FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW. 5 



alive. Wherever a footprint, a sharp edge of 

 drift, or a stone wall broke the monotony of the 

 snow surface, these black specks accumulated, 

 and heaped themselves against the barrier. For 

 miles every inch of snow had from one to a 

 dozen of these specks upon it. What were 

 they? Snowfleas or springtails (achoreutes nim- 

 co/a), one of the mysteries of winter, one of the 

 extravagances of animal life. Fortunately they 

 prefer the cold face of the snow to a life of para- 

 sitic persecution. 



As I caught a homeward-bound electric car, 

 I looked back at the ridges of Arlington with 

 gratitude and admiration. They made a land- 

 scape of ermine, a soft blending of light and 

 dark. The falling rain, snowbound farms, savin- 

 dotted hillsides, bluish belts of woodland, deli- 

 cate tracery of elm branches ; all mingled to 

 form a background for reverie, a gentle good-by 

 to a day of rest. 



