WHISTLING MARMOTS

There is an old, oft-told story concerning a Mississippi River steamboat. The boat had such a big whistle that it took all the steam to blow it, and every time it blew, the boat stopped. Some of our smaller animals seem to be designed in the same way. The writer has observed the whistling marmots blowing their whistles. The marmot stands up straight, his furry cheeks giving him an appearance very much like Chanuncey Depew, and as he whistles, his shoulders heave and his fore-legs wave. Whistling seems to take all his steam.

Consider the squirrel, spread-eagled, head downward on the trunk of a tree. He scolds at spectators, and at every scream his body appears to recoil. If enough squirrels were crowded on a single trunk, and all scolded in unison, the writer firmly believes the tree would be shaken down.

By S. B. Jones, Ranger-Naturalist.

THE SILVER LINING

People come to Paradise Valley to cool off, but, as the Greeks said, "Moderation in all things," even in cooling off. Visitors of the 12th of August thought we were too generous with the coolness when the day began with a snow storm. True, it was a very rainy snow, but enough remained on the ground to enable us to boast, if boasting is in order, of a mid-summer snow storm.

For three days of the same week, the mountain was enshrouded in clouds, fog after fog, varied by light rains, poured in. Campers folded their tents like the Arabs and silently stole away. At our altitude of 5,400 feet these August days seemed like December days on Puget Sound. Then came Saturday, the 13th. We awoke to greet the finest day of the season. The fogs and rains had cleared away the pall of forest-fire smoke that had dimmed the view for many days. The dust of the roads and trails was laid. The flowers were freshened, the trees glistened with a brighter green, and smiles blossomed on the faces of the tourists. As spencer might have written: "Sleepe after toile, porte after stormie seas, raine after foreste fires, doth greatlie please."

By S. B. Jones, Ranger-Naturalist.