NATURE'S CALENDAR 



23 



poor eye-sight, at all events for daylight, 

 and apparently not much better for twi- 

 light or darkness. . . . But with a sense 

 of smell and hearing such as theirs, they 

 are instantly aware of anything that takes 

 place in their immediate vicinity, with 

 the exception of the one point towards 

 which the wind blows. . . . While the 

 wind is at your back you will only get 

 the most unsatisfactory glimpses of any 

 of the fox or weasel tribe ; but with it in 

 the opposite direction you may study 

 them at your leisure ; and to a certain 

 degree this is true of all our wild animals. 



" In one sense winter is the best time 

 for studying them, for when the snow is 

 in the right condition you may follow the 

 footsteps of all those that are abroad at 

 that season, and see for yourself just how 

 they have been spending their time." 



Midwinter is the time when the four- 

 footed fur-bearers are at their best. The 

 deer wander as widely as the snow per- 

 mits, and frequently approach human set- 

 tlements, mingling with cattle in search 

 of fodder, and wearing their handsomest 

 coats, which are paler and more bluish 

 than those of summer. As the month 

 comes to an end they begin to grow 

 somewhat ragged, and the antlers loosen 

 upon their heads. Among the wilder 

 ranges of the Alleghenies, and in the for- 

 ests about the upper Great Lakes and far 

 Southern swamps, pumas and lynxes re- 

 main to remind us of the time when they 



February 8 



February 9 



