Hesperomys is the rather woodsy name of the 

 white-footed or deer-mouse, a shy, timid little 

 creature dwelling in every wood, who, notwith- 

 standing his abundance, is an utter stranger to 

 most of us. We are more familiar with his tracks, 

 however, than with even those of the squirrel 

 and rabbit. His is that tiny double trail gal- 

 loped across the snowy paths in the woods. We 

 see them sprinkled over the snow everywhere ; 

 but when have we seen the feet that left them ? 

 Here goes a line of the wee prints from a hole 

 in the snow near a stump over to the butt of 

 a large pine. Whitefoot has gone for provender 

 to one of his storehouses among the roots of the 

 pine; or l maybe a neighbor lives here, and he 

 has left his nest of bird-feathers in the stump 

 to make a friendly call after the storm. 



A bed of downy feathers at the heart of a 

 punky old stump beneath the snow would seem 

 as much of a snuggery as ever a mouse could 

 build 5 but it is not. Instead of a dark, warm 

 chamber within a hollow stump, Whitefoot some- 

 times goes to the opposite extreme, and climbs 

 a leafless tree to an abandoned bird's nest, and 

 fits this up for his winter home. Down by Cubby 

 [58] 



