328 Trails to Woods and Waters 



carry him off, he was that cut up about it, 

 when in a sudden fit of despair he raised both 

 his wings and beat upon his breast. To his 

 great surprise the thump of his wings against 

 his breast made a loud noise that almost 

 frightened him. But the sound that he had 

 made interested him, so presently he raised 

 his wings and struck again. 



" He soon discovered that by swelling out 

 his feathers and by striking very hard and 

 fast with his wings he could make a noise that 

 fairly made the woods ring. 



" When the rabbits and the squirrels first 

 heard this racket in the deep woods that had 

 been so quiet and peaceful a moment before, 

 they were greatly frightened and fled away in 

 terror, but finally one rabbit who was braver 

 than the rest came back to investigate. 



" The thing that the rabbit saw fairly took 

 its breath away, for there, standing on the 

 middle of the log, was Mr. Rusty Coat, as 

 they called him. He was bristled up to his 

 greatest size, and h|s wings were beating upon 

 his breast so rapid%& that the eye could not 



