EMMASERL 
 
Hate (Sallege of Agriculture 
 
 J^.t Qlatnell 3tniueceit:g 
 Jllliara, N. f. 
 
 ICtbtary 
 
P2 10.3.848"'" ""'"'■"""■""•'^>' 
 In the animal world, 
 
 3 1924 014 558 849 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tiiis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924014558849 
 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
 
 AcKNOWLEDGMEifT is made to the following publishers 
 and authors for the use of copyright material, some of 
 which has been adapted: The Sunday School Times; Pri- 
 mary Education, published by the Educational Publishing 
 Company ; Edward Arnold, for " The Story of a Donkey " ; 
 Henry Altemus Company, for " The Mother Seal's Story " 
 and " Father Wolf and the Pack " ; Houghton Mifflin Com- 
 pany, for " A Night with a Wolf," by Bayard Taylor ; and 
 Ella Wheeler Wilcox and her publisher, W. B. Conkey, for 
 use of a part of the poem, " Two Pussy Cats." 
 
 OoPTEldHT, 1913, By 
 
 8ILTEE, BURDETT AND COMPANY. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 FLESH-EATING ANIMALS 
 
 I. The Cat Family PiQi. 
 
 The Kitten 7 
 
 William Wordsworth 
 
 Malta's Babies 8 
 
 Two Pussy Cats 12 
 
 Ella Wheeler Wilcox 
 
 Androclus and the Lion .... 14 
 
 The Tiger Kitten 20 
 
 The Panther and the Grizzly . . 30 
 II. The Dog Family 
 
 Lassie, the Shepherd's Dog ... 45 
 
 A Matter of Truthfulness ... 55 
 
 A Night with a Wolf .... 62 
 
 Bayard Taylor 
 
 Father Wolf and the Pack ... 65 
 
 A Trap 72 
 
 [II. Seals and Sea Lions 
 
 The Mother Seal's Story ... 83 
 IV. Beaks 
 
 Baby Black Bear 96 
 
 3 
 
PLANT-EATING ANIMALS 
 
 II. 
 
 III. 
 
 IV. 
 
 Gnawers 
 
 The Beavers . 
 
 Eed Squirrel . 
 
 Dick and the Wheel 
 
 The Little Eabbit's Escape 
 
 The Porcupine 
 
 The Tale of a Gray Eat 
 
 The Merry Mice 
 
 The Monkey Family 
 The Sick Monkey . 
 Greediness 
 
 Thick-skinned Animals 
 
 Putting a Baby Elephant to Bed . 
 The Doctor and the Elephant 
 
 Cud Cheweks 
 
 Zara, the Camel .... 
 The Mother Deer and her Little One 
 
 The Hokse Family 
 
 Bucephahis 
 
 The Story of a Donkey . 
 
 PAGE 
 111 
 
 116 
 125 
 130 
 137 
 143 
 149 
 
 157 
 164 
 
 173 
 178 
 
 189 
 198 
 
 215 
 
 221 
 
THE OAT FAMILY 
 
See the kitten on the wall, 
 Sporting with the leaves that fall, 
 Withered leaves — one — two — and three — 
 From the lofty elder-tree ! 
 
 Through the calm and frosty air _ -rf"* '*^y 
 
 Of this morning bright and fair. 
 Eddying round and round they sink 
 
 But the kitten, how she starts, 
 Crouches, stretches, paws, and darts; 
 First at one, and then its fellow 
 
 Just as light and just as yellow ; _ _ _ _ 
 
 There are many now — now one — _ IZZUt'^,"' 
 Now they stop, and there are none. 
 
 at 
 
 
 ii"^ 
 
MALTA'S BABIES 
 
 Malta had lost all her kittens, and 
 she was very lonesome. She had 
 hunted for them and called them, but 
 nowhere could they be found. 
 
 She disappeared for a few days, and 
 when she returned she carried some- 
 thing very carefully in her mouth. 
 She took it to the box in the barn 
 where her little ones had been and 
 put it gently down. She went away 
 again and soon returned with another 
 little one like the first. Now there 
 
were two babies in the box, and Malta 
 seemed contented. 
 
 To be sure, they were not like her 
 own little ones ; these had bushy tails 
 and bright eyes. They did not like 
 to be washed as kittens ought, but 
 Malta held them with her paws and 
 scrubbed them as she thought best. 
 Soon they were large enough to leave 
 the box and frisk about on the floor. 
 
 One day Malta brought them a live 
 mouse, but they did not seem to care 
 for it, "Mew, mew," she said, "come 
 and play with this nice mouse." But 
 the little ones only looked at it and 
 got out of its way when it came too 
 
close. Malta decided that they must 
 be very stupid kittens. 
 
 The next week she took them into 
 the garden; she thought she would 
 teach them how to climb a tree, but 
 they needed no showing ; up the trunk 
 they ran in a way Malta had never 
 seen kittens go. They frisked and 
 frolicked among the branches until 
 poor Malta grew frightened. 
 
 A few weeks later the squirrels left 
 good Mother Malta and went to live 
 in the old maple tree. 
 
 Malta watches them sometimes when 
 she lies on the porch in the sun- 
 shine. Such queer children she never 
 
 10 
 
saw. There are some things she can- 
 not understand ; it is of no use to try, 
 so she curls herself up and takes 
 another nap. 
 
TWO PUSSY OATS 
 
 THE PET CAT 
 
 Dainty little ball of fur, sleek and round and 
 
 fat, 
 Yawning through the lazy hours, some one's 
 
 household cat. 
 Lying on a bed of down, decked in ribbons 
 
 gay, 
 What a pleasant life you lead, whether night or 
 
 day. 
 
 Romping through the house at will, racing 
 
 down the hall, 
 Full of pretty playful pranks, loved and praised 
 
 12 
 
 
Wandering from room to room to find the 
 
 choicest spot, 
 Favored little household puss, happy is your lot. 
 
 II 
 
 THE TRAMP CAT 
 
 Poor little beggar cat, hollow-eyed and gaunt. 
 Creeping down the alleyways like a ghost of 
 
 want. 
 Kicked and beat by thoughtless boys, bent on 
 
 cruel play, 
 What a sorry life you lead, whether night or day. 
 
 Hunting after crusts or crumbs, gnawing meat- 
 less bones, 
 Trembling at a human step, fearing bricks and 
 
 stones. 
 Shrinking at an outstretched hand, knowing 
 
 only blows, 
 Wretched little beggar cat, born to suffer woes. 
 
 — Ella Wheeler Wilcox 
 13 
 
ANDROOLUS AND THE LION 
 
 Long ago in the great city of Eome 
 there lived a slave named Androclus. 
 His master was a cruel man, and the 
 poor slave received blows and harsh 
 words from morning until night. 
 
 At last Androclus felt that he could 
 stand this treatment no longer ; so he 
 ran away and hid in the forest. 
 There he ate berries and ripe fruit, 
 and at night he slept in a cave among 
 '^\j|||-.the rocks. 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 i|/t) If:;- ^•■'^ -jj One morning very early, he was 
 awakened by the loud roars of a lion. 
 
 14 
 
Androclus sprang up in great fright 
 and saw the huge beast standing at 
 the door of the cave. Again the lion 
 roared, and the poor slave felt sure 
 that he should be killed. 
 
 The animal came farther into the 
 cave, and Androclus noticed that some- 
 thing seemed to be the matter with 
 one of his paws. He held the foot 
 up and whined as if in great pain. 
 
 At last Androclus took hold of the 
 paw to look at it. There in the soft 
 part of the foot was a great thorn. 
 
 The lion seemed to know that 
 man in the cave could help him 
 held quite still for his foot to be 
 15 
 
amined. Androclus took hold of the 
 thorn with his fingers, then gave a 
 quick pull, and it was out. The great 
 beast leaped about like a dog and 
 licked the hands and face of Androclus. 
 
 The slave and the lion now lived 
 together in the cave. They slept 
 side by side, and often they hunted 
 together in the wood. 
 
 But one day some soldiers found 
 Androclus and took him back to 
 Eome. There he was put into prison 
 and tried for running away from his 
 master. He was condemned and sen- 
 tenced to fight a wild animal in the 
 arena. 
 
 16 
 
The day for the fight came, and 
 great crowds of people went to see 
 the dreadful sight. The emperor sat 
 on a high throne, and the seats round 
 about were filled with thousands of 
 eager people. 
 
 For days a great lion had been 
 kept in a cage without food. The 
 poor slave was brought into the 
 arena, the doors of the cage were 
 opened, and the hungry lion rushed 
 forth with a roar. Seeing the trembling 
 man, he dashed toward him. 
 
 Then a strange thing happened. 
 Instead of tearing the slave to pieces 
 as the people expected, the lion 
 
 17 
 
paused, licked the hands of Andro- 
 clus, and then lay down by his side. 
 Androclus gave a cry of gladness and 
 threw his arms around the neck of 
 the great beast, for it was the lion 
 with whom he had lived in the 
 wood! 
 
 The emperor and the people were 
 amazed. Never before had such a 
 sight been seen in the arena. 
 
 Then, standing before the throne, 
 
 Androclus told of his cruel master, 
 
 of his flight to the wood, of the 
 
 ^^^y lion's hurt paw, and of the friendship 
 
 between them. 
 
 When he had finished, the people 
 18 
 
cried: "Let them both go free! Let 
 them both go free ! " 
 
 So the gates were opened, and An- 
 droclus and the lion went back to 
 the cave on the side of the mountain. 
 
 — ^sop'a Fables. 
 
 19 
 
THE TIGER KITTEN 
 
 Up the steep side of a mountain, 
 within a large cave, the mother tiger 
 had made her home. Here among 
 the rocks, three little tiger kittens 
 played while they waited for their 
 mother's return. 
 
