and Their Homes 
them have to keep themselves alive at 
all. Sometimes they fail in the attempt, 
and, unable to obtain enough food to 
keep themselves fit and strong, they 
ile, prey to their enemies. Kor it 
is seldom that any wild thing dies a 
natural death, if you can call a death 
from cold and starvation natural. They 
never die of old age, because as soon as 
they become at all feeble, from whatever 
cause, they are unable any longer to 
avoid their natural enemies, which also 
have to live, and are continually, by 
night as well as by day, on the eager 
watch for something weaker than them- 
selves to devour. All the cats, rats, 
weasels, stoats and foxes, owls, hawks, 
crows, snakes, and the rest, which live on 
their smaller neighbours, have, too, their 
young to feed and their own lives to 
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