into the snow to let me pass. They reentered 

 the water before I was out of sight. 



A few days later I returned on snowshoes to 

 see how they were faring. Deep snow had not 

 seriously concerned them. They were in a snow- 

 less place near the river. During the storm 

 an accumulation of sludgy, floating snow had 

 formed a temporary dam in the stream, which 

 raised the water and flooded a near-by flat. 

 Presently the dam went out, and the water ran 

 off; but the water carried with it some of the 

 snow, and it had dissolved much of the remain- 

 der. In this cleared place the deer were feeding 

 and loitering. 



• Wild life easily stands an ordinary storm and 

 usually manages to survive even a deep, long- 

 lying snow. The ability of big game to endure 

 storms must in part be due to their acquaint- 

 ance with every opportunity afforded by the 

 restricted district in which they live. Big wild 

 folk do not range afar nor at random, nor do 

 they drift about like gypsies. Most animals 

 range in a small locality, — spend their lives 

 in a comparatively small territory. They are 



260 