 Soon the smallest one lifted his 
 head and listened; far away he had 
 heard a faint call. The others stopped 
 their play, and all three stood still. 
 Again the cry came, and this time 
 there was no mistaking it — the 
 
 20 
 
mother tiger was coming home to her 
 little ones. 
 
 All night she had been out hunt- 
 ing, and now it was past time for 
 breakfast. The kittens were hungry. 
 They were too old for milk, and the 
 careful mother daily brought them 
 choice bits of food, — sometimes a 
 young bird or perhaps a piece of a 
 sheep that she had killed in the 
 valley. 
 
 Nearer the cry came, and in a mo- 
 ment, the beautiful striped mother 
 leaped gracefully over the rocks and 
 into the cave door. The little ones 
 
 crowded around her, eager for the 
 
 21 
 
food she was bringing. This morning 
 
 it was a young rabbit, which the 
 
 '^ mother had found at the door of its 
 
 burrow. How the tiger kittens fought 
 
 over it! They growled and pulled, 
 
 each one trying to get the largest 
 
 piece. At last the meal was finished, 
 
 and they lay down to rest and sleep. 
 
 Other days passed in the same way, 
 
 and then the mother tiger decided 
 
 to take the kittens out hunting with 
 
 her. One morning she jumped from 
 
 the cave to the rock below. There 
 
 she stopped and called. Three little 
 
 kittens looked over the edge at her 
 
 and mewed, but all were afraid to 
 
 22 
 
jump. Again she called, but not a 
 kitten came. After waiting a moment 
 the mother leaped back to the cave, 
 and picking up one in her mouth, 
 again jumped down. Leaving him in 
 the grass below, she went back for a 
 second one and placed him by his 
 brother. She was about to go back 
 for the third time, when the smallest 
 kitten, who had been left in the cave, 
 gave a little mew, then made a brave 
 jump, and landed in the soft grass near 
 the others. 
 
 The little familv now moved quietly i#/vi,v 
 
 through the bushes, the mother tiger ^|« 
 showing them how to creep so as not * 
 
 23 
 
 yz\ 
 
^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 to be seen or heard. Soon they came to 
 the river, and there the mother made 
 them lie still under some low trees. 
 For a long time they watched the 
 strange things about them. Birds 
 were flying high in the sky, others 
 were singing in the tree tops, and 
 queer little animals were playing in 
 the sunshine. 
 
 At noon some cattle came down to 
 the river to drink. "When they were 
 quite near, the mother slipped quietly 
 toward a young calf, made a great 
 leap, and fastened her teeth and claws 
 into its back. The other animals fled 
 in fright while the tiger dragged her 
 
 24 
 
prey away among the bushes. Here 
 mother and young ones had a great 
 feast. 
 
 The next day the smallest tiger 
 kitten caught a fat young duck that 
 had flown down to the water's edge. 
 Not wishing to share it, he carried it 
 up the bank where he could eat it (^ 
 alone. The others tried to follow him, 
 but the calls of the mother took them 
 back to her side, and the smallest one 
 was left alone with the dinner he had 
 so cleverly caught. 
 
 His rough little tongue stripped the 
 flesh from the bones of the young 
 duck and his sharp teeth tore it into 
 
 25 
 
 -^^' 
 
shreds. It was a good meal, and when 
 it was finished, he looked around and 
 wished for more. 
 
 Far down in the bushes the mother 
 tiger was calling, and he could hear 
 the sharp cries of his brothers as they 
 played together. But he was not ready 
 to. go back. It was warm and pleasant 
 on the rocks in the sunshine. Here 
 was a fine place for a sleepy kitten to 
 take a nap. He .was just^ about to 
 curl himself up among some leaves 
 and grasses when there was a sudden 
 rush of wings above him. Sharp talons 
 were fastened into his back, and he was 
 borne swiftly upward through the air. 
 
 26 
 
The little one gave a startled cry of \ 
 fright, but the eagle only held him the 
 tighter. Higher and higher they went 
 over the trees toward the eagle's nest 
 on the cliff above. 
 
 But in a minute the little tiger had 
 pulled himself partly free. His sharp 
 claws tore the side of the big bird 
 while his teeth stripped feathers and 
 flesh from her neck. The eagle's 
 hooked bill caught him by the back 
 of his head, but still the little fellow 
 fought. 
 
 Deeper and deeper went the teeth 
 and claws of the tiger kitten. The 
 eagle began to fly slower. She even 
 
 27 
 
/ 
 
 r/ 
 
 / ^. 
 
 tried to drop the prey she had so un- 
 wisely caught, but she could not get 
 rid of him. More feathers fell to the 
 *'•; ground and more flesh was torn from 
 ': her body. 
 
 The great bird was growing weak 
 / \ and was flying downward. The tiger 
 ; kitten had fastened itself upon her 
 side below one of the big wings. With 
 all his strength he still pulled and 
 tore until the eagle could endure it 
 no longer. She made one more at- 
 tempt to fly and then fell in a heap 
 to the ground. 
 
 The mother tiger had heard the cry 
 of her little one, and from the high 
 
 f^T" 
 
 28 
 
bank she had watched the strange fight. 
 Quickly she came leaping through the 
 bushes to the place where the eagle 
 and the tiger kitten had fallen. 
 
 That night the little tiger feasted 
 upon the flesh of the eagle. But for 
 many days his back showed the marks 
 made by the talons of the greatest 
 bird of the air. 
 
I-.,-- 
 
 till, , 
 
 THE PANTHER AND THE GRIZZLY 
 The panther stood on the ledge in 
 front of her den and watched the sun 
 as it rose over the tree tops. 
 
 For years the great panther had 
 made her home in the cave, and for 
 years she had been mistress of the 
 mountain. The other animals, know- 
 ing of her power and cunning, rarely 
 came near, and so, alone on the steep 
 slope, she cared for her two little 
 ones. 
 
 From her high rock she could see 
 30 
 
far down the valley, and her keen 
 eyes watched for a deer or elk that 
 miffht wander down to the river in (■«'^w 
 search of food. 
 
 For days the snow had fallen, and 
 the mountain and valley were covered 
 with its soft whiteness. 
 
 Suddenly the mother panther raised 
 her head and listened. Far down the 
 mountain side she heard a faint sound. 
 Quietly she moved to the edge of the 
 rock, and her great body drew itself 
 together for a spring. From here she 
 could see down the slope, but there 
 was nothing in sight but the snow- 
 covered rocks and bushes. 
 
 31 
 
 I 
 
Anxiously she listened as the sounds 
 
 i I grew louder. The steps were not those 
 
 ^M,R. ,,„|\, of a deer, of that she felt sure ; nor 
 
 ^ » Ml 1 could they be those of the small wood 
 
 If 
 
 * folk. But surely some one was com- 
 ing. The panther was growing angry. 
 Her tail jerked and she crouched close 
 to the narrow ledge. 
 
 Nearer came the sounds. Now she 
 could hear the snapping and cracking 
 of bushes as a big body forced its 
 way through. An enemy had dared 
 to come to her mountain, and that 
 enemy must be a bear! 
 
 The great panther hated bears. 
 Many times she had fought with them 
 
 32 
 
in the valley, but never before had 
 one dared to come to her den. Her 
 body remained rigid, but her tail 
 lashed the ground in front of the cave. 
 Faint cries came from the little ones 
 inside, and she moved closer to the 
 door of the den. 
 
 Nearer and nearer came the sounds. 
 A moment more and a big animal 
 lifted itself to the ledge. The mother 
 panther gave a startled look at the 
 great shape, — it was not one of the 
 black bears of the valley, but the 
 fierce grizzly from across the river ! 
 
 She crouched closer to the cave, 
 for she well knew that she had no 
 
 33 
 
chance in a fight with this ferocious 
 beast. She could easily save herself. 
 One leap would carry her to safety, 
 but how could she save her babies? 
 For them she must fight even this 
 strong, fierce foe. 
 
 The waiting panther did not stir 
 until the grizzly was quite close. 
 Then with a quick spring she began 
 the fight. Her slender body leaped 
 to and fro, but the heavy paws of 
 the great bear shot forth with won- 
 derful quickness. Inch by inch the 
 grizzly forced his way to the mouth 
 of the den, while the mother panther 
 fought furiously with teeth and claws. 
 
 34 
 
Then suddenly both animals stopped ! 
 From above them on the side of the 
 mountain came a sound of snapping 
 twigs and crashing trees. The pan- 
 ther glared at her foe, while the 
 bear, startled by the strange noise, 
 sat back on his haunches and listened. 
 
 From the top of the cliff a few 
 stones fell, more stones and snow 
 followed, and then a great mass of 
 snow and ice slid down, sweeping 
 everything before it. It fell to the 
 ledge, and carrying with it panther 
 and grizzly, dropped to the foot of 
 .the precipice. 
 
 A moment later the panther shook 
 35 
 
the snow from her tawny sides and 
 leaped back up the slope to her little 
 ones. After a while the pile of snow 
 at the foot of the cliff began to move, 
 and soon an enormous grizzly pushed 
 his way out of the drift, walked slowly 
 down the valley, and crossed to the 
 mountain on the other side. 
 
 36 , 
 
 !>■ 
 
wild cat 
 lynx 
 domestic cat 
 
 THE CAT FAMILY 
 
 lion leopard 
 
 tiger puma 
 
 panther jaguar 
 
 The members of the cat family are 
 graceful animals with long bodies, 
 round heads, keen eyes, pointed ears, 
 sharp teeth, long whiskers, and soft 
 paws. In their paws are sharp, curved 
 claws that can be thrust out and drawn 
 in. Their bodies are covered with 
 thick, soft far. The tongues of all the 
 animals of this group are rough ; this 
 
 37 
 
roughness aids them in pulling the 
 meat from the bones of the animals 
 they catch ; it is also of use in cleaning 
 their beautiful fur. Their food con- 
 ifj sists of smaller animals and birds. 
 Most of these animals hunt at night, 
 for in the dark their eyes become larger 
 so as to take in every ray of light. 
 
