When the children went to the trap, they clapped their hands and shouted. Then they took the marmot out of the trap and carried it to the cave. And they made a great noise when Bighorn said, “You will soon be very good trappers.”
Then the children wanted to catch another marmot, so Antler went with them and showed them how the trap worked. The marmot coming out of his hole smelled the bait on the string. So it ran along and nibbled the bait until its sharp teeth cut the cord. Then the sapling sprang up and jerked the snare upward. And the weight of the marmot, pulling downward, drew the slipknot tight.
THINGS TO DO
Tie a slipknot at one end of a string, and show how to set it for snaring birds. Show how to set it for snaring rabbits. Find a hollow stick or a bone to protect the snare from the rabbit’s teeth. Show how the marmot trap was set.
Tell how you catch mice. Tell how you catch flies.
What animals do you know that sleep during the winter? How can they live so long without eating?
Draw one of these pictures:—
Snowflake finds a reindeer caught in the vines.
Antler teaches the children to set traps.
Model a marmot in clay.
Name all the animals you know that burrow in the ground. Watch one of them and find out what it does.