LANDMARKS 143 



From the time I realized that animals and birds 

 play merrily and frequently, wild life and wild 

 places appealed to me with intensified interest. 

 My estimate of wild folk rose mightily and the 

 watching of wild life at play has claimed a large 

 share of my outings and has given me an interest 

 that never grows old. 



The otter builds a slide on which to play; the 

 whale often plays; the solemn grizzly bear plays 

 merrily alone. Birds dance and play. Play ap- 

 pears to be a common and enlivening and bene- 

 ficial habit in the entire world of wild life. 



Chipmunks were the easiest animals to tame. 

 Usually inside of an hour after one appeared I was 

 able to get near him and often to feed him from my 

 fingers. 



A number of friendly chipmunks were taking 

 peanuts from my hand as I sat one day in the door- 

 way of my cabin. Occasionally one climbed upon 

 my head. Suddenly around the corner of the 

 cabin came another chipmunk pursued by a weasel. 

 The weasel stopped with a show of anger at my 

 presence. The frightened chipmunk fell exhausted 

 in front of us. 



When this stranger commenced to revive he 

 showed astonishment at the intimacy of the other 

 chipmunks and myself. Evidently his parents 

 had taught him that there was no "safety first" 

 for chipmunks but to flee from man and weasels. 

 He looked at me nervously for a few seconds. I 