 The lion is called the King of Beasts 
 because of its great strength and also 
 because it is not afraid to attack any 
 other animal. Its color is a tawny 
 yellow, lighter on the under parts of 
 the body and darker above. The lion 
 when full grown has a thick, shaggy 
 
 38 
 
mane of long hair, which grows from 
 the neck and shoulders. The tip of 
 the tail is decorated with a tuft of dark 
 hair. The lioness is not so large as 
 her mate and has no mane. Lions are 
 found in Africa and the warm coun- 
 tries of Asia. 
 
 The tiger is almost as large as the 
 lion. Its body is nearly covered with 
 black and yellow stripes. Like the 
 lion, it makes its home in the jungles 
 of Asia and Africa. 
 
 The panther and leopard are not 
 so large as the tiger. Their bodies 
 are covered with dark spots. They 
 are able to climb trees; there, hid- 
 
 39 
 
den among the branches, they watch 
 for their prey and spring upon it as 
 it passes on the ground beneath them. 
 The panther is to be found in parts 
 of America. The leopard lives in 
 Asia and Africa, 
 
 The puma is called the American 
 
 lion. Its shrill scream may some- 
 
 ' ( times be heard in the mountains of 
 
 the west. Like the leopard and the 
 panther, it springs upon its prey from 
 the branches of trees. Unlike most of 
 the other members of this group, it is 
 not satisfied with catching a single an- 
 imal ; but when meeting a herd of cat- 
 tle or a flock of sheep it will kill as 
 40 
 
many as it can, sucking a little blood 
 from each one. It has been known to 
 kill fifty sheep in one night. 
 
 The jaguar is in many respects like 
 the leopard. Its golden yellow coat 
 is marked with dark spots. It is 
 strong and fierce, and often attacks 
 animals much larger than itself. It 
 is found in unsettled parts of America. 
 
 The wild cat is larger than the 
 domestic cat. It was once common 
 in the thick woods of America, but 
 is now to be found only in the thinly 
 settled parts. It is ferocious and kills 
 large numbers of small animals and 
 birds. 
 
 41 
 
The lynx is less fierce than most 
 of the other animals of this group. 
 It hunts hares, rabbits, and other 
 
 // small prey. Its fur forms a valuable 
 article of commerce. The lynx is 
 found in Europe and in the northern 
 and western parts of the United States. 
 The domestic cat is a pet in many 
 homes. It is clean in its habits and is 
 less noisy than the dog. It is affec- 
 tionate, and often shows surprising in- 
 telligence. 
 
 42 
 
THE DOG FAMILY 
 
LASSIE. THE SHEPHERD'S DOG 
 
 Away up in the mountains there 
 lived a father and mother and Paul, 
 a dear little boy, not quite four years 
 old. 
 
 The father was a shepherd, and 
 every day with the help of his faith- 
 ful dog. Lassie, he cared for a large 
 flock of sheep that fed on the fresh 
 grass in the valley. 
 
 Each morning when Lassie and the 
 father started to take the sheep to 
 their pasture, the little fellow cried 
 to go too. 
 
 ^ 45 
 
 2%^.^ — 
 
" See how he wants to go with 
 you," said the mother. "When he is 
 older, he will help you care for the 
 sheep." 
 
 " Let me take him to-day," said 
 the father. "We shall not go far. 
 If he gets tired, Lassie can carry him 
 on her back." 
 
 So the mother packed a lunch, and 
 the three started down the valley, 
 driving the sheep before them. 
 
 The sun shone and the air was 
 bright and warm. 
 
 How happy little Paul was! He 
 laughed and talked as he held to his 
 father's hand or sometimes rode on 
 
 46 
 
his shoulder. At noon they ate their 
 lunch by the side of the river that 
 flowed through the valley. Then the 
 father spread his coat upon the 
 ground, and the little boy slept in 
 the shade of a big tree. When he 
 awoke, the sun was not shining, 
 clouds had spread over the sky, and 
 a fog was settling down in the valley. 
 
 " We must take the sheep home," 
 said the shepherd. " There is going 
 to be a storm." Calling Lassie, he 
 sent her to collect the scattered flock. 
 
 "My son," the father said, "you 
 must wait here by this big tree. | 
 When the sheep are together, I will 
 
 47 
 
come and carry you home. Now be 
 sure not to move away from this 
 place." 
 
 '' All right, Father," was the an- 
 swer, and the shepherd went back to 
 his sheep. 
 
 Soon the fog grew thicker and 
 darker. The rain began to fall, and 
 the lightning flashed. Some of the 
 sheep had wandered far away, and 
 the shepherd had trouble in finding 
 them. At last the father returned 
 for his little son. He easily found 
 the big tree, but no boy was near it. 
 
 "Paul, Paul," he called, but no 
 answer came except the crash of the 
 48 
 
thunder. Greatly frightened, the anx- 
 ious father searched first in one direc- 
 tion, then in another. Surely the 
 little fellow could not have gone far. 
 The river in the valley was rapidly 
 rising. What if the boy had fallen in ! 
 
 Up the valley he could hear the 
 sharp barks of Lassie as she drove 
 the sheep. Perhaps the child had 
 followed her home. Paul and Lassie 
 were good friends ; he must have 
 seen the dog as she passed with the 
 sheep. 
 
 Eagerly the father ran toward his 
 home, feeling sure that he would find 
 the boy there. When he reached the 
 
 49 
 
cottage, the mother was standing at 
 the door waiting for them, but no 
 little Paul was by her side. 
 
 Together the frightened parents 
 went out into the storm to search for 
 their little son. Back and forth, all 
 night, they wandered through the valley. 
 
 " I don't see where Lassie can be," 
 said the father. "If she were only 
 here, she might help us." 
 
 The mother told how Lassie had 
 brought the sheep home, and how to- 
 gether they had driven them into the 
 fold. Then as soon as the sheep 
 were safe inside, Lassie had disap- 
 peared and had not been seen since. 
 
 50 
 
Next morning while the father went 
 to ask the neighbors to help him, the 
 tired mother returned alone to the 
 cottage. As she sat crying in their 
 little home, suddenly she heard the 
 bark of Lassie. Quickly the woman 
 ran to the door and let the dog in. 
 
 "Poor Lassie!" she cried. "How 
 tired you look ! You must be hungry 
 too. Do you want something to 
 eat?" 
 
 Two sharp barks were the answer, 
 and the woman placed on the floor 
 part of a loaf of bread. Without 
 stopping to eat it. Lassie seized it in 
 her mouth and ran away. 
 
 51 
 
" How strange ! " said the woman. 
 " I never knew Lassie to act that way 
 before." 
 
 Neighbors did not live near, and it 
 was almost noon before the father 
 returned with two men to help him. 
 All day they searched through the 
 valley and up the mountain side, but 
 ^ no trace of the lost boy did they 
 find. 
 
 That evening. Lassie again came to 
 the house and begged for something 
 to eat. When food was given her, 
 she picked it up as before and dashed 
 away with it. 
 
 " I wish we had gone with the 
 52 
 
dog," said one of the men. " Per- 
 haps she could find the boy." 
 
 Next morning the dog came again 
 for food, and as she left the father 
 followed her. Lassie carried the 
 bread in her mouth, but this time 
 she trotted slowly ahead of her master. 
 
 Down the valley the dog went, 
 straight to the big tree. There she 
 turned toward the bank of the river. 
 Climbing over the steep cliflf, she 
 jumped to a large rock below. 
 
 The shepherd followed her with 
 dif&culty, but when he reached the 
 space below, a strange sight met his 
 eyes. There in a cave, back of the 
 
 63 
 
big rock, was Lassie ; sitting on the 
 ground near her, eating the bread she 
 had brought, was the lost boy. 
 
 The little fellow must have wan- 
 dered from the big tree, and in the 
 dark rolled over the cliflf to the rock 
 below. The swift water of the river 
 in front of him and the steep cliff 
 behind had kept him in the cave. 
 Here Lassie had found him, and here 
 she had cared for him. 
 
 Soon in the little cottage on the 
 mountain side the happy mother held 
 her son in one arm, while the other 
 clasped the neck of Lassie, the faith- 
 ful dog. 
 
 54 
 
A MATTER OF TRUTHFULNESS 
 
 Early one morning, Mark Lewis 
 was awakened by a low whining un- 
 der his window. 
 
 He jumped quickly out of bed and 
 ran to the open window. He looked 
 out, and there by the side of the 
 house he saw a brown and white 
 puppy. 
 
 Mark hurried down and opened the 
 door. The little dog came in quickly, 
 glad to get near a warm stove once 
 more. In a minute his cold black 
 nose was deep in a dish of .milk, and 
 
 55 
 
it did not come out until the last 
 drop was gone. 
 
 Mark and his brothers, Fred and 
 Charlie, begged so hard to keep the 
 dog that at last Mother said they 
 might. The boys gave him the name 
 of Bob and began at once to teach 
 him some tricks. 
 
 A few days later they were play- 
 ing with him in front of the house. 
 Mark had a ball which he threw for 
 Bob to chase. Sometimes he thought 
 it was better fun not to throw the 
 ball but only to make the motion. 
 Then the children would laugh at 
 Bob's effort to find it. 
 66 
 
While they were playing in this 
 way, the doctor drove along and 
 stopped to see what they were doing. 
 When he had watched a few minutes, 
 he called them to his carriage and 
 said: "Boys, I am sorry to see that 
 you are lying to your dog. He has 
 only a small dog's mind. He cannot 
 think things out for himself as you 
 can. When you make a motion as if 
 to throw the ball, he trusts you. 
 He thinks you mean to throw it, and 
 when you do not throw it, you really 
 tell him a lie. By and by, he will 
 learn that he cannot trust you, and 
 then he will not do what you tell 
 
 67 
 
him to. You ought never to lie to a 
 dog." 
 
