224 The Ptarmigan Family 



of equal weight could not walk two steps in deep, 

 dry snow, over which this small snow-shoer can 

 trot with impunity. Other notable wearers of 

 snow-shoes are the Arctic hare and fox, and that 

 strange cat, the snow-leopard. The only salva- 

 tion of the hare is its feet, while the fox and leop- 

 ard have coats to match the snow, and the snow- 

 shoe foot to enable them to capture the prey 

 without which they could not exist. The polar 

 bear and the wolf and dog of the North show 

 something of the same provision, which is also 

 found in the feet of certain fur-bearers. A differ- 

 ent, but equally useful, contrivance is found in 

 the spreading feet of those snow-defiers, the 

 moose, caribou, and musk-ox. 



And Nature, as if realizing the perils of the 

 ptarmigan asleep, has taught it to plunge beneath 

 the cold drifts to escape the cold, and to Jly at, 

 not walk to, the chosen drift, so that there will be 

 no telltale trail for some keen nose to follow to 

 the sleeping-place. And this the bird invariably 

 does, going at speed and butting its way into the 

 snow, leaving never a print to betray its retreat, 

 from which it flies forth in the morning. The 

 game of life and death is interestingly played up 

 North — where the weak white snow-shoers are 

 ever hiding from the strong white snow-shoers 

 forever searching over a field of baffling, ice- 

 bound white. Brute noses are keen as the icy 



