CHAPTER X. 



Beasts, Birds, and Fish. 



One day, walking along the path which our cows 

 usually followed through the woods, on climbing up 

 from a watercourse I caught sight of two pretty 

 animals playing in and out underneath a fallen log. 

 They were about as big as hares, but white, with a 

 broad black band running all round them from the 

 sharp-pointed snout to the tail. They did not mani- 

 fest any alarm at my approach. What could they 

 be ? I began to move nearer, when all at once the 

 answer flashed across my mind. Black and white! 

 I turned and ran — literally ran — back ten or a dozen 

 yards, and then proceeded onwards again on a wide 

 detour, being very careful not to disturb the little 

 innocents at their play. They were skunks! 



On reaching home I did not fail to report. The 

 recital put Maggie into high agitation. She trembled 

 for the lives of her last two broods of chickens, than 

 which there are no daintier morsels in the black-and- 

 white rascals' diet. We helped her to take every pre- 

 caution for their safety, putting the coops on boarded 

 floors, which projected with an ample margin all 

 round, and every night the little flufTy creatures were 

 elaborately barricaded into their quarters. In spite 



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