 This seemed funny to the boys at 
 first, but they all liked the doctor 
 and so they stopped fooling Bob. In 
 time he became so well trained that 
 he would do anything his young mas- 
 ters told him to do, if only he could 
 understand what they meant. 
 
 Best of all he liked to bring things 
 out of the water. When the boys sent 
 him in, Bob was sure to find there some- 
 thing that should be brought to land. 
 
 As the months passed, Bob grew to 
 be a big dog, the constant friend and 
 playfellow of the children. 
 58 
 
One afternoon in summer they all 
 went down to the edge of the pond. 
 While Mark and Charlie were playing, 
 little Fred climbed on to a big rock 
 that reached out into deep water. 
 All at once there was a splash and 
 a scream, and Fred was gone. He 
 had slipped from the rock! 
 
 The boys ran down the bank, but Fred 
 was nowhere to be seen. In their 
 fear both screamed as loud as they 
 could. A second later Bob came 
 running through the bushes, barking 
 as much as to say : " What is the 
 matter? Do you want me?" 
 
 Instantly both boys had the same ^j 
 59 i 
 
z;^^ 
 
 thought. Bob could do what they 
 could not. Each made the motion of 
 throwing something into the water 
 and cried, " In, Bob, in ! Go fetch 
 it!" 
 
 With a great splash Bob leaped 
 clear of the rock, and began to swim 
 in a circle. He had not made even 
 one turn when Fred's head came up 
 near him. The dog did not have to 
 be told what to do. He knew that 
 he was there to get something, so he 
 fastened his teeth in the child's coat 
 collar, and in half a minute had 
 pulled him into shallow water where 
 his brothers could drag him out. 
 
 60 
 
That evening when the doctor came, 
 he was told how Fred had been saved. 
 He patted Bob's head tenderly, and 
 then turning to the boys he said, 
 "Now, do you see why it is best 
 never to lie to a dog? " 
 
 61 
 
A NIGHT WITH A WOLF 
 
 Little one, come to my knee ; 
 
 Hark how the rain is pouring 
 Over the roof in the pitch-black night, 
 
 And the winds in the woods are roaring. 
 
 Hush, my darling, and listen, 
 Then pay for the story with kisses ; 
 
 Father was lost in the pitch-black night, 
 In just such a storm as this is. 
 
 High up in the lonely mountains. 
 
 Where the wild men watched and waited, 
 
 Wolves in the forest and bears in the bush, 
 And I on my path belated. 
 
 I crept along in the darkness. 
 Stunned and bruised and blinded — 
 
 62 
 
Crept to a fir with thick-set boughs, 
 And a sheltering rock behind it. 
 
 There, from the blowing and raining. 
 Crouching, I sought to hide me ; 
 
 Something rustled, two green eyes shone. 
 And a wolf lay down beside me. 
 
 Little one, be not frightened : 
 
 I and the wolf together. 
 Side by side, through the long, long night, 
 
 Hid from the awful weather. 
 
 His wet fur pressed against me ; 
 
 Each of us warmed the other ; 
 Each of us felt in the stormy dark. 
 
 That beast and man were brother. 
 
 And when the falling forest 
 No longer crashed in warning. 
 
 Each of us went from our hiding-place 
 Forth in the wet wild morning. 
 
 63 
 
Darling, kiss me in payment ; 
 
 Hark, how the wind is roaring ; 
 Father's house is a better place 
 
 When the stormy rain is pouring. 
 
 — Bayard Taylor 
 
 64 
 
FATHER WOLF AND THE PACK 
 
 It was very cold. The streams 
 were covered with ice, and the whole 
 land was white with snow. 
 
 The wolves were hungry. They had 
 not had anything to eat for days and 
 days. 
 
 " When shall we have some dinner, 
 Father?" whined the little wolves. ^//-^^ 
 
 ' ' Please bring; us something to eat ; '.ndllJ" il^^' 
 we are so hungry." kj.^/ 
 
 And Grayfur, the poor father wolf, 
 didn't know what 
 
That evening as they were all lying 
 close together, trying to keep warm, 
 there came a long, low howl from one 
 of the neighbor wolves. This was 
 answered by another wolf, and then 
 by another, and another. Even the 
 little ones knew what it meant ; it 
 was the gathering of the pack. 
 
 Grayfur started out and went toward 
 the forest to meet the other wolves. 
 They seemed to come from every direc- 
 tion, and soon there was a large num- 
 ber talking and growling together. All 
 were hungry and eager to be off on 
 the hunt. 
 
 Presently a large wolf, the leader of 
 66 
 
the pack, stepped forward. "Broth- 
 ers," he said, "are you hungry?" 
 
 What a howl there was, to be 
 sure! 
 
 " Then follow me," was the answer. 
 
 He turned and began to trot slowly 
 through the woods. The other wolves 
 threw up their heads and yelped for 
 joy as they bounded after him. 
 
 Grayfur wondered where they were 
 going. After a time they left the 
 woods and were out in the open fields. 
 The old leader kept up a steady trot 
 across the snow, and the pack followed 
 as closely as they could. 
 
 Grayfur had never been so far away 
 67 
 
 ^- 
 
from the forest before. What could 
 they be going to catch? 
 
 Presently the old leader stopped and 
 sniffed at the ground, then threw up 
 his head, howled, and started on again, 
 Grayfur sniffed the ground too, and 
 found a little hole in the snow, then 
 another, and another, and then a long 
 line of them. He knew what they 
 were ; they were the footsteps of men ! 
 It was a road, and the old leader 
 was taking them to a village ! 
 
 Grayfur understood now that they 
 were going to attack the village ; per- 
 haps they might find something to 
 eat, biit it was very bold. He had 
 
 68 
 
never done sucli a thing before. How- 
 ever, he thought to himself that there 
 were a good many others with him ; so 
 he ran on. He was very hungry, and 
 so were his little ones at home. 
 
 After they had gone on a little 
 farther, the old leader stopped, and 
 all the other wolves gathered around 
 him. "Now," he said, "each one must 
 find his dinner for himself. Over there 
 in the village are sheep and goats and 
 pigs and chickens, but remember there 
 are also men and dogs ! Let each one 
 go his own way and find what he 
 can ! " Then he darted off like a shot 
 and was lost in the darkness. 
 
Grayfur stopped a moment ; then he 
 too set off. He ran until he came 
 close to a cottage, where he saw a 
 light burning in a window. Quietly 
 he crept around the house; at the 
 back he found a pen in which were 
 sheep crowded close together. 
 
 " Here is my dinner," said Grayfur 
 to himself, and in less than no time 
 he had jumped over the fence and 
 was among the sheep. 
 
 Just then from the front of the 
 house there came the loud barking of 
 dogs and the shouting of men. Soon 
 the whole village was awake and every- 
 one was looking after his property. 
 
 70 
 
But Grayfur was off by this time, 
 running home as fast as he could go ; 
 and that evening the little wolves had 
 a fat young lamb for dinner. 
 
 71 
 
A TRAP 
 
 At the foot of a hill near the bank 
 of the river, there lived three young 
 foxes. 
 
 Their mother had left them and 
 had made a home for herself far 
 down the valley. For several months 
 she had cared for them and brought 
 food to them, but now she knew that 
 they were large enough to look out 
 for themselves. 
 ^ Sometimes the three little foxes 
 slept in the hollow log near the door 
 of their home, sometimes they played 
 
 72 
 
 ^'>>V^v^^^.., 
 
among the bushes, and every night they 
 hunted in the woods and fields near by. 
 
 Often they were hungry, for it was 
 not always easy to find a dinner ; and 
 then, sometimes, they had more than 
 enough to eat. 
 
 One evening as the largest one 
 started out, he ran straight toward ; 
 the river. There the wild ducks and 
 other water birds made their nests 
 among the weeds and rushes. They 
 were not hard to catch, and many a 
 choice meal had the young fox eaten 
 there. 
 
 But this night not a duck could he 
 find. Once he caught the smell of 
 
 73 
 
T? 
 
 some kind of bird, and followed it for 
 a short distance only to find an empty 
 nest. The bird had flown. 
 
 He went still farther down the 
 bank, but no dinner was in sight. 
 Then turning, he ran up the hill and 
 through a field of grain on the other 
 side. A field mouse ran across his 
 path. He stopped and caught it; a 
 few feet farther he caught another. 
 They were good, but not enough for 
 a hungry fox. 
 
 At the edge of the field he found 
 a rabbit sitting near the door of its 
 home. That would be a fine feast if 
 he could get it. Slyly the fox crept 
 
 74 
 
through the bushes, but just as he 
 was ready for a great spring, the 
 rabbit leaped into its burrow. In 
 vain the fox dug in the ground with 
 his strong claws; no rabbit did he get. 
 
 Still hungry, he turned again 
 toward the river. Suddenly he 
 stopped. Surely he caught the scent 
 of fresh meat! He ran rapidly in 
 the direction of the good smell. Soon 
 he was close to the river, and with 
 every step the scent grew stronger 
 and better. 
 
 A few more jumps and the hungry 
 fox saw a fine piece of juicy meat 
 fastened to the twig of a tree. 
 
 75 
 
Here was a splendid meal, but the 
 fox stopped. Sometliing did not seem 
 just right. Slowly he walked in a 
 circle around the tempting morsel. 
 He wanted it more and more and yet 
 he was afraid. 
 
 Round and round he went in the 
 bushes, his nose close to the ground. 
 There was no trace of anything wrong 
 there, no smell of anything but the 
 good fresh meat. 
 
 He jumped to the bank below and 
 carefully examined the stones. Near 
 one of them he stopped. Here was 
 a different scent. Again and again 
 the fox sniffed the ground. Then he 
 
 76 
 
turned from the tempting smell and 
 walked slowly away, — for near the 
 stone was the trace of a man's foot! 
 Though the fox was young, he well 
 knew the meaning of that smell. 
 That fine fresh meat was only the 
 bait of a trap which the man had 
 carefully placed in the bushes. 
 
