WOODLAND STORIES 



8i 



NATUKE KKD IN TOOTH AND CLAW." 



The Fox Cub's sisters ventured a little 

 way from the mouth of the earth ; between 

 them and the Baby Rabbits there was an 

 attraction that neither could resist for 

 long. They sidled up to one another 

 gradually, sniffed curiously at each other's 

 fur. and were soon playing merrih', just 

 as though they had been kittens. 



On a sudden the Vixen showed her cun- 

 ning head at the mouth of the earth. 

 Mother Rabbit drummed with her hind 

 legs on the ground, and six of the httle 

 rabbits ran helter-skelter to cover. The 

 other two crouched low for a few seconds, 

 and only raced to the stop when the path 

 was clear of their brothers and sisters. 

 Their mother crouched by the edge of 

 their home. Apparently there was no 

 occasion for uneasiness. The old Vixen 

 smiled from ear to ear. " Pretty dears/ 

 she said ; " enjoying a romp with my 

 little ones, too. And not half-grown uj) 

 yet, the darUngs." she added, hcking her 

 lips. So saying, she slunk away into 

 cover in the direction of an outlying farm 

 that was full of rats. She had been there 

 once or twice every day since her litter 

 had learned to eat flesh. 



"Cuckoo!" cried the bird in the i)ink 



thorn. " how nicely she talks, to be sure! 

 I wonder what mischief she is after now. 

 She would not have moved off so con- 

 tentedly had she known that anybody 

 had seen her cubs." 



A splendid dragon-fly hovered on shim- 

 mering wings over the Fox Cub, and he 

 tried hard to catch it. Presently it 

 darted awaj^ to the far end of the grass, 

 and he ambled after it. His three sis- 

 ters followed him, and the Baby Rabbits 

 joined them. Then the dragon-fly rose 

 high into the air and passed out of sight, 

 and aU the little Fox Cubs sat up on 

 their haunches and strained their eyes 

 into the blue above them. They were 

 ver}^ sorry to lose a new playmate. 



" Have you a deep hole down there ? " 

 said the Cuckoo to Mrs. Rabbit. 



" It's a four-foot slope with a turn u]) 

 into the bed-sitting-room." she repHed ; 

 " and I've lined it with my own fur until 

 it is as warm antl comfortable as one 

 could wish a home to be. I had my 

 family down there nearly a fortnight 

 before they could lift their ears or o])en 

 tlieir eyes. It was a great joy to find 

 tliem learning to feed themselves." 



" Dig on, dig down ! " sang the Cuckoo, 



