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AMERICAN FORESTRY 



unspotted snow lain down by a silent storm still un- 

 finished. We have three species of wild swans in our 

 national bird fauna, and they are each and all becoming 

 very rare in nature ; indeed, one of the species is already 

 nearly extinct. The merciless weapons of gunners have 

 almost exterminated them, and this senseless slaughter 

 still goes on. Our wild swans (Cygninae) all fall into the 

 genus Olor, and the three species referred to are the 

 Whooper Swan (O. cygnus), the Whistling Swan (O. 

 columbianus) , and the Trumpeter Swan (O. buccinator). 

 It is hardly necessary to say that their nearest allies 

 are the geese and the ducks, of which latter we have a 

 great many species. 



In these days we find gray squirrels not only through- 

 out the broad expanse of the "Zoo," but all over the city 

 of Washington. They are abundant in most of the 

 parks ; on the grounds of homes having sufficient area 

 to accommodate a tree or two, and still more plenty in 

 the near-at-hand timber of the suburbs. In Figure 4 

 we have a "Zoo" specimen 

 of this favorite species, and 

 throughout that domain 

 the animal has become 

 quite as tame as the ones 

 in the parks of the city. 

 In some parts of the Smith- 

 sonian grounds, you are 

 hardly seated on one of the 

 benches before two or 

 three little fellows will run 

 toward you and beg for 

 peanuts a food of which 

 they are very fond. Several 

 albinoes among them or 

 rather partial albinoes 

 are to be seen in that 

 locality, one in particular 

 being an especially hand- 

 some creature. There is 

 a black variety of this 

 squirrel, which is a very 

 handsome animal when in 

 full pelage. A few of these 

 are also to be seen in the 

 "Zoo" grounds, but more particularly on the fine estate 

 adjoining it along its western boundary. 



There are some wonderfully attractive scenes in this 

 National "Zoo" of ours at this season of the year, which 

 are never better appreciated than after a quiet fall of a 

 few inches of snow. Those who have availed them- 

 selves of the opportunity to visit the place at such a 

 time, will be sure to recognize the structures here shown 

 in Figures 5 and 6. The first indicated is that of the 

 'Coon Cabin, and the second is the Llama House. None 

 of the occupants were in sight at the time these pictures 

 were obtained, which is too bad, as it would, in either 

 case, have greatly enhanced the interest in the results. 

 It will be admitted, nevertheless, that as snow scenes, 

 where so many people find pleasure and instruction at 

 all times of the year even during snowy December days 



Fig. 4- 



-This old grey squirrel is a good poser, 

 of his winter's supply 



these cuts will surely appeal to a large constituency 

 of those who may be among that number. 



Racoons are animals that possess decided arboreal 

 habits ; and so, when the little cabin was built for them, 

 to which the reader's attention has been drawn, care 

 was taken to erect it close to a big tree (Fig. 5). And 

 so there are many who are, during certain seasons of 

 the year, familiar with the sight of several old 'coons 

 sunning themselves up among the branches of this tree, 

 some fifty feet or more above the ground. Racoons 

 are still to be found wild in certain parts of this great 

 zoo preserve, as are also weasels, mink, skunks, and 

 other small predacious mammals. It is also remarkable 

 how many different species of birds breed within the 

 limits of the Park even Night Heron, and such forms 

 as crows, blue jays, owls, mourning doves, and no end 

 of smaller birds. 



In Figure 7 we have an unusually fine example of 

 common commercial cotton in full seed, and it is 



quite fair to demand an 

 explanation of its appear- 

 ance in this our Christmas 

 Story for AMERICAN 

 FORESTRY. Yes, it is 

 surely wintry-looking in a 

 way, for it is pure white 

 and fluffy, but this is not al- 

 together the reason. Guess 

 again. Think of the de- 

 mand for bales upon bales 

 of cotton along about the 

 end of December, which is 

 greatly in excess of the 

 usual monthly market de- 

 mand for that staple pro- 

 duct. Of course this does 

 not refer to war times, 

 when immense savings are 

 being made along all lines, 

 and to which enforced 

 economy cotton forms no 

 exception. The answer is 

 not far to seek. A mo- 

 ment's reflection will bring 

 to mind the mass of cotton we use or rather did use 

 during the good, old Christmas times to trim the Christ- 

 mas trees with ; to decorate the homes and not a few 

 public places with and it would make a bale of no 

 mean dimensions were we to gather together all the 

 cotton that had been used to furnish beards for those 

 who had, throughout the land, played the part of Santa 

 Claus, to add to the joy of thousands of children from 

 one end of the country to the other. Such a custom is 

 not dead by any means ; and when the happy days of 

 peace come to us once more, and a tumble in cotton takes 

 place, as well as in a thousand and one other commodi- 

 ties, this custom of the good old days will be established 

 once more, with all the joyousness that was asso- 

 ciated with the time-honored holiday season of 

 antebellum days. 



he cracks the first nut 



