contract or expand ; rough tongues, covered with
sharp prickles ; and very strong claws.

Puma, Panther, or Mountain Lion of West . Felis concofor.
Length of body, 6 feet ; tail, 3 feet. <'''"'"^i«'«'«'')

Ocelot, or Tiger Cat Felis pardalis.

Length of body, 3 feet ; tail, 16 inches.

Wildcat, or Lynx Lynx rufus.

Length of body, 2| feet ; tail, 7^ inches.

Do« Family
Canidae

(Numlior of Nortli Aincriciiii S|ii'ol('.s, Sovpii or Eight)

We have no purely wild dogs in North America. The
Indian and Kskimo Dogs are mongrels. Hut we have both
Wolves and Foxes, which are the house dog's cousins.
These have long jaws; lind)s of moderate length; short
feet, with five fore and four hind toes; blunt claws, which
they cannot draw in ; and tails of various lengths, bushy.
They are nu)re or less sociable animals, hunting in packs.

Wolves
Coyote, or Prairie Wolf Cania latrans.

Length of body, :'. feet ; tnil, 1 J inches.

Timber, or Gray Wolf Cam's nubilis.

l^ength (if body, 4 J feet ; (ail, 1^ feet.

ive have both

7ania tatrans.

Hani's nubilis.

LADDER 425

Foxes
Gray Fox Urocyon cinereo-argenteus.

Length of body, 2^ feet ; tail, 14 inches.
Red, Black, or Silver Fox . . . Vu/pes pennsylvanica.

Length of body, 2i feet ; tail, 1| feet.
Arctic Fox Vulpes lagopus. i i

Length of body, 2 feet ; tail, 14 inches.

Bear Family
Ursids

(N\imbor of North Amtricaii Species, Six to Elpht)

Large, broad mammals, with soft, shaggy fur; round,
hairy ears of medium size ; five-toed feet, Avith naked soles
and fixed claws ; short tails. Can walk upright. Prefer a
mixed diet.

Black or Brown Bear ...... Ursus amen'canus.

Height at shoulder, 2 feet 10 inches.
Grizzly Bear Ursus horribilis.

Height at shoulder, 4 feet.

Polar Bear Thafarctos maritimus.

Height at shoulder, 4 feet.

Raccoox Family
Procyonidae

(Number of North Amorlcnn Hi)cck's, Tlireo)

Little cousins of the Bear, resembling both the liear and
Cat. Broad head, ])ointe(l muzzle; stands on the sole of
the foot; curved, pointed claws; long tail, covered with
ringed fur. I*'ur on body thick and soft.

Raccoon Procyon Mor.

LiMigth of body, 2j| feet ; <ail, 11 iiiohes.

Cacomistle. or Civet Cat Bassaricus flatrus.

Length of body, IJ kvt ; tail, IJ feet.

426 FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

Family of Little Fur Bearers
Mustelidae

(Number of North Ameiifan Species, Twenty to Thirty)

A large family of small and medium sized fur bearers,
of great commercial value. Grouped according to their teeth
and claws. >

American Otter Lutra canadensis.

Length of body, 2J feet ; tail, 1| feet.

Broad, flat head ; close, short fur ; long tail ; round feet,
with webbed toes and small, blunt claws. Aquatic and flsh-

eating. ^

***

Common Skunk Mephitis mephitica.

Length of body, 1| feet ; tail, 13 inches. i

Little Striped Skunk Spilogale putorius.

Length of body, \\ feet ; tail, 7^ inches.

Small head; small, round ears; long, plumy tail; body
long, covered with black and white fur of good quality.
Burrowing animals, living on mixed food. They secrete an
offensive odor, which they use as a weapon of defence.

***

American Sable, or Pine Marten . . . Mustela americana.

Length of body, IJ feet ; tail, 10 inches.

Fisher Mustela pennanti.

Length of body, 2 feet ; tail, 14 inches.

Living among the trees of rocky woods. Savage animals
for their size; agile climbers; great destroyers of small
gnawers. Fur soft and beautiful.

**#
Weasel, or Ermine Putorius noveboracensis.

licngtli of Ixuly, 11 iiiclics ; till!, 7 iiiclics.

Mink Putorius vison.

