Forest Footfalls 265 



" The squirrel flattens himself out on a 

 branch, and a limb two inches in diameter will 

 entirely hide him; or perhaps he may make 

 believe he is a knot upon the tree, and he will 

 do it so well that you will probably be de- 

 ceived. 



" The rabbit usually hides in plain sight, 

 but you think him a stone or a continuation 

 of the end of an old log. 



" The owl passes for a bunch of last year's 

 leaves or a gnarl on the tree. The principal 

 art in hiding in the woods is to keep perfectly 

 still and nature has so fashioned the coats of 

 the birds and the four-footed creatures that 

 they blend with the friendly shadows. 



" Go into the woods and sit perfectly still 

 for half an hour and see what a change will 

 come. 



" Perhaps your first caller is a little brown 

 bird who will come fluttering down through 

 the boughs to get a better look at you. 



" Then the wood mouse will slip slyly out 

 of his den at the root of a tree and peep curi- 

 ously. 



