Henry Thoreau

For Thoreau's Journal, there was another entry that I found interesting. In the entry on Dec. 27, Thoreau says, "It is suprising what things the snow betrays." He says this again on Jan. 1st: "The snow is a great betrayer." Thoreau said that he felt that the snow was a traitor. There are many animals that use the color of Earth to their advantage. For example, there are some rabbits and other small creatures that blend in, or use camouflage, to hide from their predators. The color of their coats are either brown, black or some other earth-tone color. Once the snow starts falling and covering the ground, these animals become more obvious and easier to prey on. "Tree sparrows are more plainly seen agianst its white ground." (pg. 243)

Not only does the snow makes the animals more obvious because of their coat color, but the snow also leaves tracks of the animals footprints, making it easier for humans to track them down when hunting. "I had not seen a meadow mouse all summer, but no sooner does the snow come and spread its mantle over the earth that it is printed with the tracks of coutless ice and larger animals." (pg 241) Thoreau feels that the snow betrays them by exposing them to their enemies; snow makes the chances of the animal surviving the winter, lower.