Where Town and Country Meet 



mouse's fur. Thus does nature trebly swad- 

 dle the young life which is the hope of the 

 future. 



Turning now to the animal creation, note 

 how nature doubles the coats of her chil- 

 dren as winter draws near. The fur-bearers, 

 in addition to the longer hairs of their jack- 

 ets, produce a new and shorter and softer 

 growth of hair lying close to the skin a 

 sort of undershirt, re-enforcing their heavier 

 outer garment. With many of them, also, 

 the color of the fur changes from brown or 

 red to white, to correspond with the snow, 

 and render them less conspicuous objects of 

 prey. White, also, is a poorer conductor 

 and dissipater of bodily heat than darker 

 colors. Birds receive an inner coat of down 

 on the approach of winter, and other 

 changes take place in such of them as never 

 migrate. The ruffed grouse, for instance, 

 undergoes a broadening and indenting of 

 the toes, by which it is enabled to walk on 

 the snowdrifts and dig away the snow in 

 search of food. 



An almost unlimited number of curious 

 and interesting adaptations of this sort 

 might be cited, to show how carefully and 

 184 



