240 BOMBAY DUCKS 
contrary, are not intelligent creatures. They seem to 
lead a blissful, happy-go-lucky life. They refuse to be 
worried ; they decline to be always on the gud vive 
watching for the devourer who may never come their 
way. If they are caught, well—they are caught. That 
is the long and the short of it. It is true that Nature 
has given many of them clothes calculated to render 
them as inconspicuous as possible, but most of the 
insects seem unable to understand how to profit by 
their disguises, It is useless to dress up an ass to look 
like a lion, if the animal will persist in braying upon 
every possible occasion. 
Whenever there is a commotion in the grass the 
grasshoppers and their friends jump into the air and 
thus show themselves to their enemies; whereas, had 
they the common sense to lie low, they might not be 
detected. Of course there is the point of view of the 
insect. I can quite imagine one turning round and 
saying: “It is all very fine for you to talk of sitting 
still in presence of danger. Try it yourself. If you 
were seated in your garden quietly taking afternoon 
tea and you saw a great monster, as big as the Albert 
Hall, coming towards you and making the earth shake 
as if it were in the throes of an earthquake, I am 
prepared to bet you two to one in antenne that you 
would take to your heels arid run for your life!” 
Well, perhaps, there is after all something to be said 
for the insects, but the stern fact remains that, when 
surprised by a cow, they jump out of the way of its 
feet and find they have leapt out of the frying-pan into 
the fire, for, before they realize what has happened, 