Length of bixly, l| ft'et; tail, 1> inches.

fur bearers,
their teeth

'canadensis.

round feet,
,tic and fish-

mephitica.

) putonus.

r tail; body
3od quality.
y secrete an
ifence.

americana.
pennanti.

age animals
rs of small

boracensis.

LADDER

427

Small animals, with long bodies and a snake-like motion
in moving ; blood-thirsty, cunning, great destroyers of poul-
try and eggs. The northern Weasels are brown in summer,
but turn white in winter, and are called Ermines. The
Mink remains brown all the year.

***

Wolverine Gulo luscus.

Length of body, 3 feet ; tail, 14 inches.
Stout body, resembling a small liear; large feet, with
curved, sharp claws ; soles between pads, covered with stout
hair; small eyes; thick, bushy tail; fur rather long and
coarse. A very savage beast.

*
* *

Badger Taxidea americana.

Length of body, 21 inches to 2 feet ; tail, 7 inches.

Wide head; stout, flat body ; short tail.

Division II

flesh eaters, living both on land and in the water

Seals and Walruses

Pinnipedia. (Having pinnate or fin-like feet.)

These mammals have their limbs more or less hidden in

the skin of the body, in the shape of live-fingered flippers

arrauged for moving through the water. Tliey have round

heads, soft, beautiful eyes, clumsy bodies, and short tails.

All of this group spend most of their time in the Avater,

living on marine food, and only coming on land for a few

montlis in summer to bring forth their young.

Ska Lion Family
Otariidae

(Niimlicr (if North Aiiii'i-icuii S|ii'clcs, Foiii)

Smiill oars, round head, and large eyes; long neck, and
whiskers like seaweed. They walk clumsily on all fours,

428

FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS

the limbs looking like feet joined to the body without legs.
They are covered all over with stiff hair, and in some species
there is a soft under-fur, which is the familiar "sealskin"
of commerce. This is wrongly named, as it is the pelt of the
Sea Bear, and not of a true Seal. Male much larger than
the female.

Sea Bear, Fur Seal Callotaria ursina.

Length of male, 7J feet ; female, 4^ feet.

Sea Lion Zaiophus californicus.

Length of male, 15 feet ; female, 8-9 feet.

Walkus Family
Odobenidse

(Number of North A luerican Spemea, Two)

Walrus is a word adapted from the Eussian, meaning
Whale Horse. Animals of Arctic seas, measuring 10-13 feet
from nose to rump. Bulky and thick, heaviest about shoul-
ders, and sloping toward the rump. Thick, wrinkled skin
covered with rough, yellowish hair which wears almost en-
tirely off when the animal is old. They have a pair of long
tusks which aid in fighting, climbing, and digging their shell-
fish food. The Walrus is of commercial value on account
of its oil, hide, and tusks.

Atlantic Walrus Odobenus rosmarus.

Length, 12 feet 3 inches.

Pacific Walrus Odobenus obesua.

Length, 12-14 feet.

Family of Tuuk Seals
Phocidae

(Niiiiilicr (if North Aincrlcnii Siiccics, Niiii')

The ti'uc Seal is the most water-loving of the group. Its
hind fiipp(n's drag uselessly when on land, where it moves

LADDER

by jerking the body along with its fore feet. It is J iry,
having no under-fur.

Harbor Seal phoca vitulina.

Length, 4 feet.

ca/ifornicus.

an, meaning

5 rosmarus.

ORDER OF INSECT EATERS j ,

Insectivora

Chiefly small burrowing animals, having glands, where
their fore legs join the body, that secrete an offensive odor
which protects them from the attacks of flesh eaters. It is
not entirely proven that this order lives wholly on insect
food.

The Shrew Family

Soricidae

(Number of North American Species, Twenty)

Mouse-like heads ; bodies covered with hair. Shrews live
in shallow burrows, and their young are blind and naked at
birth.

Short-tailed Shrew Blarina brevicauda.

Length of body, 3| inches ; tail, 1 inch.

Least Shrew Sorex personatus.

Length of body, 2^ inches ; tail, 1^ inches.

Mole Family
Talpidae

(Number of North American Species, Eight)

Common Mole Sea/ops aquaticus.

Length of body, 4^ inches ; tail, 1 inch.

