And in the
short summer other plants grow. During the long winter Snow White
digs down through the snow to get these. He also eats the bark and
twigs of little stunted trees. But big as he is, you have a cousin
who is still bigger, the biggest of all the family."
"Who is he?" Jumper and Peter cried together.
"He is called White-tailed Jack," replied Old Mother Nature. "And
he lives chiefly on the great plains of the Northwest, though
sometimes he is found in the mountains and forests. He is sometimes
called the Prairie Hare. In winter his coat is white, but in
summer it is a light brown. Summer or winter his tail is white,
wherein he is much like you, Peter. It is because of this that he
is called White-tailed Jack."
"Is his tail as short as mine?" asked Peter eagerly.
Old Mother Nature laughed right out. "No, Peter," she replied.
"It wouldn't be called a long tail by any other animal, but for a
member of your family it really is long, and when White-tailed
Jack is running he switches it from side to side. His hind legs
are very long and powerful, and he can make a single jump of twenty
feet without half trying. Not even Old Man Coyote can catch him
in a straightaway race. You think Jumper's ears are long, Peter,
but they are short compared to the ears of White-tailed Jack. Not
only are his ears long, but they are very big.
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