GROWING OLD 



2S3 



We wild creatures see so much of you that, when 

 you are out of sight, it is our greatest pleasure 

 that you should also be out of mind. It is such an 

 enormous relief to us to get rid of the dark and 

 baleful presence of your shadow, if only for one 

 brief hour, that we make the most of our rare 

 moments of respite, when they do occur, and enjoy 

 ourselves in our own way, utterly oblivious of your 

 very existence. 



But, as I was going to say, it is necessary, if you 

 wish to appreciate the sights and sounds of the 

 country, that you should be able to see round the 

 corner in another way than by peeping round the 

 bushes. How shall I explain it to you ? You 

 will look out of the window, and you will see a 

 thrush on the lawn, peering into the grass with 

 his head bent down and turned to one side. Then 

 he will give a start forward and grab a great worm 

 by the head, and there will be a very severe bout 

 of pulling, very unpleasant for the worm, and 

 in the end the bird will Avin, and will leave the 

 worm wriggling for a moment on the grass with 

 a very sore head. After the thrush has recovered 

 his wind — for a tug-of-war is hard work — he will 

 deliberately proceed to smash the worm up into 

 small pieces in a way which will make you cry 



