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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4b7a5c3 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #55704 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55704) diff --git a/old/55704-0.txt b/old/55704-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3f97613..0000000 --- a/old/55704-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3379 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Wilderness Babies, by Julia Augusta Schwartz - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Wilderness Babies - -Author: Julia Augusta Schwartz - -Illustrator: John Huybers - -Release Date: October 8, 2017 [EBook #55704] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WILDERNESS BABIES *** - - - - -Produced by David E. Brown and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: THE SQUIRREL. - -“They sat on the branches with their bushy tails curving over their -backs.” _Frontispiece. See page 104._] - - - - - Wilderness Babies - - By - Julia Augusta Schwartz - - _Illustrated from Drawings by John Huybers - and from Photographs_ - - School Edition - - Boston - Little, Brown, and Company - - - - - _Copyright, 1905, 1906_, - - BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY. - - _All rights reserved_ - - - Printers - - S. J. PARKHILL & CO., BOSTON, U. S. A. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - INTRODUCTION ix - - I. THE ONE WITH A POCKET 1 - - II. THE ONE THAT EATS GRASS IN THE SEA 17 - - III. THE BIGGEST ONE 27 - - IV. ONE OF THE FLEETEST 43 - - V. THE BEST BUILDER 57 - - VI. THE TIMID ONE 77 - - VII. THE ONE WITH THE PRETTIEST TAIL 93 - - VIII. ONE THAT SLEEPS ALL WINTER 107 - - IX. THE WISEST ONE 121 - - X. THE FIERCEST ONE 135 - - XI. THE ONE THAT DIGS THE BEST 149 - - CONCLUSION 161 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - THE SQUIRREL - “They sat on the branches with their bushy tails curving - over their backs” _Frontispiece_ - - THE OPOSSUM PAGE - “In a few minutes another and another baby followed - the big brother and clung there on the mother’s - furry back” 5 - - THE MANATEE - “The old mother manatee held him close to her” 19 - - THE WHALE - “The old mother whale came tearing back to the rescue” 39 - - THE ELK - “Grazing over the upland meadows” 48 - - THE BEAVER - “Across the pond to feast in the woods” 65 - - THE RABBIT - “It was pleasant there in the underbrush of the woods” 84 - - THE FOX - “Now and then the fox stopped to listen” 131 - - THE WOLF - “It was the father wolf coming in” 137 - - THE MOLE - “The greedy young ones shoved and pushed and fought - as if they were starving” 152 - - - - -INTRODUCTION - - -THIS book tells the stories of some of the baby mammals of the -wilderness,—how they grow and learn day by day to take care of -themselves. In hollow trees or down under water among the lily leaves, -in the cool sea or on the rugged mountains, on the grassy plains or -among the waving tree-tops, in the dark caves and burrows or hidden in -the tangles underfoot,—all the world is alive with young creatures. - -Bright eyes glitter and small paws patter, little noses sniff the -air and sharp ears twitch. There is a rustling of leaves above and a -crackling of twigs below, a splashing in the swamp and a silent bending -of the grasses. In the sunshine or the rain, in the daytime or at -night, life is busy everywhere on this beautiful old earth. - -All the mammals are alike in having hair on some part of their bodies, -in having teeth at some time in their lives, and in feeding the young -with milk. But there are many, many kinds of mammals, of different -shapes and sizes and colors. There are all sorts of babies, from the -tiny mouse that could sleep in an eggshell to the big baby whale, twice -as long as an ox. Some can swim like fishes; others can fly like birds. -Some dig homes under the ground; others make their nests in hollow -trees or caves. Some live in the mountains and some on the plains. Some -live in the woods and some in the sea. Some eat grass, and others eat -flesh; some eat nuts, some eat fruit, and some eat anything they can -find. - -Many of the mammals are alike in some ways. Squirrels and mice have -strong teeth to gnaw with; the cow and elk eat grass and chew a cud, -and the bear, wolf, and fox eat flesh. - -Those mammals that are most alike are said to belong to the same order. -For example, every animal with hoofs belongs to the Order of Hoofed -Mammals. Every animal with four gnawing teeth in the front of its mouth -belongs to the Order of Gnawing Mammals. Every animal that lives on -flesh belongs to the Order of Flesh-Eating Mammals. - -There are eleven of these groups, but the animals of North America -belong to only eight of them. All the animals in the first group have -pouches or pockets, of their own skin, in which to carry the young. -The opossum belongs to this Order of Pouched Mammals. When he is a baby -he is carried around in his mother’s furry pocket. Later he learns to -hang by his feet and tail to a branch while he eats fruit. At night he -trots through the woods and roots for insects with his pointed nose. - -The manatee belongs to the Order of Sea-Cows. Sea-Cows are fishlike -creatures that eat vegetable food in the sea or in rivers. The fat baby -manatee lies in his mother’s arms as she balances herself on the end of -her tail in the water. He learns to crawl about on the sandy bottom and -munch water-plants. - -The whale belongs to the Order of Whales. Though he lives in the deep -ocean and looks like a monstrous fish, he is really a mammal. He has -warm blood and a few bristles for hair. The baby whale is fed on milk -at first. When he grows older he is taught to catch and eat water -animals. - -The wapiti, called the American elk, belongs to the Order of Hoofed -Four-Foots. They eat grass and chew the cud. The story of an elk -roaming over the mountains is almost the same as the story of any of -the swift deer family. - -The beaver and the squirrel and the rabbit belong to the Order of -Gnawers. The beaver cuts down trees with his strong teeth, and builds -dams and houses of sticks. The squirrel scampers along the branches, -and sits up to nibble nuts in the shadow of his own bushy tail. The -rabbit scuttles over the ground from one hiding-place to another, in -his daily search for green grass and tender twigs to eat. Rats and mice -are also Gnawers. Indeed, there are many more animals in this Order -than in any of the others. - -The bear and the wolf and the fox belong to the Order of Flesh Eaters. -They are all mighty hunters. The swift wolf, the tricky fox, and the -strong-armed bear all have many long, cutting teeth to tear their prey -to pieces. - -The mole belongs to the Order of Insect-Eaters. He lives underground, -and learns to dig with his shovel-like hands. When his pointed teeth -grow out he chases worms up and down and around, and gobbles them as -fast as he can. - -The bats belong to the Order of Wing-Handed Mammals. The baby bat is -rocked to sleep in his mother’s wings. He learns to fly in the dark and -to hunt the swift insects that hover above the roads and ponds. When -winter is near he finds a gloomy cave. There he hangs, head downward, -by the hooks on his claws, and sleeps till spring brings the warm -weather again. - -It is now countless years since the earth was new. It has changed from -a bare, hot gloomy ball, covered with black rocks and muddy water, to -a green, beautiful world. There are all kinds of living things in the -ocean. In the forests insects hum above the flowers; birds fly from -branch to branch; reptiles crawl beside the rivers. And everywhere—in -the air and beneath the ground, on the land and under the water—live -the mammals. - -The opossum is the one with a pocket. The manatee is the only eater -of grass in the sea. The whale is the biggest of all animals. The elk -is the handsomest of the swift deer family. The beaver is the best -builder. The squirrel has the prettiest tail. The rabbit is the most -hunted by all its hungry enemies. The bear is the surliest one. The -wolf is the fiercest. The fox is the shrewdest. The mole can dig better -and faster than any of the others. - - - - -I - -THE OPOSSUM - -“THE ONE WITH A POCKET” - - - - -_Wilderness Babies_ - - - - -THE ONE WITH A POCKET - - -FOR days and days the new baby opossums lay crowded close together in -their mother’s furry pocket. They slept and drank milk, and grew and -grew till their eyes began to open. It was dark all around them, but up -above their heads a faint gray line showed where light was stealing in -over the edge of the pocket. - -The biggest baby opossum looked and looked with his little bright eyes. -He wanted to see more. So up he crawled, clambering over the soft, tiny -bodies of the eleven other babies. Some of them wriggled and squirmed -under his bare little feet. After slipping back once or twice he -reached the edge and poked his pointed white snout outside. - -He could not see anything because he was under his mother, and her long -fur hung down over him. She was lying on a nest of grasses in a hollow -tree. That was where she stayed all day long when the sun was shining -without. Every night at dusk she climbed down the rough trunk and went -to hunt for something to eat. - -When she felt the tiny claws of her baby clutching her fur she looked -down between her fore-paws at the little mouse-like fellow. Then with -her smooth pink hands she gently pushed him back into the pocket and -closed the opening. He was not big enough yet to come out of the warm, -dark nursery. - -So for a week longer he cuddled down beside the others, while they all -slept and drank more milk and grew stronger every hour. The biggest -baby was so restless that he scrambled around and crowded the others. -Once he caught hold of another’s tail between the thumbs and fingers of -his hind-feet, and pulled till the little one squeaked. His fore-feet -were like tiny hands without any thumbs. - -At last, one day, he saw the edge of the pocket open a crack. He was -so glad that he climbed up as fast as he could scramble, and pushed -outside. He held on to his mother’s fur with all four feet. When she -reached down to smell him the bristles on her lips tickled his nose. -Then he climbed around upon her back and twisted his tail about hers to -hold him steady. - -[Illustration: THE OPOSSUM. - -“In a few minutes another and another baby followed the big brother and -clung there on the mother’s furry back.” _Page 5._] - -He looked like a mouse, with his long tail, his black ears erect, his -bright eyes twinkling in his little white face, and his pointed nose -sniffing at the strange odors in the hollow tree. It was much lighter -there than inside the pocket. Higher up over his head there was a -hole leading out of the hollow. Queer small shadows were dancing and -flickering across the opening. He did not know that they were only -green leaves. - -In a few minutes another and another baby followed the big brother -and clung there on the mother’s furry back. It must have seemed a -noisy place to them, for while in the pocket they had noticed only the -softest muffled rustling and scratching of the old one’s feet in the -nest. Now they could hear a chirping and a squeaking and a rattling -of branches. They crowded close together in fright at the scream of a -blue jay, as it chased a chattering red squirrel through the tree-top. -Then a sudden loud thump-thump-thump of a woodpecker hammering on the -bark outside sent them scuttling back to the safe nursery in a tumbling -hurry. - -After this the whole family climbed out every day to play about on the -mother’s back. The biggest baby liked to curl his small tail about her -large one, and then swing off head downward. Sometimes he pushed the -others down just for the fun of seeing them scramble up again, hand -over hand, clutching the long fur. - -Of course he was the first one to poke his head out every day. Once -he woke from a nap in the pocket and started to climb outside. But -he stopped half-way, hanging to the edge with both fore-feet. It was -nearly evening, and the old mother opossum was clambering down the -trunk to go hunting for her supper. - -The baby held on tightly, while she trotted away through the woods. -Now and then a leaf rustled or a stick cracked under her feet. Sleepy -birds were twittering in their nests. The mother pricked her ears and -listened, for she ate eggs and young birds whenever she could find them -within reach. She had not tasted an egg this spring, because she could -not climb very nimbly with her pocket full of babies. - -Presently she came to a swamp, and splash, splash, splash! the mud went -flying. It spattered the baby’s white face and made him sputter and -cough. Then he heard the dreadful croaking of hundreds of frogs. In a -terrible fright he slid back into the nursery to hide beside the others. - -The old one was trying to catch a frog to eat. Now she jumped this way, -and now she jumped that way. Such a jostling as the babies felt when -she finally gave a great spring for a big green fellow sitting on a -log. She caught him, too, but the jolt almost knocked the breath out of -the twelve soft little bodies in her pocket. - -On another evening the babies awoke to find themselves swinging to and -fro in dizzying jerks. They rolled and tumbled from side to side. They -bumped their heads and noses against one another. When the biggest -baby tried to push his way out he found the edge of the pocket close -shut. Though he scratched and squeaked the mother did not open it. She -was afraid that they would all fall to the ground, for there she was -hanging upside-down by her tail to a branch of the tree. - -Down below on the ground a big black bear was hugging the trunk and -shaking it as hard as he could. He was trying to shake the old opossum -off so that he might catch her and eat the whole family. But she held -on so long that finally he became tired of waiting. So away he walked -to find something else for supper. Then the mother swung down to the -nest in the hollow and rested there while her babies played around her. - -Every day the babies stayed outside the nursery for a longer time, -though they were always ready to scurry back at the mother’s first -warning grunt. They kept growing bigger, till one night they found that -they could not all crowd into the pocket. Then they huddled together on -her back, with their tails twisted around hers. - -In this way they rode through the woods when she went hunting. They -watched with their bright eyes while she turned over rotting logs with -her snout to catch the grubs underneath. Sometimes she rooted in the -ground for sprouting acorns, or nipped off mouthfuls of tender grass. -Once she caught a young rabbit. Then how excited the little opossums -were! And how they all squeaked and hissed together as they rode -trotting home! - -By this time they had cut their teeth,—fifty sharp little teeth in -each hungry mouth. It was time for them to be weaned. When they tried -to drink milk the mother pushed them away. Then she picked some sweet -red berries, and taught the hungry babies how to eat them. They learned -to chew the juicy roots that she dug in the fields. - -The babies were greedy little things. When the old one caught a mouse -or a mole or a toad, the young ones all rushed and snatched. Once the -biggest baby gobbled up a beetle before the others could get a taste. -They were so angry that they tried to bite his nose and ears. He -squeaked, and ran as fast as he could to hide under the mother. - -She was a good and patient mother. Of course, as long as they were -small enough to stay in her pocket she carried them everywhere with -her. Even when they grew as large as rats they rode on her back -through the woods. These twelve fat babies were so heavy that -sometimes she staggered and stumbled under the load. - -One night, when all the babies were trotting along on their own feet, -they saw two gleaming red eyes in the dark thicket before them. -Something round and furry snarled and sprang at them. They all ran -under their mother as quick as a wink. She ruffled her long grayish -hair above them. When the animal jumped at her she growled and hissed -and scratched and bit furiously, till he ran limping away into the -shadowy wilderness. - -On another evening a big dog came galloping up before they could -scramble into a tree. His red tongue was hanging out of his mouth -between his white teeth. As soon as he caught sight of the opossums -he made a dash to catch them. Instantly they all fell down and rolled -over, just as if they were dead. - -There they lay, with their eyes shut, their paws limber, their tails -limp. They seemed to stop breathing. The dog smelled them and pushed -them with his cold nose. But they kept perfectly still and did not move -even an eyelash. They were pretending to be dead. It was the one trick -that they all knew without being taught. - -The minute the dog walked away up they all jumped and scampered into a -tree as fast as they could scurry. When the dog turned his head and saw -them he ran back and leaped up to reach them. But all the opossums were -safe enough now. While he was jumping and barking below they clung fast -in the tree with their hand-like feet. They wound their tails about the -branches above to hold more securely. - -The little opossums learned to climb all sorts of trees, rough or -smooth. It was easier to climb the rough trees because they could dig -their nails farther into the bark. The biggest baby could walk along -the springiest limb, even if it kept teetering up and down in the wind. -When he felt like it he swung by his tail for the longest time without -getting dizzy. - -All summer long the twelve little opossums stayed with their mother. -During the day they slept cuddled in the hollow tree. The old father -opossum never came home, for the mother had driven him away before the -babies were born. She wanted all the room in the nest for them. She -could take care of them better than he could, because she was bigger -and knew how to fight her enemies more fiercely. Every night, after -sunset, the mother and her twelve children set off on their hunting. -Down through the woods to the marsh they trotted. There some waded into -the mud to catch frogs, while others chased mud-turtles over the shore. -Some hunted for berries and others nosed for acorns under the oaks. - -It was beautiful there in the woods at night. When the stars twinkled -overhead and the soft wind rustled in the tree-tops the little ones -frisked and frolicked. They hid under the shadowy bushes or jumped -hither and thither to snap at the fluttering moths. But on stormy -evenings they plodded on in the rain, their wet fur drooping. With -their noses close to the ground they hunted till they found a few -mouthfuls to eat. Then back to the cosy hollow for a longer nap, after -licking their pink hands clean and washing their white faces, just as -kittens do. - -One night, in autumn, the old mother opossum felt the nip of frost in -the air. Then she knew that the persimmons were ready to be eaten. -Away through the woods she hurried, with the young ones trotting after -her. Past the marsh and over the blackberry hills she led the way -to a thicket of trees tangled with wild grapevines. There above on -the branches the round little persimmons were shining yellow in the -moonlight. - -Up the trees eleven of the babies scrambled hungrily, and, hanging -by their tails, stuffed the fruit into their wide mouths. Ah! but -wasn’t it delicious! Better than anything they had ever tasted before -in all their short lives! Then the biggest baby, who had stopped to -gobble ripe grapes, heard them munching so greedily. One look sent him -clambering after the others. He was sorry enough that he had wasted any -time eating wild grapes. - -Night after night, till the persimmons were gone, the opossums hurried -away to the thicket, and ate and ate till they could eat no longer. -They grew so fat that they puffed and panted when trotting home again -in the gray light of frosty dawn. - -As the weather grew colder the opossums roamed farther through -the woods in search of food. Once in a while one of them found a -pawpaw-tree. Then from far and near opossums gathered under the low -wide-spreading branches to feast on the banana-shaped fruit. That was -the last good dinner that the little fellows had for many weeks. - -Soon the ground was frozen hard over the juicy roots. All the fruit -left in the woods hung wrinkled and frost-bitten. The worms and toads -crawled into their holes for the winter. The beetles disappeared, and -the spiders curled up in their hiding-places to sleep through the cold -weather. Most of the birds flew away south. - -One by one each little opossum wandered off by himself, and made a nest -in a cosy hole or a snug hollow stump. There he drowsed away the days, -and often slept through the nights without stirring out. Now and then -one of them caught a mouse or dug up a frozen root to nibble. Sometimes -they tore rotten logs apart to get at the torpid grubs within. The -biggest baby found a heap of nuts hidden away under a stone by a -thrifty chipmunk. - -In the beginning of the winter the little opossums were so fat that -they could live three or four weeks without eating or drinking. When -the cold winds blew, and the snow fell silently, they cuddled down in -their warm nests and slept the time away. But many a night they woke up -hungry. And every day their round furry bodies were a little thinner, -till at last spring melted the snow and ice everywhere. - -There was plenty to eat by that time, with all the green things -growing. The little creatures of the woods and ponds were waking to -new life. There were buds to nibble and beetles to catch. There was -many a nest of birds’ eggs, too, and broods of tender young field-mice -squeaking in the grass. There were frogs croaking in the marsh, and -berries were ripening in the fields. - -The twelve little opossums were grown up now, and knew how to take care -of themselves. Their mother had another family of babies in her furry -pocket. Sometimes she met her other children roaming beside the marsh -to catch frogs. One evening they saw, just as plain as anything, a -little pointed nose and two twinkling bright eyes peeping over the edge -of her pocket. - - - - -II - -THE MANATEE - -“THE ONE THAT EATS GRASS IN THE SEA” - - -[Illustration: THE MANATEE. - -“The old mother manatee held him close to her.” _Page 19._] - - - - -THE ONE THAT EATS GRASS IN THE SEA - - -DOWN among the lily-leaves, under the river, the baby manatee was being -rocked to sleep on his mother’s breast. He looked like a roly-poly -fish, with a puffy dog-face. He was covered all over from his broad -tail to his round head with thick and wrinkly gray skin. His tiny eyes -were shut, and his flippers were folded together as he slept. - -The old mother manatee held him close to her, bending her short -flippers, which were really her arms. The fingers at the ends of her -hands were so hidden under the skin that they looked as if covered with -mittens. She was balancing herself on the end of her tail, and swaying -gently to and fro in the water. - -The baby’s nap did not last very long. One of the annoying things about -being a manatee and living under water was the trouble in breathing. -Every two or three minutes the mother flapped her tail and rose to the -top of the river to breathe. That always woke the baby. He opened his -eyes, blinking in the bright sunlight. - -All around him the water sparkled and dimpled in the sunshine. Here -and there dragon-flies glittered as they skimmed over the ripples. -Butterflies were fluttering over the golden centres of the floating -lilies. Graceful reeds bordered the shore. The juicy grass, that -manatees love to eat, grew green, trailing underneath. Far up above it -all the summer sky was blue. - -The baby manatee did not seem to care for all these beautiful sights. -Very likely he could not see well above water, and he did not enjoy the -dry, warm feeling of the air. His sense of smell must have been too -dull to notice the fragrance of the lilies or the spicy scent from the -swamp. Creatures living under water do not use their noses much. - -But the little manatee could hear the least soft plop of a leaf falling -in the river. The sudden splash of a frog’s jump made him squirm and -twist in terror. He wriggled out of his mother’s hold, and sank down, -down, down, with the bubbles eddying over his roly-poly body. - -Of course he was not afraid, for he could swim as soon as he was born. -He paddled with his tail and flapped with his flippers as he went -swimming around over the clean white sand of the river-bottom. At first -he could not steer very well, and so he bumped into the stems of the -lily-plants and tangled his flippers among the roots of the reeds. - -Through the pale green of the water all around him he caught sight -of his father and big brother. They were creeping about on their -flippers and tails, while they munched the weeds and grasses. When they -stretched out their heads, toward a bite of something, each one grasped -the food between two horny pads in the front of his jaw, tore it free, -and then chewed it with his few grinding teeth in the back. Their faces -looked like monstrous caterpillars sucking and chewing. - -The baby champed his small jaws and sucked with his split upper lip as -he watched. The sight of them eating made him so hungry that he wanted -his mother to come and feed him with her milk. Manatees are mammals -that live in shallow water. Of all the animals in the sea and salt -rivers manatees are the only ones that eat only grass and weeds. All -other sea-mammals, and fishes, too, eat living creatures. - -Sometimes the baby manatee had great fun in rolling over and over on -the sand and pebbles at the bottom of the river. The old ones liked to -scratch and clean their wrinkled skins by plunging and scraping over -the gravel. It was easy enough for them to roll, because they were so -round and had no legs to get in the way. - -After the tumbling he followed the others as they went paddling to -the top of the river. There he twitched apart his lip-lobes and blew, -spouting up spray and water. Then, drawing in a long breath, he closed -the stoppers in his nostrils and floated down to the sandy bottom to -sleep or eat again. - -All summer the manatees lived there in the pleasant river. On misty -mornings sometimes they swam up to a mud flat, and crawled out to -take a nap in the soft warm slime. Out in the air they could sleep -and breathe at the same time, without waking up every few minutes. -When the baby was tired of staying still he slid down the slippery -bank—splash!—into the water. - -His splashing sent a snake wriggling away through the swamp. The crabs -on the sand below went scuttling wildly hither and thither to escape -the flapping of his tail. Fishes darted out-stream, and mussels closed -their shells to keep out the stirred-up gravel. The frogs sitting in -the mud turned their round eyes to look at the funny little fellow with -the wrinkled dark skin. - -Away he paddled to the bottom and tried to munch the water-grasses. -His few teeth were cutting through his gums by this time, and he was -hungry for something besides milk. The green leaves tasted so salty and -stringy that he did not like them at first. It was easier to suck warm, -rich milk, without needing to chew and chew till his jaws really ached. - -One night the manatees lay down on the clean sand, folded their -flippers under them, and closed their eyes. They fell fast asleep. Now -one and now another woke to swim to the top for a good long breath. -About mid-night the old mother suddenly felt a chill stealing through -the water. She shivered all over, and hurried to wake the others. She -knew that cold weather had come. If they did not take care they would -all catch cold and die. - -So away they started, as fast as they could paddle, down the river -to the sea. Then south along the shore they travelled to find warmer -waters. They kept so near land that they could hear the waves breaking -on the beach. The ocean washed to and fro in swinging billows over -their heads. When the baby lifted his head above the surface, bits of -foam blew in his eyes from the curling crests of the waves. - -Down below, where the old ones stopped to munch the seaweeds, he saw -wonderful things. There were starfish crawling along with their five -rays spread out. There were transparent jellyfishes, with long threads -streaming down from their quivering bodies. There were mussels in their -hinged shells lying on the bottom. There were sponges growing on the -rocks. There were trees of branching coral, each tiny coral animal -waving the fringe around its open mouth. - -Of course there were fishes—hundreds and hundreds of them—flashing -everywhere. Once a fat porpoise came rolling and tumbling through the -shallow water. He was a mammal, and belonged to the same group as the -whales. When he was a baby he fed on milk, just in the same way as the -little manatee and all other mammals. - -On and on travelled the manatees toward the warm south seas, now -swimming on swiftly, now stopping to munch the weeds. Sometimes they -stood on the tips of their tails and nodded their heads as if bowing. -Sometimes they folded their flippers under them to sleep, then woke to -breathe, and fall asleep again. - -After days and days they reached the southern river, where they were -to spend the winter. There they found another family of manatees with -a little one just the size of the baby. While the old ones munched the -weeds, or dozed on the mud islands, the two youngest slid down the -slippery banks and splashed and dived together. They took naps side by -side. Sometimes they tried to balance themselves on their tails, as the -old ones did. - -This southern river was different from that one at home. The plants -had broader leaves and larger flowers. The swamp was tangled and -shadowy even at noonday. Strange animals tramped through the -underbrush; monkeys swung on the branches, and brightly-colored birds -flew overhead. Hairy spiders crawled over the ground, and big snakes -wriggled into the water. - -When spring came, away the manatees swam on their way back to the -pleasant river, where the baby first opened his little eyes in the cool -green nursery among the lily-leaves. Of course he never knew that some -sailors once saw his mother rocking him to sleep at the top of the -water. They thought that she was a mermaid with a baby in her arms. - - - - -III - -THE WHALE - -“THE BIGGEST ONE” - - - - -THE BIGGEST ONE - - -HE was the very biggest baby in all the world. He looked like a -monstrous fish as he lay beside his mother in the middle of the bay. -But he was not a fish. He breathed with lungs instead of gills. On his -thick skin he had a few bristly hairs instead of scales such as fishes -have. The blood rushing through the great veins in his body was warm -instead of cold. And finally he was drinking milk in mighty gulps that -sent gallons and gallons down his baby throat at every swallow. He was -a whale, and belonged to the class of mammals. - -The big body of the mother whale looked like a dark rounded island as -she lay on her side almost out of water. She was the largest mother -animal that ever lived. When she opened her enormous jaws her mouth -seemed like a gloomy cave. Fastened along its floor was an immense -cushiony white tongue as big as a feather-bed. - -The baby whale himself was twice as long as an ox. His smooth skin -glistened like shiny leather when he heaved his back above the waves -for an instant. Once in a while he flapped his forked tail or wriggled -his front fins. Though his eyes were bigger than a cow’s they looked -very small while he lay, half asleep, rocking lazily to and fro in the -swell of the sea. - -The baby whale knew how to swim alone from the very first day. The -earliest thing he remembered was the water lapping over his eyes and -tickling in the tiny holes of his ears. On top of his head there were -two blow-holes, or nostrils, closed with valves, to keep the water from -trickling into his lungs. - -When he rose to the top of the sea, to fill his lungs with air, away -he swam, up and up, easily and lightly, through the pale-green water, -toward the sunlight twinkling on the surface above. The mother whale -swam beside him, almost touching him with her flippers. Her flippers -were really her arms. When he was tired she helped him by holding him -up. - -As soon as his head pushed above the waves he opened the valves in the -blow-holes and drew great breaths of sweet, fresh air deep down into -his lungs. How good it felt! Then arching his back, with a flourish of -his tail down he dived after his mother. They sank swiftly into the -cool depths, while the sea closed silently over their shining sides. - -The baby whale did not go down very far. The air in his lungs buoyed -him up. His bones were light and full of oil. Under his dark skin a -layer of fat, called blubber, kept him floating, almost as if he were -wearing a life-preserver wrapped around him. - -The new air in his lungs grew warm and damp. After a few minutes he -wanted to breathe again. So with a flap-flap-flap of his tail up he -paddled. Puff, piff! out through the blow-holes rushed the warm air -from his lungs. In the cold outside air it changed to spray, and went -spouting up like a fountain. Down it came showering, with silver drops -splashing and tinkling. - -That must have been fun. The baby could not stay under water so long -as his mother could. Often he left her swimming around over the rocky -bottom of the bay while he paddled up to get a fresh breath. Sometimes -he was in such a hurry that he blew out before reaching the top. Then -the water above him went spouting up, and sprinkling back noisily about -his glistening head. - -For days and days the baby whale lived there in the bay with his -mother. It was the whole world to him, for he had seen no other place. -Of course he did not know how it looked from above, with its blue, -sparkling water, and its tall cliffs casting long shadows over the -ripples at dawn. - -To him the bay was a delightful playground. Its oozy floor was covered -with rocks under the cool green water. Long fringes of seaweed floated -deep down under there. In dark caves sponges and sea-lilies grew, and -crabs scuttled backward into slimy crannies. There were big fishes and -little fishes darting to and fro. At times they hung motionless, with -glistening scales, their round eyes unwinking, their tails quivering -now and then. - -Every day, after the baby whale drank all the milk he wanted, he took -a nap, lying beside his mother on the surface of the bay. Every day he -grew a little bigger, and swam a little faster, and stayed below a -little longer without rising to breathe. - -When he was old enough to stop drinking milk he learned to eat the food -which his mother liked. He often watched her swimming around the bay, -with her great mouth hanging open. There were millions of the tiniest -kind of creatures living in the water. They flowed into her mouth at -the same time with the water. When she felt them tickling and wiggling -over her tongue she closed her jaw almost shut. A sieve of long elastic -strips of bone fell like a curtain from the roof of her mouth. Then the -water drained out between the strips of bone, leaving the tiny animals -inside to be swallowed. - -Instead of teeth the baby whale found such a fringe of whalebone strips -growing on the roof of his mouth. When it was long enough to use he -began to swim around with his jaw hanging down. Every day, in this way, -he caught and ate thousands of tiny shrimps and crabs and mussels. He -could not swallow any large fish because his throat was only a few -inches wide. - -He did not know that there are different whales in a different part of -the sea. These other whales have teeth instead of whalebone sieves. In -the tops of their heads they have great holes filled with sperm oil. -Their throats are wide enough to swallow a man. They are called sperm -whales, but the whales with whalebone strips in their mouths are called -true whales. - -When the baby stopped drinking milk the mother set out with him to -leave the bay, and find the father whale in the deep sea without. The -young whale could swim almost as fast as the old one now. He could stay -under water without breathing quite as long as she could. The warm -blanket of blubber under his skin had grown thicker. It kept him warm -and helped him to float. - -Perhaps he was afraid to leave the safe bay for the wide ocean. He -kept close beside his mother as they went rushing on, with their tails -slapping up and down and around. The tail sent each one ahead, just -as the screw of a steamer drives it forward. With their flippers they -steadied their round bodies so that they would not roll over and over -like logs. - -Out between the rocky cliffs, at the mouth of the inlet, they rushed -through the green water. After travelling some distance out to sea the -baby noticed that the water looked black below them, reaching down -and down and down. He could not see the oozy, shell-covered floor, as -in the bay. Above him the waves were larger, and swayed to and fro, -cresting in foam. The big fishes were darting hither and thither before -the great round, rushing bodies of the mother and the baby whale. - -Very likely the old whale had been lonesome in the bay. She swam on in -a hurry to find her mate and the rest of the herd. The baby followed -as hard as he could paddle. This was a wonderful new world to him. -Probably he wanted to stop and look around, especially when he rose to -breathe. Once he gave a mighty jump and shot out far above the waves. -He could not see well, except directly behind him. But while above -there in the air he twisted in a curving leap. Everywhere water, water, -water, stretching on and on and on. - -He could not see a single sign of any other whales being near. Yet -somehow or other the old mother knew that they were not far away. It -may be that she could hear through the water, as if telephone-wires -were spread under the waves. Sure enough! soon the baby heard the -splashing of heavy bodies turning over and over in slow rolling. When -he rose to breathe he caught sight of spouting fountains, where the -other whales were blowing in the sea. - -When the strangers came swimming toward him he hung back behind his -mother. They glided about him, now and then touching him with their -fins, noses, or tails. They twisted around so as to see him with their -dull little eyes. Then they went on with their eating and lazy rolling -on the surface of the sea. - -The baby and his mother belonged to the herd now. It was time for them -all to start north to colder waters, as summer was near. Food was -growing scarce in that part of the ocean. When the whales stayed too -long in one place barnacles and limpets fastened on the huge bodies, -and made them uncomfortable. One day the baby felt a tickling barnacle -on his throat. He scratched so hard against a jagged rock that he tore -a rent a foot long in the blubber. But it did not hurt much, and in a -few days it was healed. - -There were a number of other young whales in the herd. The biggest old -father whale took the lead while the rest followed, on and on, moving -through the sea all day long. Sometimes they stopped to swim around and -around with their mouths hanging open. The tiny crabs and other animals -flowed in upon the great satiny white tongues. Sometimes they all took -pleasant naps while floating on the surface. Once a sea-bird flew down -and pecked at a barnacle on the baby’s head. - -At night the herd lay still, sleeping beneath the stars. All around -them the ocean glimmered and twinkled. The ripples shone with fiery -light. Now and then one or another big whale blew out his warm breath -slowly and drowsily, his great sides heaving in a tremendous sigh. -Then, when the morning came, and the sky grew bright at the horizon, -they woke and plunged below for breakfast. They did not even look at -the beautiful colors in the sky. - -Nearly every day the young ones had a race. Off and away! their bodies -bending like bows, their broad tails churning the water into foaming -waves behind them. Many a time the baby dived down, down, down, till -the water looked black around him. Then, when he was almost smothering -under the heavy weight of the sea, he turned in a hurry, and went -rushing up with a