 The fox leaped over the stones, 
 and, as he ran up the hill in the 
 moonlight, he seemed to laugh at the 
 man. 
 
 77 
 
 f 
 
THE DOG FAMILY 
 
 wolf jackal 
 
 fox 
 
 coyote 
 
 dog 
 
 The animals of the dog family 
 have thick coats of hair, strong jaws, 
 and long, sharp teeth. Their sense of 
 smell is keen, and they are able to 
 follow the scent of an animal for a 
 long distance. The animals of the 
 cat family use both teeth and claws 
 in catching their prey, but these ani- 
 mals can bite so much harder that 
 they do not need the help of sharp 
 claws. 
 
 78 
 
The wolf looks much like a large, 
 shaggy dog. Wolves sometimes hunt 
 in packs; they are then fearless and 
 dangerous. They are found in all the 
 northern countries of the world. 
 
 The fox is not so large or strong 
 as the wolf. It is an enemy of the a^^ 
 farmer because of the many chickens 
 it kills. The fur of some kinds of 
 foxes is very valuable. 
 
 The coyote, or prairie wolf, is about 
 one third smaller than the gray wolf, 
 but in form and color they are much 
 alike. The food of the coyote con- 
 sists of rabbits, prairie dogs, hares, 
 and other small animals. 
 
 79 
 
The jackal is a little larger than 
 the fox. It is found in some parts 
 of Asia and Africa. It often follows 
 larger animals and eats the parts of 
 their prey which they may leave. 
 
 The dog is the friend, companion, 
 and helper of man. Dogs have been 
 taught to search for persons lost in 
 the snow, they aid their masters in 
 hunting, they have many times saved 
 people from drowning, and are of 
 great help to shepherds in caring for 
 sheep. In cold countries, dogs are 
 used to draw sledges and are able 
 to travel long distances over the ice 
 and snow. 
 
 80 
 
SEALS AND SEA LIONS 
 
THE MOTHER SEAL'S STORY 
 Far away up in the north, midst 
 the ice and snow, there lived a family 
 of seals, — a father seal, a mother 
 seal, and a little baby seal. 
 
 The baby seal swam about in the 
 water and had all sorts of games with 
 the other little seals who lived close 
 by. Sometimes he climbed up on to 
 the rocks, and then as he lay by his 
 mother's side, she told him stories of 
 what happened to her when she was 
 a little seal. The story he liked best 
 
 83 
 
'^k 
 
 of all was what he called the " Man 
 Story." 
 
 He used to say to his mother, 
 " Tell me the Man Story again, 
 Mother." 
 
 And his mother would say, " Why, 
 I've told you that so many times, 
 dear; wouldn't you like a new story? " 
 
 But the little seal would answer, 
 "No, I want the Man Story, Mother. 
 I like that best." 
 
 Then the mother seal would begin, 
 " Long, long ago, when I was a little 
 baby seal — " 
 
 "As little as I, Mother?" the little 
 seal would ask. 
 
 84 
 
" Yes, smaller than you are now, 
 my dear," the mother would reply. 
 " I used to live here with my father 
 and mother, and one day as we were 
 swimming about in the sea, we saw 
 a great big thing like a rock, with 
 wings, come sailing along on the top 
 of the water. I learned afterwards 
 that it was called a ship. It came 
 nearer and nearer ; then it stopped, 
 and a little thing called a boat was 
 let down into the water. It came 
 swimming along toward us, and we 
 heard the most beautiful music com- 
 ing from it. Now, you know we all 
 like music very much ; so we swam 
 85 — ^ 
 
nearer to the boat to listen. When 
 we got quite close, we saw that there 
 were some funny-looking creatures 
 sitting in it." 
 
 " Oh, those were men, weren't they, 
 Mother?" the little seal would say. 
 
 "Yes, dear," the mother seal would 
 answer. " They seemed to be quite 
 friendly, and they made the sweet 
 music for us. But that night we 
 noticed that some of our friends were 
 missing, and we did not know what 
 had become of them. A few days 
 later my mother did not come home. 
 She had been out to listen to the 
 music. We waited and waited, but 
 
 86 
 
she did not come back. The next day 
 I heard that she would never come 
 home any more. She had been taken 
 away by those men ; it was they who 
 had caught all our friends. Some of 
 them had been killed ■ — it seemed 
 that the men wanted their skins to 
 make extra skins for themselves — 
 and others had been taken alive and 
 shut up in the ship. They had cap- 
 tured my mother — I am glad to say 
 she wasn't killed — and put her on 
 the ship with a large number of seals 
 and sea lions. They were all carried 
 away to the far, far south." 
 
 " And what did the men do with 
 87 • 
 
them there, Mother?" the little seal 
 would ask, though he knew the answer 
 quite well. 
 
 " They took them away to a far 
 country," replied the mother seal, 
 " and put them in a sort of cage. I 
 believe they were well treated. They 
 were given water to swim in and fish 
 to eat, and they were taught all sorts 
 of tricks, but they were not free and 
 happy as they once were." 
 
 ^'Is that all the Man Story, Mother?" 
 the little seal would say. 
 
 "Yes, dear," the mother always 
 answered. " The men haven't come 
 again, and if they did, we should 
 88 
 
know better now, and shouldn't go 
 near them to be caught." 
 
 "No," the little seal would say, "I 
 shall never be caught by men." 
 
 89 
 
SEALS AND SEA LIONS 
 seal walrus sea lion 
 
 These animals are formed like fish, 
 and their limbs and feet resemble fins. 
 Their bodies are covered with two lay- 
 ers of soft fur, which protect them from 
 the icy water in which they spend 
 much of their time. In the water they 
 swim and dive with great swiftness, 
 but on land they move slowly and awk- 
 wardly. 
 
 The seal is found on the coast of 
 Iceland and in other cold countries. 
 90 
 
Its head looks like that of a big dog. 
 Its food consists of fish, which it catches 
 while swimming in the water. The 
 seal is hunted for its fine fur. Its 
 flesh is used for food, and the fat fur- 
 nishes oil for the lamps of the Eski- 
 mos. 
 
 The walrus is much like the seal in 
 shape, but it has two long tusks that 
 grow from its upper jaw and extend 
 downward. From these tusks some of 
 the finest ivory is obtained. Its prey 
 consists of small seals, fish, shrimps, 
 and other animal life found in the sea. 
 
 The sea lion has upon its neck and 
 shoulders a heavy mass of stiff curly 
 
 91 
 
hair which, because it resembles the 
 mane of a lion, has given the creature 
 its name. Like the walrus, it feeds 
 upon small seals and fish. 
 
 92 
 
BEARS 
 
BABY BLACK BEAR 
 
 For many weeks the little black ^i 
 
 /'■'•'iff 
 bear lived in the cave, lying close to -^ 
 
 the side of his big mother. Outside, 
 the ground was covered with snow 
 and ice. The wind blew and the air 
 was stinging cold. But inside the 
 cave, cuddled in his mother's warm 
 fur, the baby knew little of the win- 
 ter weather. 
 
 Once in a while the mother awoke 
 and licked the little one with her 
 warm, soft tongue, as he lay by her 
 side or tumbled around in the dry 
 
 95 
 
leaves. Then they both slept again, 
 waiting for the warm days of spring. 
 
 At last one morning, the mother 
 bear stirred uneasily. Light was 
 coming through the doorway, which 
 had been closed all winter by a huge 
 snowdrift. 
 
 The big black bear was hungry. 
 Slowly she rose and looked out on 
 the world she had left last fall. She 
 turned to the baby. He was still 
 asleep in his bed of leaves and grass. 
 So she slipped quietly from the den 
 and climbed up the mountain, look- 
 ing for breakfast. Among the bushes 
 she caught a young rabbit; it was 
 
 96 
 
 i^^O' 
 
JS?-^" 
 
 not a large meal for a hungry bear, 
 but she returned to the den, and with 
 the little one at her side, again went 
 to sleep. 
 
 Every few days Mother Bear went 
 out for food, while the baby remained 
 at home. 
 
 At last the snow was gone, the 
 hills were covered with green grass, 
 and many animals were enjoying the 
 warm sunshine. Then Mother Bear 
 thought that it was time to take her 
 cub out for a walk. 
 
 The little one followed her timidly 
 as she coaxed him from the cave. 
 How strange and bright everything 
 97 
 
"""M 
 
 J^^ 
 
 seemed! He stayed close to his 
 mother's heels for a few steps, then 
 went back to the cave, sat down by 
 the door, and whined. 
 
 Mother Bear made queer grunting 
 
 / 
 
 "^ tf % sounds which meant : " Don't be 
 
 1^^ 
 
 afraid, Baby Bear. Nothing shall 
 
 -5^* hurt you while Mother is here." 
 
 "^viril Baby Bear took a few steps, then a 
 
 "X -Kx^ few more, and he was again by his 
 
 J mother's side. Slowly they made 
 
 their way down the mountain, for the 
 
 little one often sat down to rest. 
 
 Mother Bear now began to teach 
 him some of the ways of the world. 
 In the sweet tufts of grass were little 
 98 
 
snails, which she showed him how to 
 find. With her big paws she raised 
 up stones and turned over logs, under 
 which the little cub found delicious 
 ants and bugs. 
 
 It was a happy day, and at night 
 Mother Bear lay down by an old log, 
 while a tired baby bear cuddled up 
 beside her and slept. 
 
 Then followed many happy days. 
 After a while the strawberries were 
 ripe. Then snails and ants were 
 forgotten, and the little one climbed 
 the hills with his mother hunting 
 for the sweet red fruit. After 
 the strawberries were gone, they 
 99 
 
^'^ y 
 
 found huckleberries and sometimes 
 a few blackberries. The woodland 
 seemed to be filled with good things 
 for hungry bears. 
 
