The Kangaroo Rat 



rather overdone, I thought, until I found out that 

 it was designed for several important purposes. 



His movements were just like what one might 

 have expected from such an elegant creature. 

 He had touched my heart before I had seen 

 anything but his tracks, and now he won it 

 wholly at first meeting. 



"You little beauty! You have been so in- 

 visible and mysterious that I began to hope you 

 were a fairy, but now I see I have heard of you 

 before. You are Perodipus ordi, that is some- 

 times called the Kangaroo Rat. I am much 

 obliged to you for all the lace designs you have 

 sketched and for the pretty verses you have 

 written for me, although I could not read them 

 all ; but I am eager to have you translate them, 

 and, in fact, am ready to sit at those micro- 

 scopic and beautiful feet of yours and learn." 



II 



It is of course well known that the daintiest 

 flowers grow out of the dirt, so I was not sur- 

 prised to find that the Perodipus's home is in 

 a cave underground. No doubt those wonder- 



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