70 ADVENTURES AMONG BIRDS 



what they had thought would happen, that sooner or 

 later the call of the wild would come and prove irre- 

 sistible. 



One afternoon, when Peter had been gone several 

 days, she remembered him and was heavy at heart and 

 it then first came into her mind to try an experiment. 

 If her fox still lived, she thought, where would he be 

 but in the wood a mile or so from the village? There 

 she would go and seek for him. It was near sunset 

 when she reached the wood, and after making her way 

 to its innermost part she stood still and raising her 

 voice to its highest pitch sent forth a loud shrill call — 

 Peter — Pee-ter — Peee-ter! and then waited. By-and-by 

 she heard a sound, and looking in the direction it came 

 from she spied Peter himself coming towards her at 

 his topmost speed, making the dead leaves fly about 

 him with the wind he created; but when he got to her 

 there was no touching him, though she was eager to 

 clasp her dear recovered friend in her arms, for he 

 was beside himself with joy and could only rush round 

 and round her in a wide circle and then charging 

 straight at her leaped clear over her head, and then 

 again, and then a third time! This sounds incredible, 

 but the lady sticks to it that her fox did accomplish this 

 feat, and says that she was astonished at the sight of 

 its transports of joy at finding her. Then, when he 

 had thus worked off his excitement, they went home 

 together, Peter trotting along at her side and breaking 

 out from time to time into fresh demonstrations of 

 delight and affection. 



