IV 



THE BABBIT AND THE HARE 



With us the hare is of the remote northern 

 woods, the rabbit is of the fields and bushy mar- 

 gins of the woods. One retreats before man and 

 civilization, the other follows in their wake. The 

 rabbit is now common in parts of our State (New 

 York) where in my boyhood only the hare was 

 found. The rabbit evidently loves to be neigh' 

 bor to man and profits by it. Nearly every 

 winter one takes up her abode under my study 

 floor, and when the snow is deep and the weather 

 is cold she usually finds every night a couple of 

 sweet apples on her threshold. I suppose she 

 thinks they grow there, or are blown there by 

 the wind like the snow. At such times she does 

 not leave her retreat ; the apples are good for- 

 tune enough. If I neglect to put them there, in 

 the morning I see where she has gone forth over 

 the lawn looking for them, or for some other 

 food. 



I wonder if that fox chanced to catch a 

 glimpse of her the other night when he stealth- 



