OUTDOORS 



As we got over the fence, a convenient log 

 lay at the edge of the oaks, and, resting there 

 a moment, we saw a chipmunk dart from a 

 crevice in the fence and poise himself on his 

 hind legs. How graceful he was! Striped, 

 alert, saucy, and inquisitive. He would run 

 with incredible swiftness for a few yards, 

 stop, arch his body, look back, and then glide 

 along again as smooth as a snake. He would 

 pick up an acorn or a nut, hold it after the 

 manner of the squirrel tribe, gnaw at it a 

 moment, release his hold, and then stand 

 with his beady eyes glittering. He would 

 run close to our log, and then slip into the 

 short bushes and disappear for a few mo- 

 ments, and then vary the performance by 

 running back and forth across the path. It 

 was like nothing so much as a small boy 

 " turning cart-wheels," " skinning the cat," 

 and showing off generally. 



At the side of the path, as we turned into 

 the woods, a garter-snake, slender and bright- 

 colored, wormed into the short grass, and on 

 being closely approached, opened its mouth 

 and silently sent its tongue scintillating back 

 and forth in a series of quick movements. It 

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