I 



60 



RECREATION. 



out in the spring as fat as when they 

 enter their dens in the fall. It is totally 

 contrary to the laws of nature, and I be- 

 lieve it can not be true. It is true, how- 

 ever, that when woodchucks and bears 

 come out in the spring, thev still retain a 

 considerable amount of fat under their 

 skins, which might easily lead a super- 

 ficial observer to believe they are in the 

 same condition as in the fall. 



I have never tried rough on rats for 

 sparrows, but am of the opinion that wheat 

 poisoned by soaking it in arsenic water 

 would be a much better means by which 

 to get rid of them.— Editor. 



WHAT IS IT? 



We have a little animal in this region, 

 both on the prairies and in the forest, of 

 the following description, as nearly as I 

 can give it: Hardly so large as the com- 

 mon house mouse, with shorter legs and 

 tail ; no eyes or ears visible ; an elongated 

 nose, similar to that of the common garden 

 mole; fur not so fine as the mole's, but 

 dark like that of the meadow mouse. 



These animals are not plentiful I have 

 seen but 3 or 4 specimens in my life. One 

 of these, from his peculiar trail in a slight 

 snow that had previously fallen, I followed 

 to his burrow under a small tussock. I 

 unearthed him, took an inventory, and 

 turned him loose. His tracks and trail in 

 the snow resembled the lines representing 

 railroads, as printed in school maps. The 

 footprints were not more than % of an 

 inch apart. I should like to hear from 

 someone who can name and place the lit- 

 tle fellow. 



Daniel Arrowsmith, Ellsworth, 111. 



A* SWER 



There is little doubt the animal you de- 

 scribe is a shrew, belonging to one of the 

 2 genera, Sorex or Blarina. From the 

 description it might be either. If you will 

 send me the skull of one, I will gladly 

 identify it for you. — Editor. 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 



In what manner do rattlesnakes repro- 

 duce themselves? I had always supposed 

 they laid eggs, but am told positively by 

 an old-timer that this is not so. They are 

 extremely plentiful here, but of small size, 

 averaging not over 3 feet. I have seen 

 them mating in August, but am not in a 

 position to positively refute the O.-T.'s 

 statement. Natural history notes are the 

 most interesting part of your magazine to 

 me. •"■ 



Dan. W. Slayton, Folsome, Mont. 



ANSWER. 



The young of the rattlesnake, as well as 



those of all the venomous snakes of this 

 country, with the exception of a diminu- 

 tive species of the South, are born alive, 

 generally to the number of 7 or 9. Most \ 

 of the harmless snakes lay eggs. There 

 are exceptions, however, as in the case of 

 our garter and water snakes. 



With all snakes of temperate regions, 

 mating takes place in the spring. The 

 young from the venomous snakes appear in 

 August, or early in September. During 

 the summer months the female snake may 

 be seen sunning, with flattened body, in 

 order to hasten the progress of her young. 

 They are provided with fangs, and fully 

 able to shift for themselves immediately 

 after birth. 



Will Belgian hares, such as are raised 

 in Southern California, live through the 

 winter here in Northern Michigan, where 

 the thermometer often stands 21 below 

 zero at 6 o'clock in the morning? 



George Petrie, Petoskey, Mich. 



ANSWER. 



I see no reason why Belgian hares would 

 not stand as cold a climate as cottontails 

 do. In such cold weather the cottontail 

 usually hides in a sink hole, brush pile, 

 hollow tree or anything he can get into out 

 of the storm. If the Belgian would act 

 the same under similar conditions he 

 would survive the coldest climates. Neither 

 of the above hares can stand so much ex- 

 posure as the Western jack rabbit, for the 

 reason that the jack rabbit has much 

 heavier fur, which goes far to resist the 

 cold. Warmer climate is natural for a 

 greater production of animal life, and I 

 presume that is the reason California has 

 been so successful in multiplying animals 

 of this character. — Editor. 



Will you kindly tell me if stoats, or er- 

 mine, are common in this country, and if 

 they have any commercial value? I have 

 just trapped a small animal of the weasel 

 family, and according to natural history 

 it is a stoat. It is about 12 inches long 

 and is a beautiful creamy white. The end 

 of its tail is black and bushy. 



Philip Kelsey, Comstock, N. Y. 



ANSWER. 



The animal you describe is simply the 

 weasel in his winter coat. They nearly all 

 turn white in winter. This animal is rare 

 in this State, or anywhere in the East, yet 

 the skins have practically no commercial 

 value in this market. The weasel in the 

 white coat is called, in the fur trade, er- 

 mine. The principal supply comes from 

 Siberia, where they are collected in lots 

 of 10,000 to 100,000, and the price of se- 

 lected raw skins in such lots is about 35 

 cents each, landed here. — Editor, 