bound and a puff. He shot out into the sunshine with -a mighty leap. What a tremendous splashing he made as he fell back on -his side, while all the other baby whales slapped the water with their -tails under the shower of spray! - -One morning he had a terrible fright. It happened that he lagged behind -the herd to catch one more mouthful of breakfast. When at last he was -ready to follow the rest he saw three strange animals hurrying after -him. They were almost as big as he was, and they had fierce little eyes -and sharp white teeth. He was so afraid that he swam as fast as he -could. - -[Illustration: THE WHALE. - -“The old mother whale came tearing back to the rescue.” _Page 39._] - -They were really a kind of small whale that eats the tongues of large -whales. They were called killers. All three raced after the baby. -One caught hold of his lip and tried to drag his mouth open. The -other two pulled and bit at the other side of the poor frightened -fellow. Just as they had his mouth almost open, and were snapping like -wolves at sight of his tongue, they heard the old mother whale come -tearing back to the rescue. - -Before they had time to dart away she dived head foremost. Raising her -great tail she swept it around and around, churning the water into -foam. One dreadful blow crushed a killer, and the others rushed away. -Seizing the trembling baby between her flippers and neck the mother -hurried on to catch up with the herd again. - -This was excitement enough for one day. Indeed, it was the greatest -adventure of the year, except for the narrow escape from the ice-floe. -This last adventure happened when the herd was just leaving the north -to swim south again. The baby whale was quite a big fellow by this -time. By some accident he found himself shut into a bay by a floating -mass of ice. - -The ice-floe covered the water and was driving closer and closer to -the shore. The young whale swam ahead of it till he was almost on the -beach. Still it kept pressing nearer and nearer. Again and again he -tried to swim under it, but he could not hold his breath long enough to -get through to the open sea. If he could not breathe he would drown, -just like any other mammal. - -Finally, just as the ice was rubbing against the big black sides, he -raised himself high in the air and threw his heavy body with a crash -down on the floe. Luckily, he happened to strike a thin place. The -immense cake of ice cracked and split. The whale gave a plunge and -broke his way through to safety. He was glad enough to find the herd -again and swim on with them toward the southern waters. - -So down along the shore the huge beasts went frolicking together. They -leaped out of the sea, turning summersaults and tumbling over and over. -They patted one another with such resounding smacks of their flippers -that the noise was like thunder. Now they darted ahead, leaving a wake -of dancing foam; now they dived, arching their backs, and flirting -their tails high in the air. And through the quiet nights they lay with -the waves lapping softly against them, with the starlight glistening -upon the great black bodies rolling in the swell. - - - - -IV - -THE ELK (WAPITI) - -“ONE OF THE FLEETEST” - - - - -ONE OF THE FLEETEST - - -IT was the most interesting thing! The big brother elk, who was just -a year old, peered in through the branches, his ears pointed forward. -His great soft eyes were shining, and his nostrils were quivering with -excitement. There, on a bed of leaves in the mountain-thicket, lay a -new little baby elk. - -He looked like the big brother, except for the white spots on his -satiny brown coat. With his slender legs doubled under him he lay -perfectly still, not even twitching his ears, as old deer to catch the -slightest sound. He was looking up at his big brown mother standing -beside him. - -The brother elk edged nearer and nearer, till a branch crackled under -his hoofs. Instantly the old mother raised her head and pricked her -ears in the direction of the sound. When she caught sight of the -brother she drew back her lips from her teeth and squealed angrily. Her -eyes gleamed. She began to walk toward him, squealing and shaking her -head to drive him away. He was so surprised that he snorted out loud. -Then backing off, first one foot and then the other, he hid among some -trees close by. - -He must have felt very lonesome as he waited there by himself on the -mountain. He listened to every rustle of a leaf or crackle of a twig in -the thicket where the baby was lying. Before this his mother had always -been kind to him. He did not know why she drove him away,—when he was -not doing any harm. The reason was because every little noise made her -nervous. She was afraid wolves or panthers might come prowling around -there, where the baby lay helpless on the leaves. - -After a few days the baby scrambled to his feet and went staggering -a bit unsteadily after his mother as she led the way out from the -thicket. The big brother came timidly up to them. He smelled the little -one very gently, nosing all over his soft dappled body. The mother did -not pay much attention, and the baby was not afraid. He stood quite -still, looking around with his shining eyes. - -It was a beautiful world in May. All around him there were groves of -aspens twinkling their silvery leaves in the early sunlight. Farther up -the mountain-side dark evergreens grew thick among the rocks. Down the -valley a brook splashed and gurgled over stones on its way to a lake -lying in the cool shadow of the pines. - -Very likely, although the baby elk could see well enough, he cared -more for the things which he could smell. There was such a delicious -fragrance everywhere of spicy evergreens and the damp sweet breath of -mosses and blossoming flowers. Of course he was too young to taste the -juicy grasses and tender twigs, but he surely enjoyed the tempting odor -of it all. The world smelled very good to eat. - -Like all little mammals he drank milk till his teeth cut through his -gums later in the year. Like the buffaloes the older elk had horny -pads instead of teeth in the front of their upper jaws. They tore off -a mouthful of grass or leaves with a jerk of the head and swallowed it -half chewed. Then, during the heat of the day, when they were lying -down to rest in the shade, or standing in pools of water, they drew up -the fodder from their stomachs and chewed it again. - -All summer long the little elk lived in the mountains with his mother -and brother. At night he slept nestled close to them in some safe -thicket. In the daytime he trotted beside them as they roamed grazing -over the upland meadows and along the brooks. Though they were fond of -feeding near the water they did not care so much as some other kinds of -deer to eat lily-leaves. - -In the early part of the summer the mother and brother looked very -ragged. Their thick winter coat began to fall out. It was so matted -that it clung to the body like a torn blanket. Every time they rubbed -against a bush or thorny tree their old hair was torn in long strips -and tatters. When at last it had all been rubbed off their fresh short, -summer fur shone out bright and glistening in the sunshine. - -Little by little the white spots on the baby’s coat were fading. By -the end of August he was all in plain brown like the older ones, with -only a patch of white around his tail. Probably he did not notice the -difference himself because he could not turn his head far enough to -see many of the spots on his sides and neck. - -[Illustration: THE ELK. - -“Grazing over the upland meadows.” _Page 48._] - -Indeed he was astonished enough one day, while still in the spotted -coat, to see another little spotted elk come timidly out of a thicket -of aspens. At first both babies stood still, with their ears pricked -forward and their big soft eyes wide open. Then the first one bravely -walked up to the other and smelled him all over. After that they were -friends and played together. They could both say ba-a-a, and drink -milk, and gallop over the grass, with their little hoofs kicking out -behind. - -The next day another mother elk with a baby and a big brother joined -the band. Then another family came, and another, till there were dozens -and dozens of them all together. Such scampering frolics as the little -ones enjoyed! While the old mothers were quietly grazing over the steep -slopes the babies raced from one rock to another. Each one tried to -push up first to the highest point, and then stand there, looking down -at the others. Once the roughest little fellow butted another off a -high rock and almost broke his leg. - -When a baby butted with his round little head it did not hurt much. But -the big brothers all had sharp antlers sprouting from their foreheads. -In the spring the knobs above their eyes had begun to swell and grow -out into bony spikes covered with a velvety network of skin and veins. -These antlers were different from the horns worn by the buffaloes. -Every buffalo had a pair of horns that lasted all his life. The mother -buffaloes had horns, but the mother elk did not have antlers. The -antlers were solid bone instead of hollow like the horns. Each of the -father elks and the big brothers had a new pair every spring to replace -the old pair that dropped off during the winter. - -By mid-summer the antlers stopped growing. Then the big brothers in the -band pounded and rubbed their antlers against bushes and young trees, -so as to strip off the velvety covering. When they had sham fights they -could butt hard enough to hurt. They bumped their heads together, and -pushed with all their might to see which was the strongest. - -Autumn was not far off now, and the band of mother elk and young ones -began to move down from the mountains to the foot-hills. In winter the -snow lay so deep in the high valleys that they could not walk far or -find enough to eat. Farther and farther down they wandered every day. -The babies were learning to eat grass like the older ones. - -One morning the smallest baby elk was picking his steps along the -edge of a cliff. He halted and raised his pretty head to look far up -the canyon before him. There, away off against the pine-woods on the -mountain-side, he caught sight of a spot of brown moving toward him. -Nearer and nearer it came, till he saw that it was an animal even -bigger than his mother. It was an old father elk coming down from his -summer retreat in the highest gorges. - -In all his short life the baby had never seen such a stately and -beautiful creature. His mother was not nearly so large as this elk, and -she wore no antlers at all. The big brother’s antlers were only short -spikes without any prongs. On strode the newcomer, leaping over fallen -trees and wading through the brooks to join the band. His long black -mane was waving on his neck; his nostrils were quivering; his great -eyes were flashing; his splendid antlers rose, branching high above his -graceful head. - -The fine stranger stalked among the others and smelled them, in their -way of getting acquainted. Then he began to feed with them all. The -mother elk and little ones followed meekly when he started to lead the -band down the mountain. He did not pay much attention to the babies. -Sometimes he pushed them out of his way, or drove them hither and -thither, as he pleased. He was a selfish old fellow and never thought -of taking care of the others. Whenever he found a delicious tuft of -juicy grass he hurried to munch it all by himself. - -As the frosty days passed by another father elk appeared, and then -another and another. Each one wanted to be leader of the band. Many a -snowy night the baby elk huddled close to his mother as he listened to -the noise of the old father elk roaming through the woods. He could -hear them snuffing the frosty air. They beat the bushes with their -antlers and stamped on the crackling branches underfoot. The snow lay -thick on their bristling manes. Now here in the valley, now there high -on the ridge, the sound of their whistling came pealing down through -the still white woods in the moonlight. - -Often and often the baby trembled as he heard the shrill squealing of -two old elk fighting together. Each one was trying to drive the other -away from the band. They rushed together with a crash, and pushed and -strained, with their antlers locked tight. Though the prongs could not -cut through the tough skin of their shoulders, still the weaker one -always had to give way and run. The other chased him off and then came -back, whistling and barking in triumph, to be leader of the band. - -In a few weeks the old elk became tired of fighting. The band settled -down to spend a peaceful winter together. Their fur grew long and -thick to keep out the cold. On they travelled mile after mile. They -were looking for a sheltered spot to be their home during the coldest -weather. - -The old elk walked so fast that the babies had to gallop to keep from -being left behind. Up hills and down gorges they went crashing through -thickets and over the rocks. They climbed steep cliffs and went leaping -down narrow trails. Even the little ones were sure-footed. They never -stumbled or slipped as they bounded over the dead logs and tangled -vines between the trees. - -At last they found a wooded spot where the hills sheltered them from -the bitterest winds. There was grass on the ground. There were plenty -of young trees with twigs and buds and bark for them to eat. A swift -little brook ran over the rocks not far away. - -Here in this place the band of elk spent the winter. When the snow fell -deeper they trod it into narrow paths by walking from tree to tree to -feed. These paths led to and fro, criss-crossing, and around in uneven -curves all through the yard, as it may be called. With every storm the -snow beside the paths piled higher and higher, till the baby could not -see over the edges, even when he stretched up his neck. - -It must have been a dreary winter for the little fellow. Night after -night he huddled beside his mother to keep warm. Sometimes the stars -sparkled above the white earth, and sometimes the wind sifted the icy -flakes over their brown bodies. Day after day of cold and storm he -walked along the paths from tree to tree. Here he could reach a bunch -of dead leaves, there a cluster of twig-ends, or a mouthful of bark. - -The older elk were so much taller than he was that they could reach -the higher branches by standing on their hind-legs and stretching out -their necks. Often he went hungry, for the fodder near the paths was -all eaten before spring. The snow was so deep outside the yard that he -could not touch solid ground with his feet. Sometimes he pawed through -the icy crust, and dug away the snow from over the grass. - -Once a pack of wolves came prowling near and tried to drive the elk out -into the deep snow. Though the elk, like all deer, are the fleetest of -mammals, the wolves could run better over the snow, for their broad -paws did not sink in so far as the elk’s slender hoofs. Instead of -running away all the mother elk rushed squealing after the wolves and -tried to stamp them to death. The mother elk were always very brave in -taking care of their little ones. The cowardly old fathers were afraid -to fight anything, now that they had lost their sharp antlers. - -Spring came at last, and the snow melted from the hill-tops and then -from the valleys. The first tender grass began to sprout in the -meadows. The elk left their winter home and scattered over the plains -in search of food. The sun shone and the soft winds blew. - -The baby elk followed his mother, when she left the others, and started -up toward the mountains. He wandered after her, grazing as he went, -till he lost her in a mountain thicket. While he was looking for her he -heard a rustling of twigs. He peered through the branches, and there he -saw a new little baby elk lying on a bed of leaves. The old mother was -standing over him, and licking his satiny spotted coat with her long -red tongue. - - - - -V - -THE BEAVER - -“THE BEST BUILDER” - - - - -THE BEST BUILDER - - -OUT in the woods rain was pouring down steadily from the black sky. It -beat against the leaves and trickled over the trunks of the trees and -spattered into the pond. Now and then a flash of lightning glimmered -over the water and twinkled in through the hole at the top of the -little round house where the beavers lived. - -From the outside this house looked like a heap of old brush-wood on a -tiny island in the middle of the pond. But inside of it there was a -little room, like a cave, with a smooth floor and an arched roof. Along -the sides of this room there were five beds of leaves and grass. On one -of these beds lay three baby beavers fast asleep in the dark. - -The other beds were all empty. The big one at the end belonged to the -father beaver. Before the babies were born in May he had gone away for -the summer. He had started off with all the other old fathers in the -beaver village to have a good time in the woods up the brook. They -played and feasted on roots and plants, while the mother beavers stayed -home to take care of the babies. - -The other three beds belonged to the mother and to her two older -children. On this rainy summer night they had gone out to eat their -supper under the trees by the pond. - -Suddenly the three baby beavers opened their eyes with a start, and -rolled off their bed. They had been awakened by the sound of a loud -whack on the water outside. It was a noise made by the mother’s flat -tail as she dived down toward the door of her house. Her front hall was -a tunnel that led from the bottom of the pond to the floor of the dark -little room. Through this she went swimming, while the waves bubbled -and splashed around her. - -When the babies saw her round head poke up through the door in the -floor they squeaked and ran to meet her. She was carrying a bundle of -small sticks between her chin and her fore-paw. Each little beaver sat -up on his hind-legs, with his tail propping him steady from behind. -Then he took one of the sticks in his hands and began to nibble the -bark with his new yellow teeth. - -They were wonderful teeth. After the babies were too old to live on -milk, four curved teeth grew out in the front of each little mouth. Two -were in the upper jaw and two in the lower jaw. It was the strangest -thing! The more these teeth gnawed the sharper they became. The inner -side of each tooth was softer than the outer side. In biting together, -the inner edge wore down faster, and left the outer edge as sharp as a -knife. - -The beaver belongs to the _Order of Gnawers_. Squirrels and rabbits -and rats and many other mammals belong to this order. They all have -these chisel-shaped front teeth, which keep on growing all their lives -long. If any one of them is too lazy to gnaw every day his teeth grow -so long that he cannot bite anything at all. Beavers are the largest of -the gnawing animals, except the water-hog of South America. They have -stronger teeth than any of the others. - -Not long after this stormy night the mother beaver decided to take the -three babies out with her into the woods. She chose another rainy -evening because then their enemies were not likely to be wandering -under the dripping trees. Bears and foxes and wild-cats hate to get -wet, but beavers enjoy feeling the cool water trickle over their fur -and splash on their tails. - -Except for their broad, flat tails, the three little beavers looked -like rats covered with silky brown fur. The mother seemed like a giant -rat, about three feet long from her round nose to the root of her tail. -Instead of fur her tail was covered with thick skin. This skin was so -creased and dented that it looked like scales. - -What an exciting evening it was for the babies! One behind the other -they trotted down the dark tunnel after their mother. At first the -floor was dry and hard. After a few steps their feet touched something -wet. Soft mud oozed between the fingers on their fore-paws. Their -hind-feet were webbed up to the toe-nails, and so did not sink in so -deep as their fore-paws. Beavers are the only mammals which have webs -on one pair of feet, and not on the other pair. They are half land -animals and half water animals. - -This was not the first time that the three little beavers had ventured -into the tunnel. More than once before they had crept down as far as -the water and waded about at the edge. But now they kept right on, -splashing in farther and farther. The water grew deeper and deeper. -In the dark they felt it wash up to their knees, and then up to their -chins, and finally away over their backs and their heads to the roof of -the tunnel. - -Away went the three babies swimming after the old mother. They held -their breaths, and shut their ears tight. Their small fore-paws hung -down by their sides. They paddled with their webbed hind-feet, and used -their broad tails as rudders, to send them now this way, now that. - -It seemed the longest time to the last little beaver before his head -popped up into the fresh air above the pond. He blinked his light-brown -eyes, and winked away the drops on his eyelashes. Now and then a flash -of lightning glimmered on the trees around the pond. Of course he did -not know yet that his food came from those tall, shadowy things at the -edge of the water. - -Half-way to the shore a round, dark spot was ploughing through the -water, with two ripples spreading out behind it. It was the head of the -mother beaver. Behind her followed another head, and then another. The -last little beaver swung his tail around and started after them. He -puffed and sputtered when a wave washed over his nose. But he did not -mind that at all, because this cool water was much pleasanter than the -stale air in the warm room at home. - -There, under a bush on the bank, he saw his older brother and sister -sitting on their tails, while they nibbled the bark from some sticks -beside them. When the baby reached his hand toward the pile they -grunted and sniffed at him. Just then a flash of lightning gleamed on -their long, yellow teeth, and frightened the little fellow so much that -he scampered after his mother and the two other babies. - -They followed a path into the woods. The father beavers in the village -had made it by cutting down trees and bushes and dragging them out of -the way. It was a straight path, and more than wide enough for the -fattest old beaver. But the last baby was so much afraid of being -left behind that he ran without looking on the ground. He stumbled over -two low stumps, and bumped into a trunk at one side, before he caught -up to the others. - -[Illustration: THE BEAVER. - -“Across the pond to feast in the woods.” _Page 65._] - -He saw the mother beaver standing on her hind-legs under a tree. She -reached up as high as she could with her mouth and gnawed off a branch. -When it fell crackling and rustling she called the three babies to come -and learn how to cut their own sticks to eat. She showed them how to -set their teeth against the bark, and tear off a chip with a jerk of -the head. Another chip and another was gnawed out till the branch was -cut in two. The mother could bite through a small stick with one snip -of her jaws. - -After that, every night all summer long, the three babies followed -their mother out through the tunnel and across the pond to feast in the -woods. They ate tender grasses and roots as well as bark. Sometimes -they went out before dark to romp and play tag in the pond. The biggest -little beaver thought that it was the greatest fun to push the others -off floating logs. He chased them round and round, splashing water in -their faces and making them duck their heads. They enjoyed the fun as -much as he did, especially after they all scrambled upon the bank to -rest. - -On land, the biggest baby was too fat and clumsy to move as fast as the -other two. They danced about on their hind-legs, and pretended to step -on his tail or pull his fur. It was beautiful fur, so fine and thick -and soft that water could not soak through to the skin. The babies did -not have a coat of coarse outer hair like the old beavers. When tired -of play they sat up and scratched their heads and shoulders with the -claws on their hairy fore-paws. Then, after combing their sides with -their hind-feet, they curled down in the grass for a nap. - -There were plenty of other little low houses in the pond, and in each -one lived a family of beavers. The three babies made friends with all -the other babies. Together they explored every corner of the pond, from -the brook at the upper end to the dam at the lower end. - -Very likely the little fellows believed that the dam had always been -there. But in fact the old beavers had built it themselves. When they -first came to that spot in the woods they found only a brook flowing -over a hard, gravelly bottom. They first cut down a bush and floated it -along till it stuck fast between a rock and a clump of trees. Next they -cut other bushes, and carried down poles and branches, till they had a -tangle of brush stretching from one bank to the other. Upon this they -piled sticks and stones and mud, and then more sticks and stones and -mud, and then still more sticks and stones and mud. - -At last the dam was so high and solid that the water could not flow -through. So it spread out in a pond above the dam till it was deep -enough to trickle over the top and tinkle away in a little brook under -the trees. - -Tiny islands were left here and there in the pond. The old beavers -built their houses on the islands or on the bank. First each mother and -father dug two tunnels from the bottom of the pond up through the earth -to the floor of their house. One tunnel was to be used when going in -and out during the summer. The other tunnel led to their winter pantry -under the water. This pantry was to be a pile of fresh sticks cut in -the woods every autumn. - -Around the two holes in the floor the beavers laid logs and stones in -a circle. Upon this foundation they piled sticks and sod to form walls -and a roof. Then they plastered the house all over with mud. At the -top of the roof they left a small hole, covered only with a tangle of -sticks. This was for fresh air. Last of all they swam inside and made -the walls even by gnawing off the sharp ends of the wood. Then the -house was ready to be furnished with beds of leaves and grasses. - -Perhaps during the happy summer the babies believed that play was the -most delightful thing in the world. But soon the father beavers came -strolling back to the village to cut down trees for the winter. Then -the little fellows found that work was even better fun than play. - -One night the three babies followed their parents into the woods and -watched them cut down a tree. The father stood up on his hind-legs, -propping himself with his tail, and began to cut a notch around the -trunk. The mother helped on the other side. They gnawed upward and -downward, digging out huge chips with their chisel teeth. The circle -grew deeper and deeper, till the father’s head was almost hidden -whenever he thrust it in to take a fresh bite. - -When finally the wood cracked and the tree-top began to sway all the -family scampered away to the pond. They dived for the tunnel and hid in -the house for a while. There was danger that some hungry wild-cat had -heard the crash of the branches and had hurried there to catch them for -its supper. - -As soon as it seemed safe to do so the beavers paddled out again and -trotted away to the fallen tree. The parents trimmed off the branches -and cut the trunk into pieces short enough to carry. The father seized -a thick pole in his teeth and swung it over his shoulders. As he -dragged it toward the pond he kept his head twisted to one side, so -that the end of the pole trailed on the ground. - -The biggest little beaver tried to drag a smaller branch in the same -way. When he rose on his hind-legs, so as to walk along more easily, -he forgot to brace himself with his tail. The branch caught on a stone -and tipped him backwards, heels over head. The two other babies were -rolling a short log by pushing it with their noses. At the sound of -their brother’s surprised squeals they gave the log a last wild poke. -It seemed to make a jump over a bump, and then tumbled into a hole. -There it stayed, though they pushed and pulled and puffed and grunted -in trying to get it out again. - -It happened that the father beaver reached the pond just in time to -help mend the dam with his thick pole. A pointed log had jammed a hole -in the dam. The water was beginning to pour through the hole with a -rush. If the pond should run dry the doors of the tunnels would be left -in plain sight. Then probably a wolf, or some other enemy, would hide -there to catch the beavers on their way from the woods to their houses. - -The old father pushed his pole into the water; then he jumped in, and, -taking hold of it with his teeth, he swam out above the hole. When he -let go the water carried the pole squarely across the break in the dam. -The other beavers cut bushes and floated them down to weave across the -hole. After that they scooped up mud and stones to plaster the dam -till not a drop trickled through the mended places. - -The next work to be done that autumn was to gather food for the winter. -Some of the trees with the juiciest bark grew too far away to be -easily dragged to the pond. All the grown-up beavers set to work to -dig a canal. They dug and scooped and gnawed off roots, and dragged -out stones, till they had made a long canal more than a foot deep. The -water flowed into this from the pond. Then it was easy enough to float -wood from the juicy trees down to the beaver village. - -Even the babies could help in towing the wood down the canal and across -the pond to the different houses. Some of the wood became so heavy -with soaked-up water that it sank to the bottom beside the doors, and -could be packed in a solid pile as easily as on land. Most of the wood, -however, kept light enough to float. Instead of heaping new sticks on -top, the beavers pushed them under the top branches. Then more was -pressed under that, and more under that, till the pile reached to the -bottom. In the winter, of course, the top sticks could not be eaten, -because they would be frozen fast in the ice. - -The autumn days were growing frostier and frostier. After mending the -dam and gathering their woodpiles, the beavers plastered a last coat of -mud all over the outside of their houses. The mud froze hard and made -the little rooms inside as safe as a fort, with walls two feet thick. -The babies carried leaves and grasses for their fresh beds. With a -bundle tucked between his chin and fore-paw, each one hobbled along on -three legs, “working like a beaver,” as the saying is. - -One cloudy night, when the beavers were busy out in the woods, -something soft and cold began to float down through the chilly air. -The biggest baby felt a sting on his nose. When he put out his tongue -to lick it he touched only a speck of water. Bits of white sifted -on his fur and melted in drops. Presently the ground began to look -lighter colored. Something fluttered about his head and settled on his -eyelashes. He winked and sneezed and squeaked to the other babies. They -had never seen a snowstorm before. - -When they jumped into the pond to paddle home something sharp and -brittle cracked and snapped in the icy black water. One of the little -fellows caught a bit in his mouth. It smarted on his tongue and then it -was gone. It was the first time that he had ever tasted ice. - -The next night, when the beavers swam to the top of the pond, they -bumped their heads against something hard. It cracked all around them. -They pushed on, with the water lapping at the jagged edges. After they -reached the shore they found it very tiresome to wade through the snow. -Before the night was quarter past the old father hurried back to the -pond. He was afraid that the ice might freeze too thick for them to -break their way home again. He arched his back and slapped his tail on -the water with an echoing whack to call the babies after him. - -All winter long the beavers lived quietly in their little homes under -the snow. Most of the time they slept, each on his own soft bed in the -dark. Whenever they were hungry they paddled down the tunnel which -led to the woodpile. Gnawing off some sticks they swam back with the -bundles under their chins. They used the middle of the room for a -dining-table. There they nibbled the bark. Then they carried the peeled -sticks back into the pond. They did not like to have rubbish left on -the floor. - -Sometimes the babies grew restless and tired of staying still in the -room. They swam out into the pond and moved about under the ice. They -hunted for roots of the yellow water-lily. It must have been hard to -hold their breaths long enough to dig up the roots and paddle away back -into the house. Once the biggest baby almost had a fight with one of -his playmates over a juicy root. They pulled at it so roughly that it -was torn to pieces. - -So the winter months slipped away. At last spring melted the ice on the -pond. Here and there in the black water little brown heads came popping -up. They went plowing toward shore, leaving v-shaped ripples stretching -out behind. Up the banks scrambled the beavers,—mother beavers and -father beavers, big brother beavers and big sister beavers, and all the -little beavers who had been babies the year before. - -Away roamed the fathers up the brook, to have a good time travelling -all summer long. The grown-up brothers and sisters started out to build -dams and houses of their own. The little fellows wandered into the -woods to find their dinners of tender buds and twigs. The mothers ate -the bark from fresh sticks, and then hurried back to carry milk to the -new baby beavers, asleep on their soft beds at home. - - - - -VI - -THE RABBIT (HARE) - -“THE TIMID ONE” - - - - -THE TIMID ONE - - -THE nest was a small hole scooped out of the turf and lined with bits -of fur from the mother bunny’s breast. The five baby bunnies lay packed -close together. Their long ears were pressed flat on their furry backs, -and their hind-legs were doubled up under their round, little soft -bodies. - -Over them rested a blanket of dry grass and fur matted together. The -sunlight outside shone through tiny holes here and there. Once the -bravest bunny poked up the cover and tried to look out. All he could -see was a little roof of green grasses interlacing above the nest. The -grasses rustled in the summer breeze. - -During the day the babies cuddled down fast asleep. Sometimes a red ant -wandered into the nest. It clambered down from wisp to wisp of dead -grass and scurried across the bunnies’ faces. That tickled so that they -screwed up their pink noses and opened their round bright eyes for a -drowsy minute. Once a big spider crawled upon the edge and stared at -them with all its eyes, till the bravest bunny scared it away with a -flap of his ears. Another time a bird flew down to the nest and pecked -at the blanket till its bill stuck through and almost pricked one of -the babies. - -Toward evening the bunnies began to wake up for the night. They -squirmed about, curling their toes, stretching their long legs, and -cocking their ears to listen for the mother bunny’s step. At last they -heard the soft thump-thump-thump of her furry paws as she came leaping -over the grass from the bushes where she had been dozing. How joyfully -the babies wriggled at sight of her! As soon as she had lifted the -blanket and crept underneath they snuggled close to her. They were -hungry for the warm milk which she had always ready for them to drink. - -As the days passed the little bunnies began to grow too big for the -nest. Their hind-legs felt stronger and stronger for jumping. Indeed, -the bravest bunny had a naughty way of kicking his brothers and -sisters. He set his heels against their soft sides and pushed in hard -jerks, for the fun of making them squirm and squeal. Sometimes they -kicked back, but not very often, because they were afraid to make much -noise. - -Their mother taught them to be as still as they could while she was -absent. The only way for such helpless little creatures to escape being -eaten by their many enemies was to keep out of sight. Snakes would not -notice them if they stayed quiet in the nest. Hungry hawks and owls -could not find out where they were hidden if they did not move. The bit -of a blanket looked like a patch of dead grass. Foxes and wild-cats and -the rest could not smell them so long as they lay still. - -They were timid little things, and their ears seemed to be always -twitching to catch the least sounds. On some warm afternoons they -woke up early, and waited for the mother to bring their supper of -milk. Outside they heard the plop of grasshoppers jumping from stem -to stalk. The flutter of butterflies and the buzzing of bees over the -clover-blossoms sounded loud enough. The shrill whirring of a locust -made them tremble and quake. Perhaps they were afraid that it was -something coming to eat them up. - -When the bunnies were strong enough to leave the nest they went to -live in the brush with their mother. Away they all galloped over the -grass. Their long ears flapped up and down, and the furry soles of -their hind-legs twinkled behind them. They did not stop to look around -till they were safe in the shelter of the bushes. Then every one of -them turned, and sat up on his haunches with his little fore-paws in -the air. With their ears pointed forward, and their round eyes shining, -they looked back at the grassy spot where they had lived in the hidden -cosy nest. - -At that very minute, when they were all so excited and happy, the old -mother caught sight of a fox stealing after them. At a sign from her -the little bunnies sat as still as if they were made of stone. They -were almost the same color as the sticks and dry leaves around them. -Nobody would notice them unless they should move. - -But that sly old fox was not looking for them with his eyes; he was -following their tracks, with his nose close to the ground. He smelled -his way nearer and nearer. The trembling babies could see the sharp -white teeth between his lips. His narrow eyes gleamed hungrily. -Finally he crept so near that he could smell them in the air. They saw -him lift his head and snuff in their direction, one of his fore-paws -raised for the next step. - -Suddenly the mother bunny sprang out before his face and darted off -helter-skelter into the woods. She wanted to lead the fox away from -her little ones. Away she dashed under the bushes and over the logs, -up slopes and down gullies, dodging now this way now that. Once he was -so close that he opened his jaws to seize her. At that she turned like -a flash, and ran right between his legs. Then into a swamp she went -bounding in great leaps. There the fox lost sight of her, and could -not find her scent in the water. She left him nosing hungrily back and -forth, while she hurried back to her babies. They were sitting as still -as stones just where she had told them to stay. - -Almost the first thing the mother bunny did, after gathering her family -in the woods, was to find different holes for hiding-places. One hole -was in a hollow stump, and another was in an old woodchuck-burrow. She -told the little ones that they must not go near the holes, except when -they could not escape in any other way. If they went often they would -make a path, and then their enemies could find out their hiding-places. - -It was pleasant there in the underbrush of the woods. They felt almost -safe with briers above them to keep away their hungry enemies. The -smell of the mossy earth was warm and sweet. The buds and leaves and -bark were spicy and fragrant. The bunnies sniffed hither and thither, -twitching their noses and jerking their ears. - -When they stopped living on milk they learned to feed on grasses and -juicy roots and twigs. The old mother showed them what was good to eat. -Like the beavers and squirrels the bunnies belonged to the _Order of -Gnawers_. Each one had four little nibbling teeth in the front of his -mouth, and grinding teeth in the back. They did not have such strong -teeth as the beavers, who could cut down trees, or the squirrels, who -gnawed hard nuts. - -[Illustration: THE RABBIT. - -“It was pleasant there in the underbrush of the woods.” _Page 84._] - -Though the bunnies could not fight well, because they had no