UNDER THE MAPLES 



a powerful electric battery; or why the porcupine 

 has an armor of quills while his brother rodent the 

 woodchuck has only fur and hair, and so on — we 

 make no addition to our knowledge. 



But if we ask, for instance, how so timid and 

 defenseless an animal as the rabbit manages to sur- 

 vive and multiply, we extend our knowledge of 

 natural history. The rabbit prospers by reason of 

 its wakefulness — by never closing its eyes — and by 

 its speed; also by making its home where it can 

 command all approaches, and so flee in any direc- 

 tion. Or if we ask how our ruffed grouse survives 

 and prospers in a climate where its cousin the 

 quail perishes, we learn that it eats the buds of 

 certain trees, while the quail is a ground-feeder 

 and is often cut off by a deep fall of snow. 



If we ask why the chipmunk hibernates, we get 

 no answer; but if we ask how he does it, we find 

 out that he stores up food in his den, hence must 

 take a lunch between his naps. The woodchuck 

 hibernates, also, but he stores up fuel in the shape 

 of fat in his own body. The porcupine is above 

 ground and active all winter. He survives by ; 

 gnawing the bark of certain trees, probably the 

 hemlock. We have two species of native mice that , 

 look much alike, the white-footed mouse and the 

 jumping, or kangaroo, mouse. The white-foot is 

 active the season through, over and under the snow; 

 the jumper hibernates all winter, and apparently 



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