70 STORIES OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS 



tadpoles ever swallow themselves ? " she asked, 

 wondering at the size of its mouth. 



"Now, Tommy-Anne, suppose you think a 

 minute ; how could they ! If they swallowed 

 themselves, where would they be swallowed 

 into?" 



Of course she could not tell, and Obi continued 

 to laugh at her as they wandered up the river, 

 peering in the rocky crevices and poking into 

 holes with their sticks. 



" See that bit of wood, underneath this stump 

 in the deep pool," said Tommy-Anne. " It keeps 

 close to the bottom ; why doesn't it float ? " 



Obi looked a minute, and then lay down flat on 

 his stomach, motioning for her to keep very still. 

 " It isn't a stick, it's a big pickerel," he whispered ; 

 "but it wants the little perch to think that it 

 is a stick, and come near enough to be eaten. 

 Watch out now ! " 



Two of these careless fish were swimming 

 lazily down stream, gaping and gazing idly from 

 side to side.-- A flash and a snap ! The surface 

 of the water eddied, and one of the little fishes 

 was in the mysterious inside of Mr. Pickerel, 

 who steadied himself by two or three motions 

 of his tail, and pointed his nose to the bank, 

 silently as before. 



