Page:The Way of the Wild (1923).pdf/172

 him and that makes him much harder to discover.

A rabbit is also hard to see because he is brown in summer and autumn and white in winter, so he fades into the landscape perfectly.

This is nature's special care for him, for he is the most hunted little creature in the great woods.

Partridge, quail, and woodcock also call for a trained eye in order to get a good view of these shy birds. But if you were to start out to locate them you might tramp for half a day without seeing them.

The same rule of bright eyes applies to the fishes and other creatures in the water. One boy can spot a pickerel in the pickerel grass where another will look for several minutes before he sees it, even after it has been pointed out to him.

Hiding by this simple means is a fine art and all the wild creatures have it to perfection.

Usually the mouths of the burrows of foxes, rabbits, and woodchucks are carefully hidden, although the woodchuck is not so particular as