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Sierra Club Bulletin. 



autumn colors of the birch. Then in November a spot of 

 yellow or scarlet appears in the open valley, and in a few 

 days great masses of color brighten the landscape on 

 every side. It is about this time that the mountain 

 streams begin to freeze, and some that are not protected 

 by vegetation are often at a complete standstill, remind- 

 ing one of the condition which occurs on a city street 

 when the power fails on a crowded car line. 



Then some day in December the sky turns gray and 

 night closes down at sunset, which at that time of the year 

 is half past three in the afternoon. Out in the open one 

 hears a murmuring and whispering from the mountains, 

 broken by muffled roaring. Softly and quietly the cloud 

 envelopes mountain and valley and soon through the dark- 

 ness great white flakes come sifting down. When daylight 

 returns the storm may lift from the valley and give the 

 "old timers" a chance to gather and affirm that this is the 

 biggest snow-storm since way back in the '6o's, but all 

 day, and perhaps longer, the mountains will be hid in 

 clouds. The unveiling reveals a wall of white marble, 

 magnificently sculptured, standing bold agamst the sky, 

 with possibly a shining banner streaming southward from 

 some high peak. 



After such a storm is the time to see the animal life of 

 the mesa and foothills. Beneath and within the stiff 

 desert shrubs are warm shelters which the snow cannot 

 fill, and here birds and rabbits hide and feed on the seeds 

 which the fall winds have deposited around each obstruc- 

 tion. As soon as the warm sunshine returns bobcats and 

 lynx are out on the soft snow hunting for a good meal, 

 and they have not far to go. First, a rabbit comes crawl- 

 ing out through the top of a bush, and before he has time 

 to shake the snow from his eyes he is pounced upon, and 

 nothing remains to tell the story but a little fur and 

 blood-stained snow. Then a flock of quail feel the 

 warmth and work out one by one, only to feed the hungry 

 cat who sits at the outlet of their shelter. Further up 

 on the foothills one can often see a herd of deer which 



