A LIFE OF FEAR 197 



Eternal vigilance is the price of life with 

 most of the wild creatures. There is only one 

 among them Avhose wildness I cannot under- 

 stand, and that is the common water turtle. 

 Why is this creature so fearful ? What are its 

 enemies 1 I know of nothing that preys upon 

 it. Yet see how watchful and suspicious these 

 turtles are as they sun themselves upon a log or 

 a rock. Before you are fairly in gunshot of 

 them, they slide down into the water and are 

 gone. 



The land turtle, or terrapin, on the other 

 hand, shows scarcely a trace of fear. He will 

 indeed pause in his walk when you are very 

 near him, but he will not retreat into his shell 

 till you have poked him with your foot or your 

 cane. He appears to have no enemies ; but the 

 little spotted water turtle is as shy as if he 

 was the delicate tidbit that every creature was 

 searching for. I did once find one which a fox 

 had dug out of the mud in winter, and carried 

 a few rods and dropped on the snow, as if he 

 had found he had no use for it. 



One can understand the fearlessness of the 

 skunk. Nearly every creature but the farm 

 dog yields to him the right of way. All dread 

 his terrible weapon. If you meet one in your 

 Avalk in the twilight fields, the chances are that 

 you will turn out for him, not he for you. He 

 may even pursue you, just for the fun of seeing 

 you run. He comes waltzing toward you, ap- 

 parently in the most hilarious spirits. 



The coon is probably the most courageous 



