398 STRANGE DWELLINGS. 



The Elk is not the only animal that makes these curious 

 fortifications, for a herd of Wapiti deer will frequently unite in 

 forming a common home. 



One of these ' yards ' has been known to measure between 

 four or five miles in diameter, and to be a perfect network of 

 paths sunk in the snow. So deep indeed is the snow when 

 untrodden, that when the deer traverse the paths, their backs 

 cannot be seen above the level of the white surface. Although 

 of such giant size, the * yard ' is not by any means a conspicuous 

 object, and at a distance of a quarter of a mile or so, a novice 

 may look directly at the spot without perceiving the numerous 

 paths. This curious fact can easily be understood by those 

 of my readers who have visited one of our modern fortifications, 

 and have seen the slopes of turf apparently unbroken, although 

 filled with deep trenches. 



There are many other animals which form temporary habi- 

 tations in which they can remain concealed, because they are 

 taught by instinct how to make their domicile harmonise with 

 the surrounding objects. 



One very familiar instance may be found in the common 

 Hare, whose * form ' is large enough to shelter the owner, and 

 yet is so inconspicuous that the animal often lies undiscovered, 

 though a human being has passed within a couple of paces of 

 its home. The Hare is never at . a loss for a home, and will 

 often hide itself very effectually in a tuft of grass that seems 

 scarcely large enough to conceal a rat. But it is by no means 

 insensible of the value of a denser cover, and seems to have a 

 peculiar affection for a thick, though small, clump of furze. 



Within a mile or two of my house there is a heath which is 

 partly studded with furze bushes, and which is a very paradise 

 for various field animals. The field mice have covered it with 

 their ' runs,' which are often so slightly below the surface, that 

 if the finger be inserted in the entrance it can be pushed along 

 the whole length of the burrow, the only cover being a slight 

 layer of still living moss. As to the Hares, a * form ' can be 

 found every few yards, and if a little thick stubbly furze-bush 