Having a simple pointed nose; front feet broad and
shovel-like ; back feet webbed ; short, naked tail.

Star-nosed Mole Condylura cristata.

Length of body, 3;^ inclios ; tail, •] inches.

End of snout surrounded by thread-like appendages,
arranged in the shape of a star. Tail long and slightly

^■f '■.

430 FOUR-FOOTED AMEHWANS

hairy. Moles live in burrows which are reached by long
tunnels.

THE ORDER WING-HANDED MAMMALS ;,

Chiroptera

/ (Number of North American Species, Eighteen)

Fore limbs, or arms, much enlarged and forming mem-
branous wings ; hind limbs weak. Faces and ears of many
different shapes are found in this order, which contains both
insect and fruit eaters.

TiiK TwiLKJUT Uat Fa^niily

Vespertilionids
Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus.

Length of body, 5 inches ; spread of wings, 14 inches.

Red Bat Lasiurus borealis.

Length of body, 4 inches ; spread of wings, 12 inches.

Little Brown Bat Myiotis subutatus.

Length of body, 3^ inches ; spread of wings, 10 inches.

Mouse or House Bat Family
Emballonuridse

(Number of North Amoriciin Species, Tliree)

House Bat Nyciinomus brasi/ensis.

Length of body, 3| inches; spread of wings, 11| inches.

ORDER OF PRIMATES

Man Family
Hominidse

The North American Indian . . Homo sapiens americanus.

Height, f) feet 10 inclies. »

This is tlio Indian race of the United States, and does not
include the Eskimo.

died by long

orming mem-
ears of many
contains both

INDEX OF ENGLISH NAMES

The Latin names will be found under head of " Ladder for Climbing' the Family Tree

of North American Mammals."

'US cinereus.

[ inches.

'US borealis.

1 inches.

5 subutatus.

inches.

! brasi/ensis.

americanus.

and does not

PAGES

Antelope 25G, 207, 300

Badger 256, 2C8

Bat, Hoary 399

Bat, House 398

Bat, Little Brown 388, 395, 399, 400

Bat, Red... 399

Bear, Black or Brown 37(), 38G

Bear, Grizzly 239, 253

Bear, Polar 280-282

Beaver 93, 365-375

Bighorn 239-243, 300

Bison 116-136

Buffalo. See Bison.

Cachelot. See Sperm Whale.
Cacomistle. See Civet Cat.

Caribou 207, 275-277, 300

Chipmunk 57, 360, 3(il

Civet Cat 224-226

Coyote 256, 267

Deer, American 300, 306

Dolphin , 329, 330

Elk 237, 277, 300-304

Ermine. See Weasel.

Fisher 137

Fox, Arctic; 202-204

Fox, (4ray 201 , 202

Fox, Red, Black, or Silver

153, 158, 170, 201, 204, 206

Gopher, Gray Pocket

Gopher, Pom^hed or Mole .

I'AriKS

. 345
. 344

Hare, Marsh

Hare, Varying . .

Hare, Wood

Hare, Whistling

Lemming, Whia-

Lynx, Bay

Lynx, Canada. ..

145-147
150-152
143-145
153, 154

33(J
228
229

Manatee, American 321-323

Marten, Pine 186, 187

Mink 184, 185

Mole, Common 390-393

Mole, Star-nosed 391-393

Moose 277, 300, 309, 319

Mountain Goat 239, 300

Mountain Lion. See Puma.

Mountain Sheep 239, 243, 300

Mouse, Deer or White-footed 91, 338

Mouse, Meadow IVM

Mouse, Pocket 34(), 347

Mouse, Jumping 34()-348

Musk Ox 278, 279, 300

Muskrat 48, 49, 3;j<J-338

Ocelot

Opossum ,'U],

Otter

Panther. See Punui.
Peccary, Collared. .. .
1

, . . 228
376, 386
177-180

89, 90

432

INDEX OF ENGLISH NAMES

I'AOF.S

Pika '... m;?, 15+

Porpoise, Common ;>28, oU'.t

PoiTiipine, CiiiKula . .. IGl, KiJi, 194

Prairie Dog 2r»(5, 2G7

Puma 234, 237

Rabbits 140, 143

Rabbit, (^lay 143

Rabbit, Jack 147, 150

Raccoon UK), 222

Rat, Cotton 33!)

