372 Junior Naturalist Monthly. 



lined with soft, warm, glistening white thistledown. We scarcely had time 

 to notice this cozy nest w'hen out jumped a deer mouse, exposing to our 

 delight three dainty pink and white baby mice, nestled together. Upon 

 careful search we found the shy little mother, a deer mouse, trembling 

 under a fence-rail near. Gently we placed her in the thistledown nest, 

 and when her young ones again cuddled against her warm breast, she 

 took courage and laid still. Softly we laid back the strip of bark, propped 

 it securely in place and stole away, leaving in peace the thistledown house. 



TRACKS IX THE SNOW 

 Ada E. Georgia 



What a wonderful teacher and playfellow is the snow! When it 

 first comes, how the children shout in andcipation of the good times they 

 will have with it, snowballing, coasting, end building forts ! 



But did you ever go to it quietly and ask it to tell you some of the 

 strange and wonderful things it knows? Sometimes it can tell most 

 interesting stories and tell them very plainly. We like to read stories 

 of the Indian hunters who follow " trails " so skilfully, but how came 

 they to have such keen eyes? Yours and mine are probably just as good 

 if only we knew how to look. 



Let us see wdiether we can read a few tracks in the snow, taking the 

 very easiest and nearest at hand. Can you tell your Alalta cat's track 

 from that of your neighbor's terrier whose feet are no larger? Look 

 sharp ! 



Oh, yes ; Puss draws back every claw in its sheath and leaves only 

 the mark of a velvet pad with four toe dots in front. Nipper's nails do 

 not retract and each leaves its mark in front of the toe. Also ]\Ialta's 

 hind feet drop neatly upon the front paw's tracks, so that she seems to 

 walk two-footed. Nipper cannot match his tracks like that. 



Study the tracks of your chickens and pigeons and the birds of the 

 street ; even the tracks of different people are very interesting. 



On my way home from school one winter evening, I saw the tracks 

 of two persons which pleased me greatly ; one of them a tall man — I 

 knew he was tall by the long steps — and beside these tracks were the 

 mark of some wee rubber boots, trotting three steps to one. They were 

 new rubber boots and I smiled as I pictured a little man wearing his first 

 pair and going proudly out to meet father. Presently I turned a corner 

 and came into view of the track-makers and the little man turned out to 