sharp -claws and teeth, they could jump higher and farther and faster than -any of their cousins. They soon found out that the best way to escape -when chased by their enemies was to trust in the nimbleness of their -legs. - -Of course when they saw any hungry animal looking for something to -eat it was best for them to lie perfectly still so as to avoid being -seen. But if the animal caught sight of them they must run and dodge -and double and hide for their lives. It was generally wiser to keep on -running till the other lost the scent rather than to creep into a hole. -If the hungry hunter happened to be a mink or a weasel he could crawl -in after them and kill them. - -The bunnies did not try to dig their own holes. They were really hares, -though they were so much like rabbits, who were true burrowers. Once in -the woods the bravest bunny saw a true rabbit. This rabbit had a family -of little ones in a deep burrow. They had been born blind and naked, -but the little hares had been born with their eyes open and fur on -their bodies. True rabbits were brought to America from across the sea. - -In spite of their dangerous adventures the bunnies enjoyed the long -summer. Every morning at earliest dawn up they hopped from the forms. -The spot of flattened grass where each furry body had been resting was -called a “form.” Away to the clover-field they went leaping, one by -one. There they drank the dewdrops, and ate a breakfast of sweet green -leaves. They took a nibble here and a nibble there. Then they sat up -on their haunches and looked around to spy out a possible enemy. Their -round eyes twinkled this way and that, and their long ears twitched -nervously at every sound. - -The twittering of the birds did not frighten them. They seemed to know -that there was no danger-signal in the rustling of leaves on the trees, -or the splashing of frogs in the pond. Even the crackle of twigs under -the footsteps of a deer did not send them running. They must have known -that grass-eating animals would not harm them. - -But the stealthy wriggling of a snake in the grass sent them scurrying -wildly into the thickest underbrush. When they heard a stick crack -under the trees they seemed to know at once what kind of animal was -creeping near. At the soft tread of a fox or a wild-cat they sat as -still as stones, unless they knew that they had been seen. If that -happened they bounded away in a race for life. - -When the sunshine fell bright on some sandy hillside the bunnies went -there, and stretched out like kittens in the pleasant warmth. They -squirmed and blinked and turned slowly over and over. They lay on -their backs and waved their paws in the air. They had five toes on -each fore-paw and four on each hind-paw. Even then, while twisting and -stretching in enjoyment, they were on the alert. At the sound of a caw -from a neighboring tree, or at the sight of a hawk hovering far above, -they all leapt to their feet, and scampered out of sight in a twinkling. - -Then for hours they sat on their forms in the shade of the bushes -and dozed, half asleep, but ready to bound away at the first hint of -danger. The scream of a blue jay startled every bunny wide awake in -an instant. The jays always saw everything in the woods. The bunnies -waited, without stirring, till they could find out what the trouble -was. Sometimes it was a dog hunting for rabbits; sometimes it was -a snake coiled in the sun, or a baby fox playing with his own tail; -sometimes it was only a red squirrel chattering and scolding at the -blue jay. - -On warm afternoons the winged ticks hovered about, biting the bunnies -on the tips of their ears and sensitive noses. Then the bunnies hid -under skunk cabbages in the marshy spots. The bad smell kept the ticks -away. It was cool and pleasant there. The five babies lay still, -listening to the soft whirring and drowsy buzzing of insects, in the -hot sunshine beyond the marsh. - -After the sun went down the bunnies scattered to find their supper of -tender twigs or grasses or roots. Always, while they nibbled, they kept -twitching their ears forward and back. Every minute or two each one -paused to sit erect, and roll his bright eyes in all directions. All -the time his little jaws were working busily. Then perhaps they dressed -their fur coats, combing their ears with their paws, and biting the -burrs from their vests and socks. - -Off with a hop, skip, and jump for a frolic in an open space in the -woods! What a gay time the five little bunnies had there with their -friends! They went leaping, one after another. Some tore through the -ferns and hopped over the logs, with their long ears flapping. They -sprang straight up into the air, kicking out their hind-legs. They -jumped over each other, and scurried wildly round and round. One -whirled about like a kitten, chasing his own short tail. The bravest -bunny danced on his hind-legs all alone in the moonlight. - -When summer was over the cool days of autumn found the bunnies friskier -than ever. They had half a dozen smaller brothers and sisters by this -time, because the old mother had two or three nestfuls of little -ones in a year. There was plenty for everybody to eat in the woods -and fields. The little creatures feasted on roots and apples and -soft-shelled nuts till they grew round and sleek. The bravest bunny -became so fat and lazy that he hated to run. Whenever he was being -chased by any enemy he slipped into the first hole he saw. He would -certainly have been caught one day if the weasel behind him had not -happened to have a lame foot from his last fight. When he stopped to -untangle it from a strawberry-vine the bunny had time to escape. - -Winter was hard on the bunny family. They could not run so fast through -the soft snow as on the firm ground. Their enemies could see their -footprints, and follow more easily. Often and often, when a little -fellow had gone out to nibble twigs and buds, he heard something move -behind him. And there, not far away, he saw a fox ready to spring on -him. - -The bravest bunny slept under a rotten log. He always slept with his -legs doubled under him, fixed for a great jump away, in case any hungry -animal came nosing around. He did not mind the cold, for his fur was -fine and thick and warm. Even inside his mouth the soft fur grew, as -well as on the soles of his feet. - -When spring came the bunnies were more glad than any of the other small -creatures in the woods. It was a joy to feel the warm breezes blow -their fur. They did not care so much for the warmth as for the tender -buds which it opened on the trees. Green leaves came peeping out of -the ground, and flowers blossomed in sheltered nooks. - -Birds were singing, and frogs began their croaking in the meadows. The -woods were busy with the hurry-skurry of little feet. Now once more -there was plenty for everybody to eat. The bunnies were glad because of -that. But perhaps they were even more glad, because now their hungry -enemies could hunt many other animals besides the timid bunnies. - - - - -VII - -THE SQUIRREL - -“THE ONE WITH THE PRETTIEST TAIL” - - - - -THE ONE WITH THE PRETTIEST TAIL - - -THE four baby squirrels were tired of staying in their soft nest in the -hollow tree. They wanted to find out what was going on in the world -outside. As they cuddled together in the shadowy hole they could hear -the queerest sounds. They cocked their heads curiously at the rustling -and whispering of the wind among the leaves. They heard chirping and -singing and a silvery tinkle, tinkle from the brook. Once a bee flew -buzzing right over their heads, and made them clutch one another in -terror. - -One morning, when the old mother squirrel was away hunting for birds’ -eggs to eat, the smallest baby crept to the mouth of the hole and -peeped out with his round bright eyes. All around and above him there -were wonderful green things flickering and fluttering. Twinkles of -sunlight danced through the leaves and dazzled him. Something soft and -cool blew back the new bristles on his lips and ruffled his satiny red -fur. He was so much interested that he sat there, staring and staring, -till the other little ones began to squeak and scold him for shutting -out the light. - -After he crept down again to the nest the others climbed up, one by -one, and looked out. They winked and blinked at each wonderful sight; -they sniffed the strange odors, and twitched their eager little heads -at every new sound. The scream of a blue jay in the tree-top above sent -them scampering inside again, to cuddle close together in the darkest -corner. It was fun to see something new and exciting, even if it did -make them shiver all over. - -Soon the mother squirrel came springing from branch to branch to reach -the hollow. How the babies squeaked and chattered in welcome! Very -likely they told her about the wonderful sights and sounds and smells -in the strange world outside the hole. The smallest one clasped his -fore-paws around her neck, and coaxed her to let them all go out to -find more interesting things. It was stupid there in the dark nest, -with nothing to watch except the patch of light across the opening -above them. - -The old squirrel knew that the little ones were not strong enough yet -to leave the nest. To be sure, they had grown and changed very much -since the first days. Then they had been ugly little creatures, like -tiny pug-dogs, with big heads, no fur, and their eyes tight shut. Now -they were half as big as she was herself. Their eyes were like jewels, -and their red fur was smooth as satin. - -But their tails, with only fringes of hair along the sides, were not -nearly so fluffy as the mother’s. Her tail was long and plumy. It -curved so gracefully over her back that she seemed to be sitting in its -shadow. One name of the squirrel is “shadow-tail.” - -For a few weeks longer the four babies scrambled about the doorway and -looked longingly out at the wonderful green tree-world. They did not -dare to step out upon the slender branches, for fear of falling off. It -made them feel dizzy to look away down to the ground below. They did -not know how to cling to the limbs with their feet while they balanced -themselves with their tails. - -When the young squirrels were almost strong enough to learn to run and -climb in the tree, the mother began to build an airier home higher up -the trunk. The old nest was growing too warm for comfort, as summer -brought the long sunny hours. The squirrel father was not there to -help his mate. She had driven him away before the babies came. She -thought the tree belonged to her, and that she needed all the room in -the hollow for her little ones. She chased him off to live in the woods -with all the other squirrel fathers till the babies were big enough to -take care of themselves. - -The mother squirrel worked on the new nest in the early morning. She -bit off leafy twigs and carried them to the top of the tree. There, -where two branches forked, she packed the sticks and leaves together -in a loose ball. Then she pushed a doorway through, at one side or -another, just as she happened to be standing. This was not such a neat -home as one in the next tree. That other mother squirrel built her new -nest of strips of bark tied together with ribbons of soft fibre. Over -the doorway she hung a curtain of bark, and lifted it up carefully -whenever she went inside. - -At last the new home was ready. The old mother hurried down to the -hollow and called the babies to come out and follow her. They stepped -out, one after another, just as carefully as they could. The smallest -baby came last. He dug his claws into the bark and hung on. The branch -seemed so narrow that he trembled from fear of falling. The tree swayed -in the wind. The branch bounced up and down, and a leaf blew in his -face. The poor little fellow shut his eyes, because everything seemed -to be whirling round and round. - -When he opened his eyes again he saw the three other little ones -climbing up the trunk above him. They clutched the bark with their -claws and moved forward, one paw at a time. The mother was running on -ahead of them. Every few steps she turned around to coax them on faster. - -Finally they reached a narrow branch which led over to the new nest. -They crawled out on it, lifting one foot and then setting it down -before lifting another. The farther they crept the narrower the branch -grew under them. Their little paws began to slip over the smoother -bark. The one in front tried to turn around, but he was afraid of -losing his balance. So they all three scrambled backwards to the safe -trunk. - -The mother ran back to them, and chattered and scolded. Again and again -they started out over the branch, and then went scrambling back. When -at last the mother had coaxed them across to the nest she looked around -for the smallest baby. There he was away down at the door of the old -nest. The old squirrel was tired out. Her fur was ruffled and her ears -drooped. She ran down to the nest and began to scold the little fellow. -He sat up and put his paws around her neck, as if he were begging her -to let him stay there. But she started him up the trunk and pushed him -along to the branch. Then she took hold of him by the neck and carried -him across to the new home. - -After that the little ones were taken out every morning to practise -climbing. Little by little they learned to balance themselves on the -branches. Their tails were fluffy enough by this time to be of use in -balancing. First to one side, then to the other, each baby tilted his -tail as he crept along, step by step. Every day they could move a -little faster. Finally they were able to chase one another up and down, -from branch to branch. They went running around the trunks, skipping -and leaping from slender twig to twig, and jumping from one tree to -another, even through the air. - -Sometimes one or another missed his footing after a reckless jump. -Often he caught hold of a branch below by a single toe and lifted -himself up to a firmer foothold. Or if there was no branch within -reach, he spread out his fur, and flattened his tail, and went sailing -down to the ground, almost as if he could fly. They never seemed to get -hurt. - -The little squirrels appeared to be always doing something. They turned -summersaults in the grass, or swung by one paw from the tip of a tough -branch. There was always something to do or to see. Now they chattered -at a blue jay, or chased a toad for the fun of watching him hop. Now -they caught beetles to look at, or, safe in a tree, they scolded at -some fox slinking along through the woods. And every day there was the -excitement of finding something to eat. - -The babies lived on milk till they were almost as heavy as their -mother. Then she began to feed them with fruit and buds and grubs, -which she first chewed for them. Like the beavers and the hares and -rabbits each had four chisel teeth in the front of its mouth. They -needed to gnaw hard nuts or bark every day to keep these teeth from -growing too long. - -When the young squirrels were three months old in July they were big -enough to take care of themselves. Away they scampered from the old -home tree and found new homes in stumps and hollows. The smallest one -used to curl up in an old robin’s nest to sleep at night. All day long -they were just as busy as they could be. - -There were cones to be gathered from the evergreens. The little -squirrels ran up the trees in a hurry, and, cutting off the cones -with their sharp teeth, tossed them over their shoulders to the -ground. Every few minutes they scurried down to bury the cones under -the pine-needles for the winter. Sometimes a drop of sticky pitch -from the cut stems was rubbed against their fur. That made them so -uncomfortable that they had to stop and lick it off. - -The squirrels loved to be clean. Ever since they were tiny babies, with -their new red fur, they always helped one another with washing their -faces, and combing their tails with their claws. They were careful to -run along logs over a muddy spot. If one happened to get wet he dried -himself with his fluffy tail. - -When they were tired of eating seeds and twigs they hunted for grubs. -Clinging to the bark of a dead tree they listened till they heard -something gnawing beneath the surface ever so softly. Then, tearing -off the bark in ragged pieces, they pounced upon the flat whitish grub -beneath and ate it up. They were fond of mushrooms, too, and seemed to -know which were poisonous and which were good to eat. - -But the best time of all came in the autumn when nuts were ripe. Then -what fun the little squirrels had! Early every morning out popped -the little heads from the hollow stumps and logs. The big round eyes -twinkled eagerly in every direction. Then, whisk! they were out, with -a bark and a squeak! Scampering to the top of a tree each one took a -flying leap to a branch of the next. Up and down, on and across, they -followed the squirrel-paths through the woods till they reached the -grove, where the nuts were ripening. - -It was a busy place, with little wings fluttering and little feet -pattering, and yellow leaves drifting down in the sunshine. All the -squirrels scurried to and fro, picking one nut here, and another there. -They sat on the branches, with their bushy tails curving over their -backs, and held the nuts in their fore-paws to nibble. The smallest -baby could open the hardest walnut, and clean it out in less than a -minute. In the oddest way he seemed to know exactly where to bore -through the shell so as to strike the broad side of the kernel. - -All the while the blue jays and the thrifty chipmunks were gathering -nuts and corn, and hiding their stores away for the winter. That seemed -so interesting that the squirrels gathered some too. The smallest one -stuffed his cheeks full of nuts and scampered back to his latest home -in a hollow stump. The next mouthful he brought was hidden in a fork -of a tree and covered with leaves. Then he tucked away a few chestnuts -in the cracks of the bark on an oak-tree. By that time he was tired of -working at this, so he scurried around to find out how many nuts the -other young squirrels were saving for the winter. - -Autumn passed away, and the days grew colder. In the woods the leaves -were all fallen and the branches were stripped bare of nuts. Every -morning when the squirrels poked out their heads the air nipped their -noses. Frost sparkled on the dead grass. The chipmunks had crept into -their holes for the winter, and most of the birds had flown away south. - -The squirrels were not quite so gay now as in the autumn days, when -they danced upon the branches and whistled and chuckled over the good -things to eat and the curious sights to see. They slept with their -warm tails wrapped over their noses. They still ran busily through the -tree-tops, except when snow or icy rain kept them shut within their -holes. They ate all the nuts they could find, and dug up the buried -pine-cones. They climbed the hemlock-trees and ate the seeds. Sometimes -they found a delicious frozen apple or some forgotten acorns. Once the -smallest squirrel happened to dig up a heap of chestnuts from between -two stones under the snow. He could not remember whether he had hidden -them himself or not. How he snickered and danced when he saw them! - -Late in the winter the squirrels had eaten all the nuts and cones -within reach. They were so hungry on many a day that they tried to -creep into a chipmunk’s hole and steal his store of food. However he -was smaller than they were, and he had wisely made one bend in his -tunnel too small for them to pass. Then they had to live on buds and -barks and seeds as best they could till spring started the tender green -plants to growing. - -The squirrels gnawed the bark of the maple-trees and drank the sweet -sap that came oozing out. Later there were elm buds to nibble and -birds’ eggs to suck. The woods were once more green with juicy leaves. -All the squirrels went to housekeeping. Soon in almost every tree there -was a new family of wondering little squirrels peeping out of their -hollow with their round, bright eyes. - - - - -VIII - -THE BEAR - -“ONE THAT SLEEPS ALL WINTER” - - - - -ONE THAT SLEEPS ALL WINTER - - -OUT in the woods the snow fell deeper and deeper. It piled higher and -higher around the hollow tree in which the mother bear and her two -little bears were sleeping. The snow had drifted over the opening and -made it all dark inside. - -Once in a while the two babies woke up and whimpered for more milk, as -they tumbled clumsily about on the bed of leaves. Then the old bear -opened her sleepy eyes and licked their glossy little black bodies -while she nursed them. After that they all fell drowsily quiet again, -and slept and slept. - -So the weeks slipped away while the babies sucked milk, or slept, -snuggled close to their big, warm, furry mother. She had been sleeping -all winter. The autumn before she had crept into the hollow tree to -stay until spring. She did not eat a mouthful in all that time. - -Now as the days grew warmer outside the old mother bear began to feel -more wide awake. One morning she pawed a hole through the snow at the -opening of the hollow and crawled out to find something to eat. The two -little bears had their eyes open at last. They lay still on the nest -and blinked at the light that shone dimly in through the hole. - -Now and then they heard the soft plop of a bunch of snow dropping from -the evergreen trees in the woods. The bare branches of the aspens -clicked together in the March wind. They heard the gurgle of water -lapping over melting ice. The tap-tap-tap of a woodpecker on the bark -of their hollow tree sounded like thunder inside. Once a red squirrel -ran squeaking over the snow outside. - -Before very long they heard footsteps thumping softly up to the hole, -and their mother’s big black body came scrambling in. The two cubs -whined for joy, and rubbed against her legs. They were hungry again, -and wanted their dinner. The thin old bear had not found much to eat -herself. It was too early in the year for berries, and the ants were -still in their underground homes. She had caught a frog in the brook, -and found a few blades of grass to munch. - -After that she went out every day, for it seemed as if she grew -hungrier and hungrier. Once she found a frozen deer. After eating all -she could of it she covered the rest with leaves until the next day. -Sometimes she caught a chipmunk under a log. It was only in the early -spring that the old black bear ate much meat, for usually she liked -fruit and roots and nuts better. - -Meanwhile the two little bears stayed safe in the den till their teeth -were cut and the claws grew sharp and strong. Then they played outside -for a little every day. They wrestled together and tumbled about in the -sunshine, like clumsy puppies. They were careful not to creep too far -away from the den. At any strange sound or smell away they scampered -head first into the hole, with their little wrinkled black feet kicking -out behind them. - -At last they were strong enough to set out on their travels with the -old mother. Very likely she gave them each a good washing and combing -before they started. She could use her fore-paws like hands. When the -cubs squealed and tried to bite, while she was brushing them, she -slapped them with her big paw. She could use her paws for digging, and -for carrying food to her mouth. With the sharp claws she could tear -meat or logs to pieces. - -The two little ones must have been delighted to think of leaving the -tiresome den in the hollow tree. Like all bears they loved to travel. -Down the valley they ambled, stepping clumsily on the flat soles of -their feet. Bears do not walk lightly on their toes, as do the graceful -animals who belong to the cat family. - -The old mother moved on with her head held low, while the babies -waddled after her. They did not look around much at the wonderful -mountains, with the dark evergreens and rocks scattered over the yellow -gravel. They did not notice the blue sky above, for their close-set -eyes were rather nearsighted. Though they could not see very well they -sniffed keenly at every strange smell. - -There were many new delicious smells of warm earth and green plants -and furry rabbits and squirrels and birds and strawberry blossoms. The -cubs imitated their mother in everything she did. They stepped in the -same foot-tracks, and jumped over the same logs at the same places. -Whenever she stopped to sniff they rose on their little hind-legs and -twitched their pointed brown noses in the air. - -Once they came to a footprint in the gravel. It was a footprint of a -grizzly bear ever so much bigger than the old black bear. The cubs -looked at their mother to see how she was acting. Then they copied -her. They drew back their lips from their white teeth and growled baby -growls, while their little eyes gleamed, and the hairs on their backs -ruffled up stiffly. Grizzlies sometimes killed black bears. - -Soon they reached the spruce grove where the red ants lived. Scattered -over the gravel there were rounded hills, with tiny red creatures -hurrying in and out of their holes, and around and to and fro. The -little bears looked at the ants and then watched their mother as she -sat down beside a hill and licked up a mouthful. After a minute down -they sat, and scraped their pointed tongues over the ant-hills. - -The ants tasted as sour as vinegar, and made the young ones wrinkle -their noses just at first, because they were used to drinking sweet -milk. More than once a fierce little ant gave a nipping bite to the -red tongues that squirmed over the gravel. That made the babies squeal, -and rub their mouths with their paws. When some ants crawled up on -their fur the bears licked them off without getting any gravel mixed in. - -As the morning sunshine grew warmer the cubs began to feel tired and -sleepy. It had been such an exciting day ever since starting out from -the old den at sunrise! The mother walked off to a shady spot under -thick evergreens, and they all curled down for a nap. The babies -snuggled close together, curling their paws and tucking their noses -into their fur. Closing their eyes, while their fat little sides heaved -in a long sigh of content, they fell fast asleep. Those ants had tasted -so good! - -Very early every morning the two cubs set off with their mother to find -something to eat. In the heat of the day they took a nap. Late in the -afternoon they went out again and feasted till dark, or even later, -when berries were plenty. Sometimes they slept in a hollow log, or in a -cave, or in a sheltered thicket. - -Before lying down the old bear was always careful to walk several -hundred yards in the same direction in which the wind was blowing. If -any enemy happened to follow their trail while they were asleep they -could smell him in the wind and get away in time. One night they really -did smell a wolf coming nearer and nearer. They stole off through the -woods. The old mother showed the cubs how to step softly, setting down -each big padded foot where it broke no stick and rustled no leaf. - -The bears learned to eat all sorts of food. There were the delightfully -sour ants in their hills or hidden under rocks and old logs. The cubs -soon grew strong enough to turn over the rocks and logs for themselves. -Leaning on one fore-leg, each little fellow raised the stone with the -other fore-leg, and gave it a shove backward, so that it would not fall -on his toes. Away rolled the stone, and down went the greedy head to -lick up every ant in sight. Then a sweep of a paw uncovered the beetles -and worms and crickets that had run to hide deeper. Sometimes the old -mother gripped her claws in both sides of a rotten log and tore it -open. The little bears gobbled up the worms and insects inside as fast -as they could. - -All the spring and early summer the three bears hunted for worms and -insects in this way. They dug up wild roots with their noses, just -as pigs do. One day the cubs smelled a delicious smell near a flat -stone. They hurried to push the stone away, and there they found a -heap of nuts. They stuffed their mouths full at once, while the little -chipmunk, to whom the nuts belonged, squeaked angrily at them from -under a heavy rock. - -Later in the summer the berries were ripe. That was the time for little -bears to be happy! First the fragrant red strawberries grew red in the -fields. The berries were so small, and the hungry mouths were so large, -that many a bite was mixed with leaves and grass. However, the cubs did -not object to that, even when a fat white grub or two was pulled up -with the roots of the strawberry plants. - -After the strawberries other berries ripened along the bank of the -river at the edge of the woods. The mother bear knew just where the -biggest ones grew. Many a happy day they spent picking the fruit. -When the weather was cloudy and cool they did not stop for naps. Each -one walked along from bush to bush, raising his head and wrapping his -tongue around a branch. Then with a downward pull he stripped off -leaves and berries and all, and munched and munched. They could stand -on their hind-feet to reach the higher branches. - -The bears had broad grinding teeth in the sides of their jaws, and -so they could chew their food. Animals like the cat and the dog have -only cutting teeth. They tear their food into pieces small enough to -swallow, and then gulp it down without chewing. - -At noon they went down to the river for a drink. First they snuffed -around carefully, and then lapped up the water. If the day was very -warm the cubs waded in and lay down to cool off. Sometimes the old -mother took her nap lying in the water. Once in a while they caught a -frog or a live fish by giving a jump and quick slap before it could -swim away. - -In late summer the wild plums ripened in the woods. The old bear shook -the trees and sent the red fruit hailing down upon the scrambling -cubs. On one specially delightful day they found a hollow tree in which -bees had been storing honey for the winter. - -They saw the bees buzzing around a hole high up on the trunk. One of -the cubs climbed up. Wrapping his hind-legs around the tree he held on -with one fore-paw, while with the other he dipped out the honey and -stuffed it into his mouth. All about him the air was gray with bees. -They stung him on his nose and ears and eyelids. He did not mind that -much, except when one bit his tongue. Then he thrust out his tongue and -mumbled and growled for a moment. He had never before eaten anything so -delicious as honey. - -After the pleasant summer came the frosty autumn with its ripening -nuts. The cubs climbed trees and sat on the branches, with their black -legs dangling. The old bear shook the trees to bring down the nuts. -Once she shook so hard that one of the little bears lost his hold and -fell. He tumbled down in such a limp soft heap that he was not hurt at -all, but bounded up again like a rubber ball. - -At another time the mother saw a big grizzly bear coming through the -woods. When the cubs heard her warning grunt they shot up the tree -like jumping-jacks, and hid in the thick leaves near the top. There -they were safe, for the grizzly was too heavy, and its claws were too -long, for climbing. Grizzly bears are the largest beasts of prey in -the world. Sometimes when very hungry they will eat their cousins, the -black bears. - -The days kept growing colder little by little, and twilight came a few -minutes sooner every evening. The air was frosty at night, and somehow -the three bears felt drowsier and drowsier. Their naps lasted longer -every afternoon. On some cold days they curled up on dry ledges in the -sunshine and slept from morning to night. They were sleek and fat from -their feasts of acorns and nuts. - -All this while the old mother bear was becoming more and more cross. -When the cubs tried to play with her she slapped them, and pushed them -away whimpering. It was time for them to take care of themselves. Very -likely she did not want to be bothered with them all winter long. - -So one day the two little bears walked off by themselves. They roamed -through the woods, looking for some place which would be a warm den. -One of them dug a cosy hole under a big root and curled down for his -winter’s sleep. The other crept between two rocks that almost touched -over his head. - -Outside the snow began to fall. It blew in through the cracks and -powdered down upon the little bear’s thick fur. Very soon it had -stuffed all the cracks and drifted higher over the rocks and logs. It -went whirling from the ledges into the valleys; it fell deeper and -deeper over the three dens and shut out the cold. - -The little bears breathed more and more slowly, with their noses warm -in their furry fore-arms. Their little fat sides rose and fell ever so -faintly. Their hearts beat more softly. They were fast asleep for the -winter, while the snow fell and the icy winds blew on the mountains -without. - - - - -IX - -THE FOX - -“THE WISEST ONE” - - - - -THE WISEST ONE - - -ALMOST the first thing that the smallest baby fox remembered was being -carried in his mother’s mouth from one den to another. His woolly -little red body hung limp between her long white teeth. That was the -safest way; for if he had held stiff or wriggled she might have closed -her jaws tighter and pinched him. - -It was very early in the morning, and the rising sun was just lighting -up the tops of the trees. The birds were singing their gayest May -songs. Here and there dewdrops sparkled, where the level sunbeams -glinted across the leaves. Under a bush a rabbit sat up very still, and -stared with round, frightened eyes at the mother fox. - -The mother fox did not see the rabbit. She stepped along swiftly. Her -slender paws hardly rustled a leaf or snapped a twig. She looked like a -graceful red dog, with pointed ears and yellow eyes and beautiful plumy -tail. This plumy tail seemed to float out in the air behind her, as if -she were blowing lightly before the wind. - -When she reached the new den she did not stop an instant at the front -door. The freshly dug earth was scattered around there in plain sight. -In digging this new burrow she and the father fox had left the dirt -there on purpose, to make their enemies think that this hole was the -real entrance to the den. A few feet underground they had closed the -tunnel with a heap of earth. At the other end they had made a new -opening hidden behind gray rocks in a thicket. - -To this secret door the mother fox carried the baby, and set him down -on his four thick legs. He looked like a little red lamb with yellow -eyes. Into the hole he scrambled, and crept through the tunnel to the -dark den at the end. On the nest of leaves inside he found his four -brothers and sisters snuggling together. The old mother had carried -them there one by one. - -The day before, when a big dog came nosing about the old den, the -father fox led him away through the woods. He could run the faster, -and so he kept on, with the dog chasing him, till the dog was tired -out. Then he and the mother hurried to dig this new den and move the -babies before the dog came back to the old place again. - -In going from one den to the other the old foxes were careful not to -walk in a straight path. If they did that of course the dog could -follow them by smelling their trail. They took a roundabout path every -time. They trotted around a swampy meadow and crossed a brook by -stepping from stone to stone. The wet ground hid the scent of their -paws. - -This journey to the new den was the first time that the young foxes had -been outdoors. As they were carried by the neck they could not twist -their heads around to see very much. But still, they must have enjoyed -the light and the fresh air. They did not want to keep on staying all -the time in the dark den. So early one morning they came scrambling out -after their mother. - -The smallest baby fox crawled out last of all. For a moment he stood -very quiet on all four paws. Then he sat down and cocked his little -head on one side while he looked around. The old father was lying down -in the sunlight just outside the thicket. Two of the babies trotted -over to him and began to play with his tail. Two others climbed upon -the mother’s back and pushed each other off. There they wrestled, -rolling over and over in each other’s paws. - -The smallest baby wanted to make the others pay him some attention. He -lifted his sharp little black nose and opened his mouth and began to -bark—bow-wow-wow, bow-wow-wow—till the others stopped playing. They -came running over to ask what was the matter. He told them something -in the fox language by rubbing his cool wet nose against theirs. Then -they all five trotted about and explored the thicket by smelling of -everything within reach. - -They poked their noses into the grass and against the trees and bushes -and over every stick and stone and leaf on the ground. To their keen -nostrils everything had a different smell. When the smallest baby -smelled a stick he could tell which little brother or sister had been -smelling it just before him. - -As the sun rose higher and the air grew warmer the little fellows sat -down and rested, with their tongues lolling out of their mouths. Like -all foxes and wolves and dogs they perspired through the tongue and the -soles of their feet. After a while the mother gave a low growl to say -that it was time to go back into the den. In they scampered head first, -and curled up for a nap, with their fluffy tails over their noses. - -When the babies cut their teeth the mother stopped feeding them with -milk. After that she and the father fox were kept busy hunting for food -for the hungry young ones. Sometimes they hunted in the daytime as well -as at night. Oftener, however, the old mother stayed near the den to -keep guard when the little foxes came out to play every afternoon. - -Such fun as the five little ones had together! They ran round and -round, chasing their tails. One hid behind a tuft of grass and jumped -out to scare the others. Another climbed upon a rock and then was -afraid to slide down. One went rolling down a small hill while another -capered beside him and pretended to snap at him. - -Once the smallest baby saw a grasshopper whizz past. He saw where it -was hiding under a leaf. He crouched down as low as he could and crept -toward it. Without making a noise he crawled from bush to stone, from -stone to tuft of weeds, till he was near enough to spring and catch it -in his paws. All the others ran to see what he had caught. The mother -came, too, from the place where she had been watching him. She was -proud of him because he was learning to hunt while so young. - -As evening came on and the shadows lengthened under the trees the -mother fox sent the babies into the den and walked away to hunt for a -supper. The smallest fox happened to be the last one in. He turned when -just inside and poked his pointed nose out to watch her as she trotted -away into the woods. - -A few hours later, when they heard her low call at the mouth of the -burrow, out they came tumbling. Sometimes she had a rabbit hanging in -her mouth, with its long legs on one side and its long ears on the -other. Sometimes she had a young turkey thrown over her shoulders, or -a fringe of field-mice hanging by the tails from her lips. Once she -brought a wood-chuck, and at another time a string of little chickens -held by the necks. - -The babies always ran and snatched for a piece. Then each trotted -off alone to eat it. When they were not hungry they played with the -food. They nibbled the bits, first tossing them into the air and then -springing to catch them. They could not use their fore-paws so freely -as animals like the cat. They growled and shook the mice to and fro in -their mouths. Sometimes they snatched from one another and snapped and -snarled crossly. Once the smallest fox had a fight. Every time he flew -at his brother the other whisked his bushy tail in front of his face, -and all the little one got was a mouthful of fur. - -By and by the young foxes were taken out to learn to hunt for -themselves. There was ever so much to learn because every different -animal must be hunted in a different way. The main lesson was to keep -their eyes open and their ears alert and their noses keen for smelling. -They must be quick to jump and wise at all sorts of tricks. - -They learned to catch chickens by hiding near the place where the flock -was feeding. When a chicken strayed near enough quick as a flash out -jumped the fox and caught it by the neck. They chased rabbits and -pounced on busy squirrels. They hunted meadow-mice in the grass, and -stole silently upon careless woodchucks. - -The smallest baby caught a chipmunk in almost the same way as he had -caught the grasshopper. He saw the little brown animal feeding near its -hole. Very slowly and carefully the fox began to walk up to it. Every -few moments the chipmunk sat up and looked around. When he did this the -fox stood still, and so the chipmunk did not notice him. As soon as -the chipmunk dropped down on all four feet and began to nibble again, -the young hunter crept several steps closer. He held his tail pointing -out straight behind. At last, with a rush and a jump, the fox had the -chipmunk between his teeth. - -All summer long there was plenty to eat in the woods. The five young -foxes grew as strong and tall as their parents. They left the old home -and scattered to dig new dens here and there in the woods and fields. -They all knew how to take care of themselves. - -[Illustration: THE FOX. - -“Now and then the fox stopped to listen.” _Page 131._] - -Even as babies they had learned to hold still as a stone at any strange -sound. If they heard it again they ran to the den as fast as they could -scamper. More than once while they lay blinking comfortably in the -sunlight they saw the old father fox spring up with his ears pricked -forward and his eyes gleaming. With his tail erect, his fore-feet -planted in front, and his hind-feet on the spring, he listened to the -sound that had startled him. Perhaps it was the bark of a dog or the -scream of a blue jay over a newcomer in the woods. It was always safer -for grown foxes to run from an enemy than to try to fight, for they -were swift-footed creatures. - -Once the smallest fox was really chased by a dog. The dog smelled his -trail near a flock of chickens. He ran on with his nose to the ground -till he saw the fox sitting under a tree with his tongue hanging out of -his mouth. At the sound of the bark the fox looked back. Then off and -away he ran lightly over the hills and through the fields. His fluffy -tail floated in the wind. - -Now and then the fox stopped to listen to the baying of the dog far -behind him. Two or three times he whirled around, chasing his tail -and capering. He knew that he could run the faster. He picked his way -from stone to stone across a brook because he did not like to wet his -feet. Then he ran up a tree that had fallen in a slant. He jumped from -the end far over to a dead log and scampered across a rocky field. From -the top of a hill he looked back and watched the dog trying to find the -scent over the brook and around the slanting tree. When he was tired he -hid in a hole. - -When autumn came the young foxes gathered on many a frosty night for a -romp before going to their hunting. They galloped to and fro, jumping -over one another and springing from log to log. It was almost the same -as if they were puppies again, frisking before the old burrow. They -wrestled and rolled and whirled around after their tails. Then away to -their silent hunting! - -When the snow fell and the cold winds blew life was harder for the -foxes. Through the day generally they slept in their dens, with their -tails curled over their noses and fore-paws. Out they crept at sundown -to hunt for a rabbit or unwary squirrel, to trap a partridge, or -snatch a squeaking mouse at the edge of a stone. - -Many a night some young fox went home hungry. Often he lay in the snow -hour after hour till his legs were stiff, while he waited for a rabbit -that stayed safe in its hole. More than once he made a dive into the -snow after a partridge, only to see the bird flutter up before his very -nose and fly into a tree. Very likely, as he sat looking hungrily up -to the branches, he wished that he could climb trees. Undoubtedly the -partridges and the squirrels did not wish any such thing. - -Before spring came at last the foxes were hungry enough to eat -anything. Indeed one day in early March, while the smallest one was -roaming through the woods, he happened to spy a garter-snake coiled on -a rock in the sunshine. He jumped for it and gulped it down in a hurry. -The next day he caught a turtle and a frog. The frog was so stiff and -sluggish from its winter’s sleep that it could not hop at all. - -By that time it seemed that spring was really at hand. As the foxes -never ate grass or leaves they did not care about the fresh green -plants and buds through the woods. Nevertheless they knew very well -that rabbits liked roots, and squirrels nibbled twigs, and field-mice -were hungry for the sprouting seeds. When these small animals came out -to eat, the foxes could hunt them more easily than in winter. - -Once more the soft winds blew among the branches and the leaves -flickered in the sunlight. The birds were singing overhead in the -tree-tops. And here and there in the hidden thickets new broods of -little red foxes were frisking together at the mouths of the burrows. - - - - -X - -THE WOLF - -“THE FIERCEST ONE” - - -[Illustration: THE WOLF. - -“It was the father wolf coming in.” _Page 137._] - - - - -THE FIERCEST ONE - - -THE old mother wolf came home from her hunting, licking her black lips. -Her four woolly babies scrambled out of the den among the rocks, and -ran to meet her. They wagged their little tails, and barked joyous baby -barks. They rubbed against her legs, and reached up their little faces -to kiss her on her cool nose. - -After smelling them all over the old wolf lay down beside them in the -den to give them their dinner. The strongest little wolf was getting -tired of milk. When he had nursed for a few minutes he began to play, -climbing up his mother’s shaggy back and rolling down again, with his -legs waving in the air. - -Soon he pricked up his ears at the sound of a footstep outside the den. -Then he sniffed the air. Sure enough! It was the father wolf coming in -with something furry in his mouth. The cubs ran to smell it. Somehow -the smell made the strongest little fellow feel so hungry that he tried -to bite it with his new sharp teeth. He snapped and snarled when the -old wolves dragged it away from him. - -Very likely this reminded the parents that they must now teach the -young ones to eat meat. So on the next evening they left the babies -safe asleep in the den and trotted away together. They looked like two -fierce dogs, with shaggy gray and black hair, pointed ears, and bushy -tails. Their yellow eyes were set more slanting than the eyes of dogs. - -They caught a rabbit by taking turns in chasing it till it was tired -out. Then they trotted home. At the mouth of the den the mother gave -a low call. There was a rustle of woolly bodies over the leaves and -grasses of the nest back in the dark. And out tumbled the cubs, -wriggling with joy. The father wolf, with his big teeth glittering -behind his whiskered lips, tore the rabbit into pieces, and showed the -young ones how to eat. Each snapped at his piece, and ran to one side -alone to gnaw and pull it into bits small enough to swallow. They did -not chew their food, because like other flesh-eating animals, except -bears, they did not have any grinding teeth. - -After the strongest baby had finished his piece he tried with a rush -and a snap and a snarl to snatch from another little fellow. But the -other cub held on tight with his little jaws. Then, growling and -rolling his yellow eyes to watch his greedy brother, he dug a hole with -his nose in one corner and buried the rest of his piece. He did this -without being taught at all. Every wolf that ever lived knew enough to -bury his food when he did not want to eat any more. - -After their dinner the mother led the babies down the valley to lap -water from the brook. It was dark by this time. Stars were twinkling -in the sky. The shadowy trees swayed to and fro in the night wind. One -little cub sat down on his haunches, pointed his nose at the sky, and -howled. The little ones trotted here and there, smelling every stick -and stone. The scream of a far-away panther on the mountain made the -old wolf growl and bristle the hairs on her back. She hurried back to -the den and sent the cubs in to sleep, while she stole off to hunt for -her own supper. - -In the morning the little wolves crept out to play about in the -sunshine. They rolled and tumbled and wrestled in much the same way as -the young foxes. Like the foxes the wolves belonged to the dog family -of flesh-eaters. The little wolves were stronger and larger and fiercer -than the little foxes. They did not have such bushy tails. - -One young wolf found bits of the rabbit’s fur. He tossed and worried -them, and gnawed so hard that the fur flew in his throat and nose and -made him sneeze. Another saw a butterfly, and went plunging after it -on his unsteady little legs. He jumped up at it, and opened his mouth -to snap at it. He did not try to slap at it, as a little panther might -have done, for he could not use his fore-paws like hands so easily as -animals of the cat family. - -All summer long there was plenty to eat. The deer in the mountains were -fattening on the green grass. They could not fight very well then, -because their new antlers were too soft. There were flocks of sheep on -the plain. The old parent wolves prowled about every night, and often -hunted in the daytime. It kept them busy enough to supply the four -hungry cubs. - -The two hunted together. Sometimes one hid beside a deer trail, while -the other chased the deer nearer and nearer. When the deer passed -the spot where the first wolf was hiding he sprang out and caught it -from behind. Sometimes they took turns in chasing a deer till it was -tired out. The deer could run the faster, but it always lost time by -looking around to see how near the wolf was getting. Once in a while -one escaped by running into the middle of a patch of cacti. The wolves -could not follow there without getting their feet full of thorns. But -the deer’s tough hoofs protected its feet. - -Later in the summer the young wolves were taken out to learn to hunt -with their parents. Their legs were so long that they were good -runners, though they could not climb or spring very well. The nails on -their toes were short and blunt from walking, for they could not be -drawn back and so kept sharp, like the claws of animals belonging to -the cat family. - -The cubs wore thick coats with soft under-fur beneath the coarse shaggy -hair. Their yellow eyes were keen, and their sensitive noses were quick -to catch every smell of the wilderness. Their jaws were strong for -snapping, and their many teeth were sharp for biting and tearing. They -could scent the wind and howl when a storm was coming. - -About sunset, one summer day, the little wolves followed the old ones -away from the den. Down the canyon they trotted silently, winding in -and out among the rocks like gray shadows. Far up the mountain-side a -flock of wild sheep went leaping away in terror at sight of the wolves. - -On the plain below rabbits scurried off, bounding from hillock to -hillock. Prairie-dogs dived, squeaking, into their holes. A fox looked -around in fright, and dodged into a clump of underbrush. A small herd -of buffaloes, on their way to the river, ran close together and stood -with their horns outward, while the wolves skulked past. - -Perhaps, just at first, it seemed strange to the cubs to see all other -animals afraid of their parents. At home the two shaggy old wolves were -gentle and warm and soft toward the little ones. They fed them and -watched over them and taught them all they knew. The babies whimpered -when the old wolves left them alone in the den; and they barked and -frisked with joy to see them come home again. - -Out here on the plain it was different. The sight or smell of a wolf -sent all the timid wild creatures flying in a scramble and hurry-skurry -to get safely out of the way. The sound of the hungry howling made them -tremble with fear, for they knew what it meant. It meant something -shaggy and gray, with gleaming eyes, galloping swiftly nearer and -nearer. It meant the glitter of long teeth behind grim black lips. It -meant a spring and a snarl and tearing pain, and then a crunching of -bones. - -The first lesson that the young wolves learned was to take the trail -and run it to earth. The father wolf showed them how to do it. He led -them over the plain toward a cluster of trees along the river. He -lifted his nose and snuffed the air. He smelled something in the wind -that was blowing toward him from the woods. It was not the smell of -trees or grass or flowers or birds or squirrels. It was the smell of -deer. - -The four cubs followed the old one as he galloped under the trees. -They saw him stop and go sniffing here and there with his nose to the -ground. Yes, he could smell the place where the slender hoofs had -been pressing the grass a few minutes before. He ran on, with his nose -to the ground. The others galloped after him, their heads low, their -tongues hanging out, their tails held straight behind. - -Once the father wolf howled. The young ones looked up for an instant. -There, far away in the dusky woods, the deer were bounding lightly -over the dead logs. They turned their pretty heads now and then to -look back, till they vanished from sight. The wolves kept on for a few -miles, learning to pick up the scent on the run. Then they found a -half-eaten buffalo in a hollow, and stopped there for supper. - -Through the late summer and early fall the young wolves hunted with -their parents. During the day they stayed up in the mountains and slept -in sheltered places. Sometimes they were scattered miles apart. At -nightfall they called to one another with piercing howls, till they -finally gathered about the old father wolf. Then they all set out to -hunt together. - -Sometimes they moved single file, stepping in one another’s tracks. -They swam across the river and stole noiselessly through the woods. -The timid sheep were easiest to kill because they could not fight. When -they found a calf or sick old buffalo one sprang at his head while -the others attacked from behind and bit his hind-legs. If the wolves -went too near a herd the old buffaloes tried to hook them. Once a cub -started to catch a young elk, but he was chased away by the old mother -elk. They butted at him with their heads and struck at him with their -sharp hoofs, while he ran with his tail tucked under him. - -Autumn was pleasant enough with its bright days and frosty nights. -The busy little creatures of the woods were gathering in their winter -stores. Buffaloes and deer were fat from their summer’s feeding, -and could not always run fast to get out of the way when chased by -the wolves. Plump rabbits and prairie-hens were everywhere for the -catching. Many a night the cruel wolves killed more than they could eat. - -But soon winter came with its shortening days and gray storms lowering -above the horizon. Snow fell, and icy winds blew across the frozen -land. The deer and elk and antelope gathered in sheltered valleys. -The wolves wandered down from the mountains, and roamed far and wide, -hunting for food. - -So long as the fresh snow lay soft and powdery in the gullies they -could not run fast enough to catch anything, but when the snow packed -hard, and an icy crust formed over the drifts, their spreading feet did -not sink in deeply. Then they could go out and hunt the elk and the -deer, whose small hoofs cut through the crust at every bound. - -The young wolves felt hungry all the time. Sometimes, when a blinding -storm shut them into their den among the rocks, they went without -eating day after day. The fine snow sifted down upon their glossy -winter coats as they lay close together, snuggling their cold noses -into one another’s fur. Many a night they dreamed of eating, and -snapped and swallowed greedily in their short, uneasy sleep. Once, in -nosing about hungrily, the strongest little wolf happened to find a -bone that he had hidden and forgotten weeks before. With a spring and -a snarl he crunched it between his white teeth and gulped it down in a -hurry. - -One winter evening the four cubs, with their parents and five or six -others, were following a herd of buffaloes. On galloped the buffaloes -over the frozen plain. Behind and around them the dark forms of the -wolves seemed to rise from the bushes and follow noiselessly. There was -not a sound of a snap or a snarl. Now on this side, now on that, now -lost in the shadows, the wolves galloped tirelessly on and on. - -Here and there two eyes gleamed in the dim circle of a head, or bared -white teeth glittered for an instant. Then again lost in the dusk, -without the patter of a footfall on the snow, they edged nearer and -nearer. Finally there was a sound of snarling and yelping. The wolves -were fighting together over a dead buffalo. They ate him, and then -broke away over the plain at a full jump, howling as they went. - -Winter was over at last. The wolves were thin and fiercer than ever. -Their grim black lips were always ready to curl back over their teeth -at the smell of food. They felt such a dreadful gnawing emptiness -inside that they were frantic to eat anything. When they began to grow -weaker and weaker from hunger the welcome spring brought them new life. - -Now in the time of pleasant weather and the plentiful food it was no -longer necessary for the pack of wolves to hunt together. They were -strong enough to look out for themselves. So the wolves scattered to -make their summer homes in the loneliest spots among the mountains. - -The weeks passed by, and soon there was many a new family of woolly -little cubs frisking about the rocky dens. The fathers and mothers -watched them lovingly. The black lips seemed almost smiling and the -fierce eyes grew soft. They were gentle and happy there together, -though so cruel and hateful to all the world outside. - - - - -XI - -THE MOLE - -“THE ONE THAT DIGS THE BEST” - - - - -THE ONE THAT DIGS THE BEST - - -DEEP down in their dark room underground the five mole babies lay -fast asleep on a soft bed of leaves and grasses. The bed was not much -bigger than a robin’s nest. The little moles cuddled together, with -their pointed pink snouts resting on one another’s satiny bodies. Their -little hind-feet sprawled behind them, and their big flat hands, with -the pink palms turned outward, were spread close to their necks. - -Presently the fattest little mole opened his black specks of eyes, -though they were not of much use down there in the dark. He wriggled -his pointed snout as he sniffed the air. The faintest of breezes -floated toward him through one of the round openings in the wall. It -was a breeze caused by something running toward the nursery. Tiny feet -came galloping nearer and nearer. There was a light rustle of fur -brushing along the tunnel. It was the mother mole hurrying back from -her hunting. - -All the little moles jumped wide awake in an instant when their -sensitive bodies felt the quiver around them. It seemed to them that -the earth shook under the mother’s pattering feet. Of course they were -not afraid, because they knew from the smell who was coming. And then, -just as soon as they smelled the worm that she was carrying in her -mouth, they began to tumble over one another to snatch at it. - -The greedy young ones shoved and pushed and fought as if they were -starving. They pulled at the worm with their claws, and snipped off -bits with their sharp teeth. Even after it was all eaten they went -nosing around in the dark and squeaked for more. The fattest little -fellow crawled so far into one of the tunnels that he almost slipped -into the tiny well which the parent moles had dug when they made this -underground home. - -The poor old mother lay down to rest for a few minutes. It seemed as -if she did not have time to eat or sleep since the babies had cut -their teeth and learned to eat worms. They were always hungry. As -for herself, though the old father helped her hunt she was really -growing thinner every day. The young moles were six weeks old now, and -it was time that they learned to hunt for themselves. - -[Illustration: THE MOLE. - -“The greedy young ones shoved and pushed and fought as if they were -starving.” _Page 152._] - -The babies were eager enough to learn to dig and hunt. They were tired -of staying in that dark nursery, even if it was so comfortable, with -its domed roof and soft, dry bed. Perhaps they wished to poke their -heads above ground just once and find out what the world was like. They -did not know the difference between day and night yet, for where they -lived it was always dark. - -When at last the five young ones started out to learn to dig they -followed the mother in single file along the main tunnel. This main -tunnel was long and straight. Its walls were pressed smooth by the -bodies of the old moles in their many journeys to and fro. Branching -off in every direction from the main road there were side tracks -zigzagging and curving hither and thither. These side tracks had been -dug by the parents when they were chasing worms or hunting for grubs -and beetles. - -The babies scampered on to the end of the main tunnel. There the ground -happened to be soft enough for their little claws. They crowded against -one another, and squeaked and twitched their short tails impatiently. -Their pink snouts were already bending and twisting in eagerness to be -a-digging. - -The fattest little fellow was in such a hurry to begin that he did not -wait to be told. He nosed along the wall till he found a good place to -start. Then planting his small hind-feet down flat, to brace himself, -he set his tough snout against the dirt and pushed as hard as he could. -At the same time he dug his claws into the wall and shovelled away with -both his big broad hands. - -There they went—the five babies—digging five little tunnels in five -different directions. The dirt flew thick and fast as they shovelled -it out and tossed it aside. But the specks of eyes were safely hidden -under the fur, and the invisible ears and nostrils were kept closely -covered too. When the dirt clung to their satiny gray fur they shook -it off clean with a quick shrug of the skin. The hairs of the fur grew -straight out, and so it made no difference whether it was rubbed one -way or another. It was never bristly or rough. - -It must have been fun to go scrambling through earth almost as birds -fly through air or fishes swim through water. The moles had such tough -snouts and strong arms and powerful hands that they could burrow better -than any of the other mammals. - -One little mole burrowed on till his arms were so tired that he gave -it up. He crept backward down his new tunnel to the spot where the old -mother was waiting. Another kept on digging faster and faster till he -ran his pink snout bump against a stone, and almost made it bleed. A -third pushed on and on till he reached a patch of slimy mud that caved -in over his back and sent his feet slipping and sprawling. The fourth -dug till he came plump upon a fat white grub curled among some roots of -grass. The little mole gave a jump and gobbled it down quick as a wink. - -The fattest baby burrowed farther and farther till he felt the soil -crumbling above him. Something warm was shining on his gray fur. He -lifted his head and poked his long snout up into the sunlight. He -blinked his twinkling, tiny eyes and sniffed the strange fresh air. But -he stayed there only for a minute, because he did not like it the least -bit. The light dazzled him, and the warmth dried his cool, pink hands -and made his head ache and his snout twitch uneasily. So after that one -disagreeable minute he turned and kicked up his little hind-feet as he -dived back into the moist, cool, dark, delightful places underground. - -After this first lesson in digging the five young moles were running -in and out of the nursery every few hours, night and day. It was easy -enough to burrow away in search of the stupid white grubs or the -beetles lying sleepy and still in the soil; but it was harder and much -more exciting to hunt earthworms, because they always tried to wriggle -off as fast as they could go. - -Then how the dirt flew as the little hunter burrowed madly in pursuit! -Now in this direction, now in that, he chased, pushing with his snout -and tearing with his claws. Once in a while he stopped quiet to listen -and feel the ground for the faint quivering caused by the worm in its -squirming hither and thither. - -An hour or so of such lively work was enough to tire even a stout young -mole. After eating what he had caught, sometimes he ran back to take a -nap on the soft bed in the nursery. Sometimes he lay down in the main -tunnel to rest; but that was not so pleasant, for it seemed as if one -or another of his brothers and sisters was forever trying to scramble -over him. - -The busiest time for hunting was at night, or in the early morning, -because then the worms began to move about after lying quiet all day. -In dry weather the worms went deeper into the ground to find moisture. -In wet weather they wriggled toward the surface, swallowing bits of -dirt as they went. The little moles liked rain best because it was much -easier to push through the light soil above than to tunnel through the -hard ground below. - -After the young ones learned to hunt for their own food it was not -long before they had found and eaten every worm and grub and beetle -anywhere near. The old and new tunnels ran in every direction, curving, -zigzagging, and criss-crossing through the ground. There was hardly a -spot of solid earth under all the grass in that meadow. - -Now and then on cool nights the whole hungry family crept outside and -prowled about, looking for lizards, snails, or frogs. Once in a while -one of them found a dead bird or mouse or small snake. He sprang on it -and tore it to pieces in an instant. The moles always ate as if they -were starving. Drawing back their heads and hunching their backs they -stuffed the food into their mouths with their clawed hands. - -As summer passed on the young moles began to grow discontented. They -were tired of staying at home. They were too big to crowd upon the nest -in the nursery. Whenever two met in any of the narrow tunnels one had -to back into a side track to let the other pass. The water was stagnant -in the wells. Food was getting more and more scarce. Many a time there -was a sound of scratching and fighting in the long dark halls of that -underground home. - -Soon each little mole began to think of having a home of his own, -where there would be nobody else to crowd him, or quarrel with him, or -snatch the best of everything to eat. So presently, one by one, they -wandered away to find pleasanter places. One prowled into a garden, and -tunnelled ridges all over the green lawn. One stumbled into a pond, -but he did not drown, for he could swim with his webbed feet. He swam -across to a small island and dug his house under a bank where he could -catch plenty of frogs. - -The three others strolled into a field that had been freshly ploughed. -The soil was not wet nor hard nor stony, but just what they liked best. -Each one chose a corner, and ran his main tunnel from end to end of the -space to be used for his hunting-ground. - -The five new homes were much like the old one. Each had a domed -underground room with a nest of leaves and grasses in it, and several -outlets to allow escape in case of danger. Each had one or more main -tunnels, with smooth-pressed sides and many zigzag side tracks leading -in all directions. Each one had tiny wells of water, and little -storerooms for the winter supply of earthworms. - -When winter came, and the ground was frozen hard above, each little -mole, alone by himself, dived down into his safe deep nest and stayed -there till early spring softened the soil. Then, livelier than ever, -he shovelled his way out to the surface to find a mate. Soon in every -pleasant little home under the ground there was a new family of soft, -round babies, with their specks of eyes deep hidden in their satiny -gray fur. - - - - -CONCLUSION - - - - -CONCLUSION - - -COUNTLESS years have passed since that day, long, long ago, when the -first tiny living creature began to grow in the new world of rocks -and water. All this time things have been moving and changing. The -earth keeps whizzing around the sun, while the sun itself rushes -blazing through space. Brooks are rippling; rivers are flowing; seas -are rolling their waves against the shores. Now the trees toss their -branches in the wind; now the rain sprinkles down from gray clouds, or -snow drifts silently over the prairie. - -In the spring all the wilderness is green with growing leaves and -flowers and grasses. The world is alive with animals. In the water sea -creatures are feeding in their places, or floating and swimming here -and there. On land there are worms and insects, creeping reptiles and -flying birds. - -From inland ponds beavers scramble ashore in the dusk to nibble fresh -twigs for supper. In southern rivers the manatee crawls over the white -sand among the reeds. On island beaches little seals go paddling in -safe pools. Out at sea great whales glide through the waves. - -On the plains buffalo calves kick up their heels near the grazing -herd. Elk, with ears twitching at every strange sound, wander down -from upland meadows. In the woods rabbits hop away under the bushes. -Little shrews dart from leaf to leaf among the shadows. In wilder spots -pointed noses sniff and bright eyes twinkle from the dens of wolves and -foxes. Bears shuffle softly through the underbrush, and panthers steal -out on tiptoe to their hunting. - -In the trees squirrels scamper from branch to branch. Now and then a -mother opossum trots by with her pocket full of young ones. Bats fly -this way and that in hungry pursuit of insects dancing in the twilight -air. Under the ground moles dig busily after worms. - -All these mammals and, many others live wild in the United States, and -there are many others still, more or less like them, in foreign lands. - - - - -TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: - - Text in italics is surrounded with underscores: _italics_. - - Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - - Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Wilderness Babies, by Julia Augusta Schwartz - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WILDERNESS BABIES *** - -***** This file should be named 55704-0.txt or 55704-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/7/0/55704/ - -Produced by David E. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Wilderness Babies - -Author: Julia Augusta Schwartz - -Illustrator: John Huybers - -Release Date: October 8, 2017 [EBook #55704] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WILDERNESS BABIES *** - - - - -Produced by David E. Brown and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - - - - - - - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="" /></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_0" id="Page_0"></a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/i002.jpg" alt="The Squirrel" /></div> -<p class="caption"><span class="smcap">The Squirrel.</span><br /> - -“They sat on the branches with their bushy tails curving over -their backs.” <i>Frontispiece. See page</i> 104.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>Wilderness Babies</h1> - -<p><small>By</small><br /> -Julia Augusta Schwartz</p> - -<p><i>Illustrated from Drawings by John Huybers<br /> -and from Photographs</i></p> - -<p>School Edition</p> - -<p>Boston<br /> -Little, Brown, and Company</p></div> - - -<hr class="tb" /> - - -<p class="center"><i>Copyright, 1905, 1906</i>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">By Little, Brown, and Company</span>.<br /> -<br /> -<i>All rights reserved</i><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -Printers<br /> -<span class="smcap">S. J. Parkhill & Co., Boston, U. S. A.</span><br /> -</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[Pg v]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">CONTENTS</h2></div> - - - -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" summary="table"> - -<tr><td> </td><td> </td><td align="right"><span class="smcap"><small>Page</small></span></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2"><span class="smcap">Introduction</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_ix">ix</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right">I.</td><td><span class="smcap">The One with a Pocket</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right">II.</td><td><span class="smcap">The One That Eats Grass in the Sea</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_17">17</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right">III.</td><td><span class="smcap">The Biggest One</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_27">27</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right">IV.</td><td><span class="smcap">One of the Fleetest</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_43">43</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right">V.</td><td><span class="smcap">The Best Builder</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_57">57</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right">VI.</td><td><span class="smcap">The Timid One</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_77">77</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right">VII.</td><td><span class="smcap">The One with the Prettiest Tail</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_93">93</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right">VIII.</td><td><span class="smcap">One that Sleeps all Winter</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_107">107</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right">IX.</td><td><span class="smcap">The Wisest One</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_121">121</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right">X.</td><td><span class="smcap">The Fiercest One</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_135">135</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right">XI.</td><td><span class="smcap">The One that Digs the Best</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_149">149</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td> </td><td><span class="smcap">Conclusion</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_161">161</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[Pg vi]</a></span></p> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[Pg vii]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2></div> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" summary="table"> - -<tr><td>THE SQUIRREL</td></tr> - -<tr><td><div class="hangingindent">“They sat on the branches with their bushy tails curving -over their backs”</div></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_0"><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>THE OPOSSUM</td><td align="right"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr> - -<tr><td><div class="hangingindent">“In a few minutes another and another baby followed -the big brother and clung there on the mother’s -furry back”</div></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_5">5</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>THE MANATEE</td></tr> - -<tr><td><div class="hangingindent">“The old mother manatee held him close to her”</div></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_19">19</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>THE WHALE</td></tr> - -<tr><td><div class="hangingindent">“The old mother whale came tearing back to the rescue”</div></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_39">39</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>THE ELK</td></tr> - -<tr><td><div class="hangingindent">“Grazing over the upland meadows”</div></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_48">48</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>THE BEAVER</td></tr> - -<tr><td><div class="hangingindent">“Across the pond to feast in the woods”</div></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_65">65</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>THE RABBIT</td></tr> - -<tr><td><div class="hangingindent">“It was pleasant there in the underbrush of the woods”</div></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_84">84</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>THE FOX</td></tr> - -<tr><td><div class="hangingindent">“Now and then the fox stopped to listen”</div></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_131">131</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>THE WOLF</td></tr> - -<tr><td><div class="hangingindent">“It was the father wolf coming in”</div></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_137">137</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td>THE MOLE</td></tr> - -<tr><td><div class="hangingindent">“The greedy young ones shoved and pushed and fought -as if they were starving”</div></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_152">152</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[Pg viii]</a></span></p> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[Pg ix]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">INTRODUCTION</h2></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">This</span> book tells the stories of some of the baby -mammals of the wilderness,—how they grow -and learn day by day to take care of themselves. -In hollow trees or down under water among -the lily leaves, in the cool sea or on the rugged -mountains, on the grassy plains or among the -waving tree-tops, in the dark caves and burrows -or hidden in the tangles underfoot,—all the -world is alive with young creatures.</p> - -<p>Bright eyes glitter and small paws patter, -little noses sniff the air and sharp ears twitch. -There is a rustling of leaves above and a crackling -of twigs below, a splashing in the swamp -and a silent bending of the grasses. In the -sunshine or the rain, in the daytime or at night, -life is busy everywhere on this beautiful old -earth.</p> - -<p>All the mammals are alike in having hair -on some part of their bodies, in having teeth -at some time in their lives, and in feeding the -young with milk. But there are many, many -kinds of mammals, of different shapes and sizes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">[Pg x]</a></span> -and colors. There are all sorts of babies, from -the tiny mouse that could sleep in an eggshell -to the big baby whale, twice as long as an ox. -Some can swim like fishes; others can fly like -birds. Some dig homes under the ground; -others make their nests in hollow trees or caves. -Some live in the mountains and some on the -plains. Some live in the woods and some in -the sea. Some eat grass, and others eat flesh; -some eat nuts, some eat fruit, and some eat -anything they can find.</p> - -<p>Many of the mammals are alike in some -ways. Squirrels and mice have strong teeth -to gnaw with; the cow and elk eat grass and -chew a cud, and the bear, wolf, and fox eat -flesh.</p> - -<p>Those mammals that are most alike are said -to belong to the same order. For example, -every animal with hoofs belongs to the Order -of Hoofed Mammals. Every animal with four -gnawing teeth in the front of its mouth belongs -to the Order of Gnawing Mammals. Every -animal that lives on flesh belongs to the Order -of Flesh-Eating Mammals.</p> - -<p>There are eleven of these groups, but the -animals of North America belong to only eight -of them. All the animals in the first group -have pouches or pockets, of their own skin, in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xi" id="Page_xi">[Pg xi]</a></span> -which to carry the young. The opossum belongs -to this Order of Pouched Mammals. -When he is a baby he is carried around in his -mother’s furry pocket. Later he learns to hang -by his feet and tail to a branch while he eats -fruit. At night he trots through the woods -and roots for insects with his pointed nose.</p> - -<p>The manatee belongs to the Order of Sea-Cows. -Sea-Cows are fishlike creatures that -eat vegetable food in the sea or in rivers. The -fat baby manatee lies in his mother’s arms as -she balances herself on the end of her tail in -the water. He learns to crawl about on the -sandy bottom and munch water-plants.