Is That So?
In the outdoors, death always
stalks the living but never
more mercilessly than in the
snow-covered lands during this
month of February.
Mainly it is starvation star
vation induced by the weather
which is biting cold, demanding
more food than ever to keep
warm; the depletion of stored
bodily fats; and the covering-up
by deep snow and ice of what
little natural foods may have
been available.
In the fall, deer were fat and
round. A heavy layer of tallow
was beneath their hides, per
haps two inches thick across
back and hips; the muscles of
the shoulders, neck, ribs and
belly were also covered; and
within every spare space in the
body cavity there was fat stored.
But now, in February because
the daily food is insufficient,
nearly the last ounce of these
fuel reserves will be burned. As
now deepens, they will gather
and "yard" in small herds of
five to twenty to seek protection
in numbers from wolf, coyote,
mountain lion, lynx, and. wild
cat, and they will be reduced
to nibbling bark and branches
of firs a starvation diet.
Snowshoe Rabbit
Thanks to his fantastically
wide paws, the snowshoe rabbit
has been using February's rising
snow pack as a stepladder to
reach high up on willows denied
him in summer and fall. But ev
en he may find these completely
covered and he is forced to nib
ble fir needles in which there is
little nourishment.
Below the deep snow, scamp
ering mice have left no square
foot unsearched, scurrying here
and there in search of seeds, ber
ries or any other edible thing.
As they dispute the possession
of what little food they find,
there is fighting, scuffling and
squeaking as the weakest one
goes under and falls prey to his
companions. But even with mice,
hungers are not assuaged long.
Then should a hungry survivor
venture above to the surface of
the white snow, his dark body
will be clearly outlined to the
sharp-eyed hawk, the prowling
Look
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By EUGENE BURNS
Ranger-Naturalist
wildcat or coyote. Those that
huddle below fall prey to tun
nel-running weasel and shrew
the latter, a " voracious ' feeder,
has such a high metabolism that
he must eat his own weight each
day or die. But should the un-
dernourished mouse escape
these, then he may succumb to
disease. Of the thousand that
lived through December, per
haps ten will remain through
March.
Like the shrew, most birds
such as the chickadee have tre
mendous appetites' and they too
must eat prodigious amounts of
food or die. But with snow cov
ering seeds and ice coating buds,
what is the chicadee to eat?
Hence, should you find his re
mains in the snow, quite likely
he died of an empty stomach.
Coyote Howl
But the frozen body of the
chickadee will prolong the life
of the shrew; the shrew that of
the weasel; the weasel that of
the coyote who will go to the
top of the ridge and climb the
highest boulder to howl to a
mate.
On a still, cold moonlight
night in the high Rockies that
song is positively enthralling.
On a sliding range of two oc
taves, he barks, whines, howls
and wails. One low bark begins
the mournful dirge, then it
swings slowly into a long drawn
out quavering wail that reaches,
seemingly, into the very tips of
the stars and out into the far
beyond.
In that call of the coyote is ex
pressed the need for. a mate,
and more the assurance that
life, despite February's starva
tion, must go on. And it does, ev
erywhere, despite death. Within
the slack-hided doe, a new life
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Conven
is lying secure within the
womb, for the present its devel
opment arrested. But by a re
markable provision, when the
female deer regains her
strength, whether in one month
or three, the arrested fetus will
resume its development so that
birth can take place when the
time is most propitious.
As February moves on, each
day the life-giving sun will shine
two or three minutes ' longer,
bringing with it subtle changes
gradually becoming more pro
nounced. Before you know it,
the elm's buds will enlarge, the
sheaths of the .. skunk cabbage
push out of the half-frozen
ground, the males of the red
winged blackbirds return to the
marshes to stake out their terri
tory. Despite blizzard and biting
cold, the cycle of life moves on
and the wild has again conquer
ed death as it has since life
first began.
(Copyright 1956,
by Eugene Burns)
(Released by
McCIure Newspaper Syndicate)
FREE: By special arrange
ment with the editors of the En
cyclopedia Americana, my pan
el of judges will award each
week to the reader who sends
me the best true-life nature ad
venture, the best nature obser
vation, or the best question oh
nature and wildlife, a complete
30-volume set of this world
famous reference work in a
handsome Sealcraft binding..
