. The dune country . fewdecayed tree-trunks, and an uncanny stagnant water is there, and the mysteriousdepths seem to be without life. They are fit abodesfor gnomes, and evil spirits may haunt their si-lences. There is an instinctive creepy feeling, andan undefined dread in the atmosphere aroundthem. Swamps of tamarack, which are impenetrable,contribute their masses of deep green to the charmof the landscape. The ravagers of the wet placeshide in them, and the timid, hunted wild life findsrefuge in their still labyrinths. In the wintercountless tracks and trails on the snow le
. The dune country . fewdecayed tree-trunks, and an uncanny stagnant water is there, and the mysteriousdepths seem to be without life. They are fit abodesfor gnomes, and evil spirits may haunt their si-lences. There is an instinctive creepy feeling, andan undefined dread in the atmosphere aroundthem. Swamps of tamarack, which are impenetrable,contribute their masses of deep green to the charmof the landscape. The ravagers of the wet placeshide in them, and the timid, hunted wild life findsrefuge in their still labyrinths. In the wintercountless tracks and trails on the snow lead intothem and are lost. Among the most interesting of the marshdwellers is the muskrat. This active little animal [194] THE BACK COUNTRY is an ever-present element in the life of the sloughs,and he is the most industrious live thing in theback country. His numerous families thrive andincrease, in spite of vigilant enemies that besiegethem. The larger owls, the foxes, minks, and steeltraps are their principal A MARSH DWELLER The houses, irregular in shape and size, dot thesurfaces of the ponds and swamps. They are builtof lumps of sod and mud, mixed with bulrushes [195] THE DUNE COUNTRY and heavy grass. They usually contain two rooms,one above the other, and little tunnels lead outfrom them, under ground, providing channels ofescape in case of danger, and safe routes of ap-proach to the houses from the burrows in thehigher ground along the banks. The upper cavity of the little adobe structureis usually lined with moss and fine grass. Lilyroots, freshwater clams, and other food are carriedup into it from under the ice in the winter. Inthese cosy retreats the little colonies live duringthe cold months, oblivious to the cares and dangersof the outside world. There is a network of thoroughfares and bur-rows in the soft earth among the roots of the wil-lows on the neighboring banks. The devioussecret passages and runways are in constant useduring the summer. The muskrats are
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