</p> - -<p>The whale belongs to the Order of Whales. -Though he lives in the deep ocean and looks -like a monstrous fish, he is really a mammal. -He has warm blood and a few bristles for hair. -The baby whale is fed on milk at first. When -he grows older he is taught to catch and eat -water animals.</p> - -<p>The wapiti, called the American elk, belongs -to the Order of Hoofed Four-Foots. They -eat grass and chew the cud. The story of an -elk roaming over the mountains is almost the -same as the story of any of the swift deer -family.</p> - -<p>The beaver and the squirrel and the rabbit<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xii" id="Page_xii">[Pg xii]</a></span> -belong to the Order of Gnawers. The beaver -cuts down trees with his strong teeth, and -builds dams and houses of sticks. The squirrel -scampers along the branches, and sits up to -nibble nuts in the shadow of his own bushy -tail. The rabbit scuttles over the ground from -one hiding-place to another, in his daily search -for green grass and tender twigs to eat. Rats -and mice are also Gnawers. Indeed, there are -many more animals in this Order than in any -of the others.</p> - -<p>The bear and the wolf and the fox belong -to the Order of Flesh Eaters. They are all -mighty hunters. The swift wolf, the tricky -fox, and the strong-armed bear all have many -long, cutting teeth to tear their prey to pieces.</p> - -<p>The mole belongs to the Order of Insect-Eaters. -He lives underground, and learns to -dig with his shovel-like hands. When his -pointed teeth grow out he chases worms up -and down and around, and gobbles them as -fast as he can.</p> - -<p>The bats belong to the Order of Wing-Handed -Mammals. The baby bat is rocked -to sleep in his mother’s wings. He learns to -fly in the dark and to hunt the swift insects -that hover above the roads and ponds. When -winter is near he finds a gloomy cave. There<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiii" id="Page_xiii">[Pg xiii]</a></span> -he hangs, head downward, by the hooks on -his claws, and sleeps till spring brings the -warm weather again.</p> - -<p>It is now countless years since the earth was -new. It has changed from a bare, hot gloomy -ball, covered with black rocks and muddy -water, to a green, beautiful world. There are -all kinds of living things in the ocean. In the -forests insects hum above the flowers; birds -fly from branch to branch; reptiles crawl -beside the rivers. And everywhere—in the -air and beneath the ground, on the land and -under the water—live the mammals.</p> - -<p>The opossum is the one with a pocket. The -manatee is the only eater of grass in the sea. -The whale is the biggest of all animals. The -elk is the handsomest of the swift deer family. -The beaver is the best builder. The squirrel -has the prettiest tail. The rabbit is the most -hunted by all its hungry enemies. The bear -is the surliest one. The wolf is the fiercest. -The fox is the shrewdest. The mole can dig -better and faster than any of the others.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">I<br /> -<span class="xlarge">THE OPOSSUM</span><br /> -<span class="large">“THE ONE WITH A POCKET”</span></h2></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span></p> - - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span></p> -<p class="ph1"><i>Wilderness Babies</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="ph2">THE ONE WITH A POCKET</p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">For</span> days and days the new baby opossums -lay crowded close together in their -mother’s furry pocket. They slept and -drank milk, and grew and grew till their eyes -began to open. It was dark all around them, -but up above their heads a faint gray line -showed where light was stealing in over the -edge of the pocket.</p> - -<p>The biggest baby opossum looked and -looked with his little bright eyes. He wanted -to see more. So up he crawled, clambering -over the soft, tiny bodies of the eleven other -babies. Some of them wriggled and squirmed -under his bare little feet. After slipping back -once or twice he reached the edge and poked -his pointed white snout outside.</p> - -<p>He could not see anything because he was -under his mother, and her long fur hung -down over him. She was lying on a nest of -grasses in a hollow tree. That was where she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> -stayed all day long when the sun was shining -without. Every night at dusk she climbed -down the rough trunk and went to hunt for -something to eat.</p> - -<p>When she felt the tiny claws of her baby -clutching her fur she looked down between -her fore-paws at the little mouse-like fellow. -Then with her smooth pink hands she gently -pushed him back into the pocket and closed -the opening. He was not big enough yet to -come out of the warm, dark nursery.</p> - -<p>So for a week longer he cuddled down beside -the others, while they all slept and drank -more milk and grew stronger every hour. -The biggest baby was so restless that he -scrambled around and crowded the others. -Once he caught hold of another’s tail between -the thumbs and fingers of his hind-feet, -and pulled till the little one squeaked. -His fore-feet were like tiny hands without any -thumbs.</p> - -<p>At last, one day, he saw the edge of the -pocket open a crack. He was so glad that -he climbed up as fast as he could scramble, -and pushed outside. He held on to his -mother’s fur with all four feet. When she -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span>reached down to smell him the bristles on her -lips tickled his nose. Then he climbed around -upon her back and twisted his tail about hers -to hold him steady.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/i019.jpg" alt="The Opossum" /></div> - -<p class="caption"><span class="smcap">The Opossum.</span><br /> - -“In a few minutes another and another baby followed the big brother and clung -there on the mother’s furry back.” <i>Page</i> 5.</p> - -<p>He looked like a mouse, with his long tail, -his black ears erect, his bright eyes twinkling -in his little white face, and his pointed nose -sniffing at the strange odors in the hollow -tree. It was much lighter there than inside -the pocket. Higher up over his head there -was a hole leading out of the hollow. Queer -small shadows were dancing and flickering -across the opening. He did not know that -they were only green leaves.</p> - -<p>In a few minutes another and another baby -followed the big brother and clung there on -the mother’s furry back. It must have seemed -a noisy place to them, for while in the pocket -they had noticed only the softest muffled rustling -and scratching of the old one’s feet in -the nest. Now they could hear a chirping and -a squeaking and a rattling of branches. They -crowded close together in fright at the scream -of a blue jay, as it chased a chattering red -squirrel through the tree-top. Then a sudden -loud thump-thump-thump of a woodpecker<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> -hammering on the bark outside sent them -scuttling back to the safe nursery in a tumbling -hurry.</p> - -<p>After this the whole family climbed out -every day to play about on the mother’s back. -The biggest baby liked to curl his small tail -about her large one, and then swing off head -downward. Sometimes he pushed the others -down just for the fun of seeing them scramble -up again, hand over hand, clutching the long -fur.</p> - -<p>Of course he was the first one to poke his -head out every day. Once he woke from a -nap in the pocket and started to climb outside. -But he stopped half-way, hanging to -the edge with both fore-feet. It was nearly -evening, and the old mother opossum was -clambering down the trunk to go hunting for -her supper.</p> - -<p>The baby held on tightly, while she trotted -away through the woods. Now and then a -leaf rustled or a stick cracked under her feet. -Sleepy birds were twittering in their nests. -The mother pricked her ears and listened, for -she ate eggs and young birds whenever she -could find them within reach. She had not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> -tasted an egg this spring, because she could -not climb very nimbly with her pocket full of -babies.</p> - -<p>Presently she came to a swamp, and splash, -splash, splash! the mud went flying. It spattered -the baby’s white face and made him -sputter and cough. Then he heard the dreadful -croaking of hundreds of frogs. In a terrible -fright he slid back into the nursery to -hide beside the others.</p> - -<p>The old one was trying to catch a frog to -eat. Now she jumped this way, and now she -jumped that way. Such a jostling as the -babies felt when she finally gave a great -spring for a big green fellow sitting on a -log. She caught him, too, but the jolt almost -knocked the breath out of the twelve soft -little bodies in her pocket.</p> - -<p>On another evening the babies awoke to -find themselves swinging to and fro in dizzying -jerks. They rolled and tumbled from side -to side. They bumped their heads and noses -against one another. When the biggest baby -tried to push his way out he found the edge -of the pocket close shut. Though he scratched -and squeaked the mother did not open it. She<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> -was afraid that they would all fall to the -ground, for there she was hanging upside-down -by her tail to a branch of the tree.</p> - -<p>Down below on the ground a big black bear -was hugging the trunk and shaking it as hard -as he could. He was trying to shake the old -opossum off so that he might catch her and -eat the whole family. But she held on so long -that finally he became tired of waiting. So -away he walked to find something else for -supper. Then the mother swung down to the -nest in the hollow and rested there while her -babies played around her.</p> - -<p>Every day the babies stayed outside the -nursery for a longer time, though they were -always ready to scurry back at the mother’s -first warning grunt. They kept growing bigger, -till one night they found that they could -not all crowd into the pocket. Then they -huddled together on her back, with their tails -twisted around hers.</p> - -<p>In this way they rode through the woods -when she went hunting. They watched with -their bright eyes while she turned over rotting -logs with her snout to catch the grubs underneath. -Sometimes she rooted in the ground<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> -for sprouting acorns, or nipped off mouthfuls -of tender grass. Once she caught a young -rabbit. Then how excited the little opossums -were! And how they all squeaked and hissed -together as they rode trotting home!</p> - -<p>By this time they had cut their teeth,—fifty -sharp little teeth in each hungry mouth. It -was time for them to be weaned. When they -tried to drink milk the mother pushed them -away. Then she picked some sweet red berries, -and taught the hungry babies how to eat -them. They learned to chew the juicy roots -that she dug in the fields.</p> - -<p>The babies were greedy little things. When -the old one caught a mouse or a mole or a -toad, the young ones all rushed and snatched. -Once the biggest baby gobbled up a beetle -before the others could get a taste. They -were so angry that they tried to bite his nose -and ears. He squeaked, and ran as fast as -he could to hide under the mother.</p> - -<p>She was a good and patient mother. Of -course, as long as they were small enough to -stay in her pocket she carried them everywhere -with her. Even when they grew as -large as rats they rode on her back through<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> -the woods. These twelve fat babies were so -heavy that sometimes she staggered and -stumbled under the load.</p> - -<p>One night, when all the babies were trotting -along on their own feet, they saw two -gleaming red eyes in the dark thicket before -them. Something round and furry snarled -and sprang at them. They all ran under -their mother as quick as a wink. She ruffled -her long grayish hair above them. When the -animal jumped at her she growled and hissed -and scratched and bit furiously, till he ran -limping away into the shadowy wilderness.</p> - -<p>On another evening a big dog came galloping -up before they could scramble into a tree. -His red tongue was hanging out of his mouth -between his white teeth. As soon as he caught -sight of the opossums he made a dash to catch -them. Instantly they all fell down and rolled -over, just as if they were dead.</p> - -<p>There they lay, with their eyes shut, their -paws limber, their tails limp. They seemed to -stop breathing. The dog smelled them and -pushed them with his cold nose. But they -kept perfectly still and did not move even -an eyelash. They were pretending to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> -dead. It was the one trick that they all -knew without being taught.</p> - -<p>The minute the dog walked away up they -all jumped and scampered into a tree as fast -as they could scurry. When the dog turned -his head and saw them he ran back and -leaped up to reach them. But all the opossums -were safe enough now. While he was -jumping and barking below they clung fast -in the tree with their hand-like feet. They -wound their tails about the branches above to -hold more securely.</p> - -<p>The little opossums learned to climb all sorts -of trees, rough or smooth. It was easier to -climb the rough trees because they could dig -their nails farther into the bark. The biggest -baby could walk along the springiest limb, even -if it kept teetering up and down in the wind. -When he felt like it he swung by his tail for -the longest time without getting dizzy.</p> - -<p>All summer long the twelve little opossums -stayed with their mother. During the day -they slept cuddled in the hollow tree. The old -father opossum never came home, for the -mother had driven him away before the babies -were born. She wanted all the room in the nest<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> -for them. She could take care of them better -than he could, because she was bigger and knew -how to fight her enemies more fiercely. Every -night, after sunset, the mother and her twelve -children set off on their hunting. Down -through the woods to the marsh they trotted. -There some waded into the mud to catch frogs, -while others chased mud-turtles over the shore. -Some hunted for berries and others nosed for -acorns under the oaks.</p> - -<p>It was beautiful there in the woods at night. -When the stars twinkled overhead and the soft -wind rustled in the tree-tops the little ones -frisked and frolicked. They hid under the -shadowy bushes or jumped hither and thither -to snap at the fluttering moths. But on stormy -evenings they plodded on in the rain, their -wet fur drooping. With their noses close to -the ground they hunted till they found a few -mouthfuls to eat. Then back to the cosy hollow -for a longer nap, after licking their pink -hands clean and washing their white faces, -just as kittens do.</p> - -<p>One night, in autumn, the old mother opossum -felt the nip of frost in the air. Then she -knew that the persimmons were ready to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> -eaten. Away through the woods she hurried, -with the young ones trotting after her. Past -the marsh and over the blackberry hills she -led the way to a thicket of trees tangled with -wild grapevines. There above on the branches -the round little persimmons were shining yellow -in the moonlight.</p> - -<p>Up the trees eleven of the babies scrambled -hungrily, and, hanging by their tails, stuffed -the fruit into their wide mouths. Ah! but -wasn’t it delicious! Better than anything they -had ever tasted before in all their short lives! -Then the biggest baby, who had stopped to -gobble ripe grapes, heard them munching so -greedily. One look sent him clambering after -the others. He was sorry enough that he had -wasted any time eating wild grapes.</p> - -<p>Night after night, till the persimmons were -gone, the opossums hurried away to the thicket, -and ate and ate till they could eat no longer. -They grew so fat that they puffed and panted -when trotting home again in the gray light of -frosty dawn.</p> - -<p>As the weather grew colder the opossums -roamed farther through the woods in search -of food. Once in a while one of them found<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> -a pawpaw-tree. Then from far and near opossums -gathered under the low wide-spreading -branches to feast on the banana-shaped fruit. -That was the last good dinner that the little -fellows had for many weeks.</p> - -<p>Soon the ground was frozen hard over the -juicy roots. All the fruit left in the woods -hung wrinkled and frost-bitten. The worms -and toads crawled into their holes for the -winter. The beetles disappeared, and the -spiders curled up in their hiding-places to -sleep through the cold weather. Most of the -birds flew away south.</p> - -<p>One by one each little opossum wandered -off by himself, and made a nest in a cosy hole -or a snug hollow stump. There he drowsed -away the days, and often slept through the -nights without stirring out. Now and then -one of them caught a mouse or dug up a frozen -root to nibble. Sometimes they tore rotten -logs apart to get at the torpid grubs within. -The biggest baby found a heap of nuts hidden -away under a stone by a thrifty chipmunk.</p> - -<p>In the beginning of the winter the little -opossums were so fat that they could live three -or four weeks without eating or drinking.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> -When the cold winds blew, and the snow fell -silently, they cuddled down in their warm nests -and slept the time away. But many a night -they woke up hungry. And every day their -round furry bodies were a little thinner, till at -last spring melted the snow and ice everywhere.</p> - -<p>There was plenty to eat by that time, with -all the green things growing. The little creatures -of the woods and ponds were waking to -new life. There were buds to nibble and -beetles to catch. There was many a nest of -birds’ eggs, too, and broods of tender young -field-mice squeaking in the grass. There were -frogs croaking in the marsh, and berries were -ripening in the fields.</p> - -<p>The twelve little opossums were grown up -now, and knew how to take care of themselves. -Their mother had another family of babies in -her furry pocket. Sometimes she met her other -children roaming beside the marsh to catch -frogs. One evening they saw, just as plain -as anything, a little pointed nose and two -twinkling bright eyes peeping over the edge -of her pocket.</p> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">II<br /> - -<span class="xlarge">THE MANATEE</span><br /> - -<span class="large">“THE ONE THAT EATS GRASS IN THE SEA”</span></h2></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span></p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span></p> - -<p class="ph2">THE ONE THAT EATS GRASS IN -THE SEA</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/i035.jpg" alt="The Manatee" /></div> - -<p class="caption"><span class="smcap">The Manatee.</span><br /> -“The old mother manatee held him close to her.” <i>Page</i> 19.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Down</span> among the lily-leaves, under the -river, the baby manatee was being -rocked to sleep on his mother’s breast. -He looked like a roly-poly fish, with a puffy -dog-face. He was covered all over from his -broad tail to his round head with thick and -wrinkly gray skin. His tiny eyes were shut, -and his flippers were folded together as he -slept.</p> - -<p>The old mother manatee held him close to -her, bending her short flippers, which were -really her arms. The fingers at the ends -of her hands were so hidden under the skin -that they looked as if covered with mittens. -She was balancing herself on the end of her -tail, and swaying gently to and fro in the -water.</p> - -<p>The baby’s nap did not last very long. One -of the annoying things about being a manatee -and living under water was the trouble -in breathing. Every two or three minutes the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> -mother flapped her tail and rose to the top -of the river to breathe. That always woke the -baby. He opened his eyes, blinking in the -bright sunlight.</p> - -<p>All around him the water sparkled and -dimpled in the sunshine. Here and there -dragon-flies glittered as they skimmed over -the ripples. Butterflies were fluttering over -the golden centres of the floating lilies. -Graceful reeds bordered the shore. The -juicy grass, that manatees love to eat, grew -green, trailing underneath. Far up above it -all the summer sky was blue.</p> - -<p>The baby manatee did not seem to care for -all these beautiful sights. Very likely he could -not see well above water, and he did not enjoy -the dry, warm feeling of the air. His sense -of smell must have been too dull to notice the -fragrance of the lilies or the spicy scent from -the swamp. Creatures living under water do -not use their noses much.</p> - -<p>But the little manatee could hear the least -soft plop of a leaf falling in the river. The -sudden splash of a frog’s jump made him -squirm and twist in terror. He wriggled out -of his mother’s hold, and sank down, down,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> -down, with the bubbles eddying over his roly-poly -body.</p> - -<p>Of course he was not afraid, for he could -swim as soon as he was born. He paddled -with his tail and flapped with his flippers as -he went swimming around over the clean -white sand of the river-bottom. At first he -could not steer very well, and so he bumped -into the stems of the lily-plants and tangled -his flippers among the roots of the reeds.</p> - -<p>Through the pale green of the water all -around him he caught sight of his father and -big brother. They were creeping about on -their flippers and tails, while they munched the -weeds and grasses. When they stretched out -their heads, toward a bite of something, each -one grasped the food between two horny pads -in the front of his jaw, tore it free, and then -chewed it with his few grinding teeth in the -back. Their faces looked like monstrous caterpillars -sucking and chewing.</p> - -<p>The baby champed his small jaws and -sucked with his split upper lip as he watched. -The sight of them eating made him so hungry -that he wanted his mother to come and feed -him with her milk. Manatees are mammals<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> -that live in shallow water. Of all the animals -in the sea and salt rivers manatees are the -only ones that eat only grass and weeds. All -other sea-mammals, and fishes, too, eat living -creatures.</p> - -<p>Sometimes the baby manatee had great fun -in rolling over and over on the sand and pebbles -at the bottom of the river. The old ones -liked to scratch and clean their wrinkled skins -by plunging and scraping over the gravel. It -was easy enough for them to roll, because they -were so round and had no legs to get in the -way.</p> - -<p>After the tumbling he followed the others -as they went paddling to the top of the river. -There he twitched apart his lip-lobes and blew, -spouting up spray and water. Then, drawing -in a long breath, he closed the stoppers in his -nostrils and floated down to the sandy bottom -to sleep or eat again.</p> - -<p>All summer the manatees lived there in the -pleasant river. On misty mornings sometimes -they swam up to a mud flat, and crawled out -to take a nap in the soft warm slime. Out -in the air they could sleep and breathe at the -same time, without waking up every few min<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span>utes. -When the baby was tired of staying still -he slid down the slippery bank—splash!—into -the water.</p> - -<p>His splashing sent a snake wriggling away -through the swamp. The crabs on the sand -below went scuttling wildly hither and thither -to escape the flapping of his tail. Fishes -darted out-stream, and mussels closed their -shells to keep out the stirred-up gravel. The -frogs sitting in the mud turned their round -eyes to look at the funny little fellow with the -wrinkled dark skin.</p> - -<p>Away he paddled to the bottom and tried -to munch the water-grasses. His few teeth -were cutting through his gums by this time, -and he was hungry for something besides -milk. The green leaves tasted so salty and -stringy that he did not like them at first. It -was easier to suck warm, rich milk, without -needing to chew and chew till his jaws really -ached.</p> - -<p>One night the manatees lay down on the -clean sand, folded their flippers under them, -and closed their eyes. They fell fast asleep. -Now one and now another woke to swim to -the top for a good long breath. About mid-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span>night -the old mother suddenly felt a chill -stealing through the water. She shivered all -over, and hurried to wake the others. She -knew that cold weather had come. If they -did not take care they would all catch cold -and die.</p> - -<p>So away they started, as fast as they could -paddle, down the river to the sea. Then south -along the shore they travelled to find warmer -waters. They kept so near land that they -could hear the waves breaking on the beach. -The ocean washed to and fro in swinging billows -over their heads. When the baby lifted -his head above the surface, bits of foam blew -in his eyes from the curling crests of the waves.</p> - -<p>Down below, where the old ones stopped to -munch the seaweeds, he saw wonderful things. -There were starfish crawling along with their -five rays spread out. There were transparent -jellyfishes, with long threads streaming down -from their quivering bodies. There were mussels -in their hinged shells lying on the bottom. -There were sponges growing on the rocks. -There were trees of branching coral, each tiny -coral animal waving the fringe around its -open mouth.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span></p> - -<p>Of course there were fishes—hundreds -and hundreds of them—flashing everywhere. -Once a fat porpoise came rolling and tumbling -through the shallow water. He was a -mammal, and belonged to the same group as -the whales. When he was a baby he fed on -milk, just in the same way as the little manatee -and all other mammals.</p> - -<p>On and on travelled the manatees toward -the warm south seas, now swimming on -swiftly, now stopping to munch the weeds. -Sometimes they stood on the tips of their -tails and nodded their heads as if bowing. -Sometimes they folded their flippers under -them to sleep, then woke to breathe, and fall -asleep again.</p> - -<p>After days and days they reached the -southern river, where they were to spend the -winter. There they found another family of -manatees with a little one just the size of the -baby. While the old ones munched the weeds, -or dozed on the mud islands, the two youngest -slid down the slippery banks and splashed and -dived together. They took naps side by side. -Sometimes they tried to balance themselves on -their tails, as the old ones did.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span></p> - -<p>This southern river was different from -that one at home. The plants had broader -leaves and larger flowers. The swamp was -tangled and shadowy even at noonday. -Strange animals tramped through the underbrush; -monkeys swung on the branches, and -brightly-colored birds flew overhead. Hairy -spiders crawled over the ground, and big -snakes wriggled into the water.</p> - -<p>When spring came, away the manatees -swam on their way back to the pleasant river, -where the baby first opened his little eyes in -the cool green nursery among the lily-leaves. -Of course he never knew that some sailors -once saw his mother rocking him to sleep at -the top of the water. They thought that she -was a mermaid with a baby in her arms.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">III<br /> - -<span class="xlarge">THE WHALE</span><br /> - -<span class="large">“THE BIGGEST ONE”</span></h2></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span></p> - - -<p class="ph2">THE BIGGEST ONE</p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">He</span> was the very biggest baby in all the -world. He looked like a monstrous -fish as he lay beside his mother in the -middle of the bay. But he was not a fish. -He breathed with lungs instead of gills. On -his thick skin he had a few bristly hairs instead -of scales such as fishes have. The blood -rushing through the great veins in his body -was warm instead of cold. And finally he -was drinking milk in mighty gulps that sent -gallons and gallons down his baby throat at -every swallow. He was a whale, and belonged -to the class of mammals.</p> - -<p>The big body of the mother whale looked -like a dark rounded island as she lay on her -side almost out of water. She was the largest -mother animal that ever lived. When she -opened her enormous jaws her mouth seemed -like a gloomy cave. Fastened along its floor -was an immense cushiony white tongue as big -as a feather-bed.</p> - -<p>The baby whale himself was twice as long -as an ox. His smooth skin glistened like<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> -shiny leather when he heaved his back above -the waves for an instant. Once in a while he -flapped his forked tail or wriggled his front -fins. Though his eyes were bigger than a -cow’s they looked very small while he lay, -half asleep, rocking lazily to and fro in the -swell of the sea.</p> - -<p>The baby whale knew how to swim alone -from the very first day. The earliest thing he -remembered was the water lapping over his -eyes and tickling in the tiny holes of his ears. -On top of his head there were two blow-holes, -or nostrils, closed with valves, to keep the water -from trickling into his lungs.</p> - -<p>When he rose to the top of the sea, to -fill his lungs with air, away he swam, up -and up, easily and lightly, through the pale-green -water, toward the sunlight twinkling -on the surface above. The mother whale -swam beside him, almost touching him with -her flippers. Her flippers were really her -arms. When he was tired she helped him -by holding him up.</p> - -<p>As soon as his head pushed above the waves -he opened the valves in the blow-holes and -drew great breaths of sweet, fresh air deep<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> -down into his lungs. How good it felt! -Then arching his back, with a flourish of -his tail down he dived after his mother. -They sank swiftly into the cool depths, while -the sea closed silently over their shining -sides.</p> - -<p>The baby whale did not go down very far. -The air in his lungs buoyed him up. His -bones were light and full of oil. Under his -dark skin a layer of fat, called blubber, kept -him floating, almost as if he were wearing a -life-preserver wrapped around him.</p> - -<p>The new air in his lungs grew warm and -damp. After a few minutes he wanted to -breathe again. So with a flap-flap-flap of his -tail up he paddled. Puff, piff! out through -the blow-holes rushed the warm air from his -lungs. In the cold outside air it changed to -spray, and went spouting up like a fountain. -Down it came showering, with silver drops -splashing and tinkling.</p> - -<p>That must have been fun. The baby could -not stay under water so long as his mother -could. Often he left her swimming around -over the rocky bottom of the bay while he -paddled up to get a fresh breath. Sometimes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> -he was in such a hurry that he blew out before -reaching the top. Then the water above -him went spouting up, and sprinkling back -noisily about his glistening head.</p> - -<p>For days and days the baby whale lived -there in the bay with his mother. It was the -whole world to him, for he had seen no other -place. Of course he did not know how it -looked from above, with its blue, sparkling -water, and its tall cliffs casting long shadows -over the ripples at dawn.</p> - -<p>To him the bay was a delightful playground. -Its oozy floor was covered with -rocks under the cool green water. Long -fringes of seaweed floated deep down under -there. In dark caves sponges and sea-lilies -grew, and crabs scuttled backward into slimy -crannies. There were big fishes and little -fishes darting to and fro. At times they hung -motionless, with glistening scales, their round -eyes unwinking, their tails quivering now and -then.</p> - -<p>Every day, after the baby whale drank all -the milk he wanted, he took a nap, lying beside -his mother on the surface of the bay. -Every day he grew a little bigger, and swam<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> -a little faster, and stayed below a little longer -without rising to breathe.</p> - -<p>When he was old enough to stop drinking -milk he learned to eat the food which -his mother liked. He often watched her -swimming around the bay, with her great -mouth hanging open. There were millions -of the tiniest kind of creatures living in -the water. They flowed into her mouth at -the same time with the water. When she -felt them tickling and wiggling over her -tongue she closed her jaw almost shut. A -sieve of long elastic strips of bone fell like -a curtain from the roof of her mouth. Then -the water drained out between the strips of -bone, leaving the tiny animals inside to be -swallowed.</p> - -<p>Instead of teeth the baby whale found such -a fringe of whalebone strips growing on the -roof of his mouth. When it was long enough -to use he began to swim around with his jaw -hanging down. Every day, in this way, he -caught and ate thousands of tiny shrimps and -crabs and mussels. He could not swallow any -large fish because his throat was only a few -inches wide.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span></p> - -<p>He did not know that there are different -whales in a different part of the sea. These -other whales have teeth instead of whalebone -sieves. In the tops of their heads they have -great holes filled with sperm oil. Their throats -are wide enough to swallow a man. They are -called sperm whales, but the whales with whalebone -strips in their mouths are called true -whales.</p> - -<p>When the baby stopped drinking milk the -mother set out with him to leave the bay, and -find the father whale in the deep sea without. -The young whale could swim almost as fast -as the old one now. He could stay under -water without breathing quite as long as she -could. The warm blanket of blubber under -his skin had grown thicker. It kept him -warm and helped him to float.</p> - -<p>Perhaps he was afraid to leave the safe bay -for the wide ocean. He kept close beside his -mother as they went rushing on, with their -tails slapping up and down and around. The -tail sent each one ahead, just as the screw of -a steamer drives it forward. With their flippers -they steadied their round bodies so that -they would not roll over and over like logs.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span></p> - -<p>Out between the rocky cliffs, at the mouth -of the inlet, they rushed through the green -water. After travelling some distance out to -sea the baby noticed that the water looked -black below them, reaching down and down -and down. He could not see the oozy, shell-covered -floor, as in the bay. Above him the -waves were larger, and swayed to and fro, -cresting in foam. The big fishes were darting -hither and thither before the great round, -rushing bodies of the mother and the baby -whale.</p> - -<p>Very likely the old whale had been lonesome -in the bay. She swam on in a hurry to find -her mate and the rest of the herd. The baby -followed as hard as he could paddle. This -was a wonderful new world to him. Probably -he wanted to stop and look around, especially -when he rose to breathe. Once he gave a -mighty jump and shot out far above the -waves. He could not see well, except directly -behind him. But while above there in the air -he twisted in a curving leap. Everywhere water, -water, water, stretching on and on and on.</p> - -<p>He could not see a single sign of any other -whales being near. Yet somehow or other the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> -old mother knew that they were not far away. -It may be that she could hear through the -water, as if telephone-wires were spread under -the waves. Sure enough! soon the baby heard -the splashing of heavy bodies turning over -and over in slow rolling. When he rose to -breathe he caught sight of spouting fountains, -where the other whales were blowing in the -sea.</p> - -<p>When the strangers came swimming toward -him he hung back behind his mother. They -glided about him, now and then touching him -with their fins, noses, or tails. They twisted -around so as to see him with their dull little -eyes. Then they went on with their eating -and lazy rolling on the surface of the -sea.</p> - -<p>The baby and his mother belonged to the -herd now. It was time for them all to start -north to colder waters, as summer was near. -Food was growing scarce in that part of the -ocean. When the whales stayed too long in -one place barnacles and limpets fastened on -the huge bodies, and made them uncomfortable. -One day the baby felt a tickling barnacle -on his throat. He scratched so hard<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> -against a jagged rock that he tore a rent -a foot long in the blubber. But it did -not hurt much, and in a few days it was -healed.</p> - -<p>There were a number of other young whales -in the herd. The biggest old father whale took -the lead while the rest followed, on and on, -moving through the sea all day long. Sometimes -they stopped to swim around and around -with their mouths hanging open. The tiny -crabs and other animals flowed in upon the -great satiny white tongues. Sometimes they -all took pleasant naps while floating on the -surface. Once a sea-bird flew down and -pecked at a barnacle on the baby’s head.</p> - -<p>At night the herd lay still, sleeping beneath -the stars. All around them the ocean glimmered -and twinkled. The ripples shone with -fiery light. Now and then one or another big -whale blew out his warm breath slowly and -drowsily, his great sides heaving in a tremendous -sigh. Then, when the morning came, -and the sky grew bright at the horizon, they -woke and plunged below for breakfast. They -did not even look at the beautiful colors in -the sky.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span></p> - -<p>Nearly every day the young ones had a race. -Off and away! their bodies bending like bows, -their broad tails churning the water into foaming -waves behind them. Many a time the baby -dived down, down, down, till the water looked -black around him. Then, when he was almost -smothering under the heavy weight of the sea, -he turned in a hurry, and went rushing up -with a bound and a puff. He shot out into -the sunshine with a mighty leap. What a tremendous -splashing he made as he fell back on -his side, while all the other baby whales slapped -the water with their tails under the shower of -spray!</p> - -<p>One morning he had a terrible fright. It -happened that he lagged behind the herd to -catch one more mouthful of breakfast. When -at last he was ready to follow the rest he saw -three strange animals hurrying after him. -They were almost as big as he was, and they -had fierce little eyes and sharp white teeth. -He was so afraid that he swam as fast as he -could.</p> - -<p>They were really a kind of small whale that -eats the tongues of large whales. They were -called killers. All three raced after the baby. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span>One caught hold of his lip and tried to -drag his mouth open. The other two pulled -and bit at the other side of the poor -frightened fellow. Just as they had his -mouth almost open, and were snapping like -wolves at sight of his tongue, they heard the -old mother whale come tearing back to the -rescue.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/i057.jpg" alt="The Whale" /></div> - -<p class="caption"><span class="smcap">The Whale.</span><br /> - -“The old mother whale came tearing back to the rescue.” <i>Page</i> 39.</p> - -<p>Before they had time to dart away she -dived head foremost. Raising her great tail -she swept it around and around, churning the -water into foam. One dreadful blow crushed -a killer, and the others rushed away. Seizing -the trembling baby between her flippers and -neck the mother hurried on to catch up with -the herd again.