Each week new submissions
will be considered. Sorry, I sim
ply can't answer your many
friendly letters. Please' address
your letter to IS THAT SO! co
your paper, Box 575, Sausalito,
Calif.
Presented Awards
Portland (U.R) David H.
Larsen, general engineer ; at
Bonneville dam, was ' presented
a $250 cash award yesterday by
Cal. Jackson Graham, Portland
District Engineer. ; . .
The award was for suggest
ing a change in the lighting sys
tem in the generator room at
Bonneville dam. Four other en
gineers' employees were given
cash awards totaling $1,000 for
superior performance. ,
i
'DO-IT-YOURSELF
with pre-built cabinets
ind see how oar bciutifully-finished cab
cio be adapted to most kitchens by my
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ient Terms
Ds BEST!
Medford Library
Receives 147 Gift
Books In January
Of the 698 volumes added to
the Medford Public Library dur
ing the month of January, 160
were transfers from the rental
collection which had repaid
their costs in rental fees, and 147
were gifts from friends of the
library, it was reported Satur
day. The American Legion donated
four books as memorials for de
parted members: for Dr. Robert
W. Sleeter, "Childbirth Without
Fear", by Grantly Dick Read;
for Alfred E. Stoehr, "Prospect
ing for Atomic Minerals", by Al
vin Knoerr; for Harry J. Kap
lon, "The Gods Were Kind", the
story of a solitary trans-Pacific
journey by raft, written by Wil
liam Willis; and for Harry H.
Hart, "We Die Alone", by David
Howarth, a story from the an
nals of World War II.
Funds were also provided for
a book to be a memorial to John
C. Greb, but the volume selected
has not yet been received.
Central Point Gifts
Mrs. Marie Dizney and Mrs:
William Colley of Central Point
donated large selections of books
which have been added to the
collection of the Central Point
branch of the library. ' .
Other honors of library books
during January were Dr. and
Mrs. William Miller, Mrs. Henry
Feller, Mrs. Don" Hickey, Miss
Ann Livingston, arid Mrs. Wil
liam H. Fluhrer. The Veterans
Administration domiciliary libr
ary at ,Camp Whtie donated a
number of duplicates.
$89,000 Slated For
Cape Arago Station
Washington (U.R) An appro
priation of $89,000 has been re
quested by the Coast Guard to
replace ancient family dwellings
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And their sentiments are based on some
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First of all, there's the economy of
Fluoridation Endorsed
By Area Labor Council
The Medford Central Labor
council endorsed flouridation of
Medford water Wednesday . at
a regular meeting in the Labor
temple. Members ' heard Mrs.
Edward Sickles, Dr. Duane Nel
son and Dr. John Vendenburg
discuss flouridation. -
The council also announced
that .it is 'advising . members
of organized labor that it does
not endorse- "Americade," an
exhibit prepared by the Nation
al Association of Manufacturers
which is currently being shown
throughout the United States to
school children, civic organiza
tions and other interested groups.
Two Escape From Jail
At Pendleton Friday
Pendleton U.R Police and
sheriff's officers were searching
Saturday for two Washington
men who sawed their way out of
Pendleton city jail Friday night.
Officers described one of the
men as dangerous.
They were Albert E. Carver,
25, Yakima, Wash., and Robert
Henry Palmer, 31,. Walla Walla,
Wash. Carver was being held
for assault with a dangerous
weapon and was described as
dangerous. Palmer was being
held for burglary.
Police said the men escaped
between 4:15 and 6:15 p.m. A
dragnet was set up immediately
and motorists warned not to pick
up hitch hikers.
now used by personnel at the
Cape Arago light . station at
Charleston, Ore.
The House Appropriations
Committee said Vice Adm. A. C.
Richmond, Coast Guard com
mandant,4 had testified that the
money would provide quarters
for four families. He said the
present wood frame buildings
were built in 1895. They are
endangered by erosion arid have
deteriorated from termites and
dry rot. '
is
Sunday, February 5 1956
Attorney Resigns
From Convention
Juneau, Alaska (U.R) R.
E. (Bob) Robertson, Juneau at
torney, arrived here Saturday
afternoon from Fairbanks after
resigning from the Constitution
al convention and refusing to
sign the document.
The official signing ceremony
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The attorney specifically
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that in many instances it dis
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