tofallapreytosomeprowlingbeastorbird,orgraduallyminglewiththedecayingleaveswhichtheysomuchresemble.Itissaidthatwhenhatchedbyahentheywilldirectlydisperseonsomealarm,andsoarelost,fortheyneverhearthemother’scallwhichgathersthemagain.Theseweremyhensandchickens.
Itisremarkablehowmanycreatureslivewildandfreethoughsecretinthewoods,andstillsustainthemselvesintheneighborhoodoftowns,suspectedbyhuntersonly.Howretiredtheottermanagestolivehere!Hegrowstobefourfeetlong,asbigasasmallboy,perhapswithoutanyhumanbeinggettingaglimpseofhim.Iformerlysawtheraccooninthewoodsbehindwheremyhouseisbuilt,andprobablystillheardtheirwhinneringatnight.CommonlyIrestedanhourortwointheshadeatnoon,afterplanting,andatemylunch,andreadalittlebyaspringwhichwasthesourceofaswampandofabrook,oozingfromunderBrister’sHill,halfamilefrommyfield.Theapproachtothiswasthroughasuccessionofdescendinggrassyhollows,fullofyoungpitch-pines,intoalargerwoodabouttheswamp.There,inaverysecludedandshadedspot,underaspreadingwhite-pine,therewasyetaclean,firmswardtositon.Ihaddugoutthespringandmadeawellofcleargraywater,whereIcoulddipupapailfulwithoutroilingit,andthitherIwentforthispurposealmosteverydayinmidsummer,whenthepondwaswarmest.Thither,too,thewood-cockledherbrood,toprobethemudforworms,flyingbutafootabovethemdownthebank,whiletheyraninatroopbeneathbutatlast,spyingme,shewouldleaveheryoungandcircleroundandroundme,nearerandnearertillwithinfourorfivefeet,pretendingbrokenwingsandlegs,toattractmyattention,andgetoffheryoung,whowouldalreadyhavetakenuptheirmarch,withfaintwirypeep,singlefilethroughtheswamp,asshedirected.OrIheardthepeepoftheyoungwhenIcouldnotseetheparentbird.Theretootheturtle-dovessatoverthespring,orflutteredfromboughtoboughofthesoftwhite-pinesovermyheadortheredsquirrel,coursingdownthenearestbough,wasparticularlyfamiliarandinquisitive.Youonlyneedsitstilllongenoughinsomeattractivespotinthewoodsthatallitsinhabitantsmayexhibitthemselvestoyoubyturns.
Iwaswitnesstoeventsofalesspeacefulcharacter.OnedaywhenIwentouttomywood-pile,orrathermypileofstumps,Iobservedtwolargeants,theonered,theothermuchlarger,nearlyhalfaninchlong