</p> - -<p>This was excitement enough for one day. -Indeed, it was the greatest adventure of the -year, except for the narrow escape from the -ice-floe. This last adventure happened when -the herd was just leaving the north to swim -south again. The baby whale was quite a big -fellow by this time. By some accident he -found himself shut into a bay by a floating -mass of ice.</p> - -<p>The ice-floe covered the water and was driv<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span>ing -closer and closer to the shore. The young -whale swam ahead of it till he was almost on -the beach. Still it kept pressing nearer and -nearer. Again and again he tried to swim -under it, but he could not hold his breath long -enough to get through to the open sea. If -he could not breathe he would drown, just like -any other mammal.</p> - -<p>Finally, just as the ice was rubbing against -the big black sides, he raised himself high in -the air and threw his heavy body with a crash -down on the floe. Luckily, he happened to -strike a thin place. The immense cake of -ice cracked and split. The whale gave a -plunge and broke his way through to safety. -He was glad enough to find the herd again -and swim on with them toward the southern -waters.</p> - -<p>So down along the shore the huge beasts -went frolicking together. They leaped out of -the sea, turning summersaults and tumbling -over and over. They patted one another with -such resounding smacks of their flippers that -the noise was like thunder. Now they darted -ahead, leaving a wake of dancing foam; now -they dived, arching their backs, and flirting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> -their tails high in the air. And through the -quiet nights they lay with the waves lapping -softly against them, with the starlight glistening -upon the great black bodies rolling in the -swell.</p> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">IV<br /> - -<span class="xlarge">THE ELK (WAPITI)</span><br /> - -<span class="large">“ONE OF THE FLEETEST”</span></h2></div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span></p> -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span></p> - -<p class="ph2">ONE OF THE FLEETEST</p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">It</span> was the most interesting thing! The -big brother elk, who was just a year old, -peered in through the branches, his ears -pointed forward. His great soft eyes were -shining, and his nostrils were quivering with -excitement. There, on a bed of leaves in the -mountain-thicket, lay a new little baby elk.</p> - -<p>He looked like the big brother, except for -the white spots on his satiny brown coat. With -his slender legs doubled under him he lay perfectly -still, not even twitching his ears, as old -deer to catch the slightest sound. He was -looking up at his big brown mother standing -beside him.</p> - -<p>The brother elk edged nearer and nearer, -till a branch crackled under his hoofs. Instantly -the old mother raised her head and -pricked her ears in the direction of the sound. -When she caught sight of the brother she -drew back her lips from her teeth and squealed -angrily. Her eyes gleamed. She began to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> -walk toward him, squealing and shaking her -head to drive him away. He was so surprised -that he snorted out loud. Then backing off, -first one foot and then the other, he hid among -some trees close by.</p> - -<p>He must have felt very lonesome as he -waited there by himself on the mountain. -He listened to every rustle of a leaf or -crackle of a twig in the thicket where the -baby was lying. Before this his mother had -always been kind to him. He did not know -why she drove him away,—when he was not -doing any harm. The reason was because -every little noise made her nervous. She was -afraid wolves or panthers might come prowling -around there, where the baby lay helpless -on the leaves.</p> - -<p>After a few days the baby scrambled to his -feet and went staggering a bit unsteadily -after his mother as she led the way out from -the thicket. The big brother came timidly -up to them. He smelled the little one very -gently, nosing all over his soft dappled body. -The mother did not pay much attention, and -the baby was not afraid. He stood quite still, -looking around with his shining eyes.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span></p> - -<p>It was a beautiful world in May. All -around him there were groves of aspens -twinkling their silvery leaves in the early -sunlight. Farther up the mountain-side dark -evergreens grew thick among the rocks. -Down the valley a brook splashed and gurgled -over stones on its way to a lake lying -in the cool shadow of the pines.</p> - -<p>Very likely, although the baby elk could see -well enough, he cared more for the things -which he could smell. There was such a delicious -fragrance everywhere of spicy evergreens -and the damp sweet breath of mosses -and blossoming flowers. Of course he was -too young to taste the juicy grasses and tender -twigs, but he surely enjoyed the tempting odor -of it all. The world smelled very good to eat.</p> - -<p>Like all little mammals he drank milk till -his teeth cut through his gums later in the -year. Like the buffaloes the older elk had -horny pads instead of teeth in the front of -their upper jaws. They tore off a mouthful -of grass or leaves with a jerk of the head -and swallowed it half chewed. Then, during -the heat of the day, when they were lying -down to rest in the shade, or standing in pools<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> -of water, they drew up the fodder from their -stomachs and chewed it again.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/i069.jpg" alt="The Elk" /></div> -<p class="caption"><span class="smcap">The Elk.</span><br /> - -“Grazing over the upland meadows.” <i>Page</i> 48.</p> - -<p>All summer long the little elk lived in the -mountains with his mother and brother. At -night he slept nestled close to them in some -safe thicket. In the daytime he trotted beside -them as they roamed grazing over the upland -meadows and along the brooks. Though they -were fond of feeding near the water they did -not care so much as some other kinds of deer -to eat lily-leaves.</p> - -<p>In the early part of the summer the mother -and brother looked very ragged. Their thick -winter coat began to fall out. It was so -matted that it clung to the body like a torn -blanket. Every time they rubbed against a -bush or thorny tree their old hair was torn -in long strips and tatters. When at last it -had all been rubbed off their fresh short, -summer fur shone out bright and glistening -in the sunshine.</p> - -<p>Little by little the white spots on the baby’s -coat were fading. By the end of August he -was all in plain brown like the older ones, -with only a patch of white around his tail. -Probably he did not notice the difference<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> -himself because he could not turn his head -far enough to see many of the spots on his -sides and neck.</p> - -<p>Indeed he was astonished enough one day, -while still in the spotted coat, to see another -little spotted elk come timidly out of a thicket -of aspens. At first both babies stood still, -with their ears pricked forward and their big -soft eyes wide open. Then the first one -bravely walked up to the other and smelled -him all over. After that they were friends -and played together. They could both say -ba-a-a, and drink milk, and gallop over the -grass, with their little hoofs kicking out -behind.</p> - -<p>The next day another mother elk with a -baby and a big brother joined the band. -Then another family came, and another, till -there were dozens and dozens of them all together. -Such scampering frolics as the little -ones enjoyed! While the old mothers were -quietly grazing over the steep slopes the -babies raced from one rock to another. Each -one tried to push up first to the highest point, -and then stand there, looking down at the -others. Once the roughest little fellow butted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> -another off a high rock and almost broke his -leg.</p> - -<p>When a baby butted with his round little -head it did not hurt much. But the big -brothers all had sharp antlers sprouting from -their foreheads. In the spring the knobs -above their eyes had begun to swell and grow -out into bony spikes covered with a velvety -network of skin and veins. These antlers -were different from the horns worn by the -buffaloes. Every buffalo had a pair of horns -that lasted all his life. The mother buffaloes -had horns, but the mother elk did not have -antlers. The antlers were solid bone instead -of hollow like the horns. Each of the father -elks and the big brothers had a new pair -every spring to replace the old pair that -dropped off during the winter.</p> - -<p>By mid-summer the antlers stopped growing. -Then the big brothers in the band -pounded and rubbed their antlers against -bushes and young trees, so as to strip off the -velvety covering. When they had sham fights -they could butt hard enough to hurt. They -bumped their heads together, and pushed with -all their might to see which was the strongest.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span></p> - -<p>Autumn was not far off now, and the band -of mother elk and young ones began to move -down from the mountains to the foot-hills. -In winter the snow lay so deep in the high -valleys that they could not walk far or find -enough to eat. Farther and farther down -they wandered every day. The babies were -learning to eat grass like the older ones.</p> - -<p>One morning the smallest baby elk was -picking his steps along the edge of a cliff. -He halted and raised his pretty head to look -far up the canyon before him. There, away -off against the pine-woods on the mountain-side, -he caught sight of a spot of brown -moving toward him. Nearer and nearer it -came, till he saw that it was an animal even -bigger than his mother. It was an old father -elk coming down from his summer retreat in -the highest gorges.</p> - -<p>In all his short life the baby had never seen -such a stately and beautiful creature. His -mother was not nearly so large as this elk, -and she wore no antlers at all. The big -brother’s antlers were only short spikes without -any prongs. On strode the newcomer, -leaping over fallen trees and wading through<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> -the brooks to join the band. His long black -mane was waving on his neck; his nostrils were -quivering; his great eyes were flashing; his -splendid antlers rose, branching high above his -graceful head.</p> - -<p>The fine stranger stalked among the others -and smelled them, in their way of getting acquainted. -Then he began to feed with them -all. The mother elk and little ones followed -meekly when he started to lead the band down -the mountain. He did not pay much attention -to the babies. Sometimes he pushed them out -of his way, or drove them hither and thither, -as he pleased. He was a selfish old fellow and -never thought of taking care of the others. -Whenever he found a delicious tuft of juicy -grass he hurried to munch it all by himself.</p> - -<p>As the frosty days passed by another father -elk appeared, and then another and another. -Each one wanted to be leader of the band. -Many a snowy night the baby elk huddled -close to his mother as he listened to the noise -of the old father elk roaming through the -woods. He could hear them snuffing the -frosty air. They beat the bushes with their -antlers and stamped on the crackling branches<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> -underfoot. The snow lay thick on their bristling -manes. Now here in the valley, now there -high on the ridge, the sound of their whistling -came pealing down through the still white -woods in the moonlight.</p> - -<p>Often and often the baby trembled as he -heard the shrill squealing of two old elk fighting -together. Each one was trying to drive -the other away from the band. They rushed -together with a crash, and pushed and strained, -with their antlers locked tight. Though the -prongs could not cut through the tough skin -of their shoulders, still the weaker one always -had to give way and run. The other chased -him off and then came back, whistling and -barking in triumph, to be leader of the band.</p> - -<p>In a few weeks the old elk became tired of -fighting. The band settled down to spend a -peaceful winter together. Their fur grew -long and thick to keep out the cold. On they -travelled mile after mile. They were looking -for a sheltered spot to be their home during -the coldest weather.</p> - -<p>The old elk walked so fast that the babies -had to gallop to keep from being left behind. -Up hills and down gorges they went crashing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> -through thickets and over the rocks. They -climbed steep cliffs and went leaping down -narrow trails. Even the little ones were sure-footed. -They never stumbled or slipped as -they bounded over the dead logs and tangled -vines between the trees.</p> - -<p>At last they found a wooded spot where the -hills sheltered them from the bitterest winds. -There was grass on the ground. There were -plenty of young trees with twigs and buds -and bark for them to eat. A swift little brook -ran over the rocks not far away.</p> - -<p>Here in this place the band of elk spent the -winter. When the snow fell deeper they trod -it into narrow paths by walking from tree to -tree to feed. These paths led to and fro, criss-crossing, -and around in uneven curves all -through the yard, as it may be called. With -every storm the snow beside the paths piled -higher and higher, till the baby could not see -over the edges, even when he stretched up -his neck.</p> - -<p>It must have been a dreary winter for the -little fellow. Night after night he huddled -beside his mother to keep warm. Sometimes -the stars sparkled above the white earth, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> -sometimes the wind sifted the icy flakes over -their brown bodies. Day after day of cold -and storm he walked along the paths from tree -to tree. Here he could reach a bunch of dead -leaves, there a cluster of twig-ends, or a mouthful -of bark.</p> - -<p>The older elk were so much taller than he -was that they could reach the higher branches -by standing on their hind-legs and stretching -out their necks. Often he went hungry, for -the fodder near the paths was all eaten before -spring. The snow was so deep outside the -yard that he could not touch solid ground with -his feet. Sometimes he pawed through the icy -crust, and dug away the snow from over the -grass.</p> - -<p>Once a pack of wolves came prowling near -and tried to drive the elk out into the deep -snow. Though the elk, like all deer, are the -fleetest of mammals, the wolves could run -better over the snow, for their broad paws -did not sink in so far as the elk’s slender -hoofs. Instead of running away all the -mother elk rushed squealing after the wolves -and tried to stamp them to death. The mother -elk were always very brave in taking care of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> -their little ones. The cowardly old fathers -were afraid to fight anything, now that they -had lost their sharp antlers.</p> - -<p>Spring came at last, and the snow melted -from the hill-tops and then from the valleys. -The first tender grass began to sprout in the -meadows. The elk left their winter home and -scattered over the plains in search of food. -The sun shone and the soft winds blew.</p> - -<p>The baby elk followed his mother, when -she left the others, and started up toward the -mountains. He wandered after her, grazing -as he went, till he lost her in a mountain -thicket. While he was looking for her he -heard a rustling of twigs. He peered through -the branches, and there he saw a new little -baby elk lying on a bed of leaves. The old -mother was standing over him, and licking -his satiny spotted coat with her long red -tongue.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">V<br /> - -<span class="xlarge">THE BEAVER</span><br /> - -<span class="large">“THE BEST BUILDER”</span></h2></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span></p> - - -<p class="ph2">THE BEST BUILDER</p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Out</span> in the woods rain was pouring -down steadily from the black sky. -It beat against the leaves and trickled -over the trunks of the trees and spattered into -the pond. Now and then a flash of lightning -glimmered over the water and twinkled in -through the hole at the top of the little round -house where the beavers lived.</p> - -<p>From the outside this house looked like a -heap of old brush-wood on a tiny island in -the middle of the pond. But inside of it there -was a little room, like a cave, with a smooth -floor and an arched roof. Along the sides of -this room there were five beds of leaves and -grass. On one of these beds lay three baby -beavers fast asleep in the dark.</p> - -<p>The other beds were all empty. The big -one at the end belonged to the father beaver. -Before the babies were born in May he had -gone away for the summer. He had started -off with all the other old fathers in the beaver<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> -village to have a good time in the woods up -the brook. They played and feasted on roots -and plants, while the mother beavers stayed -home to take care of the babies.</p> - -<p>The other three beds belonged to the mother -and to her two older children. On this rainy -summer night they had gone out to eat their -supper under the trees by the pond.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the three baby beavers opened -their eyes with a start, and rolled off their bed. -They had been awakened by the sound of a -loud whack on the water outside. It was a -noise made by the mother’s flat tail as she -dived down toward the door of her house. -Her front hall was a tunnel that led from -the bottom of the pond to the floor of the -dark little room. Through this she went -swimming, while the waves bubbled and -splashed around her.</p> - -<p>When the babies saw her round head poke -up through the door in the floor they squeaked -and ran to meet her. She was carrying a -bundle of small sticks between her chin and -her fore-paw. Each little beaver sat up on -his hind-legs, with his tail propping him steady -from behind. Then he took one of the sticks<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> -in his hands and began to nibble the bark with -his new yellow teeth.</p> - -<p>They were wonderful teeth. After the -babies were too old to live on milk, four -curved teeth grew out in the front of each -little mouth. Two were in the upper jaw and -two in the lower jaw. It was the strangest -thing! The more these teeth gnawed the -sharper they became. The inner side of each -tooth was softer than the outer side. In biting -together, the inner edge wore down faster, -and left the outer edge as sharp as a knife.</p> - -<p>The beaver belongs to the <i>Order of -Gnawers</i>. Squirrels and rabbits and rats and -many other mammals belong to this order. -They all have these chisel-shaped front teeth, -which keep on growing all their lives long. -If any one of them is too lazy to gnaw every -day his teeth grow so long that he cannot bite -anything at all. Beavers are the largest of -the gnawing animals, except the water-hog of -South America. They have stronger teeth -than any of the others.</p> - -<p>Not long after this stormy night the mother -beaver decided to take the three babies out -with her into the woods. She chose another<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> -rainy evening because then their enemies were -not likely to be wandering under the dripping -trees. Bears and foxes and wild-cats hate to -get wet, but beavers enjoy feeling the cool -water trickle over their fur and splash on their -tails.</p> - -<p>Except for their broad, flat tails, the three -little beavers looked like rats covered with silky -brown fur. The mother seemed like a giant -rat, about three feet long from her round nose -to the root of her tail. Instead of fur her -tail was covered with thick skin. This skin -was so creased and dented that it looked like -scales.</p> - -<p>What an exciting evening it was for the -babies! One behind the other they trotted -down the dark tunnel after their mother. At -first the floor was dry and hard. After a few -steps their feet touched something wet. Soft -mud oozed between the fingers on their fore-paws. -Their hind-feet were webbed up to the -toe-nails, and so did not sink in so deep as -their fore-paws. Beavers are the only mammals -which have webs on one pair of feet, and -not on the other pair. They are half land -animals and half water animals.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span></p> - -<p>This was not the first time that the three -little beavers had ventured into the tunnel. -More than once before they had crept down -as far as the water and waded about at the -edge. But now they kept right on, splashing -in farther and farther. The water grew deeper -and deeper. In the dark they felt it wash up -to their knees, and then up to their chins, and -finally away over their backs and their heads -to the roof of the tunnel.</p> - -<p>Away went the three babies swimming after -the old mother. They held their breaths, and -shut their ears tight. Their small fore-paws -hung down by their sides. They paddled with -their webbed hind-feet, and used their broad -tails as rudders, to send them now this way, -now that.</p> - -<p>It seemed the longest time to the last little -beaver before his head popped up into the -fresh air above the pond. He blinked his -light-brown eyes, and winked away the drops -on his eyelashes. Now and then a flash of -lightning glimmered on the trees around the -pond. Of course he did not know yet that -his food came from those tall, shadowy things -at the edge of the water.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span></p> - -<p>Half-way to the shore a round, dark spot -was ploughing through the water, with two ripples -spreading out behind it. It was the head -of the mother beaver. Behind her followed -another head, and then another. The last little -beaver swung his tail around and started after -them. He puffed and sputtered when a wave -washed over his nose. But he did not mind -that at all, because this cool water was much -pleasanter than the stale air in the warm room -at home.</p> - -<p>There, under a bush on the bank, he saw his -older brother and sister sitting on their tails, -while they nibbled the bark from some sticks -beside them. When the baby reached his hand -toward the pile they grunted and sniffed at -him. Just then a flash of lightning gleamed -on their long, yellow teeth, and frightened the -little fellow so much that he scampered after -his mother and the two other babies.</p> - -<p>They followed a path into the woods. The -father beavers in the village had made it by -cutting down trees and bushes and dragging -them out of the way. It was a straight path, -and more than wide enough for the fattest old -beaver. But the last baby was so much afraid<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> -of being left behind that he ran without looking -on the ground. He stumbled over two -low stumps, and bumped into a trunk at one -side, before he caught up to the others.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/i087.jpg" alt="The Beaver" /></div> - -<p class="caption"><span class="smcap">The Beaver.</span><br /> - -“Across the pond to feast in the woods.” <i>Page</i> 65.</p> - -<p>He saw the mother beaver standing on her -hind-legs under a tree. She reached up as -high as she could with her mouth and gnawed -off a branch. When it fell crackling and -rustling she called the three babies to come -and learn how to cut their own sticks to eat. -She showed them how to set their teeth against -the bark, and tear off a chip with a jerk of the -head. Another chip and another was gnawed -out till the branch was cut in two. The mother -could bite through a small stick with one snip -of her jaws.</p> - -<p>After that, every night all summer long, -the three babies followed their mother out -through the tunnel and across the pond to -feast in the woods. They ate tender grasses -and roots as well as bark. Sometimes they -went out before dark to romp and play tag -in the pond. The biggest little beaver thought -that it was the greatest fun to push the others -off floating logs. He chased them round and -round, splashing water in their faces and mak<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span>ing -them duck their heads. They enjoyed the -fun as much as he did, especially after they -all scrambled upon the bank to rest.</p> - -<p>On land, the biggest baby was too fat and -clumsy to move as fast as the other two. They -danced about on their hind-legs, and pretended -to step on his tail or pull his fur. It was -beautiful fur, so fine and thick and soft that -water could not soak through to the skin. -The babies did not have a coat of coarse outer -hair like the old beavers. When tired of play -they sat up and scratched their heads and -shoulders with the claws on their hairy fore-paws. -Then, after combing their sides with -their hind-feet, they curled down in the grass -for a nap.</p> - -<p>There were plenty of other little low houses -in the pond, and in each one lived a family of -beavers. The three babies made friends with -all the other babies. Together they explored -every corner of the pond, from the brook at -the upper end to the dam at the lower end.</p> - -<p>Very likely the little fellows believed that -the dam had always been there. But in fact -the old beavers had built it themselves. When -they first came to that spot in the woods<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> -they found only a brook flowing over a hard, -gravelly bottom. They first cut down a bush -and floated it along till it stuck fast between -a rock and a clump of trees. Next they cut -other bushes, and carried down poles and -branches, till they had a tangle of brush -stretching from one bank to the other. Upon -this they piled sticks and stones and mud, and -then more sticks and stones and mud, and then -still more sticks and stones and mud.</p> - -<p>At last the dam was so high and solid that -the water could not flow through. So it spread -out in a pond above the dam till it was deep -enough to trickle over the top and tinkle away -in a little brook under the trees.</p> - -<p>Tiny islands were left here and there in the -pond. The old beavers built their houses on -the islands or on the bank. First each mother -and father dug two tunnels from the bottom -of the pond up through the earth to the floor -of their house. One tunnel was to be used -when going in and out during the summer. -The other tunnel led to their winter pantry -under the water. This pantry was to be a -pile of fresh sticks cut in the woods every -autumn.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span></p> - -<p>Around the two holes in the floor the beavers -laid logs and stones in a circle. Upon this -foundation they piled sticks and sod to form -walls and a roof. Then they plastered the -house all over with mud. At the top of the -roof they left a small hole, covered only with -a tangle of sticks. This was for fresh air. -Last of all they swam inside and made the -walls even by gnawing off the sharp ends of -the wood. Then the house was ready to be -furnished with beds of leaves and grasses.</p> - -<p>Perhaps during the happy summer the -babies believed that play was the most delightful -thing in the world. But soon the -father beavers came strolling back to the village -to cut down trees for the winter. Then -the little fellows found that work was even -better fun than play.</p> - -<p>One night the three babies followed their -parents into the woods and watched them cut -down a tree. The father stood up on his -hind-legs, propping himself with his tail, and -began to cut a notch around the trunk. The -mother helped on the other side. They -gnawed upward and downward, digging out -huge chips with their chisel teeth. The circle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> -grew deeper and deeper, till the father’s head -was almost hidden whenever he thrust it in to -take a fresh bite.</p> - -<p>When finally the wood cracked and the tree-top -began to sway all the family scampered -away to the pond. They dived for the tunnel -and hid in the house for a while. There was -danger that some hungry wild-cat had heard -the crash of the branches and had hurried -there to catch them for its supper.</p> - -<p>As soon as it seemed safe to do so the -beavers paddled out again and trotted away -to the fallen tree. The parents trimmed off -the branches and cut the trunk into pieces -short enough to carry. The father seized a -thick pole in his teeth and swung it over -his shoulders. As he dragged it toward the -pond he kept his head twisted to one side, -so that the end of the pole trailed on the -ground.</p> - -<p>The biggest little beaver tried to drag a -smaller branch in the same way. When he -rose on his hind-legs, so as to walk along -more easily, he forgot to brace himself with -his tail. The branch caught on a stone and -tipped him backwards, heels over head. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> -two other babies were rolling a short log by -pushing it with their noses. At the sound of -their brother’s surprised squeals they gave the -log a last wild poke. It seemed to make a -jump over a bump, and then tumbled into a -hole. There it stayed, though they pushed -and pulled and puffed and grunted in trying -to get it out again.</p> - -<p>It happened that the father beaver reached -the pond just in time to help mend the dam -with his thick pole. A pointed log had -jammed a hole in the dam. The water was -beginning to pour through the hole with a -rush. If the pond should run dry the doors -of the tunnels would be left in plain sight. -Then probably a wolf, or some other enemy, -would hide there to catch the beavers on their -way from the woods to their houses.</p> - -<p>The old father pushed his pole into the -water; then he jumped in, and, taking hold -of it with his teeth, he swam out above the -hole. When he let go the water carried the -pole squarely across the break in the dam. -The other beavers cut bushes and floated them -down to weave across the hole. After that -they scooped up mud and stones to plaster<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> -the dam till not a drop trickled through the -mended places.</p> - -<p>The next work to be done that autumn was -to gather food for the winter. Some of the -trees with the juiciest bark grew too far away -to be easily dragged to the pond. All the -grown-up beavers set to work to dig a canal. -They dug and scooped and gnawed off roots, -and dragged out stones, till they had made a -long canal more than a foot deep. The water -flowed into this from the pond. Then it was -easy enough to float wood from the juicy trees -down to the beaver village.</p> - -<p>Even the babies could help in towing the -wood down the canal and across the pond to -the different houses. Some of the wood became -so heavy with soaked-up water that it -sank to the bottom beside the doors, and -could be packed in a solid pile as easily as on -land. Most of the wood, however, kept light -enough to float. Instead of heaping new -sticks on top, the beavers pushed them under -the top branches. Then more was pressed -under that, and more under that, till the pile -reached to the bottom. In the winter, of -course, the top sticks could not be eaten,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> -because they would be frozen fast in the -ice.</p> - -<p>The autumn days were growing frostier -and frostier. After mending the dam and -gathering their woodpiles, the beavers plastered -a last coat of mud all over the outside -of their houses. The mud froze hard and -made the little rooms inside as safe as a -fort, with walls two feet thick. The babies -carried leaves and grasses for their fresh beds. -With a bundle tucked between his chin and -fore-paw, each one hobbled along on three -legs, “working like a beaver,” as the saying -is.</p> - -<p>One cloudy night, when the beavers were -busy out in the woods, something soft and -cold began to float down through the chilly -air. The biggest baby felt a sting on his -nose. When he put out his tongue to lick it -he touched only a speck of water. Bits of -white sifted on his fur and melted in drops. -Presently the ground began to look lighter -colored. Something fluttered about his head -and settled on his eyelashes. He winked and -sneezed and squeaked to the other babies. -They had never seen a snowstorm before.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span></p> - -<p>When they jumped into the pond to paddle -home something sharp and brittle cracked and -snapped in the icy black water. One of the -little fellows caught a bit in his mouth. It -smarted on his tongue and then it was gone. -It was the first time that he had ever tasted -ice.</p> - -<p>The next night, when the beavers swam to -the top of the pond, they bumped their heads -against something hard. It cracked all around -them. They pushed on, with the water lapping -at the jagged edges. After they reached the -shore they found it very tiresome to wade -through the snow. Before the night was -quarter past the old father hurried back to -the pond. He was afraid that the ice might -freeze too thick for them to break their way -home again. He arched his back and slapped -his tail on the water with an echoing whack -to call the babies after him.</p> - -<p>All winter long the beavers lived quietly in -their little homes under the snow. Most of -the time they slept, each on his own soft bed -in the dark. Whenever they were hungry -they paddled down the tunnel which led to -the woodpile. Gnawing off some sticks they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> -swam back with the bundles under their chins. -They used the middle of the room for a dining-table. -There they nibbled the bark. Then -they carried the peeled sticks back into the -pond. They did not like to have rubbish left -on the floor.</p> - -<p>Sometimes the babies grew restless and tired -of staying still in the room. They swam out -into the pond and moved about under the ice. -They hunted for roots of the yellow water-lily. -It must have been hard to hold their -breaths long enough to dig up the roots and -paddle away back into the house. Once the -biggest baby almost had a fight with one of -his playmates over a juicy root. They pulled -at it so roughly that it was torn to pieces.</p> - -<p>So the winter months slipped away. At -last spring melted the ice on the pond. Here -and there in the black water little brown heads -came popping up. They went plowing toward -shore, leaving v-shaped ripples stretching out -behind. Up the banks scrambled the beavers,—mother -beavers and father beavers, big -brother beavers and big sister beavers, and -all the little beavers who had been babies the -year before.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span></p> - -<p>Away roamed the fathers up the brook, to -have a good time travelling all summer long. -The grown-up brothers and sisters started out -to build dams and houses of their own. The -little fellows wandered into the woods to find -their dinners of tender buds and twigs. The -mothers ate the bark from fresh sticks, and -then hurried back to carry milk to the new -baby beavers, asleep on their soft beds at -home.</p> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span></p> -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">VI<br /> - -<span class="xlarge">THE RABBIT (HARE)</span><br /> - -<span class="large">“THE TIMID ONE”</span></h2></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span></p> -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span></p> - - -<p class="ph2">THE TIMID ONE</p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">The</span> nest was a small hole scooped out -of the turf and lined with bits of -fur from the mother bunny’s breast. -The five baby bunnies lay packed close together. -Their long ears were pressed flat on -their furry backs, and their hind-legs were -doubled up under their round, little soft bodies.</p> - -<p>Over them rested a blanket of dry grass and -fur matted together. The sunlight outside -shone through tiny holes here and there. -Once the bravest bunny poked up the cover -and tried to look out. All he could see was -a little roof of green grasses interlacing above -the nest. The grasses rustled in the summer -breeze.</p> - -<p>During the day the babies cuddled down fast -asleep. Sometimes a red ant wandered into -the nest. It clambered down from wisp to -wisp of dead grass and scurried across the -bunnies’ faces. That tickled so that they -screwed up their pink noses and opened their -round bright eyes for a drowsy minute. Once<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> -a big spider crawled upon the edge and stared -at them with all its eyes, till the bravest bunny -scared it away with a flap of his ears. Another -time a bird flew down to the nest and -pecked at the blanket till its bill stuck through -and almost pricked one of the babies.</p> - -<p>Toward evening the bunnies began to wake -up for the night. They squirmed about, curling -their toes, stretching their long legs, and -cocking their ears to listen for the mother -bunny’s step. At last they heard the soft -thump-thump-thump of her furry paws as she -came leaping over the grass from the bushes -where she had been dozing. How joyfully -the babies wriggled at sight of her! As soon -as she had lifted the blanket and crept underneath -they snuggled close to her. They were -hungry for the warm milk which she had always -ready for them to drink.</p> - -<p>As the days passed the little bunnies began -to grow too big for the nest. Their hind-legs -felt stronger and stronger for jumping. Indeed, -the bravest bunny had a naughty way -of kicking his brothers and sisters. He set his -heels against their soft sides and pushed in -hard jerks, for the fun of making them squirm<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> -and squeal. Sometimes they kicked back, but -not very often, because they were afraid to -make much noise.</p> - -<p>Their mother taught them to be as still as -they could while she was absent. The only -way for such helpless little creatures to escape -being eaten by their many enemies was to keep -out of sight. Snakes would not notice them if -they stayed quiet in the nest. Hungry hawks -and owls could not find out where they were -hidden if they did not move. The bit of a -blanket looked like a patch of dead grass. -Foxes and wild-cats and the rest could not -smell them so long as they lay still.</p> - -<p>They were timid little things, and their ears -seemed to be always twitching to catch the -least sounds. On some warm afternoons they -woke up early, and waited for the mother to -bring their supper of milk. Outside they -heard the plop of grasshoppers jumping from -stem to stalk. The flutter of butterflies and -the buzzing of bees over the clover-blossoms -sounded loud enough. The shrill whirring of -a locust made them tremble and quake. Perhaps -they were afraid that it was something -coming to eat them up.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span></p> - -<p>When the bunnies were strong enough to -leave the nest they went to live in the brush -with their mother. Away they all galloped -over the grass. Their long ears flapped up -and down, and the furry soles of their hind-legs -twinkled behind them. They did not stop -to look around till they were safe in the shelter -of the bushes. Then every one of them -turned, and sat up on his haunches with his -little fore-paws in the air. With their ears -pointed forward, and their round eyes shining, -they looked back at the grassy spot where -they had lived in the hidden cosy nest.</p> - -<p>At that very minute, when they were all so -excited and happy, the old mother caught sight -of a fox stealing after them. At a sign from -her the little bunnies sat as still as if they -were made of stone. They were almost the -same color as the sticks and dry leaves around -them. Nobody would notice them unless they -should move.