A CHRISTMAS WALK WITH BIRDS AND BEASTS 



BY A. A. ALLEN, PH. D. 



ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ORNITHOLOGY, CORNELL UNIVERSITY 



IT WAS Molly Cottontail that started us off. Her 

 clean-cut tracks across the yard and up the hill 

 toward the edge of the woods invited us to follow 

 and learn her story of the night before. There had been 

 a light fall of snow the previous day and the night had 

 been quiet with a bright moon inviting all of the wood 

 folk to come out for a frolic. Every action was recorded 

 by the tell-tale prints of their feet in the snow and all 



THE TRAIL OF MOLLY COTTONTAIL 



This record tells us that she was traveling slowly and stopped twice 

 to look around. 



previous records that ordinarily would have confused the 

 story had been erased. 



What a day for a tramp it was ; cold but quiet, and 

 the crisp air sent the blood coursing through our veins 

 and brought the color to our cheeks. Up the hill we 

 went following the route that Bunny had taken. She 

 had crossed the yard at a pretty good pace; we could 

 tell because her tracks were far apart and the prints 

 made by her front feet were far back of those made 

 by her hind feet. When a rabbit hops, its front feet 

 strike first, usually one in front of the other, but the 

 momentum of its body carries its hind feet further 

 forward than the front ones and they strike side by 

 side. Indeed this is true of all hopping animals whose 

 hind legs are longer than their front legs, and it is true 

 of other animals as well, when they gallop. With squir- 



rels and mice the front feet usually strike side by side 

 like the hind feet. When Bunny reached the hill her 

 pace slowed up and her tracks were much closer to- 

 gether. We could see where she had stopped for a 

 moment to look around for there were two little marks 

 of her front feet in front of those of her hind feet. She 

 did not rest, however, for there was no mark of her 

 body in the snow. She probably realized she was too 

 conspicuous in the moonlight against the glistening snow 

 to stop long, for on she went to the berry patch just over 

 the top of the hill. Here she delayed for some time nib- 

 bling the tender shoots. Several times she had hopped 

 away from the patch for several rods only to return 

 again. We thought she might still be hiding somewhere 

 in the thicket but when we counted the number of tracks 

 going in and coming out there were as many leaving as 

 entering, so we knew she must have gone on. A wider 

 circle about the patch showed us a clean cut trail leading 

 toward a brush pile at some distance and there the 



WHERE BUNNY STOPPED TO LOOK AROUND 



The pair of circular marks in the center of the photograph were made 

 by the rabbits front feet when she stopped for a moment between 

 jumps. 



trail ended. Now for the fun. The first jump on the 

 brush pile gave no response but with the second, there 

 was a slight crackling of the sticks in the far corner 

 and, the same instant, a little ball of brown fur sur- 

 mounted by the sauciest, fluffiest white tail went bouncing 

 across the snow toward a not distant woodchuck hole. 

 Here Molly Cottontail had had occasion to take refuge 



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