Wild Creatures in Winter 4

CHAPTER 13 

THIS is just the day I have been waiting for," said Trapper Jim, as he looked out of his cabin window and saw the Merry Little Snowflakes dancing down. "I'll just take some traps and go out and set them."

You see, Trapper Jim thought he could track the Furbearers while there was Fleecy Snow on the ground, and then he could find their Hidden Dens. Later he could set traps there and catch them.

So after Trapper Jim had eaten his breakfast, he put on his warmest cap and coat and mittens and started out with a bunch of traps over his shoulder. Across the Broad Fields he tramped, looking here and there for Crooked Little Trails that the Furbearers had made.

Trapper Jim saw many, many tracks that Jack the jumper and his friends had made. And once he saw where Ranger the Coyote had been chasing Jack through the Fleecy Snow.

Ranger liked to hunt Jack the jumper while the Fleecy Snow was soft and deep, because then Jack could not run so fast. But Ranger could run swiftly through the deep Fleecy Snow because his legs were longer and stronger.

"Ranger was certainly making Jack run," said Trapper Jim, when he saw their tracks in the Fleecy Snow; "just see how far Jack jumped each time."

After a while Trapper Jim saw a Crooked Little Trail. "It looks as if Snoop the Weasel has been along here," he said. "I believe that I will follow his Crooked Little Trail and see if I can find his Friendly Burrow. He must be wearing his winter coat now."

Trapper Jim never set his traps except in Wintry Weather, because that was the only time when fur was good. When the Cold-Cold Days came, the Furbearers put on heavy coats so they would be warm. That was the time when Trapper Jim said their fur was "prime." Trapper Jim knew that he could not sell Snoop's fur unless it was white, because it was not prime when it was brown. And that was what he meant when he said Snoop must be wearing his winter coat.

Trapper Jim followed Snoop's Crooked Little Trail through the Fleecy Snow. Sometimes he saw where Snoop had dived under the Fleecy Snow out of sight and walked along for a way. Perhaps that was when Snoop was hiding from an Enemy; or he may have been sniffing along to see if he could smell Barney the Shrew. Barney liked to make Secret Little Tunnels under the Fleecy Snow so he could run around without being seen.

At last Trapper Jim came to the end of Snoop's Crooked Little Trail, and there it went down into his Friendly Burrow.

"I have found where Snoop is living, and now I will set a trap for him," said Trapper Jim. "Tomorrow I will surely have him when I come back."

So Trapper Jim set a trap right in front of Snoop's Friendly Burrow, where he would be sure to step into it when he came out, and covered it with some Fleecy Snow. Then he put a piece of Tempting Bait on the end of a stick and stuck it up by the trap. He thought Snoop would jump up after the Tempting Bait and would come down into the trap. And then Trapper Jim went on looking for more Crooked Little Trails to follow.

Now it happened that there was another one looking for Crooked Little Trails, and that was Reddy Fox. Reddy was trying to find Bunny Tracks leading to a Cozy Form. He thought that he could sneak up in the Fleecy Snow and pounce upon a Sleeping Bunny.

Reddy had been over in the Black Forest looking for Drummer the Grouse; but when he did find Drummer, he was sitting on a High Limb where Reddy could not catch him. Reddy Fox could not climb trees that were standing up straight, but his cousin Mr. Gray Fox could.

That was the way it was with the bears. Growler the Black Bear could climb trees, but his fierce cousin Growler the Grizzly Bear could not.

Reddy Fox had decided to leave the Black Forest and look for the Crooked Little Trails of Bunnies.

Suddenly, while Reddy was walking along, he came to Trapper Jim's tracks. "Aha, I see that Trapper Jim is out with his traps again, said Reddy Fox, "for he is following Snoop the Weasel's Crooked Little Trail. I'll just follow Trapper Jim's trail and see if I can steal some Tempting Bait."

You see, Reddy Fox knew that every winter Trapper Jim set traps for the Furbearers. He had set traps many times for Reddy Fox himself, but Reddy had been too smart to walk into them. He had a very keen nose, and the Playful Air Whiffs always told him where Trapper Jim's traps were.

Reddy Fox knew that Trapper Jim usually put some Tempting Bait on a stick when he set a trap, for Reddy had followed his tracks many times, and had stolen it. And that was just what he planned to do again.

Sure enough, after Reddy had followed Trapper Jim's tracks a way, he saw a Tempting Bait where Jim had set a trap for Snoop the Weasel. The Tempting Bait was a chicken's head.

"Now I wonder if Trapper Jim thinks that anyone is so stupid as to believe that a chicken's head grows on a stick," said Reddy Fox. "That was just like putting up a sign that said, `Here is a trap; be careful.' "

Reddy Fox sniffed around in the Fleecy Snow until he found where Trapper Jim had set his trap. "I believe I will just play a joke on Trapper Jim," said Reddy.

Very carefully he dragged the trap out of the Fleecy Snow and turned it upside down. "My, but won't Trapper Jim be angry when he sees that!" said Reddy. Then he grabbed the chicken head and ran away.

That was once when Reddy Fox did a friendly turn for Snoop the Weasel.

"I WONDER if the Feathered Friends are not getting hungry," said Bud Smith one day after school; "I don't see where they can find anything to eat."

It was almost two weeks after the first Fleecy Snow had fallen, and the ground was still covered with a Soft White Blanket.

"Let us take some food to them," suggested Mary.

"But we have no place to put it," said Bud. "They can't find it if we just throw it in the Fleecy Snow."

"That is right," said Mary, "but maybe we could clean away the Fleecy Snow first."

"I know what we can do," said Bud; "let us build a regular Feeding Place."

"Oh, won't that be fine! " said Mary. "Then we can watch the Feathered Friends when they are at lunch sometimes."

"You run and get the snow shovel, and I will get the other things together," said Bud, and away he ran toward the Workshop.

In a little while Bud and Mary were all ready to start. Bud had a hammer and a saw and a can of nails, and he had picked out an armful of boards and sticks from the pile in the Workshop.

"Where shall we build it?" asked Mary.

"Let's build it in the Apple Orchard by the Hedgerow," said Bud. "The Hedgerow and the Apple Trees will help to protect it, and it will be near enough for us to go there often with Favorite Food for the Feathered Friends, but not so close as to frighten them away."

"I think that is a fine place," agreed Mary, "and it will be handy for Bobby White and his family, who make their home in the Hedgerow."

First Bud shoveled the Fleecy Snow away from the spot where the Feeding Place was to be, built, and then he and Mary carried the tools and boards there and laid them on the ground.

"I guess I will make Bobby White's Feeding Place first," said Bud. "We will use these four sticks for corners, and brace them up with these strips. Then we will lay a few poles from the Woodshed across the top, and after that I will carry out some armfuls of Seedy Millet and cover it over. That will keep the Fleecy Snow from falling on the ground again, and we can throw Bobby's feed under there. I know he will feel safer while he is eating if he has something over him to hide him from Flying Enemies. And the Feathered Friends can eat the Seedy Millet."

By the time Bobby White's Feeding Place was finished, it was too dark to do any more work that day, and so Bud and Mary scattered some of Old Cluck's Mixed Grains and an armful of Seedy Millet under the shelter, and left.

That evening, on the Kitchen Table, Bud made a box. It was covered over the top, but one end was open. Sticking out from the front side at the bottom was a thin, wide board like the tail of a windmill. In the bottom of the box was a small bolt on which the box could turn. When the Playful Air

Whiffs blew against the thin, wide board, they would turn the box around with the open end away so they would not blow Fleecy Snow into it.

When Bud and Mary came home from school the next afternoon, they hurried out to the Feeding Place to fasten up the box.

"Oh, see there! " exclaimed Mary, when they were in sight of the Feeding Place. "That looks like Ringneck the Pheasant."

"And so it is," said Bud; "and there is Hungarian the Partridge also."

"It looks as if Bobby White will have lots of company at his Feeding Place," said Mary.

In a little while Bud had the box fastened on a stick that was nailed to one corner of the Feeding Place. "Now what shall we put into it?" Mary asked.

"Well, let's see," said Bud. "We can crush some dry bread for one thing; and we can grind some Tempting Nut Meats and mix with it. Then I can put in some Seedy Millet, and I can find plenty of Weed Seeds in the Granary where Father cleaned his seed grain."

"Tap-tap-tap-tap," went some one on an Apple Tree; "tap-tap-tap-tap."

"Oh, there is Redhead the Woodpecker ! and we haven't given him anything to eat yet. He is trying to tell us he is here."

"We must get a chunk of suet and nail it to a tree for Redhead and Downy and Judge Flicker and Whitebreast the Nuthatch and the others that do not eat seeds," said Bud. "I'll ask Father to get some the first time he is in town. Of course, it is easier for those Feathered Friends to find something to eat than it is for the ones that eat seeds and grains, for the Tree Grubs are not covered with Fleecy Snow."

That evening Mrs. Smith helped Bud and Mary fix a Breakfast Nook for Redhead the Woodpecker and his friends. First she chopped up some meat scraps very fine. Then she melted some tallow and put the meat scraps into it.

"Now run to the Woodshed and bring a large piece of Rough Bark," said Mrs. Smith.

When Bud returned with the Rough Bark, Mrs. Smith poured the melted tallow and meat scraps into the deep cracks. Soon the tallow was hard again, and then all Bud had to do was to fasten the piece of Rough Bark some place where the Woodpeckers would see it.

"I hope Redhead and his friends like their Breakfast Nook," said Mrs. Smith.

The next day Bud nailed the Breakfast Nook to a tree near the Feeding Place.

"I think we should give the Feathered Friends some warm water each morning," he said.

So Bud placed a crock in a box of oats so the water would not freeze so quickly, and set it on the ground in front of the Feeding Place, where Bobby White could use it as well as the others.

"I believe I will tie some bundles of Seedy Millet and Cane Tops along on the Hedgerow for good measure," said Bud; "and then there will be room for all the Feathered Friends."

NOISY the English Sparrow was the worst nuisance on the Old Homestead. He was not satisfied to fuss and chatter and scold with other Sparrows, but he was always worrying and bullying the other Feathered Friends. Although Noisy had a perfectly good Nesting Place on a beam under the roof of the Rambling Old Barn in summer, he was never contented to stay at home and mind his own business. He was a regular busybody.

He spent so much time meddling in the affairs of other Feathered Friends that frequently his own babies cried because they were hungry. He actually neglected to feed them sometimes when he was interested in picking a fuss with his neighbors. He made a nuisance of himself.

Of course, Noisy the English Sparrow was not wholly to blame. You see, years ago some of his family were brought to America from England. People thought he would work as any good citizen should to rid the country of Troublesome Insects. But instead of doing that he became a pest. He found so many other things to eat that he paid little attention to eating insects.

Even though Noisy was not to blame for being in America, it does seem as if he could have lived like a gentleman; but, instead, he preferred to make life miserable for every one around him, and he disgraced the whole Sparrow family.

When Noisy had nothing else to do, he would call all his friends together, and they would start out on a flight around the Old Homestead. They would stop here and there long enough to fuss with anyone that might live wherever they stopped. In the Balmy Summer Days they would flock to the Big Elm in the front yard by the Grand Old House and annoy Weaver the Oriole, who had his nest there. Then they would fly down to the Red Cedar and scold Robin Red and the Bluebirds. From there they would go to the eaves of the Grand Old House to see what Jenny Wren was doing. Jenny Wren could scold about as loudly as the Sparrows, and, what is more, if they became too fierce, she could enter her home through the knot hole under the eaves, and leave them to fuss among themselves. Jenny's home was one place that Noisy the English Sparrow had never been able to enter.

One Cold-Cold Day in winter Noisy and his friends were holding a meeting on the hayrack that was standing near the Rambling Old Barn. As usual they were trying their best to see which could make the most noise. They were all chattering at once. Noisy was not at all polite, for he never kept still when others were speaking. Instead of waiting, he chattered the louder.

Suddenly a bluish-gray bird about the size of Robin Red dived into their midst; and before they could collect their scattered wits, he had killed one of Noisy's friends. It was Butcher the Shrike who had paid them a visit.

Butcher the Shrike lived in the Far Northland. He never visited the Old Homestead except during Wintry Weather when he could not find food in his frozen country.

Butcher the Shrike had a very cruel habit. Sometimes when he caught more mice and other things than he could eat, he would find a Sharp Thorn or a Barbed Fence, and there he would hang them until he was hungry again. Butcher really preferred mice; but he liked sparrow too.

Butcher the Shrike was a queer bird. He had a powerful head and a hooked beak like Dart the Sparrow Hawk's, but he did not wear long, curved, needlelike claws like Dart's. His feet were more like Robin Red's or any other bird's that sits on a perch.

When Butcher the Shrike dropped down in the midst of Noisy and his friends, away they flew to find some other place where they could fuss. It happened that they went to the Apple Orchard, and, of course, the first thing they saw was the Feeding Place that Bud and Mary had built for their Feathered Friends.

"Oh, let's take possession of the Feeding Place," said Noisy, and soon they were sitting all around on it, chattering and scolding and making a big noise.

In a little while Tattler the Jay came along and added his coarse voice to the noise. Some of the other Feathered Friends refused to leave just because Noisy and his friends came, and in no time there was a neighborhood fight going on.

"Just listen to that noise out in the Apple Orchard," said Hunting Cat to himself; "I guess I will go and see what is the matter. Perhaps while the Feathered Friends are fighting among themselves, I can pounce upon one."

Noisy should have had more sense than to make such a racket. He should have known that it would tell all the Enemies where the Feeding Place was.

So there was Hunting Cat sneaking out along the Hedgerow, while Noisy and his friends fussed with the other Feathered Friends to see who would have the Feeding Place. It was a wonder that Noisy could not have eaten peaceably as the other Feathered Friends did. Bobby White was quite disgusted, and he and his family left.

Now almost the first Feathered Friend that Hunting Cat saw was Cardinal the Grosbeak. Of course, he would see him first, because he was so conspicuous in his scarlet coat on the Fleecy Snow. Hunting Cat sneaked along the Hedgerow, and all the while there was that neighborhood fight going on.

"I'm quite sure I can catch Cardinal the Grosbeak while he is sitting on the ground," said Hunting Cat to himself. "Yes, sir, I'm sure I can."

It was a good thing for Hunting Cat that Bud Smith did not see him sneaking over to the Feeding Place to catch Feathered Friends.

HUNTING CAT was just like almost every one else; he was nice in some ways, but in other ways he was bad. He helped to keep Whiskers the Mouse and his many friends from destroying Farmer Smith's grain and from chewing holes in things that they should not. And Hunting Cat helped to keep Mr. Barn Rat from stealing Old Cluck's Chicklets and eggs. But there was one thing about Hunting Cat that no one liked,-that was his habit of catching the Feathered Friends.

Of course, Hunting Cat was no worse than Terror the Hunter when it came to killing Feathered Friends. Terror would take his Flashing Gun and tramp across the Broad Fields and over the Green Meadows and along Singing Rivers and by Quiet Lakes in search of Feathered Friends and Furry Friends. He would have killed almost everything, even down to the very last one, if Friendly Folk had not made laws to stop him.

So Hunting Cat really was no worse than Terror the Hunter, because Terror should have known better. Bud Smith had tried to teach Hunting Cat not to kill the Feathered Friends. But Hunting Cat was just like all other cats, he would not be taught anything. He always had plenty of good food to eat, but still he would hunt Feathered Friends.

One time during the Balmy Summer Days Bud had seen Hunting Cat sneaking on Burlingame the Lark. No doubt Hunting Cat would have caught Burlingame if Bud had not thrown a rock and frightened him away, for, for some reason or other, Burlingame liked to spend most of his time on the ground. That was just where Hunting Cat could catch him.

Then Bud thought of a scheme to protect the Feathered Friends against Hunting Cat. He bought a Tinkly Little Bell and put it on a collar, and made Hunting Cat wear it on his neck. Every time Hunting Cat would try to sneak on a Feathered Friend the Tinkly Little Bell would say, "Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle; here comes Hunting Cat. Beware, beware!"

Then the Feathered Friends would fly away. But when Hunting Cat was sitting quietly waiting for Mr. Barn Rat to come out of his Dark Hole, the Tinkly Little Bell was quiet also, and did not give a warning. So it did not stop Hunting Cat from doing good, but it helped to stop him from doing harm.

When the Wintry Weather came and Hunting Cat stayed around the Grand Old House and the Rambling Old Barn most of the time, Bud decided that he did not need to wear his Tinkly Little Bell. So Bud had taken it off until Jolly Spring brought the Feathered Friends back from the Sunny Southland again. That was why Hunting Cat was not wearing his Tinkly Little Bell when he started for the Feeding Place by the Hedgerow.

Slowly Hunting Cat sneaked along the Hedgerow toward the Feeding Place. The Hedgerow made just the best kind of hiding place for him.

In a little while he was near enough so that he could almost spring on Cardinal the Grosbeak. A few more steps and he would be near enough. Hunting Cat had not the least idea that anyone saw him.

Now it happened that there was on the Old Homestead just then a visitor who seldom came there. His home was in the Chilly Northland, and he only came to the Old Homestead in the middle of the Wintry Weather, when his Favorite Food was scarce in his own land. His name was Blue Darter the Goshawk.

Blue Darter was a fierce murderer; and whenever he visited the Old Homestead in the dead of winter, all the Little Wild Creatures quaked with fear. Why, Blue Darter would as soon go right into the Chicken House and kill Old Cluck as not, if he had a chance; and he didn't care if Mr. Smith was watching, either.

But Blue Darter was especially fond of grouse and rabbit and ptarmigan.

Whitetail the Ptarmigan belonged to the same family as Drummer the Grouse, and he lived among the High Mountain Peaks. During the Balmy Summer Days he wore a brown and black and white coat; but when Old Man Winter came, he put on a white coat just as Snoop the Weasel and Snowshoe the Hare did. Then it was harder for Blue Darter the Goshawk to see him when he was sitting on the Fleecy Snow.

Sometimes when Blue Darter grew tired of looking for Whitetail the Ptarmigan, he would come to the Old Homestead in search of Snowshoe the Hare and Molly Cottontail and Drummer the Grouse. And that was what he was doing when he saw Hunting Cat sneaking along the Hedgerow after Cardinal the Grosbeak.

Now it may have been that Blue Darter thought Hunting Cat was Molly or Peter Cottontail. And then again he may have known it was not. He may have been very hungry. But whatever it was that caused him to do it, it was very unusual for him to think of catching Hunting Cat.

There was Hunting Cat sitting in the Hedgerow all ready to pounce upon Cardinal the Grosbeak, when down swooped Blue Darter and grabbed for him. It was a wonder that Blue Darter did not carry Hunting Cat away, for it was seldom indeed that he ever missed his prey. But Hunting Cat was very quick. He was much quicker than Molly would have been. Molly would probably have just sat there and let Blue Darter grab her, because she would have been so frightened. If that was what Blue Darter expected Hunting Cat to do, he was very much mistaken.

Into the Hedgerow jumped Hunting Cat so quickly that all Blue Darter did was to tear a big gash in Hunting Cat's coat with his sharp claws.

"Now how do you suppose Hunting Cat got hurt?" said Bud that night, when he noticed the big gash. But Hunting Cat never would have told even if he could have talked, for he knew he should not have been trying to catch the Feathered Friends. That was a fair warning for him to stay away from the Feeding Place.

" OW-OOOOOO," howled Shaggy the Wolf one crisp, wintry evening; "I am very hungry."

"Yow-oooooo," answered a friend from over in a Blue Spruce Thicket; "I am hungry too."

"Let's go a-hunting," howled Shaggy. "We will go out on the Broad Prairie and chase Jack the Jumper."

Shaggy had been hidden all day in a Wild Plum Thicket in the Black Forest. He was cold and hungry, and he wanted to run around awhile and get warm. For many days the Fleecy Snow had covered the ground, and Shaggy had had a hard time to find anything to eat.

"Yow-oooooo," he howled; "hurry up; I am almost starved."

In a little while Shaggy's friend sneaked out of his Blue Spruce Thicket and came loping across the Fleecy Snow to the place where Shaggy was waiting. Overhead the Smiling Moon was shining brightly, and the Black Tree Tops were making Long Shadows on the Fleecy Snow. It was just the kind of night that Prowler liked.

"Hoe-hoe-hoe," said Great Horn the Owl, as he awoke after sleeping all day; "I hear Shaggy the Wolf and his friend. They must be going a-hunting."

Over on his Rocky Ledge Sneak the Cougar screamed fiercely, and in the Willow Thicket by Paddletail the Beaver's Wildwood Pond Shadow the Lynx sneaked noiselessly along searching for Snowshoe the Hare. Paddletail the Beaver and Danny Muskrat were both feasting safely on their Favorite Foods under the Glassy Ice. And Growler the Bear had been sound asleep in his Warm Dark Cave for many, many days. A Wintry Night was a weird time in the Black Forest.

Down through the Wildwood Lanes ran Shaggy the Wolf and his friend. Shaggy usually liked to have company when he went a-hunting, for then it was easier for him to catch something. Many times while his friend was running along behind, he had cut across and caught their prey. They had hunted together many times, and each one knew his part well. Two often had better success.

Out on the Broad Prairie, Jack the jumper was nibbling Fragrant Sagebrush in the Bright Moonlight. Only the night before he had had a race with Ranger the Coyote. And several times he had seen Reddy Fox sneaking along through the Rabbit Bushes. And so Jack the Jumper was watching. He did not dare to be off guard for an instant.

Then Jack thought he saw a Shadowy Form running along over the Broad Prairie. Sure enough, in a moment it came closer, and right behind it was another.

"That must be Shaggy the Wolf and his friend, for he is larger than Ranger the Coyote," said Jack the Jumper. "They must be following my Crooked Little Trail. I believe it is time for me to run away from here before they see me."

But Jack the Jumper had not started soon enough. Almost as soon as he had made his first long jump Shaggy's sharp eyes had seen him.

"Yow-oooooo, there goes Jack the Jumper," he howled to Prowler. And then you should have seen how fast they ran after poor Jack. And how they did howl! It was enough to make Jack's heart stop beating.

Whatever else Shaggy the Wolf may have been, he was no fool. He knew that in a fair race it would be doubtful if he could catch Jack. But Shaggy thought he could run faster in the Fleecy Snow than Jack could; at least he thought he saw a chance to cut across turns and catch Jack while his friend was chasing him.

Sometimes Shaggy had another trick that he used when he was hunting with his friend. He knew that Jack the Jumper and his friends did not do much turning when they ran unless something was in their way. They would simply start out across the Broad Prairie, and how they would fly. They just leaped through the air.

And so, instead of both Shaggy and his friend running after them, they would sometimes take turns at it. First one would run awhile, and then, while he was resting, the other one would run. In that way they could tire out Jack's friends and catch them. That was what they planned to do with Jack if they could not get him cornered in the Deep Fleecy Snow.

But Jack the Jumper had some clever tricks of his own that Shaggy the Wolf was to learn before the night was over.

Out on the Broad Prairie the Playful Air Whiffs played many tricks. One of them was to look for the Bare Ridges and then blow all the Fleecy Snow off Yes, sir, they would pick up the Fleecy Snow from the Bare Ridges and carry it to the Low Gullies. There they would make it into Deep Snowdrifts.

Now Jack the Jumper always went to the Bare Ridges to find something to eat where the Fleecy Snow did not cover his Favorite Food. And then, you see, he knew that if an Enemy came, he could run very fast where there was no Fleecy Snow. That was where Jack was sitting when Shaggy and his friend spied him.

Along that Bare Ridge raced Jack almost as if he had wings. And right behind him came Shaggy and his friend as fast as they could, with their Red Tongues hanging out and their White Fangs showing. In anticipation they tasted the feast they were sure they would have before long.

At last Jack the Jumper was almost to the end of the Bare Ridge. "Yow-oooooo," howled Shaggy, "let's hurry, and we will catch Jack now. We are almost upon him."

But Jack the Jumper had another trick that he had not yet played on Shaggy and his friend. Right where the Bare Ridge ended was where a Low Gully started. And in the Low Gully was a Deep Snowdrift. On the top of the Deep Snowdrift was a Hard Little Crust. Jack knew it was strong enough to hold him, for he had run across it many times. And so he jumped out on it and skimmed along as fast as if it were a race track.

But, oh, dear, you should have seen Shaggy and his friend when they tried to run along on the Hard Little Crust! Into the Deep Snowdrift they went clear up to their eyes. And the harder they tried to get out, the deeper they sank. What a time they had!

By the time they were out of it, Jack the Jumper was out of sight over the next Bare Ridge, and Shaggy and his friend sat down to howl their disappointment.

"Yow-oooooo," howled Shaggy, and "Yow-ooooo," howled his friend. They were both very hungry.

Dynamic Drive.