The Kangaroo Rat 



search. Once or twice a Bobcat came. And 

 one morning the faithful dust reported in grate 

 detail how the Bobcat and the Skunk had 

 differed. There was evidence, too, that the 

 Bobcat quickly said (in Bobcat, of course), " I 

 beg pardon, I mistook you for a rabbit, but will 

 never again make such a mistake." 



More than once the sinister trail of the 

 " Hydrophoby-cat " was recorded. And on one 

 occasion the great broad track of the King Wolf 

 of the region came right up the pathway, nearly 

 to the door, the tracks getting closer together 

 as he neared it. Then stopping, he had exactly 

 retraced his steps and gone elsewhere about his 

 business. Jack-rabbits, Coyotes, and Cotton- 

 tails all passed, and wrote for me a few original 

 lines commemorative of their visit— and all were 

 faithfully delivered on call next morning. 



But always over and through all other tracks 

 was a curious, delicate, lace-like fabric of polka- 

 dots and interwoven sinuous lines. It was there 

 each morning, fresh made the night before, 

 whatever else was missing. But there was so 

 much of its pattern that it was impossible to 

 take any one line and follow it up. 



235 