</p> - -<p>But that sly old fox was not looking for -them with his eyes; he was following their -tracks, with his nose close to the ground. -He smelled his way nearer and nearer. The -trembling babies could see the sharp white<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> -teeth between his lips. His narrow eyes -gleamed hungrily. Finally he crept so near -that he could smell them in the air. They saw -him lift his head and snuff in their direction, -one of his fore-paws raised for the next step.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the mother bunny sprang out -before his face and darted off helter-skelter -into the woods. She wanted to lead the fox -away from her little ones. Away she dashed -under the bushes and over the logs, up slopes -and down gullies, dodging now this way now -that. Once he was so close that he opened -his jaws to seize her. At that she turned like a -flash, and ran right between his legs. Then -into a swamp she went bounding in great -leaps. There the fox lost sight of her, and -could not find her scent in the water. She -left him nosing hungrily back and forth, -while she hurried back to her babies. They -were sitting as still as stones just where she -had told them to stay.</p> - -<p>Almost the first thing the mother bunny did, -after gathering her family in the woods, was -to find different holes for hiding-places. One -hole was in a hollow stump, and another was -in an old woodchuck-burrow. She told the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span> -little ones that they must not go near the -holes, except when they could not escape in -any other way. If they went often they -would make a path, and then their enemies -could find out their hiding-places.</p> - -<p>It was pleasant there in the underbrush of -the woods. They felt almost safe with briers -above them to keep away their hungry enemies. -The smell of the mossy earth was warm -and sweet. The buds and leaves and bark were -spicy and fragrant. The bunnies sniffed hither -and thither, twitching their noses and jerking -their ears.</p> - -<p>When they stopped living on milk they -learned to feed on grasses and juicy roots -and twigs. The old mother showed them -what was good to eat. Like the beavers and -squirrels the bunnies belonged to the <i>Order -of Gnawers</i>. Each one had four little nibbling -teeth in the front of his mouth, and -grinding teeth in the back. They did not -have such strong teeth as the beavers, who -could cut down trees, or the squirrels, who -gnawed hard nuts.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/i109.jpg" alt="The Rabbit" /></div> - -<p class="caption"><span class="smcap">The Rabbit.</span><br /> - -“It was pleasant there in the underbrush of the woods.” <i>Page</i> 84.</p> - -<p>Though the bunnies could not fight well, -because they had no sharp claws and teeth,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> -they could jump higher and farther and faster -than any of their cousins. They soon found -out that the best way to escape when chased -by their enemies was to trust in the nimbleness -of their legs.</p> - -<p>Of course when they saw any hungry animal -looking for something to eat it was best -for them to lie perfectly still so as to avoid -being seen. But if the animal caught sight -of them they must run and dodge and double -and hide for their lives. It was generally -wiser to keep on running till the other lost -the scent rather than to creep into a hole. If -the hungry hunter happened to be a mink or -a weasel he could crawl in after them and kill -them.</p> - -<p>The bunnies did not try to dig their own -holes. They were really hares, though they -were so much like rabbits, who were true burrowers. -Once in the woods the bravest bunny -saw a true rabbit. This rabbit had a family -of little ones in a deep burrow. They had -been born blind and naked, but the little hares -had been born with their eyes open and fur -on their bodies. True rabbits were brought -to America from across the sea.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span></p> - -<p>In spite of their dangerous adventures the -bunnies enjoyed the long summer. Every -morning at earliest dawn up they hopped -from the forms. The spot of flattened grass -where each furry body had been resting was -called a “form.” Away to the clover-field they -went leaping, one by one. There they drank -the dewdrops, and ate a breakfast of sweet -green leaves. They took a nibble here and a -nibble there. Then they sat up on their -haunches and looked around to spy out a possible -enemy. Their round eyes twinkled this -way and that, and their long ears twitched -nervously at every sound.</p> - -<p>The twittering of the birds did not frighten -them. They seemed to know that there was -no danger-signal in the rustling of leaves on -the trees, or the splashing of frogs in the -pond. Even the crackle of twigs under the -footsteps of a deer did not send them running. -They must have known that grass-eating -animals would not harm them.</p> - -<p>But the stealthy wriggling of a snake in -the grass sent them scurrying wildly into the -thickest underbrush. When they heard a stick -crack under the trees they seemed to know at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> -once what kind of animal was creeping near. -At the soft tread of a fox or a wild-cat they -sat as still as stones, unless they knew that -they had been seen. If that happened they -bounded away in a race for life.</p> - -<p>When the sunshine fell bright on some -sandy hillside the bunnies went there, and -stretched out like kittens in the pleasant -warmth. They squirmed and blinked and -turned slowly over and over. They lay on -their backs and waved their paws in the air. -They had five toes on each fore-paw and four -on each hind-paw. Even then, while twisting -and stretching in enjoyment, they were on the -alert. At the sound of a caw from a neighboring -tree, or at the sight of a hawk hovering -far above, they all leapt to their feet, and -scampered out of sight in a twinkling.</p> - -<p>Then for hours they sat on their forms in -the shade of the bushes and dozed, half asleep, -but ready to bound away at the first hint of -danger. The scream of a blue jay startled -every bunny wide awake in an instant. The -jays always saw everything in the woods. The -bunnies waited, without stirring, till they could -find out what the trouble was. Sometimes it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> -was a dog hunting for rabbits; sometimes it -was a snake coiled in the sun, or a baby fox -playing with his own tail; sometimes it was -only a red squirrel chattering and scolding at -the blue jay.</p> - -<p>On warm afternoons the winged ticks hovered -about, biting the bunnies on the tips of -their ears and sensitive noses. Then the bunnies -hid under skunk cabbages in the marshy -spots. The bad smell kept the ticks away. It -was cool and pleasant there. The five babies -lay still, listening to the soft whirring and -drowsy buzzing of insects, in the hot sunshine -beyond the marsh.</p> - -<p>After the sun went down the bunnies scattered -to find their supper of tender twigs or -grasses or roots. Always, while they nibbled, -they kept twitching their ears forward and -back. Every minute or two each one paused -to sit erect, and roll his bright eyes in all directions. -All the time his little jaws were working -busily. Then perhaps they dressed their -fur coats, combing their ears with their paws, -and biting the burrs from their vests and socks.</p> - -<p>Off with a hop, skip, and jump for a frolic -in an open space in the woods! What a gay<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> -time the five little bunnies had there with their -friends! They went leaping, one after another. -Some tore through the ferns and -hopped over the logs, with their long ears -flapping. They sprang straight up into the -air, kicking out their hind-legs. They jumped -over each other, and scurried wildly round -and round. One whirled about like a kitten, -chasing his own short tail. The bravest -bunny danced on his hind-legs all alone in -the moonlight.</p> - -<p>When summer was over the cool days of -autumn found the bunnies friskier than ever. -They had half a dozen smaller brothers and -sisters by this time, because the old mother -had two or three nestfuls of little ones in a -year. There was plenty for everybody to eat -in the woods and fields. The little creatures -feasted on roots and apples and soft-shelled -nuts till they grew round and sleek. The -bravest bunny became so fat and lazy that he -hated to run. Whenever he was being chased -by any enemy he slipped into the first hole -he saw. He would certainly have been caught -one day if the weasel behind him had not -happened to have a lame foot from his last<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> -fight. When he stopped to untangle it from -a strawberry-vine the bunny had time to -escape.</p> - -<p>Winter was hard on the bunny family. -They could not run so fast through the soft -snow as on the firm ground. Their enemies -could see their footprints, and follow more -easily. Often and often, when a little fellow -had gone out to nibble twigs and buds, he -heard something move behind him. And -there, not far away, he saw a fox ready to -spring on him.</p> - -<p>The bravest bunny slept under a rotten log. -He always slept with his legs doubled under -him, fixed for a great jump away, in case -any hungry animal came nosing around. He -did not mind the cold, for his fur was fine -and thick and warm. Even inside his mouth -the soft fur grew, as well as on the soles of -his feet.</p> - -<p>When spring came the bunnies were more -glad than any of the other small creatures in -the woods. It was a joy to feel the warm -breezes blow their fur. They did not care so -much for the warmth as for the tender buds -which it opened on the trees. Green leaves<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> -came peeping out of the ground, and flowers -blossomed in sheltered nooks.</p> - -<p>Birds were singing, and frogs began their -croaking in the meadows. The woods were -busy with the hurry-skurry of little feet. -Now once more there was plenty for everybody -to eat. The bunnies were glad because -of that. But perhaps they were even more -glad, because now their hungry enemies could -hunt many other animals besides the timid -bunnies.</p> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">VII<br /> - -<span class="xlarge">THE SQUIRREL</span><br /> - -<span class="large">“THE ONE WITH THE PRETTIEST TAIL”</span></h2></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span></p> - - -<p class="ph2">THE ONE WITH THE PRETTIEST -TAIL</p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">The</span> four baby squirrels were tired of -staying in their soft nest in the hollow -tree. They wanted to find out -what was going on in the world outside. As -they cuddled together in the shadowy hole -they could hear the queerest sounds. They -cocked their heads curiously at the rustling -and whispering of the wind among the leaves. -They heard chirping and singing and a silvery -tinkle, tinkle from the brook. Once a -bee flew buzzing right over their heads, and -made them clutch one another in terror.</p> - -<p>One morning, when the old mother squirrel -was away hunting for birds’ eggs to eat, the -smallest baby crept to the mouth of the hole -and peeped out with his round bright eyes. -All around and above him there were wonderful -green things flickering and fluttering. -Twinkles of sunlight danced through the -leaves and dazzled him. Something soft and -cool blew back the new bristles on his lips and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> -ruffled his satiny red fur. He was so much -interested that he sat there, staring and staring, -till the other little ones began to squeak -and scold him for shutting out the light.</p> - -<p>After he crept down again to the nest the -others climbed up, one by one, and looked out. -They winked and blinked at each wonderful -sight; they sniffed the strange odors, and -twitched their eager little heads at every new -sound. The scream of a blue jay in the tree-top -above sent them scampering inside again, -to cuddle close together in the darkest corner. -It was fun to see something new and exciting, -even if it did make them shiver all over.</p> - -<p>Soon the mother squirrel came springing -from branch to branch to reach the hollow. -How the babies squeaked and chattered in -welcome! Very likely they told her about the -wonderful sights and sounds and smells in -the strange world outside the hole. The -smallest one clasped his fore-paws around her -neck, and coaxed her to let them all go out -to find more interesting things. It was stupid -there in the dark nest, with nothing to watch -except the patch of light across the opening -above them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span></p> - -<p>The old squirrel knew that the little ones -were not strong enough yet to leave the nest. -To be sure, they had grown and changed very -much since the first days. Then they had been -ugly little creatures, like tiny pug-dogs, with -big heads, no fur, and their eyes tight shut. -Now they were half as big as she was herself. -Their eyes were like jewels, and their red fur -was smooth as satin.</p> - -<p>But their tails, with only fringes of hair -along the sides, were not nearly so fluffy as -the mother’s. Her tail was long and plumy. -It curved so gracefully over her back that she -seemed to be sitting in its shadow. One name -of the squirrel is “shadow-tail.”</p> - -<p>For a few weeks longer the four babies -scrambled about the doorway and looked longingly -out at the wonderful green tree-world. -They did not dare to step out upon the slender -branches, for fear of falling off. It made -them feel dizzy to look away down to the -ground below. They did not know how to -cling to the limbs with their feet while they -balanced themselves with their tails.</p> - -<p>When the young squirrels were almost -strong enough to learn to run and climb in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> -the tree, the mother began to build an airier -home higher up the trunk. The old nest was -growing too warm for comfort, as summer -brought the long sunny hours. The squirrel -father was not there to help his mate. She -had driven him away before the babies came. -She thought the tree belonged to her, and that -she needed all the room in the hollow for her -little ones. She chased him off to live in the -woods with all the other squirrel fathers till -the babies were big enough to take care of -themselves.</p> - -<p>The mother squirrel worked on the new -nest in the early morning. She bit off leafy -twigs and carried them to the top of the tree. -There, where two branches forked, she packed -the sticks and leaves together in a loose ball. -Then she pushed a doorway through, at one -side or another, just as she happened to be -standing. This was not such a neat home -as one in the next tree. That other mother -squirrel built her new nest of strips of bark -tied together with ribbons of soft fibre. -Over the doorway she hung a curtain of -bark, and lifted it up carefully whenever she -went inside.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span></p> - -<p>At last the new home was ready. The old -mother hurried down to the hollow and called -the babies to come out and follow her. They -stepped out, one after another, just as carefully -as they could. The smallest baby came -last. He dug his claws into the bark and -hung on. The branch seemed so narrow that -he trembled from fear of falling. The tree -swayed in the wind. The branch bounced up -and down, and a leaf blew in his face. The -poor little fellow shut his eyes, because everything -seemed to be whirling round and round.</p> - -<p>When he opened his eyes again he saw the -three other little ones climbing up the trunk -above him. They clutched the bark with their -claws and moved forward, one paw at a time. -The mother was running on ahead of them. -Every few steps she turned around to coax -them on faster.</p> - -<p>Finally they reached a narrow branch which -led over to the new nest. They crawled out -on it, lifting one foot and then setting it -down before lifting another. The farther -they crept the narrower the branch grew -under them. Their little paws began to slip -over the smoother bark. The one in front<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> -tried to turn around, but he was afraid of -losing his balance. So they all three scrambled -backwards to the safe trunk.</p> - -<p>The mother ran back to them, and chattered -and scolded. Again and again they started -out over the branch, and then went scrambling -back. When at last the mother had coaxed -them across to the nest she looked around for -the smallest baby. There he was away down -at the door of the old nest. The old squirrel -was tired out. Her fur was ruffled and her -ears drooped. She ran down to the nest and -began to scold the little fellow. He sat up -and put his paws around her neck, as if he -were begging her to let him stay there. But -she started him up the trunk and pushed him -along to the branch. Then she took hold of -him by the neck and carried him across to the -new home.</p> - -<p>After that the little ones were taken out -every morning to practise climbing. Little by -little they learned to balance themselves on the -branches. Their tails were fluffy enough by -this time to be of use in balancing. First to -one side, then to the other, each baby tilted his -tail as he crept along, step by step. Every<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span> -day they could move a little faster. Finally -they were able to chase one another up and -down, from branch to branch. They went -running around the trunks, skipping and leaping -from slender twig to twig, and jumping -from one tree to another, even through the air.</p> - -<p>Sometimes one or another missed his footing -after a reckless jump. Often he caught -hold of a branch below by a single toe and -lifted himself up to a firmer foothold. Or -if there was no branch within reach, he -spread out his fur, and flattened his tail, and -went sailing down to the ground, almost as -if he could fly. They never seemed to get -hurt.</p> - -<p>The little squirrels appeared to be always -doing something. They turned summersaults -in the grass, or swung by one paw from the -tip of a tough branch. There was always -something to do or to see. Now they chattered -at a blue jay, or chased a toad for the -fun of watching him hop. Now they caught -beetles to look at, or, safe in a tree, they -scolded at some fox slinking along through -the woods. And every day there was the -excitement of finding something to eat.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span></p> - -<p>The babies lived on milk till they were almost -as heavy as their mother. Then she -began to feed them with fruit and buds and -grubs, which she first chewed for them. Like -the beavers and the hares and rabbits each had -four chisel teeth in the front of its mouth. -They needed to gnaw hard nuts or bark every -day to keep these teeth from growing too -long.</p> - -<p>When the young squirrels were three months -old in July they were big enough to take care -of themselves. Away they scampered from -the old home tree and found new homes in -stumps and hollows. The smallest one used -to curl up in an old robin’s nest to sleep at -night. All day long they were just as busy -as they could be.</p> - -<p>There were cones to be gathered from the -evergreens. The little squirrels ran up the -trees in a hurry, and, cutting off the cones -with their sharp teeth, tossed them over their -shoulders to the ground. Every few minutes -they scurried down to bury the cones under -the pine-needles for the winter. Sometimes a -drop of sticky pitch from the cut stems was -rubbed against their fur. That made them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> -so uncomfortable that they had to stop and -lick it off.</p> - -<p>The squirrels loved to be clean. Ever since -they were tiny babies, with their new red fur, -they always helped one another with washing -their faces, and combing their tails with their -claws. They were careful to run along logs -over a muddy spot. If one happened to get -wet he dried himself with his fluffy tail.</p> - -<p>When they were tired of eating seeds and -twigs they hunted for grubs. Clinging to -the bark of a dead tree they listened till they -heard something gnawing beneath the surface -ever so softly. Then, tearing off the bark in -ragged pieces, they pounced upon the flat -whitish grub beneath and ate it up. They -were fond of mushrooms, too, and seemed to -know which were poisonous and which were -good to eat.</p> - -<p>But the best time of all came in the -autumn when nuts were ripe. Then what -fun the little squirrels had! Early every -morning out popped the little heads from -the hollow stumps and logs. The big round -eyes twinkled eagerly in every direction. -Then, whisk! they were out, with a bark and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> -a squeak! Scampering to the top of a tree -each one took a flying leap to a branch of -the next. Up and down, on and across, they -followed the squirrel-paths through the woods -till they reached the grove, where the nuts -were ripening.</p> - -<p>It was a busy place, with little wings fluttering -and little feet pattering, and yellow -leaves drifting down in the sunshine. All the -squirrels scurried to and fro, picking one nut -here, and another there. They sat on the -branches, with their bushy tails curving over -their backs, and held the nuts in their fore-paws -to nibble. The smallest baby could open -the hardest walnut, and clean it out in less -than a minute. In the oddest way he seemed -to know exactly where to bore through the shell -so as to strike the broad side of the kernel.</p> - -<p>All the while the blue jays and the thrifty -chipmunks were gathering nuts and corn, and -hiding their stores away for the winter. That -seemed so interesting that the squirrels gathered -some too. The smallest one stuffed his -cheeks full of nuts and scampered back to his -latest home in a hollow stump. The next -mouthful he brought was hidden in a fork<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> -of a tree and covered with leaves. Then he -tucked away a few chestnuts in the cracks of -the bark on an oak-tree. By that time he was -tired of working at this, so he scurried around -to find out how many nuts the other young -squirrels were saving for the winter.</p> - -<p>Autumn passed away, and the days grew -colder. In the woods the leaves were all fallen -and the branches were stripped bare of nuts. -Every morning when the squirrels poked out -their heads the air nipped their noses. Frost -sparkled on the dead grass. The chipmunks -had crept into their holes for the winter, and -most of the birds had flown away south.</p> - -<p>The squirrels were not quite so gay now as -in the autumn days, when they danced upon -the branches and whistled and chuckled over -the good things to eat and the curious sights -to see. They slept with their warm tails -wrapped over their noses. They still ran -busily through the tree-tops, except when -snow or icy rain kept them shut within their -holes. They ate all the nuts they could find, -and dug up the buried pine-cones. They -climbed the hemlock-trees and ate the seeds. -Sometimes they found a delicious frozen apple<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> -or some forgotten acorns. Once the smallest -squirrel happened to dig up a heap of chestnuts -from between two stones under the snow. -He could not remember whether he had hidden -them himself or not. How he snickered -and danced when he saw them!</p> - -<p>Late in the winter the squirrels had eaten -all the nuts and cones within reach. They -were so hungry on many a day that they -tried to creep into a chipmunk’s hole and steal -his store of food. However he was smaller -than they were, and he had wisely made one -bend in his tunnel too small for them to pass. -Then they had to live on buds and barks and -seeds as best they could till spring started the -tender green plants to growing.</p> - -<p>The squirrels gnawed the bark of the maple-trees -and drank the sweet sap that came oozing -out. Later there were elm buds to nibble -and birds’ eggs to suck. The woods were once -more green with juicy leaves. All the squirrels -went to housekeeping. Soon in almost -every tree there was a new family of wondering -little squirrels peeping out of their hollow -with their round, bright eyes.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">VIII<br /> - -<span class="xlarge">THE BEAR</span><br /> - -<span class="large">“ONE THAT SLEEPS ALL WINTER”</span></h2></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span></p> -<p class="ph2">ONE THAT SLEEPS ALL WINTER</p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Out</span> in the woods the snow fell deeper -and deeper. It piled higher and higher -around the hollow tree in which the -mother bear and her two little bears were sleeping. -The snow had drifted over the opening -and made it all dark inside.</p> - -<p>Once in a while the two babies woke up -and whimpered for more milk, as they tumbled -clumsily about on the bed of leaves. Then -the old bear opened her sleepy eyes and licked -their glossy little black bodies while she nursed -them. After that they all fell drowsily quiet -again, and slept and slept.</p> - -<p>So the weeks slipped away while the babies -sucked milk, or slept, snuggled close to their -big, warm, furry mother. She had been sleeping -all winter. The autumn before she had -crept into the hollow tree to stay until spring. -She did not eat a mouthful in all that time.</p> - -<p>Now as the days grew warmer outside the -old mother bear began to feel more wide -awake. One morning she pawed a hole<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> -through the snow at the opening of the hollow -and crawled out to find something to eat. -The two little bears had their eyes open at -last. They lay still on the nest and blinked at -the light that shone dimly in through the hole.</p> - -<p>Now and then they heard the soft plop of -a bunch of snow dropping from the evergreen -trees in the woods. The bare branches of the -aspens clicked together in the March wind. -They heard the gurgle of water lapping over -melting ice. The tap-tap-tap of a woodpecker -on the bark of their hollow tree sounded like -thunder inside. Once a red squirrel ran squeaking -over the snow outside.</p> - -<p>Before very long they heard footsteps -thumping softly up to the hole, and their -mother’s big black body came scrambling in. -The two cubs whined for joy, and rubbed -against her legs. They were hungry again, -and wanted their dinner. The thin old bear -had not found much to eat herself. It was -too early in the year for berries, and the ants -were still in their underground homes. She -had caught a frog in the brook, and found a -few blades of grass to munch.</p> - -<p>After that she went out every day, for it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> -seemed as if she grew hungrier and hungrier. -Once she found a frozen deer. After eating -all she could of it she covered the rest with -leaves until the next day. Sometimes she -caught a chipmunk under a log. It was only -in the early spring that the old black bear ate -much meat, for usually she liked fruit and -roots and nuts better.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the two little bears stayed safe -in the den till their teeth were cut and the -claws grew sharp and strong. Then they -played outside for a little every day. They -wrestled together and tumbled about in the -sunshine, like clumsy puppies. They were -careful not to creep too far away from the -den. At any strange sound or smell away -they scampered head first into the hole, with -their little wrinkled black feet kicking out -behind them.</p> - -<p>At last they were strong enough to set out -on their travels with the old mother. Very -likely she gave them each a good washing -and combing before they started. She could -use her fore-paws like hands. When the cubs -squealed and tried to bite, while she was brushing -them, she slapped them with her big paw.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> -She could use her paws for digging, and for -carrying food to her mouth. With the sharp -claws she could tear meat or logs to pieces.</p> - -<p>The two little ones must have been delighted -to think of leaving the tiresome den in the -hollow tree. Like all bears they loved to -travel. Down the valley they ambled, stepping -clumsily on the flat soles of their feet. -Bears do not walk lightly on their toes, as -do the graceful animals who belong to the -cat family.</p> - -<p>The old mother moved on with her head -held low, while the babies waddled after her. -They did not look around much at the wonderful -mountains, with the dark evergreens -and rocks scattered over the yellow gravel. -They did not notice the blue sky above, for -their close-set eyes were rather nearsighted. -Though they could not see very well they -sniffed keenly at every strange smell.</p> - -<p>There were many new delicious smells of -warm earth and green plants and furry rabbits -and squirrels and birds and strawberry -blossoms. The cubs imitated their mother in -everything she did. They stepped in the -same foot-tracks, and jumped over the same<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> -logs at the same places. Whenever she stopped -to sniff they rose on their little hind-legs and -twitched their pointed brown noses in the air.</p> - -<p>Once they came to a footprint in the gravel. -It was a footprint of a grizzly bear ever so -much bigger than the old black bear. The -cubs looked at their mother to see how she -was acting. Then they copied her. They -drew back their lips from their white teeth -and growled baby growls, while their little -eyes gleamed, and the hairs on their backs -ruffled up stiffly. Grizzlies sometimes killed -black bears.</p> - -<p>Soon they reached the spruce grove where -the red ants lived. Scattered over the gravel -there were rounded hills, with tiny red creatures -hurrying in and out of their holes, and -around and to and fro. The little bears -looked at the ants and then watched their -mother as she sat down beside a hill and licked -up a mouthful. After a minute down they -sat, and scraped their pointed tongues over -the ant-hills.</p> - -<p>The ants tasted as sour as vinegar, and made -the young ones wrinkle their noses just at first, -because they were used to drinking sweet milk.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> -More than once a fierce little ant gave a nipping -bite to the red tongues that squirmed over -the gravel. That made the babies squeal, and -rub their mouths with their paws. When some -ants crawled up on their fur the bears licked -them off without getting any gravel mixed in.</p> - -<p>As the morning sunshine grew warmer the -cubs began to feel tired and sleepy. It had -been such an exciting day ever since starting -out from the old den at sunrise! The mother -walked off to a shady spot under thick evergreens, -and they all curled down for a nap. -The babies snuggled close together, curling -their paws and tucking their noses into their -fur. Closing their eyes, while their fat little -sides heaved in a long sigh of content, they -fell fast asleep. Those ants had tasted so -good!</p> - -<p>Very early every morning the two cubs set -off with their mother to find something to -eat. In the heat of the day they took a nap. -Late in the afternoon they went out again -and feasted till dark, or even later, when -berries were plenty. Sometimes they slept in -a hollow log, or in a cave, or in a sheltered -thicket.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span></p> - -<p>Before lying down the old bear was always -careful to walk several hundred yards in the -same direction in which the wind was blowing. -If any enemy happened to follow their trail -while they were asleep they could smell him -in the wind and get away in time. One night -they really did smell a wolf coming nearer and -nearer. They stole off through the woods. -The old mother showed the cubs how to step -softly, setting down each big padded foot -where it broke no stick and rustled no leaf.</p> - -<p>The bears learned to eat all sorts of food. -There were the delightfully sour ants in their -hills or hidden under rocks and old logs. The -cubs soon grew strong enough to turn over -the rocks and logs for themselves. Leaning -on one fore-leg, each little fellow raised the -stone with the other fore-leg, and gave it a -shove backward, so that it would not fall on -his toes. Away rolled the stone, and down -went the greedy head to lick up every ant in -sight. Then a sweep of a paw uncovered the -beetles and worms and crickets that had run -to hide deeper. Sometimes the old mother -gripped her claws in both sides of a rotten -log and tore it open. The little bears gobbled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> -up the worms and insects inside as fast as -they could.</p> - -<p>All the spring and early summer the three -bears hunted for worms and insects in this -way. They dug up wild roots with their -noses, just as pigs do. One day the cubs -smelled a delicious smell near a flat stone. -They hurried to push the stone away, and -there they found a heap of nuts. They -stuffed their mouths full at once, while the -little chipmunk, to whom the nuts belonged, -squeaked angrily at them from under a heavy -rock.</p> - -<p>Later in the summer the berries were ripe. -That was the time for little bears to be happy! -First the fragrant red strawberries grew red -in the fields. The berries were so small, and -the hungry mouths were so large, that many -a bite was mixed with leaves and grass. However, -the cubs did not object to that, even when -a fat white grub or two was pulled up with -the roots of the strawberry plants.</p> - -<p>After the strawberries other berries ripened -along the bank of the river at the edge of the -woods. The mother bear knew just where the -biggest ones grew. Many a happy day they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> -spent picking the fruit. When the weather -was cloudy and cool they did not stop for -naps. Each one walked along from bush to -bush, raising his head and wrapping his tongue -around a branch. Then with a downward pull -he stripped off leaves and berries and all, and -munched and munched. They could stand on -their hind-feet to reach the higher branches.</p> - -<p>The bears had broad grinding teeth in the -sides of their jaws, and so they could chew -their food. Animals like the cat and the dog -have only cutting teeth. They tear their food -into pieces small enough to swallow, and then -gulp it down without chewing.</p> - -<p>At noon they went down to the river for a -drink. First they snuffed around carefully, -and then lapped up the water. If the day -was very warm the cubs waded in and lay -down to cool off. Sometimes the old mother -took her nap lying in the water. Once in -a while they caught a frog or a live fish by -giving a jump and quick slap before it could -swim away.</p> - -<p>In late summer the wild plums ripened in -the woods. The old bear shook the trees and -sent the red fruit hailing down upon the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span> -scrambling cubs. On one specially delightful -day they found a hollow tree in which bees -had been storing honey for the winter.</p> - -<p>They saw the bees buzzing around a hole -high up on the trunk. One of the cubs -climbed up. Wrapping his hind-legs around -the tree he held on with one fore-paw, while -with the other he dipped out the honey and -stuffed it into his mouth. All about him the -air was gray with bees. They stung him on -his nose and ears and eyelids. He did not -mind that much, except when one bit his -tongue. Then he thrust out his tongue and -mumbled and growled for a moment. He -had never before eaten anything so delicious -as honey.</p> - -<p>After the pleasant summer came the frosty -autumn with its ripening nuts. The cubs -climbed trees and sat on the branches, with -their black legs dangling. The old bear shook -the trees to bring down the nuts. Once she -shook so hard that one of the little bears -lost his hold and fell. He tumbled down in -such a limp soft heap that he was not hurt -at all, but bounded up again like a rubber -ball.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span></p> - -<p>At another time the mother saw a big grizzly -bear coming through the woods. When the -cubs heard her warning grunt they shot up -the tree like jumping-jacks, and hid in the -thick leaves near the top. There they were -safe, for the grizzly was too heavy, and its -claws were too long, for climbing. Grizzly -bears are the largest beasts of prey in the -world. Sometimes when very hungry they -will eat their cousins, the black bears.</p> - -<p>The days kept growing colder little by little, -and twilight came a few minutes sooner every -evening. The air was frosty at night, and -somehow the three bears felt drowsier and -drowsier. Their naps lasted longer every -afternoon. On some cold days they curled -up on dry ledges in the sunshine and slept -from morning to night. They were sleek and -fat from their feasts of acorns and nuts.</p> - -<p>All this while the old mother bear was becoming -more and more cross. When the cubs -tried to play with her she slapped them, and -pushed them away whimpering. It was time -for them to take care of themselves. Very -likely she did not want to be bothered with -them all winter long.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span></p> - -<p>So one day the two little bears walked off -by themselves. They roamed through the -woods, looking for some place which would -be a warm den. One of them dug a cosy -hole under a big root and curled down for -his winter’s sleep. The other crept between -two rocks that almost touched over his head.</p> - -<p>Outside the snow began to fall. It blew in -through the cracks and powdered down upon -the little bear’s thick fur. Very soon it had -stuffed all the cracks and drifted higher over -the rocks and logs. It went whirling from -the ledges into the valleys; it fell deeper and -deeper over the three dens and shut out the -cold.</p> - -<p>The little bears breathed more and more -slowly, with their noses warm in their furry -fore-arms. Their little fat sides rose and fell -ever so faintly. Their hearts beat more softly. -They were fast asleep for the winter, while -the snow fell and the icy winds blew on the -mountains without.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">IX<br /> - -<span class="xlarge">THE FOX</span><br /> - -<span class="large">“THE WISEST ONE”</span></h2></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span></p> -<p class="ph2">THE WISEST ONE</p> - - -<p class="drop-cap2"><span class="smcap">Almost</span> the first thing that the smallest -baby fox remembered was being -carried in his mother’s mouth from -one den to another. His woolly little red body -hung limp between her long white teeth. That -was the safest way; for if he had held stiff -or wriggled she might have closed her jaws -tighter and pinched him.</p> - -<p>It was very early in the morning, and the -rising sun was just lighting up the tops of -the trees. The birds were singing their gayest -May songs. Here and there dewdrops -sparkled, where the level sunbeams glinted -across the leaves. Under a bush a rabbit sat -up very still, and stared with round, frightened -eyes at the mother fox.</p> - -<p>The mother fox did not see the rabbit. -She stepped along swiftly. Her slender paws -hardly rustled a leaf or snapped a twig. She -looked like a graceful red dog, with pointed -ears and yellow eyes and beautiful plumy tail.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> -This plumy tail seemed to float out in the air -behind her, as if she were blowing lightly before -the wind.</p> - -<p>When she reached the new den she did not -stop an instant at the front door. The freshly -dug earth was scattered around there in plain -sight. In digging this new burrow she and -the father fox had left the dirt there on -purpose, to make their enemies think that this -hole was the real entrance to the den. A few -feet underground they had closed the tunnel -with a heap of earth. At the other end they -had made a new opening hidden behind gray -rocks in a thicket.