78 

 &i'gee^ee/oM-sis 



the fence from the top of a cedar, where he 

 had been, a moment before, practising his 

 mating song. He did not intend to light, 

 but some idle curiosity, like my own, made 

 him pause a moment on the old gray rail. 

 Then a woodpecker lit on the side of a post 

 and sounded it softly. But he was too near 

 the ground, too near his enemies to make a 

 noise ; so he flew to a higher perch and beat 

 a tattoo that made the woods ring. He was 

 safe there, and could make as much noise as 

 he pleased. A wood mouse stirred the vines 

 and appeared for an instant on the lower rail, 

 then disappeared as if very much frightened 

 at having shown himself in the sunlight. He 

 always does just so at his first appearance. 



Presently a red squirrel rushes out of the 

 thicket at the left, scurries along the rails 

 and up and down the posts. He goes like a 

 little red whirlwind, though he has nothing 

 whatever to hurry about. Just opposite my 

 stump he stops his rush with marvelous sud- 

 denness ; chatters, barks, scolds, tries to make 

 me move ; then goes on and out of sight at 

 the same breakneck rush. A jay stops a 



