PREFACE 



my desk to see miles of pasture and woodland s-pread out 

 beneath a blazing August sun that seems to penetrate 

 to the very roots of the grass and the most secret 

 nooks of the forest, as if purposely to reveal anything 

 in hiding there ; but I fail to catch even a glimpse of 

 any of the little beasts, though I know well enough 

 that hundreds of them are included within the range 

 of my vision. Only a few minutes ago I saw a 

 woodchuck sitting in his doorway and a chipmunk 

 playing about the roots of a maple, and yesterday, at 

 about this time in the morning, a red fox stood for 

 several moments at the edge of the corn, almost 

 within gunshot of the house, and scrutinised me as 

 inquisitively as I was scrutinising him. In all 

 probability he is hiding at this moment somewhere 

 beneath the shadow of the broad leaves of the corn, 

 waiting, half alseep, for some unwary chicken to 

 wander within his reach. 



For permission to reprint portions of certain chap- 

 ters I am indebted to the kindness of the editors of 



XV 



