The length and density of the hair are also regu- 

 lated by the seasons and mammals are known to have 

 longer and heavier coats in winter than in summer. In 

 the Spring there is a shedding or moult of surplus hair, 

 in some forms there is also another moult in the Fall, 

 then the winter coat begins to develop and, by the first 

 snowfall, the creatures are prepared to withstand win- 

 tery blasts. The shaggy coats of horses and cattle in 

 the winter are familiar to everyone and are character- 

 istic of Nature's method of supplying additional 

 warmth. Trappers always secure skins for commercial 

 purposes in the winter. 



The Color and Color Patterns of Mammals 

 The average person identifies an animal by its size, 

 shape and color. While there are a few mammals that 

 have brilliant colors, they are, as a rule, less gaudy than 

 birds and many other animals. 



Most mammals have a very definite color pattern 

 which is more or less constant. However, there are 

 considerable variations in the pattern and in the color 

 intensity within a species. For instance, one Red Fox 

 may be considerably duller than another. In a num- 

 ber of mammals, the young differ widely from mature 

 individuals. Occasionally Albinos appear. In these 

 there is a little or no trace of pigmentation and the 

 animals are white or nearly so. Usually Albinos have 

 pink eyes due to the fact that there is no pigment to 

 conceal the mass of small blood vessels present, and 

 these are responsible for the characteristic tint. Al- 

 binism is an hereditary character and appears in most 

 Mammalian groups. Thus we occasionally see w^hite 

 blackbirds, white crows, w^hite ground hogs, \vhite 



-»H[ 25 >#~ 



