THE PROGRESS OF THE SEASONS. 316 



hiding-places in the forest, the little American hare 

 (Lepus Americanus) has assumed his winter coat, assimi- 

 lated in colour to the face of nature, and affording 

 somewhat of protection from the numerous enemies 

 which hunt him on the snow so unrelentingly — the two 

 lynxes, the foxes, the great fisher-marten, and the tree- 

 marten, and lastly, and most perseveringly of all, the 

 little ermine weasel. But he has feathered enemies 

 besides — the horned and snowy owls, as well as one or 

 two of the larger hawks. Considering the abundance 

 in jyhich the former bird occurs in the forest, and 

 the lengthy list of his foes, it appears marvellous 'that 

 the little rabbit, as he is locally called, is able, with 

 his family increasing only in the summer months, 

 not merely to exist as a species, but to contribute so 

 largely as he does to the winter food of the human 

 population. 



Undeniably gloomy as is the general character of the 

 American winter, apart from the vigorous bustle of 

 civilization, there are days when even the forest affords 

 sensations of pleasure to the observer of nature. What 

 can be more beautiful than early morning, after a long- 

 continued snow-storm, when the sun rises in a sky of 

 purest blue, speckled, perhaps, with light fleecy cirrhi, and 

 looking almost as the sky of a summer day 1 Every 

 branch and bough is covered with radiant crystals of the 

 new snow, and the air holds a delicious freshness. 



Kising from his soft bed of silver-fir boughs before 

 the embers of the great logs which have warmed the 

 camp throughout the night, the hunter steps forth into 

 the bright morning with feelings of the highest exhilara- 

 tion. Not a branch stirs, save where the busy little 



