A New World 



the small wild creatures playing around us. 

 Field mice scampered about the cabin as 

 though it had been built for them alone, and 

 their performances were very amusing. About 

 dusk, on one of the calm, sultry nights so grate- 

 ful to moths and beetles, when the puppy was 

 lapping his milk, and we were on our knees, in 

 through the door came a heavy broad-shoul- 

 dered beetle about as big as a mouse, and after 

 it had droned and boomed round the cabin 

 two or three times, the pan of milk, showing 

 white in the gloaming, caught its eyes, and, tak- 

 ing good aim, it alighted with a slanting, glinting 

 plash in the middle of the pan like a duck 

 alighting in a lake. Baby Watch, having never 

 before seen anything like that beetle, started 

 back, gazing in dumb astonishment and fear 

 at the black sprawling monster trying to swim. 

 Recovering somewhat from his fright, he began 

 to bark at the creature, and ran round and round 



t , 



his milk-pan, wouf-woufing, gurring, growling, 



like an old dog barking at a wild-cat or a bear. 



The natural astonishment and curiosity of that 



I 79 J 



