THE NIGHT-SIDE OF NA TURE. 2 1 1 



me what I had guessed : their hours of activity 

 are when men are supposed to be asleep. 



The wary mink, too, came nightly to the 

 pond, and, if it fished in the waters, it was for 

 the many frogs that abounded, but I found no 

 mangled remains of the old fellows that out- 

 croaked the myriads in the meadows. 



Then rabbits, mice, and squirrels came 

 trooping to the water's edge, stood there, and 

 wondered at the novelty of a bit of the meadows 

 being brought from the lowlands to this dry and 

 dusty field ; and when a prowling dog came by, 

 how with one wild shriek they vanished, and left 

 the pond to the bewildered dog and myself, and 

 then to myself only, for the dog soon turned to 

 follow the trail of the fleeing rabbits ; and here I 

 tarried long, gazing in rapture upon the lotus by 

 moonlight. 



It is Gordon Gumming who has described 

 with wonderful vividness how herds of antelopes 

 and elephants, and even many lions, came to 

 drink at night from pools near which he lay con- 

 cealed. What a boon to a naturalist to see these 

 mighty beasts under such circumstances ! 



It may seem very absurd to think of one 

 when speaking of the other, and ludicrous to 

 compare them ; but when I sat concealed by the 

 little lily-pond and saw these little animals, musk- 

 rats, rabbits, and even smaller fry, come to the 



