CHAPTER XII 
WINTER WAYS OF ANIMALS 
N THE way home one winter afternoon 
() I came upon a beaver colony a little 
below timberline. In the edge of the 
woods I stood for a time looking out on the 
white smooth pond. Lines of tracks crossed it 
from every point of the compass. Two camp 
birds alighted on a tree within a few feet and 
looked me over. I heard a flock of chickadees 
going through the woods. 
A lynx came out of the willow clumps on the 
opposite shore. He walked out on the snowy 
pond and headed straight for the house. He 
was in no hurry and stepped slowly along and 
climbed on top of the house. Here he sniffed a 
time or two, then raked the house with right 
forepaw. He sniffed again. Nothing in reach 
for him. 
Climbing down off the beaver house the lynx 
walked around it and started for the woods 
near me. Catching my scent he stopped, took 
a look, then went full speed into the Engel- 
mann spruce forest. Other lynx had visited 
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