Rat, Kangaroo 'Mry, 34(5

Rat, Marsh 340

Rat, Pack 340, 341

Rat, Wood 340-:$42

Sable, American. See Pine Mai'ten.

Sea Bear 28(i

Sea Lion 203

Seal, Fnr 280

Seal, Harbor 2H4

Shrew, Least 30r)

Shrew, Short-tailed 393

PA0E8

Skunk, Common 176, 180, 181

Skunk, Little Striped 180

Spei'mophile, Rock or Line-
tailed 3(53, 3(>4

Spermophile, Striped 3<i3

Squin-els 350

Squirrel, Flying 57, 352-355

Squirrel, Fox im

Squirrel, Gray 5(i, 357

Squirrel, Red 40, 57, 355-367

Walrus, Atlantic 283

Walrus, Pacific 283-286

Wapiti. See Elk.

Weasel 182, 183

Whale, Bowhead 324-32()

Whale, Finback 324-327

Whale, Sperm 324

Wildcat 227, 230-235

Wolf, Gray or Timber 212t322

Wolf, Prairie. See Coyote.

Wolverine 188, 189

Woodchuck 44, 159

AN IDEAL BOOK ON NATURE STUDY."

PA0E8

176,180,181

id 180

: or Line-

y(i3, 3()4

d 3«i3

350

. . . . 57, 362-355

.T)!)

5(5, 357

. 4(i, 57, 355-357

283

283-286

182, 183

324-32(i

324-327

324

. . . 227, 230-235

)er 212t322

Coyote.

188, 189

44, 159

CITIZEN BIRD,

Scenes from Bird Life in Plain English for Beginners. By
Mabel Osgood Wright and Elliott Coues. With One
Hundred and Eleven Illustrations by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.
i2mo, Cloth, $1.50, net.

This first issue of The Heart of Nature Series — Citizen Bird — is
in every way a remarkalile book. It is the story of the Bird-People
told for the House-People, especially the youn^f House-People, being
dedicated "To All Boys and Girls who Love Birds and Wish to Pro-
tect Them."

It is not a mere sympathetic plea for protection. It shows how Citi-
aen Bird "works for his own living as well as ours, pays his rent and
taxes, and gives free concerts daily"; is scientitically accurate in de-
scription of anatomy, dress, and habits; and is illustrated by over one
hundred engravings in half tone, together with descriptive diagrams,
and has a valuable index of some one hundred and fifty-four American
birds.

It is a question when one becomes too old to enjoy such a delight-
ful and entertaining book.

TOMMY-ANNE

AND

THE THREE HEARTS,

By Mabp;l Oscioon Wrkjht. With many Illustrations by Albert
D. Blashfield. i2nio, Cloth, Colored Edges. #1.50.

"This book is calculated to intsn-st children in nature, and jjrown folks,
too, will find tlieinsi'lves catchinj^ the iiullior's enthiisiasni. As fur Toniniy-
Anne herself, she is bound to make friends wlnrcver she is known. The
more of such books as these, the better for the children. One Tommy-
Anne is worth a whole shelf of the average juvenile literature." — Critic.

" Hei- book is aliojjether out of the commonplaic. It will be immensely
entertaining to all children who have a tmuli ol iniaijinaiion, and it is
instructive and attractive to older rea<leis as well." — Ont/ook.

"The work is probably the must eharininjj nature-book for cliikben
published this year." — Diai,

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY,

66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK.

BIRDCRAFT.

A FIELD-'BOOK OF TIVO HUNDT{ED SONG, GAME,
AND IVATER "BIRDS.

By MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT,

Author of "The Friendship of Nature," " Toiiiiiiy-Auiic," "Citizeu Bird" etc.

With Eighty full-page plates l)y Louis Ac.Assiz Fukrtes.
\_For Specimen Plate see other side.\ ',

PRESS COMMENTS.

" This is a charming volume, upon a pleasant theme. The author is not a hard-
hearted scientist who goes forth with bag and gun to take life and rob nests, but a
patient and intelligent oljscrvcr, who loves the children of the air, and joins their
fraternity. Such a book inspires study and observations, and encourages effort to
acquire knowledge of the work of (lod. 'J'he book is a wise teacher as well as an
inspiring guide, and contains beautiful, well-arranged illustrations."