 One day Mother Bear stopped by 
 the side of a big tree and gave a 
 few queer grunts which meant: " Come 
 quick ! Here is something to eat 
 better than anything you have ever 
 tasted." The little fellow came at 
 once, tumbling down and rolling part 
 way in his haste to answer that call. 
 At the foot of the hill was. Mother 
 Bear, standing with her paw in a 
 hole in the side of the tree. Baby 
 Bear tried to put his paw in too, but 
 100 
 
just then a queer insect lighted on 
 his nose and stung him. How it 
 hurt! He put his two little paws 
 over his face and howled and howled. 
 " Never mind," grunted Mother 
 Bear. "Here! Eat this." And she 
 let him lick off the paw that she had 
 drawn out of the tree. 
 
 Baby Bear stopped crying and 
 licked the sweet stuff until it was all 
 gone ; then lie smacked his lips and 
 whined for more. 
 
 Mother Bear taught him to put his 
 
 little paw inside the ti-ee and pull 
 
 out the honey for himself. To be 
 
 sure the bees stung him, but that did 
 
 101 
 
 .sf^ 
 
not matter so long as he could reach 
 their sweet treasure. 
 
 After that, Mother Bear showed him 
 how to find other bee trees and how 
 to gnaw away the wood if he could 
 not at once reach the comb. 
 
 One day, Baby Bear smelled a 
 strange smell. Mother Bear was 
 eating berries, so he thought he would 
 hunt by himself. Up the mountain 
 he went, his head close to the ground, 
 following the scent that was different 
 from anything his baby nose had ever 
 smelled before. Once he lost the 
 trail, but after wandering around he 
 found it again, and now he was 
 102 
 
coining nearer and nearer to some- 
 thing he knew must be good to eat. 
 A climb up a steep bank, and there 
 at the top was a stick with a piece 
 of fat bacon on the end of it. It 
 was almost too high for Baby Bear to 
 reach, but he sniffed at it, and was 
 just about to give a little jump for it 
 when Mother Bear suddenly came 
 through the bushes. She was up the 
 bank in. a moment, and her big paw 
 struck Baby on the side of the head 
 with such force that he tumbled and 
 rolled away from the good-smelling 
 meat. Again and again she cuffed 
 him until he whined and howled with 
 103 
 
' li 
 
 pain. Then in bear language she told 
 him that the scent he liked so well 
 came from the bait of a trap. "You 
 must never, never, never touch any- 
 thing like that," she said. 
 
 In autumn the frost came and nuts 
 covered the ground. Both bears ate 
 until they could eat no more, and 
 their bodies were covered with thick 
 ,|^ layers of fat. The days began to 
 % grow shorter, the wind blew the leaves 
 from the trees, and the birds flew 
 away to the warm southland. 
 
 Then Mother Bear gave her little 
 one to understand that he must take 
 care of himself. 
 
 104 
 
One day in the thick woods he 
 found a hollow tree close by the side 
 of a big rock. He crawled into 
 and found that it was just 
 enough to hold his black, furry 
 
 Soon the snow fell and the 
 days came, but safe and warm in 
 snug little home. Baby Bear slept 
 winter. 
 
 _^^.-A/ 
 
 105 
 
BEARS 
 
 polar bear black bear grizzly bear 
 
 Bears have heavy bodies covered 
 with long, coarse hair ; they have short 
 legs, and broad, flat feet with blunt 
 claws. They eat not only flesh but 
 vegetable food as well. They are found 
 in almost all countries and are fitted by 
 nature to inhabit the hottest as well 
 as the coldest parts of the world. 
 
 The polar bear or white bear lives 
 in the cold north countries. Its body 
 106 
 
is covered with heavy white fur. Be- 
 cause of this white coat it can easily 
 hide- among the snowdrifts and ice. 
 It has great power in swimming and 
 diving and often pursues and kills 
 its prey under water. Its food con- 
 sists of fish and seals, and it some- 
 times catches even the walrus. 
 
 The black bear is found in the 
 Eocky Mountains. It usually sleeps 
 during the cold months of winter in 
 a cave or hollow tree. It eats berries, 
 roots, insects, fish, eggs, birds, and 
 small animals. 
 
 The grizzly bear is large and pow- 
 erful, and is one of the most ferocious 
 107 
 
 / 
 
 6'- /.f-J'. 
 
animals of North America. Because 
 of its great strength it is able to 
 carry off an animal as large as a 
 deer. 
 
 108 
 
GNAWERS 
 
THE BEAVERS 
 
 The beavers were moving. For 
 many years they had lived on the 
 banks of a stream where they had 
 built a fine dam, but this summer 
 there had been no rain and the 
 bed of the brook had become dry. 
 Little by little the pool of water 
 back of the dam had dried up until 
 there was no place for the beavers 
 to swim and play. 
 
 " We must move," said the oldest 
 father beaver. "We must find some 
 place where we can have water." 
 Ill 
 
That night the big beavers and the 
 little beavers started down the dry 
 bed of the stream. Very slowly they 
 went, for beavers swim much more 
 easily than they walk. 
 
 After what seemed a long journey 
 to the young ones, they reached the 
 river into which their own little 
 stream had emptied. They swam for 
 about two miles, and then the big 
 father beaver stopped. He had 
 chosen the place for their new 
 home. 
 
 Tired from their long trip, they 
 rested all the next day, but when 
 night came they were ready for work. 
 112 
 
Part of them swam a short distance 
 up stream to a place where many 
 young trees grew near the bank. 
 
 They climbed over the stones and 
 began cutting down the trees by 
 gnawing them with their sharp teeth. 
 Soon one tree fell into the water. 
 Quickly the branches and leaves were 
 taken off, and it began to float down 
 the river where the others were wait- 
 ing. There the young ones stripped 
 off the bark to save it for winter 
 food. The older beavers pulled the 
 log to its place where the dam was 
 to be built and piled stones and mud 
 upon it. Other sticks and logs came 
 
 113 
 
floating down, and these also were 
 put into place. 
 
 Thus they toiled for many nights 
 until the work was finished, and the 
 big father beaver said it was the best 
 dam he had ever seen. 
 
 Back of it was a fine pool, and 
 here the houses of sticks and mud 
 were built. Each little house had two 
 rooms : a bedroom upstairs and a store- 
 room below, with the doorway under 
 water. 
 
 Winter came, and ice covered the 
 surface of the pool. It froze the mud 
 walls and closed the cracks of the 
 beavers' homes. Inside the little 
 
 114 
 
rooms, snugly wrapped in their warm 
 coats of fur, the beavers spent the 
 long months until spring called 
 them. 
 
 115 
 
RED SQUIRREL 
 
 Eed Squirrel and his mate lived in 
 the hollow elm tree near the orchard. 
 During the fall they had searched for 
 acorns, other nuts, and seeds and had 
 carried them into their snug little 
 home, but the snow had come early 
 and had stopped their work long 
 before they had gathered enough. 
 Woods and fields were covered with 
 a soft white blanket, hiding the food 
 which they wished to store away for 
 the long winter time. 
 116 
 
The days grew colder, and tlie 
 squirrels slept in their hollow tree. 
 Once in a while they woke up and 
 ate from their scanty store; then, 
 lying close together to keep warm, 
 they slept again. 
 
 A month passed, and nothing re- 
 mained of the seeds and nuts but a 
 few dry shells. Eed Squirrel ven- 
 tured out to look about, but he found 
 only snow and ice and bare trees. 
 He ran up the branches of the elm 
 and jumped over into the big oak. 
 There a few half-frozen birds were 
 chirping; they too had been looking 
 for food, but all the seed plants were 
 117 
 
 f 
 
 m 
 
 U 
 
buried beneath the heavy white 
 covering. A rabbit leaped from its 
 burrow and looked for some tender 
 twigs or roots, but finding nothing he 
 returned to his home under the hazel 
 bushes. 
 
 Red Squirrel scampered up the 
 branches of the oak, hoping that a 
 few acorns might have been left on 
 some of the twigs. But the strong 
 wind had shaken them all out of 
 their tiny cups, and still hungry, he 
 went back to his hole in the elm. 
 
 Days passed, and the squirrels 
 were nearly starved. Red Squirrel 
 sometimes ran up and down the tree, 
 
 118 
 
but his mate lay in the nest too 
 weak to move. 
 
 The sun shone and tried to melt 
 the thick blanket, but the cold wind 
 brought more gray clouds across the 
 sky and they sent more snow to the 
 frozen ground. 
 
 One day, as Red Squirrel was run- 
 ning among the branches, he noticed 
 something strange near the orchard 
 gate. A boy and a girl were coming 
 toward the big elm. The boy had a 
 basket with something in it, and the 
 girl carried a broom. 
 
 Greatly frightened, Red Squirrel 
 hurried into his hole, where he hid 
 119 
 
 r> 
 
among the sticks and dry leaves. 
 Soon strange noises could be heard 
 outside the tree. He listened and at 
 last, growing bolder, he climbed up 
 and peeped out. What he saw made 
 his eyes sparkle while his tail jerked 
 and twitched with excitement. 
 
 Down at the foot of the tree the 
 boy had swept away the snow, and on 
 the bare ground the girl was scatter- 
 ing corn and wheat, bread crumbs and 
 cake, and yes — Eed Squirrel was sure 
 of it — there were a few nuts. He 
 was so surprised that he forgot to be 
 afraid, and in his eagerness he ran 
 part way down the trunk. 
 120 
 
But other little people of the woods 
 were watching too. Bright eyes looked 
 from the tree tops and peeped from 
 homes in the ground and in hollow trees. 
 When the table was set and everything 
 was ready, the children stepped back 
 by the fence to see what would happen. 
 
