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into a sitting posture. I thought if I again stood stock-still he 
might recover his presence of mind, and restrain that torrent 
of steam ; but he had lost confidence in me and grew quite 
resentful. My heart was already relenting, and I made up my 
mind to step back and let him descend in peace. But now, as 
if in scorn of such an offer, he suddenly stretched out his legs, 
straightened his elegant little person, and came swiftly down, 
like a long caterpillar, to another dry branch that ran out 
stiffly towards a much taller tree. When he reached the blunt 
end of this broken branch he took a glorious leap into the air 
and alighted upon the drooping skirts of a broad, feathery branch 
that hung from a larger tree. The branch made a graceful, 
sweeping curtsey, as he saluted it. (.\ peacock’s tail makes the 
same waving movement when used as a horizontal rudder.) 
He did not seem to notice this, but scampered along towards a 
safer shelter. He was soon up the trunk, looked up anxiously 
in several directions, and then came resolutely down again to the 
bottom and vanished under the ferns. I hope he bears me no 
malice. I would not touch even the tip of his lovely tail against 
his will.” 
(3) ” Saturday, September 28. — Was in the wood this 
morning from six till seven o’clock. Having given up all hope of 
seeing a squirrel, I was on the point of leaving the wood, when 
something suddenly stirred in the branches of a small oak near 
me. As there was no wind, I kept a steady eye upon the moving 
foliage, and in less than a minute one of my pets came into full 
view at the end of a small swaying branch. He took advantage 
of the next upward swing and bounded like a bird from one 
perch to another, into the nearest pine tree. And now began the 
most fascinating performance I have ever witnessed. At first I 
wondered what the little fellow was going to do ; but before he 
had touched the trunk of the first pine I had ceased to wonder, 
and could only cling with my eyes to that animated arrow, 
weaving its way, like a live shuttle, along branch after branch, 
and up and down stem after stem, till my head reeled with 
delight. What was he after ? It was not a chase : no other 
living creature could have led him over such a course — and a 
hunter does not carry his quarry on the tip of his nose ! He 
may have been chasing the spirit of a departed brother, though 
I suspect that secret orders came at the rate of about six in a 
second from his own frolicsome fancy. He was not searching 
for his breakfast, or, if he was, he didn’t seem to find it. At 
any rate, he didn’t stop to eat it. Besides, his morning meal 
was over before I saw him. It was simply a beautiful manifes- 
tation of the joy of living. 
“ There was no sound of revelry, but the sight of it never took 
a more attractive shape. The great charm of the performance 
lay in the perfect naturalness of the bright little actor. I do not 
believe he saw me at all ; for I had been standing quite still 
from the first, and not once did he look as if conscious of any- 
