The Wit of the Wild 



r 



into the grass, but by 11.20 she was back again 

 and carefully examining every nook and corner 

 of her estate, now and then entering and repair- 

 ing the two open holes. Her movements were 

 quick and cautious, and my least change of 

 attitude alarmed her, whereas when she was dig- 

 ging she seemed careless of my presence; and 

 soon she disappeared, leaving the last tunnel 

 quite open. This, I fancied, was because she 

 had been unable to find any suitable cork, so 

 I gathered a few little pebbles of about the 

 right size and laid them near the nest, when to 

 my dismay one rolled halfway down the sloping 

 tunnel. 



Now that her quarters seemed prepared some- 

 thing interesting was likely to follow, so I got 

 an umbrella and stayed in the hot sun to see 

 what it might be. A half hour of patience met 

 its reward. Suddenly Madame Redbelt alighted 

 upon the accustomed stone, astride of a smooth, 

 yellow caterpillar, gripped near its head in her 

 jaws. 



I have never been able, among the rocky 

 ridges here, to follow and watch an Ammo- 

 20 $ 



