or spring at once and trust to luck, when 

 a woodcock whistled up through the 

 alder bushes and whirred away into the 

 darkness. 



Mr. Raccoon nosed along the edge of 

 the log, until the scent told him where 

 the woodcock had been, and then thrust 

 his nose into the nest. It did not contain 

 young birds, as he had hoped, but five or 

 six warm eggs. These he ate ravenously 

 and the setting was spoiled. Then he 

 crouched for awhile under the edge of 

 the log and waited for the woodcock's 

 return, but she had gotten a bad fright 

 and did not come back. It was lucky 

 that the raccoon had come in the night, 

 for the woodcock is more watchful at 

 night than by day, or she might have 

 been taken too. I have frequently had a 

 woodcock light upon the ground within 

 ten feet of me and stand winking and 