 Eed Squirrel slipped down the tree 
 a little nearer, then he ran around the 
 trunk and peeped at the good nuts. 
 Soon a sparrow braver than the others 
 went down to the table and began 
 pecking at the cake. A hungry blue 
 jay flew down, and grabbing a kernel of 
 corn went back to the tree top. A 
 timid gray rabbit hopped over to a 
 121 
 
piece of bread and eagerly began to 
 eat. 
 
 Red Squirrel on the other side of the 
 tree trunk watched the children, but 
 as they did not move, he went nearer 
 and nearer to the gdod things. Then, 
 making a quick jump, he picked up 
 one of the nuts in his mouth and in 
 a moment was back up the tree and 
 into the hole to his hungry mate. 
 Leaving the precious food by her side, 
 he ran back again to the feast. 
 
 The other little animals and birds 
 
 had become less afraid, and in a short 
 
 time the table was entirely cleared, 
 
 but not before Red Squirrel had car- 
 
 122 
 
ried several nuts and some grains of 
 corn to his nest. 
 
 Day after day the children came, 
 bringing good things for their hungry 
 guests. The little people of the wood 
 soon became so tame that it was hardly 
 possible to brush away the snow, so 
 eager were they for their dinner. Every 
 day Red Squirrel watched from his 
 hole until the gate was opened. Then 
 Closely followed by his little mate, he 
 scampered down the tree, ran about 
 the table, and sometimes even climbed 
 into the basket to help himself. 
 
 So passed the weeks until the sun 
 and the warm south wind drove the 
 123 
 
snow away. Then the children closed 
 their boarding house, but often during 
 the spring and summer they came to 
 see their little friends of the woodland. 
 124 
 
DICK AND THE WHEEL 
 
 I do not know which Frank thought 
 the more of, his bicycle or Dick. 
 
 The bicycle he had bought with his 
 own money, and Dick was a little 
 gray squirrel which his uncle had 
 given him for a birthday present. 
 
 Frank had taught Dick many tricks. 
 He would say, "Dick, let me see you 
 crack this nut," and Dick would sit 
 up on his hind legs, hold the nut in 
 his paws, and crack it with his teeth. 
 
 There was nothing Dick liked so 
 125 
 
much as to sit on Frank's shoulder 
 when he rode his wheel. How his little 
 bead eyes would shine as he lay on 
 his master's shoulder. If Frank rode 
 slowly, then Dick would sit upright, 
 with his long plumy tail curled up 
 behind him, or he would sometimes 
 skip down to the handle bars and 
 ride there. 
 
 One morning last summer, Frank 
 came into the house and called: 
 "Dick! where are you? Don't you 
 want to take a ride ? " 
 
 Dick jumped from behind the 
 door, ran out on to the porch, and 
 seated himself on the wheel, as much 
 
 126 
 
as to say, " If you please." His 
 master laughed heartily, and off they 
 started. 
 
 They had a fine time until they 
 went down a long hill on the way 
 home. Here a sharp rock threw 
 Frank from his wheel. He was not 
 hurt, but when he scrambled to his 
 feet Dick was nowhere to be found. 
 
 Up and down the street Frank 
 went, whistling and calling, but 
 no squirrel appeared. He looked up 
 in the trees, down in the gutter, and 
 over the fence in the pasture. It 
 was the strangest thing how Dick 
 could have disappeared so suddenly! 
 127 
 
For nearly an hour Frank searched, 
 but it was of no use, and so at last he 
 rode sadly home. 
 
 A happy thought came ! Perhaps 
 he would find Dick at the house. 
 But neither his mother nor his sister 
 had seen anything of the squirrel. 
 
 " He must have gone back to the 
 woods," said Frank in a husky voice. 
 Tears came into his eyes, and he 
 reached into his pocket for his hand- 
 kerchief. 
 
 How he jumped as he touched 
 something soft and furry, and then — 
 Dick leaped right out of the pocket 
 on to the table! He sat up on his 
 
 128 
 
hind feet and blinked his funny little 
 eyes as much as to say: "What in 
 the world is all this fuss about? 
 Such a fall as that, Master Frank, 
 was too miich for me. I jumped 
 into your pocket, and it has taken 
 me all this time to get over that 
 tumble." 
 
 129 
 
THE LITTLE RABBIT'S ESCAPE 
 
 /f " The little rabbit was tired of his 
 f heme at the end of the burrow. All 
 his short life had been spent with 
 his four brothers and sisters in that 
 little nest made of dry grass and 
 lined with bunches of his mother's 
 soft fur. 
 
 Mother Bunny had left all the 
 little ones asleep that morning when 
 she went out to look for food, but 
 this little one had waked up before 
 the others. He raised his head and 
 130 
 
listened to the sounds he heard out- 
 side. 
 
 He was the largest and strongest 
 rabbit in the nest. Once he had 
 hopped to the end of the burrow 
 where the light was, but Mother 
 Bunny had found him there and had 
 driven him back. 
 
 The sounds that came from the 
 big world were faint and seemed far 
 away. He felt that he must go 
 where he coald hear better, and he 
 wanted to see the wonderful things 
 outside. Quietly he hopped along 
 the passageway until a great light 
 shone in his eyes. How warm and 
 
 131 
 
fine it was there in the doorway, and 
 what queer sounds came from all 
 around. He stood up on his hind 
 feet, raised his long ears, and lis- 
 tened. 
 
 The wind blew and the leaves 
 made soft music, birds sang in the 
 branches, and crickets chirped in the 
 grass. All was new and wonderful 
 and strange to the little rabbit. He 
 went outside the door just a little 
 way. There he could hear and see 
 better. A squirrel chattered from 
 the top of a tall tree and dropped 
 an acorn near him. He hopped 
 quickly back into the burrow, but 
 
 132 
 
after waiting a few minutes he again 
 hopped outside, this time venturing 
 farther. 
 
 A big toad jumped near and looked 
 at him with his big eyes. A robin sat 
 on a fence and chirped at him, but 
 the little rabbit was not afraid. 
 Everything seemed to be coaxing him 
 away from his home. Every minute in 
 this new world was making him braver. 
 He found some fresh green grass and 
 something seemed to tell him that 
 this was good to eat. He tried it 
 and found that he wanted more. He 
 ate a while, then paused to listen to 
 the strange sounds. 
 133 
 
 ^'4 > 
 
 V r" 
 
 // 
 
Suddenly he noticed a different 
 noise, such a queer rustling sound. 
 Something was moving very softly 
 yet swiftly in the bushes. A great 
 fear came to the little rabbit. Here 
 was danger! He must get back 
 home at once. He gave two wild 
 leaps and then stopped, while the very 
 life seemed to go out of his little 
 body. Between him and the burrow 
 was a long, spotted creature with a 
 narrow head and two bright, cruel 
 eyes! As these eyes looked at him, 
 the little rabbit sank to the ground 
 close to the side of an overhanging 
 rock. 
 
 134, 
 
Slowly the snake glided nearer, 
 while the rabbit could do nothing 
 but look at those strange, dreadful 
 eyes. Closer to the rock he pressed 
 his little body ; already he could 
 hear the hiss of the snake as the 
 poisonous fangs were darted toward 
 him, and then — a shadow passed 
 over the ground. 
 
 The snake stopped suddenly and 
 raised his head. He knew the mean- 
 ing of that swiftly moving shadow. 
 He turned as though in search of a 
 place to hide, but he was not quick 
 enough. From the sky above came a 
 flash of black wings, and into the back 
 135 
 
of the snake, sharp talons were fast- 
 ened. Another moment, and the hawk 
 had carried her prey to a nest in the 
 tree top. 
 
 Then a trembling little rabbit hopped 
 back into the burrow on the side of the 
 hill, where he sank down too weak to 
 move, and there Mother Bunny found 
 him when she came home that night. 
 136 
 
 ..iiiinrii'ii 
 

 THE PORCUPINE 
 
 All day the little porcupine had 
 been asleep in the hollow log where 
 he made his home, but as soon as the 
 sun went down, he awoke, stretched 
 himself, and wished for something to 
 eat. 
 
 He pushed his way through the nar- 
 row opening that served as a doorway 
 and looked about him. It was grow- 
 ing dark, just the time for him to get 
 his supper. 
 
 Slowly and clumsily he climbed up 
 the hillside, the spines on his tail 
 137 
 
rattling as he went. He found ripe 
 strawberries growing in the grass, 
 while in the bushes were tender stems 
 and twigs. What more could a young 
 porcupine ask for a meal? 
 
 A brook that ran near by seemed 
 to sing, "Come and drink!," but the 
 porcupine did not notice. Little cared 
 he for water when juicy fruit Avas near. 
 
 Just as he was reaching for a fine 
 big berry, a sound of snapping twigs 
 was heard. The porcupine stopped, 
 raised his sharp little ears, and 
 listened. Some animal was coming 
 through the bushes! 
 
 He was too far away to hide in his 
 138 
 
hollow log, and liis legs were too short 
 for running. There was but one thing 
 to do. Quickly he curled himself up in 
 a round ball and thrust out the sharp 
 quills that covered his body. 
 
 A moment later a large gray fox 
 jumped through the bushes. The 
 little porcupine lay without moving, 
 while the fox walked slowly around 
 him. The gray fox had seen such 
 
 animals before, and he knew that it cQ, i 
 
 would not be wise to try to touch 
 one. Still, the smell was good, and 
 the fox was hungry. Carefully he 
 gave the prickly ball a push with his 
 foot. Then there was a howl of pain, 
 139 
 

 and the fox leaped away with some 
 sharp spines in the soft part of his 
 '( paw. 
 
 ■'^ When the danger was gone, the 
 porcupine drew the quills back into 
 ^WSL their hiding place, uncurled his soft 
 little body, and went slowly back into 
 the woods. There he hunted for ten- 
 der roots until he again heard sounds 
 of snapping twigs. 
 
