24 WOODLAND CREATURES 



cunning black eyes as if to say, "Do pick me up; 

 I'm so tired ! " * 



The cub always showed her emotions through 

 her fur. When frightened she fluffed her tail 

 out, when either angry or joyously excited she 

 put her whole coat on end, and when hunting 

 for eatable morsels among the grass and herbage, 

 ripples kept running up and down her back. 



As regards food, they were not at all par- 

 ticular, they would eat most things, but as a 

 treat there was nothing they liked better than 

 good fruit cake. Next in order of their 

 preference came cheese, which they much 

 appreciated, but in this they were not peculiar, 

 for many wild creatures love it. Such different 

 animals as the shrew, mole, and pine marten 

 will eat it greedily. The two cubs lived princi- 

 pally on dog-biscuit and bread soaked in milk, 

 varied now and again with rabbit flesh ; this kept 

 them in splendid health and condition, but I 

 have always found badgers do well on such a 

 diet. They were thirsty creatures, and their 

 water-tin had to be filled every morning. When 

 out for walks they would eat with relish a certain 

 pale-coloured fungus of the "toad-stool' 1 descrip- 

 tion. Diana also loved frogs, hunting them 

 through the long grass until she could get near 

 one, when she would pounce upon it and crunch 

 it up. Both the cubs enjoyed fish, and, as there 

 were a lot of roach in one of the ponds by the 

 house, my brother often caught some for them. 

 They ate the fish greedily, snatching at the 



