You might take a Christmas walk over the ice and visit a muskrat's house of sticks and other rubbish. If the occupants are at home, you will notice a frosty spot on one side of the mound. A muskrat hunter would thrust his spear through the thin wall and impale one or more of the rats upon its tines. Many of the clods composing the house bear the nose-print of the maker. December Twenty-seventh While sleigh-riding you are likely to see a flock of trim, sober-colored birds perched close together, feeding on the berries of the mountain ash tree or on decayed apples. They have _crests_ and _wax-like red dots_ on the inner feathers of their wings. These are cedar-birds, or cedar waxwings. They often remain with us throughout the year. Notes December Twenty-eighth "The name 'burl' is applied to all excrescent growths on trees, except true knots. The origin of these wart-like swellings is imperfectly known, but they can generally be attributed to injuries by woodpeckers, gall insects, and to the irritating and continued growth of fungi in the woody tissues at such points." (Adams.) December Twenty-ninth A flock of pine grosbeaks feeding on buds in a maple or an apple tree on a cold winter's day is a pleasing sight for any bird lover. They are the size of a robin, and the male has a rose-colored head, neck, breast, and back. They are quiet birds and very tame, even permitting a person to climb the tree and approach within a few feet, before they take flight. It is only during the severest weather that they migrate south into southern New York, Pennsylvania, and New England. December Thirtieth North America can boast of the largest deer in the world, the Alaskan moose; as well as the largest of flesh-eating mammals, the Kodiak bear. We also have more rodents and cats than any other country. [Illustration: BONAPARTE GULL.] Notes December Thirty-first Sometimes the lakes freeze over, and the gulls are compelled to seek the large open rivers, and ask alms from the inhabitants along their banks. At such times they become very tame, so if you will place food within their reach, they will soon find it and call upon you from day to day. Notes * * * * * Transcriber Note Although the images were inserted before the "Notes" page which follows each page of dates, the images were not moved due to the List of Illustrations page numbering. Produced from images generously provided on The Internet Archive and all resultant materials are placed in the Public Domain. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Young Folks' Nature Field Book, by John Alden Loring