Barbara Salvesen, age 9 of Spokane, Wash, for her question:

 Why do some animals turn white in winter?

The stoat has a handsome brown coat which matches the ground. The ptarmigan has handsome speckled feathers which match the ground. On a summer days you could walk right past these animals and not notice them. All through the springy summer and fall these fellows blend with the scenery.

When winter comes the scenery is an endless stretch of white snows You could see a brown stoat from far away. The stoat could see the dark ptarmigan. This would never do. So the stoat puts on a white fur coat and becomes an ermine, that way he can sneak up on his victims as usual. The ptarmigan wears feathers of white. That way he can hide from his enemies as usual.

Animals of the north country often wear winter white to blend with the snowy background. Some need it to hide from hunters, others need it to sneak up on their prey.