</p> - -<p>To this secret door the mother fox carried -the baby, and set him down on his four thick -legs. He looked like a little red lamb with -yellow eyes. Into the hole he scrambled, and -crept through the tunnel to the dark den at -the end. On the nest of leaves inside he found -his four brothers and sisters snuggling together. -The old mother had carried them there -one by one.</p> - -<p>The day before, when a big dog came nosing -about the old den, the father fox led him -away through the woods. He could run the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> -faster, and so he kept on, with the dog chasing -him, till the dog was tired out. Then he -and the mother hurried to dig this new den -and move the babies before the dog came back -to the old place again.</p> - -<p>In going from one den to the other the old -foxes were careful not to walk in a straight -path. If they did that of course the dog -could follow them by smelling their trail. -They took a roundabout path every time. -They trotted around a swampy meadow and -crossed a brook by stepping from stone to -stone. The wet ground hid the scent of -their paws.</p> - -<p>This journey to the new den was the first -time that the young foxes had been outdoors. -As they were carried by the neck they could -not twist their heads around to see very much. -But still, they must have enjoyed the light and -the fresh air. They did not want to keep on -staying all the time in the dark den. So early -one morning they came scrambling out after -their mother.</p> - -<p>The smallest baby fox crawled out last of -all. For a moment he stood very quiet on -all four paws. Then he sat down and cocked<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> -his little head on one side while he looked -around. The old father was lying down in -the sunlight just outside the thicket. Two of -the babies trotted over to him and began to -play with his tail. Two others climbed upon -the mother’s back and pushed each other off. -There they wrestled, rolling over and over in -each other’s paws.</p> - -<p>The smallest baby wanted to make the others -pay him some attention. He lifted his sharp -little black nose and opened his mouth and -began to bark—bow-wow-wow, bow-wow-wow—till -the others stopped playing. They -came running over to ask what was the matter. -He told them something in the fox language -by rubbing his cool wet nose against -theirs. Then they all five trotted about and -explored the thicket by smelling of everything -within reach.</p> - -<p>They poked their noses into the grass and -against the trees and bushes and over every -stick and stone and leaf on the ground. To -their keen nostrils everything had a different -smell. When the smallest baby smelled a stick -he could tell which little brother or sister had -been smelling it just before him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span></p> - -<p>As the sun rose higher and the air grew -warmer the little fellows sat down and rested, -with their tongues lolling out of their mouths. -Like all foxes and wolves and dogs they perspired -through the tongue and the soles of -their feet. After a while the mother gave a -low growl to say that it was time to go back -into the den. In they scampered head first, -and curled up for a nap, with their fluffy tails -over their noses.</p> - -<p>When the babies cut their teeth the mother -stopped feeding them with milk. After that -she and the father fox were kept busy hunting -for food for the hungry young ones. Sometimes -they hunted in the daytime as well as -at night. Oftener, however, the old mother -stayed near the den to keep guard when the -little foxes came out to play every afternoon.</p> - -<p>Such fun as the five little ones had together! -They ran round and round, chasing their tails. -One hid behind a tuft of grass and jumped -out to scare the others. Another climbed upon -a rock and then was afraid to slide down. One -went rolling down a small hill while another -capered beside him and pretended to snap at -him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span></p> - -<p>Once the smallest baby saw a grasshopper -whizz past. He saw where it was hiding under -a leaf. He crouched down as low as he could -and crept toward it. Without making a noise -he crawled from bush to stone, from stone to -tuft of weeds, till he was near enough to -spring and catch it in his paws. All the others -ran to see what he had caught. The mother -came, too, from the place where she had been -watching him. She was proud of him because -he was learning to hunt while so young.</p> - -<p>As evening came on and the shadows lengthened -under the trees the mother fox sent the -babies into the den and walked away to hunt -for a supper. The smallest fox happened to -be the last one in. He turned when just inside -and poked his pointed nose out to watch -her as she trotted away into the woods.</p> - -<p>A few hours later, when they heard her low -call at the mouth of the burrow, out they came -tumbling. Sometimes she had a rabbit hanging -in her mouth, with its long legs on one -side and its long ears on the other. Sometimes -she had a young turkey thrown over her shoulders, -or a fringe of field-mice hanging by the -tails from her lips. Once she brought a wood-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span>chuck, -and at another time a string of little -chickens held by the necks.</p> - -<p>The babies always ran and snatched for a -piece. Then each trotted off alone to eat it. -When they were not hungry they played with -the food. They nibbled the bits, first tossing -them into the air and then springing to catch -them. They could not use their fore-paws so -freely as animals like the cat. They growled -and shook the mice to and fro in their mouths. -Sometimes they snatched from one another -and snapped and snarled crossly. Once the -smallest fox had a fight. Every time he flew -at his brother the other whisked his bushy tail -in front of his face, and all the little one got -was a mouthful of fur.</p> - -<p>By and by the young foxes were taken out -to learn to hunt for themselves. There was -ever so much to learn because every different -animal must be hunted in a different way. -The main lesson was to keep their eyes open -and their ears alert and their noses keen for -smelling. They must be quick to jump and -wise at all sorts of tricks.</p> - -<p>They learned to catch chickens by hiding -near the place where the flock was feeding.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> -When a chicken strayed near enough quick -as a flash out jumped the fox and caught it -by the neck. They chased rabbits and pounced -on busy squirrels. They hunted meadow-mice -in the grass, and stole silently upon careless -woodchucks.</p> - -<p>The smallest baby caught a chipmunk in -almost the same way as he had caught the -grasshopper. He saw the little brown animal -feeding near its hole. Very slowly and carefully -the fox began to walk up to it. Every -few moments the chipmunk sat up and looked -around. When he did this the fox stood still, -and so the chipmunk did not notice him. As -soon as the chipmunk dropped down on all -four feet and began to nibble again, the young -hunter crept several steps closer. He held his -tail pointing out straight behind. At last, with -a rush and a jump, the fox had the chipmunk -between his teeth.</p> - -<p>All summer long there was plenty to eat in -the woods. The five young foxes grew as -strong and tall as their parents. They left -the old home and scattered to dig new dens -here and there in the woods and fields. They -all knew how to take care of themselves.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span></p> -<p>Even as babies they had learned to hold still -as a stone at any strange sound. If they -heard it again they ran to the den as fast -as they could scamper. More than once while -they lay blinking comfortably in the sunlight -they saw the old father fox spring up with -his ears pricked forward and his eyes gleaming. -With his tail erect, his fore-feet planted -in front, and his hind-feet on the spring, he -listened to the sound that had startled him. -Perhaps it was the bark of a dog or the -scream of a blue jay over a newcomer in the -woods. It was always safer for grown foxes -to run from an enemy than to try to fight, -for they were swift-footed creatures.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/i157.jpg" alt="The Fox" /></div> - -<p class="caption"><span class="smcap">The Fox.</span><br /> -“Now and then the fox stopped to listen.” <i>Page</i> 131.</p> - -<p>Once the smallest fox was really chased by -a dog. The dog smelled his trail near a flock -of chickens. He ran on with his nose to the -ground till he saw the fox sitting under a tree -with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. -At the sound of the bark the fox looked back. -Then off and away he ran lightly over the -hills and through the fields. His fluffy tail -floated in the wind.</p> - -<p>Now and then the fox stopped to listen to -the baying of the dog far behind him. Two<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> -or three times he whirled around, chasing his -tail and capering. He knew that he could run -the faster. He picked his way from stone to -stone across a brook because he did not like -to wet his feet. Then he ran up a tree that -had fallen in a slant. He jumped from the -end far over to a dead log and scampered -across a rocky field. From the top of a hill -he looked back and watched the dog trying -to find the scent over the brook and around -the slanting tree. When he was tired he hid -in a hole.</p> - -<p>When autumn came the young foxes gathered -on many a frosty night for a romp before -going to their hunting. They galloped to and -fro, jumping over one another and springing -from log to log. It was almost the same as -if they were puppies again, frisking before -the old burrow. They wrestled and rolled and -whirled around after their tails. Then away -to their silent hunting!</p> - -<p>When the snow fell and the cold winds blew -life was harder for the foxes. Through the -day generally they slept in their dens, with -their tails curled over their noses and fore-paws. -Out they crept at sundown to hunt for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span> -a rabbit or unwary squirrel, to trap a partridge, -or snatch a squeaking mouse at the -edge of a stone.</p> - -<p>Many a night some young fox went home -hungry. Often he lay in the snow hour after -hour till his legs were stiff, while he waited -for a rabbit that stayed safe in its hole. More -than once he made a dive into the snow after -a partridge, only to see the bird flutter up -before his very nose and fly into a tree. Very -likely, as he sat looking hungrily up to the -branches, he wished that he could climb trees. -Undoubtedly the partridges and the squirrels -did not wish any such thing.</p> - -<p>Before spring came at last the foxes were -hungry enough to eat anything. Indeed one -day in early March, while the smallest one was -roaming through the woods, he happened to -spy a garter-snake coiled on a rock in the -sunshine. He jumped for it and gulped it -down in a hurry. The next day he caught a -turtle and a frog. The frog was so stiff and -sluggish from its winter’s sleep that it could -not hop at all.</p> - -<p>By that time it seemed that spring was -really at hand. As the foxes never ate grass<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> -or leaves they did not care about the fresh -green plants and buds through the woods. -Nevertheless they knew very well that rabbits -liked roots, and squirrels nibbled twigs, and -field-mice were hungry for the sprouting -seeds. When these small animals came out -to eat, the foxes could hunt them more easily -than in winter.</p> - -<p>Once more the soft winds blew among the -branches and the leaves flickered in the sunlight. -The birds were singing overhead in -the tree-tops. And here and there in the hidden -thickets new broods of little red foxes -were frisking together at the mouths of the -burrows.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">X<br /> - -<span class="xlarge">THE WOLF</span><br /> - -<span class="large">“THE FIERCEST ONE”</span></h2></div> - - - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span></p> - -<p class="ph2">THE FIERCEST ONE</p> - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/i165.jpg" alt="The Wolf" /></div> -<p class="caption"><span class="smcap">The Wolf.</span><br /> - -“It was the father wolf coming in.” <i>Page</i> 137.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">The</span> old mother wolf came home from -her hunting, licking her black lips. -Her four woolly babies scrambled out -of the den among the rocks, and ran to meet -her. They wagged their little tails, and barked -joyous baby barks. They rubbed against her -legs, and reached up their little faces to kiss -her on her cool nose.</p> - -<p>After smelling them all over the old wolf -lay down beside them in the den to give them -their dinner. The strongest little wolf was -getting tired of milk. When he had nursed -for a few minutes he began to play, climbing -up his mother’s shaggy back and rolling down -again, with his legs waving in the air.</p> - -<p>Soon he pricked up his ears at the sound of -a footstep outside the den. Then he sniffed -the air. Sure enough! It was the father wolf -coming in with something furry in his mouth. -The cubs ran to smell it. Somehow the smell -made the strongest little fellow feel so hungry -that he tried to bite it with his new sharp<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> -teeth. He snapped and snarled when the old -wolves dragged it away from him.</p> - -<p>Very likely this reminded the parents that -they must now teach the young ones to eat -meat. So on the next evening they left the -babies safe asleep in the den and trotted away -together. They looked like two fierce dogs, -with shaggy gray and black hair, pointed ears, -and bushy tails. Their yellow eyes were set -more slanting than the eyes of dogs.</p> - -<p>They caught a rabbit by taking turns in -chasing it till it was tired out. Then they -trotted home. At the mouth of the den the -mother gave a low call. There was a rustle of -woolly bodies over the leaves and grasses of -the nest back in the dark. And out tumbled -the cubs, wriggling with joy. The father -wolf, with his big teeth glittering behind his -whiskered lips, tore the rabbit into pieces, and -showed the young ones how to eat. Each -snapped at his piece, and ran to one side alone -to gnaw and pull it into bits small enough to -swallow. They did not chew their food, because -like other flesh-eating animals, except -bears, they did not have any grinding teeth.</p> - -<p>After the strongest baby had finished his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> -piece he tried with a rush and a snap and a -snarl to snatch from another little fellow. But -the other cub held on tight with his little jaws. -Then, growling and rolling his yellow eyes to -watch his greedy brother, he dug a hole with -his nose in one corner and buried the rest of -his piece. He did this without being taught -at all. Every wolf that ever lived knew -enough to bury his food when he did not want -to eat any more.</p> - -<p>After their dinner the mother led the babies -down the valley to lap water from the brook. -It was dark by this time. Stars were twinkling -in the sky. The shadowy trees swayed -to and fro in the night wind. One little cub -sat down on his haunches, pointed his nose at -the sky, and howled. The little ones trotted -here and there, smelling every stick and stone. -The scream of a far-away panther on the -mountain made the old wolf growl and bristle -the hairs on her back. She hurried back to -the den and sent the cubs in to sleep, while she -stole off to hunt for her own supper.</p> - -<p>In the morning the little wolves crept out to -play about in the sunshine. They rolled and -tumbled and wrestled in much the same way<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span> -as the young foxes. Like the foxes the wolves -belonged to the dog family of flesh-eaters. -The little wolves were stronger and larger and -fiercer than the little foxes. They did not -have such bushy tails.</p> - -<p>One young wolf found bits of the rabbit’s -fur. He tossed and worried them, and gnawed -so hard that the fur flew in his throat and -nose and made him sneeze. Another saw a -butterfly, and went plunging after it on his -unsteady little legs. He jumped up at it, and -opened his mouth to snap at it. He did not try -to slap at it, as a little panther might have done, -for he could not use his fore-paws like hands -so easily as animals of the cat family.</p> - -<p>All summer long there was plenty to eat. -The deer in the mountains were fattening on -the green grass. They could not fight very -well then, because their new antlers were too -soft. There were flocks of sheep on the plain. -The old parent wolves prowled about every -night, and often hunted in the daytime. It -kept them busy enough to supply the four -hungry cubs.</p> - -<p>The two hunted together. Sometimes one -hid beside a deer trail, while the other chased<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> -the deer nearer and nearer. When the deer -passed the spot where the first wolf was hiding -he sprang out and caught it from behind. -Sometimes they took turns in chasing a deer till -it was tired out. The deer could run the faster, -but it always lost time by looking around to -see how near the wolf was getting. Once in -a while one escaped by running into the middle -of a patch of cacti. The wolves could not -follow there without getting their feet full -of thorns. But the deer’s tough hoofs protected -its feet.</p> - -<p>Later in the summer the young wolves were -taken out to learn to hunt with their parents. -Their legs were so long that they were good -runners, though they could not climb or spring -very well. The nails on their toes were short -and blunt from walking, for they could not -be drawn back and so kept sharp, like the claws -of animals belonging to the cat family.</p> - -<p>The cubs wore thick coats with soft under-fur -beneath the coarse shaggy hair. Their -yellow eyes were keen, and their sensitive noses -were quick to catch every smell of the wilderness. -Their jaws were strong for snapping, -and their many teeth were sharp for biting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> -and tearing. They could scent the wind and -howl when a storm was coming.</p> - -<p>About sunset, one summer day, the little -wolves followed the old ones away from the -den. Down the canyon they trotted silently, -winding in and out among the rocks like gray -shadows. Far up the mountain-side a flock -of wild sheep went leaping away in terror at -sight of the wolves.</p> - -<p>On the plain below rabbits scurried off, -bounding from hillock to hillock. Prairie-dogs -dived, squeaking, into their holes. A fox -looked around in fright, and dodged into a -clump of underbrush. A small herd of buffaloes, -on their way to the river, ran close -together and stood with their horns outward, -while the wolves skulked past.</p> - -<p>Perhaps, just at first, it seemed strange to -the cubs to see all other animals afraid of their -parents. At home the two shaggy old wolves -were gentle and warm and soft toward the -little ones. They fed them and watched over -them and taught them all they knew. The -babies whimpered when the old wolves left -them alone in the den; and they barked and -frisked with joy to see them come home again.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span></p> - -<p>Out here on the plain it was different. The -sight or smell of a wolf sent all the timid wild -creatures flying in a scramble and hurry-skurry -to get safely out of the way. The -sound of the hungry howling made them -tremble with fear, for they knew what it meant. -It meant something shaggy and gray, with -gleaming eyes, galloping swiftly nearer and -nearer. It meant the glitter of long teeth behind -grim black lips. It meant a spring and a -snarl and tearing pain, and then a crunching -of bones.</p> - -<p>The first lesson that the young wolves -learned was to take the trail and run it to -earth. The father wolf showed them how to -do it. He led them over the plain toward a -cluster of trees along the river. He lifted his -nose and snuffed the air. He smelled something -in the wind that was blowing toward -him from the woods. It was not the smell of -trees or grass or flowers or birds or squirrels. -It was the smell of deer.</p> - -<p>The four cubs followed the old one as he -galloped under the trees. They saw him stop -and go sniffing here and there with his nose -to the ground. Yes, he could smell the place<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> -where the slender hoofs had been pressing the -grass a few minutes before. He ran on, with -his nose to the ground. The others galloped -after him, their heads low, their tongues hanging -out, their tails held straight behind.</p> - -<p>Once the father wolf howled. The young -ones looked up for an instant. There, far -away in the dusky woods, the deer were -bounding lightly over the dead logs. They -turned their pretty heads now and then to -look back, till they vanished from sight. The -wolves kept on for a few miles, learning to -pick up the scent on the run. Then they -found a half-eaten buffalo in a hollow, and -stopped there for supper.</p> - -<p>Through the late summer and early fall the -young wolves hunted with their parents. During -the day they stayed up in the mountains -and slept in sheltered places. Sometimes they -were scattered miles apart. At nightfall they -called to one another with piercing howls, till -they finally gathered about the old father wolf. -Then they all set out to hunt together.</p> - -<p>Sometimes they moved single file, stepping -in one another’s tracks. They swam across the -river and stole noiselessly through the woods.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span> -The timid sheep were easiest to kill because -they could not fight. When they found a calf -or sick old buffalo one sprang at his head while -the others attacked from behind and bit his -hind-legs. If the wolves went too near a herd -the old buffaloes tried to hook them. Once a -cub started to catch a young elk, but he was -chased away by the old mother elk. They -butted at him with their heads and struck at -him with their sharp hoofs, while he ran with -his tail tucked under him.</p> - -<p>Autumn was pleasant enough with its bright -days and frosty nights. The busy little creatures -of the woods were gathering in their -winter stores. Buffaloes and deer were fat -from their summer’s feeding, and could not -always run fast to get out of the way when -chased by the wolves. Plump rabbits and -prairie-hens were everywhere for the catching. -Many a night the cruel wolves killed -more than they could eat.</p> - -<p>But soon winter came with its shortening -days and gray storms lowering above the -horizon. Snow fell, and icy winds blew across -the frozen land. The deer and elk and antelope -gathered in sheltered valleys. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span> -wolves wandered down from the mountains, -and roamed far and wide, hunting for food.</p> - -<p>So long as the fresh snow lay soft and -powdery in the gullies they could not run fast -enough to catch anything, but when the snow -packed hard, and an icy crust formed over the -drifts, their spreading feet did not sink in -deeply. Then they could go out and hunt -the elk and the deer, whose small hoofs cut -through the crust at every bound.</p> - -<p>The young wolves felt hungry all the time. -Sometimes, when a blinding storm shut them -into their den among the rocks, they went without -eating day after day. The fine snow sifted -down upon their glossy winter coats as they -lay close together, snuggling their cold noses -into one another’s fur. Many a night they -dreamed of eating, and snapped and swallowed -greedily in their short, uneasy sleep. Once, -in nosing about hungrily, the strongest little -wolf happened to find a bone that he had -hidden and forgotten weeks before. With a -spring and a snarl he crunched it between his -white teeth and gulped it down in a hurry.</p> - -<p>One winter evening the four cubs, with their -parents and five or six others, were following<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span> -a herd of buffaloes. On galloped the buffaloes -over the frozen plain. Behind and around them -the dark forms of the wolves seemed to rise -from the bushes and follow noiselessly. There -was not a sound of a snap or a snarl. Now on -this side, now on that, now lost in the shadows, -the wolves galloped tirelessly on and on.</p> - -<p>Here and there two eyes gleamed in the -dim circle of a head, or bared white teeth glittered -for an instant. Then again lost in the -dusk, without the patter of a footfall on the -snow, they edged nearer and nearer. Finally -there was a sound of snarling and yelping. -The wolves were fighting together over a dead -buffalo. They ate him, and then broke away -over the plain at a full jump, howling as they -went.</p> - -<p>Winter was over at last. The wolves were -thin and fiercer than ever. Their grim black -lips were always ready to curl back over their -teeth at the smell of food. They felt such a -dreadful gnawing emptiness inside that they -were frantic to eat anything. When they -began to grow weaker and weaker from -hunger the welcome spring brought them new -life.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span></p> - -<p>Now in the time of pleasant weather and -the plentiful food it was no longer necessary -for the pack of wolves to hunt together. -They were strong enough to look out for -themselves. So the wolves scattered to make -their summer homes in the loneliest spots -among the mountains.</p> - -<p>The weeks passed by, and soon there was -many a new family of woolly little cubs frisking -about the rocky dens. The fathers and -mothers watched them lovingly. The black -lips seemed almost smiling and the fierce eyes -grew soft. They were gentle and happy there -together, though so cruel and hateful to all -the world outside.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">XI<br /> - -<span class="xlarge">THE MOLE</span><br /> - -<span class="large">“THE ONE THAT DIGS THE BEST”</span></h2></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span></p> -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span></p> -<p class="ph2">THE ONE THAT DIGS THE BEST</p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Deep</span> down in their dark room underground -the five mole babies lay fast -asleep on a soft bed of leaves and -grasses. The bed was not much bigger than -a robin’s nest. The little moles cuddled together, -with their pointed pink snouts resting -on one another’s satiny bodies. Their little -hind-feet sprawled behind them, and their big -flat hands, with the pink palms turned outward, -were spread close to their necks.</p> - -<p>Presently the fattest little mole opened his -black specks of eyes, though they were not -of much use down there in the dark. He -wriggled his pointed snout as he sniffed the -air. The faintest of breezes floated toward -him through one of the round openings in -the wall. It was a breeze caused by something -running toward the nursery. Tiny feet -came galloping nearer and nearer. There was -a light rustle of fur brushing along the tunnel. -It was the mother mole hurrying back from -her hunting.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/i183.jpg" alt="The Mole" /></div> - -<p class="caption"><span class="smcap">The Mole.</span><br /> - -“The greedy young ones shoved and pushed and fought -as if they were starving.” <i>Page</i> 152.</p> - -<p>All the little moles jumped wide awake in -an instant when their sensitive bodies felt the -quiver around them. It seemed to them that -the earth shook under the mother’s pattering -feet. Of course they were not afraid, because -they knew from the smell who was coming. -And then, just as soon as they smelled the -worm that she was carrying in her mouth, -they began to tumble over one another to -snatch at it.</p> - -<p>The greedy young ones shoved and pushed -and fought as if they were starving. They -pulled at the worm with their claws, and -snipped off bits with their sharp teeth. Even -after it was all eaten they went nosing -around in the dark and squeaked for more. -The fattest little fellow crawled so far into -one of the tunnels that he almost slipped -into the tiny well which the parent moles -had dug when they made this underground -home.</p> - -<p>The poor old mother lay down to rest for -a few minutes. It seemed as if she did not -have time to eat or sleep since the babies had -cut their teeth and learned to eat worms. -They were always hungry. As for herself,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span> -though the old father helped her hunt she -was really growing thinner every day. The -young moles were six weeks old now, and -it was time that they learned to hunt for -themselves.</p> - - - -<p>The babies were eager enough to learn to -dig and hunt. They were tired of staying in -that dark nursery, even if it was so comfortable, -with its domed roof and soft, dry bed. -Perhaps they wished to poke their heads above -ground just once and find out what the world -was like. They did not know the difference -between day and night yet, for where they -lived it was always dark.</p> - -<p>When at last the five young ones started -out to learn to dig they followed the mother -in single file along the main tunnel. This -main tunnel was long and straight. Its walls -were pressed smooth by the bodies of the old -moles in their many journeys to and fro. -Branching off in every direction from the -main road there were side tracks zigzagging -and curving hither and thither. These side -tracks had been dug by the parents when -they were chasing worms or hunting for -grubs and beetles.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span></p> - -<p>The babies scampered on to the end of the -main tunnel. There the ground happened to -be soft enough for their little claws. They -crowded against one another, and squeaked -and twitched their short tails impatiently. -Their pink snouts were already bending and -twisting in eagerness to be a-digging.</p> - -<p>The fattest little fellow was in such a hurry -to begin that he did not wait to be told. He -nosed along the wall till he found a good -place to start. Then planting his small hind-feet -down flat, to brace himself, he set his -tough snout against the dirt and pushed as -hard as he could. At the same time he dug -his claws into the wall and shovelled away with -both his big broad hands.</p> - -<p>There they went—the five babies—digging -five little tunnels in five different directions. -The dirt flew thick and fast as they -shovelled it out and tossed it aside. But the -specks of eyes were safely hidden under the -fur, and the invisible ears and nostrils were -kept closely covered too. When the dirt -clung to their satiny gray fur they shook it -off clean with a quick shrug of the skin. -The hairs of the fur grew straight out, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span> -so it made no difference whether it was -rubbed one way or another. It was never -bristly or rough.</p> - -<p>It must have been fun to go scrambling -through earth almost as birds fly through air -or fishes swim through water. The moles had -such tough snouts and strong arms and -powerful hands that they could burrow better -than any of the other mammals.</p> - -<p>One little mole burrowed on till his arms -were so tired that he gave it up. He crept -backward down his new tunnel to the spot -where the old mother was waiting. Another -kept on digging faster and faster till he ran -his pink snout bump against a stone, and -almost made it bleed. A third pushed on -and on till he reached a patch of slimy mud -that caved in over his back and sent his feet -slipping and sprawling. The fourth dug till -he came plump upon a fat white grub curled -among some roots of grass. The little mole -gave a jump and gobbled it down quick as a -wink.</p> - -<p>The fattest baby burrowed farther and farther -till he felt the soil crumbling above him. -Something warm was shining on his gray fur.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> -He lifted his head and poked his long snout -up into the sunlight. He blinked his twinkling, -tiny eyes and sniffed the strange fresh -air. But he stayed there only for a minute, -because he did not like it the least bit. The -light dazzled him, and the warmth dried his -cool, pink hands and made his head ache -and his snout twitch uneasily. So after that -one disagreeable minute he turned and kicked -up his little hind-feet as he dived back into -the moist, cool, dark, delightful places underground.</p> - -<p>After this first lesson in digging the five -young moles were running in and out of the -nursery every few hours, night and day. It -was easy enough to burrow away in search -of the stupid white grubs or the beetles lying -sleepy and still in the soil; but it was harder -and much more exciting to hunt earthworms, -because they always tried to wriggle off as -fast as they could go.</p> - -<p>Then how the dirt flew as the little hunter -burrowed madly in pursuit! Now in this -direction, now in that, he chased, pushing with -his snout and tearing with his claws. Once -in a while he stopped quiet to listen and feel<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span> -the ground for the faint quivering caused -by the worm in its squirming hither and -thither.</p> - -<p>An hour or so of such lively work was -enough to tire even a stout young mole. -After eating what he had caught, sometimes -he ran back to take a nap on the soft bed in -the nursery. Sometimes he lay down in the -main tunnel to rest; but that was not so -pleasant, for it seemed as if one or another -of his brothers and sisters was forever trying -to scramble over him.</p> - -<p>The busiest time for hunting was at night, -or in the early morning, because then the -worms began to move about after lying quiet -all day. In dry weather the worms went -deeper into the ground to find moisture. In -wet weather they wriggled toward the surface, -swallowing bits of dirt as they went. -The little moles liked rain best because it was -much easier to push through the light soil -above than to tunnel through the hard ground -below.</p> - -<p>After the young ones learned to hunt for -their own food it was not long before they -had found and eaten every worm and grub<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> -and beetle anywhere near. The old and new -tunnels ran in every direction, curving, zigzagging, -and criss-crossing through the ground. -There was hardly a spot of solid earth under -all the grass in that meadow.</p> - -<p>Now and then on cool nights the whole -hungry family crept outside and prowled -about, looking for lizards, snails, or frogs. -Once in a while one of them found a dead -bird or mouse or small snake. He sprang on -it and tore it to pieces in an instant. The -moles always ate as if they were starving. -Drawing back their heads and hunching their -backs they stuffed the food into their mouths -with their clawed hands.</p> - -<p>As summer passed on the young moles -began to grow discontented. They were tired -of staying at home. They were too big to -crowd upon the nest in the nursery. Whenever -two met in any of the narrow tunnels -one had to back into a side track to let the -other pass. The water was stagnant in the -wells. Food was getting more and more -scarce. Many a time there was a sound of -scratching and fighting in the long dark halls -of that underground home.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span></p> - -<p>Soon each little mole began to think of -having a home of his own, where there would -be nobody else to crowd him, or quarrel with -him, or snatch the best of everything to eat. -So presently, one by one, they wandered away -to find pleasanter places. One prowled into -a garden, and tunnelled ridges all over the -green lawn. One stumbled into a pond, but -he did not drown, for he could swim with his -webbed feet. He swam across to a small island -and dug his house under a bank where he could -catch plenty of frogs.</p> - -<p>The three others strolled into a field -that had been freshly ploughed. The soil -was not wet nor hard nor stony, but just -what they liked best. Each one chose a -corner, and ran his main tunnel from end -to end of the space to be used for his -hunting-ground.</p> - -<p>The five new homes were much like the old -one. Each had a domed underground room -with a nest of leaves and grasses in it, and -several outlets to allow escape in case of -danger. Each had one or more main tunnels, -with smooth-pressed sides and many zigzag -side tracks leading in all directions. Each one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> -had tiny wells of water, and little storerooms -for the winter supply of earthworms.</p> - -<p>When winter came, and the ground was -frozen hard above, each little mole, alone by -himself, dived down into his safe deep nest -and stayed there till early spring softened the -soil. Then, livelier than ever, he shovelled his -way out to the surface to find a mate. Soon -in every pleasant little home under the ground -there was a new family of soft, round babies, -with their specks of eyes deep hidden in their -satiny gray fur.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">CONCLUSION</h2></div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span></p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span></p> -<p class="ph2">CONCLUSION</p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Countless</span> years have passed since -that day, long, long ago, when the -first tiny living creature began to grow -in the new world of rocks and water. All -this time things have been moving and changing. -The earth keeps whizzing around the -sun, while the sun itself rushes blazing through -space. Brooks are rippling; rivers are flowing; -seas are rolling their waves against the -shores. Now the trees toss their branches in -the wind; now the rain sprinkles down from -gray clouds, or snow drifts silently over the -prairie.</p> - -<p>In the spring all the wilderness is green -with growing leaves and flowers and grasses. -The world is alive with animals. In the water -sea creatures are feeding in their places, or -floating and swimming here and there. On -land there are worms and insects, creeping -reptiles and flying birds.</p> - -<p>From inland ponds beavers scramble ashore -in the dusk to nibble fresh twigs for supper.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span> -In southern rivers the manatee crawls over -the white sand among the reeds. On island -beaches little seals go paddling in safe pools. -Out at sea great whales glide through the -waves.</p> - -<p>On the plains buffalo calves kick up their -heels near the grazing herd. Elk, with ears -twitching at every strange sound, wander -down from upland meadows. In the woods -rabbits hop away under the bushes. Little -shrews dart from leaf to leaf among the -shadows. In wilder spots pointed noses sniff -and bright eyes twinkle from the dens of -wolves and foxes. Bears shuffle softly through -the underbrush, and panthers steal out on tiptoe -to their hunting.</p> - -<p>In the trees squirrels scamper from branch -to branch. Now and then a mother opossum -trots by with her pocket full of young ones. -Bats fly this way and that in hungry pursuit -of insects dancing in the twilight air. Under -the ground moles dig busily after worms.</p> - -<p>All these mammals and, many others live -wild in the United States, and there are many -others still, more or less like them, in foreign -lands.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="transnote"> - -<p class="ph2">TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:</p> - - -<p>Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.</p> - -<p>Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.</p></div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Wilderness Babies, by Julia Augusta Schwartz - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WILDERNESS BABIES *** - -***** This file should be named 55704-h.htm or 55704-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/7/0/55704/ - -Produced by David E. 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