— .V('7(i York O/iscrTer.

" The author has struck the golden mean in her treatment of the different birds,
saying neither too much nor too little, but mostly furnishing information at first
hand, or from approved authorities. The book will be very welcome to a large
number who have felt the want of a work of this kind. It will increase their enjoy-
ment of outward nature, and greatly add to the pleasure of a summer vacation."

- /ioston Herald.

" This is the third edition of Birdcraft, and its e.vcellences have alre.ady won the
commendation of all naturalists. . . . Such fineness of truth, such accuracy of draw-
ing, could oidy be '' ■ work of genius —not genius which is simply the capacity for
hard work, but gcuuis which is iiuiate. heaven-cotnmi.ssioned, " inbreatlied by the life
breather," by the maker and teacher of man and nature alike." - Inter-Oceaii.

" Of books on birds there arc many, all more or less valuable, but Hirdcraft, by
Mabel O. Wright, has peculiar merits that will endear it to amateur ornithologists. . . .
A large number of e.xccllent illustrations throw light on the te.vt and help to make a
book that will arouse tiie delight and win the gratitude of every lover of birds."

— /ioston .Saturday Evening Gazette.

" The book is attractive, interesting, and helpful, and should be in the libr.iry of
every lover of birds." — Science.

Small Quarto. Cloth. $2.50.

THi: MACMILLAN COMPANY,

ee FIFTH AVENUE. NEW YORK.

WILD NEIGHBORS.

G, GAME,

itizen Bird" etc.
FUKRTES.

lor is not a liard-
1 rob nests, but a
ir, and joins their
courages eftbrt to
her as well as an

' York Observer.

he diflerent birds,
iforniation at first
clconie to a lar^e
:rLase their enjoy-
er vacation."
liosion Herald.

; already won the
accuracy of draw-
y the capacity for
reatlied by the life
itrr-Otenti.

but Hirdcraft, by
rnithologists. . . .
I help to nial<e a
er of birds."
Et'ein'tig Gnzette.

in the bbrary of

ANY,

Out-Door Studies in the United States.

By ERNEST INGERSOLL,

Attthor of " Cowttry Cousins," ^'■Friends Worth A'nowing," eh., etc.

Crown Octavo. Cloth. Price, $1.50.

With 20 Full-page Illustrations, and other small cuts.

Written by the author of a number of successful books, sucli as " Uirds' Nesting,"
"Knocking 'Round the Rockies," "The Crest of the Continent," etc.. etc.; - a
writer who has the gift of so writing that the reader seems to be seeing with him the
places describe!, and, in the case of these new papers, feels as if he himself had been
watching the shy creatures of whose habits so fascinating an account is given. He
begins with the little gray stpiirrel; but writes not only of the panther, the myste-
rious, despised coyote, badgers aTid other burrowers, of elephants and other animals;
but also of " the service of tails " ; of animal training and intelligence, and of perhaps
half-a-dozen more topics, closing with "A Little Brother of the Hear," which any boy
will be rejoiced to read, with only one regret — that it is the last.

LIFE HISTORIES OF AMERICAN
INSECTS,

By CLARENCE MOORES WEED, D.Sc,

Professor of Zoo/oj^y ami I'.utoinology, New Ilaiupshire College of
Agriculture and the Mtchaiiic .irts.

Illustrated. Cloth. Price, $ 1.50.

With 21 Full-page Illustrations and smaller cuts in the text.

Decorated cover.

A series of pages in which an enthusiastic student of I''.ntoniolouical science de-
scribes, often in the words of, always with the intent interest ;\ir of, the original
observer, — changes such as may often be seen in an insect's form, and which inark
the progress of its life. He shows how very wide a field of interesting facts is in
reacli of any one who has the patience to collect these little creatures. '1 he work is
not a text-bonk, hut cin be used as supplementary reading. 'I'eai hers who may care
tn complete their school or private libraries by an exhaustive treatment of Knto-
mology will find the nuist complete and up-to-date work of the kind in Pr. Packard's
elaborate text-book, to be issued shortly, 'riiis volume will serve as a somewhat
popidar intrtuluction to ilu: subject.

THK MACMILLAN COMPANY,

66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK.