The ground squirrel does not care for trees. His food is in the grainfields, and to get a safe home he burrows in the ground. Like the gophers and prairie-dogs, a number of ground squirrels form a colony and live in a little village together. In places their holes are so thick that it is dangerous to ride over the ground on horseback. How straight they sit up in front of their holes! holes! When alarmed they drop out of sight with a quick whistle. Have you ever seen a wildcat? This animal is much larger than the house cat. It has a yellowish color and short tail. Perhaps you have seen little kittens spit and scratch. Before they have been handled much they act as the wild kittens do. The wildcat cannot run like the coyote, but it will fight more for its protection. It is fond of rabbits and chickens too. There are many animals that have been hunted so much they are seldom seen. Among these is the bear. We find it now only in the wildest places where few people go. In the fall we may see them around the berry patches. The bears love blackberries and huckleberries as well as manzanita berries and hazel nuts. The bear sleeps through the winter. In the spring he comes out of his den very thin and hungry. How beautiful and graceful the deer are! They have good noses and slender legs. By these means they protect themselves from the most of the other animals except man. Do you not think it is wrong to kill the deer for sport? They enjoy life as well as we do. They will soon be gone if we do not stop hunting them. QUESTIONS. How do animals differ from plants? Mention some plant eating animals. What animals eat meat? What kind of teeth has the dog? What are his claws for? Do you know any animals that eat both animal and plant food? Do you know any plants that live plants? any plants that live upon the juices of other Can you imagine why the mole lives in the ground? What animals love grain? What ones eat nuts? What ones have slender legs for running away from their enemies? What kinds of food do bears like best? Why is it that so many wild animals have disappeared? How shall we protect the animals? Do you not think the woods would be lonesome without any of the wild animals or birds? HOMES OF THE ANIMALS. Every animal lives where it can get the kid of food that it likes. Some animals stay near the same place the whole of their lives. They either store up food for the winter, or go to sleep in some protected place, and never wake until spring. Other animals never have a home. home. They wander here and there in search of food. When winter comes they seek a warmer climate; in spring they return toward their summer feeding grounds. Among the animals that never have permanent homes are the wild horses. They wander in bands wherever there is grass and water; in winter they dig the snow away with their feet, and in this way The little colts do not need a shelter. They can run and play when they are only two or three days old. Their mother is strong and watchful and can protect them from the coyotes and mountain lions. The squirrel has a snug home in a hollow tree. In this he stores a supply of nuts for the winter. The little squirrels need protection and they are safe within the tree. If the supply of nuts is short they go to sleep until spring. You have all seen the cozy nest of the mouse. The young mice are blind and helpless. They could not live without the protection of the soft nest so cunningly hidden away. Kittens and puppies also need a snug home for many days. Some of the homes are so strange! The wood rat gathers a great pile of twigs under which his nest is made. The trap door spider lives in a little tube in the ground. The tube is about six inches long and has a trap door at the upper end. The door is strong and hinged, so that when the spider goes home it will shut out the rain, and protect him from his enemies. The ants build homes underground. They |