39 ^ 
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 4 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 1 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 
