UNUSUAL EXPERIENCES AFIELD 137 



freedom; and as soon as it was dusk I opened the 

 door and I gave him freedom. Then I developed 

 my plates, and the following day my completed 

 article was on its way to the publisher. Several 

 times after that I amused visitors at the Cabin 

 by calling screech owls in at the open window 

 merely to prove that it was possible. 



Frequently in field work I have met with cases 

 of birds and animals trusting to protective colour- 

 ation for security. There have been times when 

 I think I could have picked up a rabbit while he 

 was playing this game, had there been any object 

 in so doing. Beyond all question the most com- 

 plete instance of the kind happened on the lake 

 on which we live. One spring morning my hus- 

 band came in saying that the black bass were 

 " baitfighting " by which he meant that while the 

 females were preparing their nests and getting 

 ready to spawn, the males were in shallow \yater 

 making mad rushes at anything that struck the 

 surface. I knew that he wanted me to row the 

 boat for him while he would cast, at least one trip, 

 around the head of the lake. Without stopping to 

 think of anything except fishing I took my rod 

 and stepped into the boat. After rowing around 

 our lake I rounded the point of a big island lying 

 in front of us, crossed the branch of the lake on 

 the far side of it, and started around that shore 

 line. At this point my husband took the oars and 

 I began to cast. We had proceeded up the lake 



