Snow preserves a legible record of the animals that passed before

Evidence

The snow lay a foot deep in the gulches, with its hard, smooth surface marked by the feet of innumerable birds and beasts. Ice bridges had formed across all the streams, and I crossed them without knowing when. — Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 253

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reading purpose’s interest in abundant wildlife — tracks function as a census of unseen animals.