The Wit of the Wild 



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leave the uncanny thing alone, but if, misguid- 

 edly, it still tries to seize it, it finds the grunting, 

 prickly little globe something it is indisposed 

 to swallow and hastily spits it out. As a matter 

 of fact the spines of the globe-fish are neither 

 hard or venomous and would do no harm, but 

 the little fellow succeeds in life as well as if he 

 wore a real armor, because he makes his foes 

 think him a real terror. 



The processes of natural selection have 

 worked steadily among birds, fishes and beasts 

 toward making this faculty of bluffing more 

 and more successful as a means of self-pro- 

 tection, and have supplied many means to that 

 end. 



An owl and various other birds throw their 

 wings out or forward and use them well in a 

 struggle, but one the magnificent argus pheas- 

 ant spreads them in front of him, which not 

 only magnifies his warlike appearance, but 

 serves as a shield in the combat that may not 

 always be avoided. The wings, in fact, so well 

 form a round screen in front of the bird that 

 it can withdraw its head altogether behind it, 



