WHITE-JACK AND COMPANIONS 



rabbits in the " form," which consisted of grass 

 being well trodden down and some of the 

 mother's fur scattered about. Upon the bed or 

 "form," as the rabbit's home is called, lay three 

 little jacks with their eyes wide open. Their 

 long ears were laid back against their heads and 

 their bodies were covered with fine, thick, silky 

 hair. Shortly after this, in the evening, while 

 White-Jack was nursing her little ones, she 

 noticed a fox prowling around the field a short 

 distance away. She knew it would only be a 

 matter of time, if this sly enemy remained, when 

 he would discover the whereabouts of her young; 

 so she told them in her own rabbit language that 

 there was an enemy near. They ceased nursing 

 and crawled among the dead leaves and lay per- 

 fectly quiet. Thus it was very difficult to observe 

 them. The mother then left them under nature's 

 care and leaped across the field to entice the fox 

 to a chase and by so doing lead him away from 

 her unprotected home and family. The chase 

 was a long, hard one, but at last brave White- 

 Jack, long since accustomed to being hunted for 

 her life, evaded the sly fox and returned to her 

 home tired but unharmed. 

 [85] 