 Again the quills came out, and a 
 prickly ball lay on the ground, as a big 
 black bear and her cub came down 
 the hillside. The baby bear followed 
 the scent that led to the strange ball 
 of spines. 
 
 140 
 
"Don't touch it," growled the 
 mother. "Tou will get hurt if you 
 do." 
 
 But the cub had his nose to the 
 ground. He liked the smell of this 
 strange little animal; surely it must 
 be good to eat. 
 
 " Come away," growled Mother Bear 
 again. " You can't eat such things." 
 
 But Baby Bear did not heed. 
 Going closer to the ball, he gave a 
 quick snap. Poor Baby Bear! His 
 soft little nose, lips, and mouth were 
 filled with sharp quills. With loud 
 squeals and howls of pain he ran 
 back and forth through the woods. 
 141 
 
The young porcupine again drew in 
 his spines and finished his evening 
 meal in peace ; but it was many 
 days before the little bear got rid of 
 the troublesome quills. 
 
 142 
 
THE TALE OF A GRAY RAT 
 
 Of all the rats for miles around 
 Whiskers was the quickest, the strong- 
 est, the most daring. He could run 
 faster and jump higher than any of 
 them. 
 
 He was fond of all good things to 
 eat, but the thing he liked best of 
 
 all was cake. 
 
 His home was a small, round room 
 
 with a long hall. On one side of the 
 
 room was a soft nest, made of bits 
 
 of hay, and lined with tiny pieces of 
 
 143 
 
paper. Here the five Whisker babies 
 slept and ate ; they were too little to 
 do anything else. The hall went 
 down into the ground for a long way, 
 and then up, with its front door under 
 the cellar steps. Whiskers had chosen 
 this place for a home because there 
 was always plenty of cake in the 
 cellar. 
 
 The people who lived in the house 
 wished that Whiskers would go some- 
 where else. They were fond of cake 
 too, but they didn't like it nibbled 
 or with great pieces bitten out. So 
 they tried to get rid of him. 
 
 One night the rat found a tempting 
 P! 144 
 
piece of meat on the shelf. He was 
 hungry for meat, so he went to it. 
 He stopped and sniffed at it. He 
 could smell something else besides 
 meat, something that he had smelled 
 before. At first he could not think 
 what it was ; then all at once he re- 
 membered. When he was a very 
 young rat his mother had said to 
 him, " Never eat anything that smells 
 like that ; if you do, it will kill you. 
 It killed your father." 
 
 When the people in the house found 
 
 that Whiskers had not touched the 
 
 meat, they said, "The rat doesn't 
 
 like meat; we will put the poison on 
 
 145 
 
some cake." They did, but Whiskers 
 smelled the same smell and wouldn't 
 even taste it. He began to understand 
 that the people in the house wished 
 to kill him, so he was careful to test 
 everything before he ate. 
 
 One night not long after, he saw 
 a cat on the stairway. Pussy kept 
 still when she saw him and waited 
 for him to come out. 
 
 "Oho!" laughed Whiskers, "not 
 yet; just wait awhile." Then he 
 called five of his friends, and together 
 they went to the cellar. 
 
 Pussy jumped for the first rat, and 
 the four others jumped for her. 
 
 146 
 
They bit her ears and face until 
 Pussy fled to the top of the steps 
 and stayed there, too frightened to 
 move. 
 
 Then the rats had a big feast. 
 They nibbled or carried away every- 
 thing that was on the shelf. 
 
 "There is only one thing we can 
 do," said the people of the house; 
 "we'll get a dog." 
 
 The next day Whiskers heard a 
 great barking in the cellar. He ran 
 along his hall as far as he dared 
 and looked. A dog was digging at 
 the hole under the cellar steps and 
 barking. 
 
 147 
 
"What is it?" asked Mrs. Whisk- 
 ers. 
 
 " We'll have to move," said Whisk- 
 ers; "I can't fight a dog." 
 
 Mrs. Whiskers was trembling all 
 over; the barking of the dog had so 
 frightened her. 
 
 "Let us go to-night," she said. 
 And they did. 
 
 148 
 
THE MERRY MICE 
 
 The merry mice stay in their holes, 
 And hide themselves by day; 
 
 But when the house is still at night 
 They all come out to play. 
 
 They climb upon the pantry shelf, 
 And taste of all they please — 
 
 They drink the milk that's set for cream. 
 And nibble bread and cheese. 
 
 But if they chance to hear the cat, 
 Their feast will soon be done — 
 
 They'll scamper off to hide themselves. 
 As fast as they can run. 
 
 Some tiny mice live in the fields. 
 
 And feed on flies and corn, 
 And in a pretty hanging nest 
 
 The little ones are born. 
 
 149 
 
When winter comes they burrow holes, 
 And line them soft with hay ; 
 And while the snow is on the ground 
 They sleep the time away. 
 
 — Selected 
 
 150 
 
GNAWERS 
 
 beaver hare squirrel 
 
 porcupine rabbit prairie dog 
 
 The gnawers are so called because 
 they have four sharp, chisel-shaped 
 teeth that are specially fitted for gnaw- 
 ing through hard substances. Their 
 food consists principally of bark, the 
 roots of trees, woody stems, and even 
 nuts and stony seeds. The animals 
 of this family are weak and timid. 
 They seldom fight an enemy, but de- 
 pend upon saving themselves by run- 
 151 
 
ning away. These animals are also 
 called rodents. 
 
 The beaver is one of the largest ani- 
 mals of this group. It shows a won- 
 derful instinct in constructing a dam 
 in the stream or river near which it 
 makes its home. Many beavers work 
 together in forming these dams, which 
 are composed of logs, the branches 
 of trees, stones, and mud. 
 
 The body of the porcupine is cov- 
 ered with sharp quills, which can be 
 extended or drawn back into its soft 
 fur. It eats fruit, bark, roots, and 
 the leaves of many plants. 
 152 
 
The hare does not live in a burrow 
 as the rabbit does, but makes a nest 
 among the dry grass and leaves. 
 Hares frequently injure young trees 
 and often destroy the crops of the 
 farmer by nibbling the tender blades 
 of wheat and other grain. 
 
 The rabbit is smaller than the hare 
 but closely resembles it in form. It 
 lives in burrows which it digs in the 
 ground. The mother rabbit forms a 
 soft nest at the end of the burrow 
 composed of hay, dry leaves, and fur 
 torn from her body. Here the young 
 rabbits are kept until they are strong 
 enough to care for themselves. 
 153 
 
 
The squirrel is one of the most 
 beautiful of our small animals. It 
 has bright eyes, soft fur, and a bushy 
 tail. It makes its home in the hollow 
 trunk of a tree, where it lays away a 
 store of food for winter. 
 
 The prairie dog is found on the 
 western plains. A number of them 
 live together and make their homes 
 in burrows. 
 
 Other members of this family are 
 the rat, mouse, muskrat, guinea pig, 
 iield mouse, chipmunk, gopher, flying 
 squirrel, and woodchuck. 
 
 154 
 
THE MONKEY FAMILY 
 
THE SICK MONKEY 
 
 Away in tlie forest in Africa the 
 mother monkey and her young one had 
 been caught in a trap. The struggles of 
 the mother and the cries of the little one 
 did not save them. They were placed 
 in a large basket and carried on the 
 back of a savage many miles to the 
 seashore, where there was a great ship. 
 
 There the monkeys were taken from 
 the basket and placed in a box with 
 bars across the front. Greatly fright- 
 ened, the mother held her little one in 
 157 
 
her arms and tried to hide him from 
 the curious people who came to look 
 at them. 
 
 On board the ship, the box was placed 
 in a low, dark room under the deck. 
 For weeks the ship was rocked and 
 tossed by the waves, and down under 
 the deck the mother monkey still held 
 her little one. 
 
 At last the big engines stopped. 
 People passed to and fro on the deck 
 and into the hold, and the box was 
 taken up into the sunshine again. 
 
 Here was a new and strange world. 
 The little monkey trembled, and the 
 frightened mother hugged him closer. 
 
 158 
 
A wagon came and carried them 
 away through the crowded streets. 
 Between the bars the mother could 
 see great piles of stone, yet they were 
 not like the rocks on the mountains. 
 She drew back in the far corner of 
 the box and turned away from the 
 strange sights. 
 
 At last the wagon stopped inside ^ 
 the gates of a big park. 
 
 " Here, keeper," called the driver, 3] 
 " here are the new monkeys you have J 
 been so anxious about." 
 
 A man came quickly to the side 
 of the wagon. 
 
 "The big one is fine," he said, 
 
 159 
 
"but the little one does not seem 
 well. The long sea voyage has been 
 too hard for him. We will put them 
 into the big cage at once." 
 
 The bars were opened, and the 
 monkeys were in their new home. 
 Other monkeys were chasing each other, 
 swinging from bars, and eating nuts 
 and fruit. A few of them stopped 
 their play to look at the newcomers. 
 Two or three chattered to them, but 
 the mother did not heed. Anxiously 
 she watched her little one. He lay 
 with his eyes closed and did not move 
 even when the keeper came again to 
 see them. 
 
 160 
 
Ill the corner of the cage was soft 
 straw, and here the mother fixed a 
 bed. For two days the little fellow 
 lay there or was carried in his mother's 
 arms. 
 
 Then one morning he opened his 
 eyes and looked about him. The sun 
 was shining, and the world was bright 
 and beautiful. Slowly he climbed out 
 of his bed and crept across the floor. 
 By the side of the cage was the 
 keeper, who offered him a choice bit 
 of food. 
 
 This man was a strange creature 
 to the little monkey from Africa, but 
 the other monkeys did not seem to 
 161 
 
be afraid of him. Even the mother 
 took things from his hand. 
 
 The little fellow slipped up to his 
 mother's side, and then he too took a 
 piece of the tempting food. It was 
 good, so good that he took another 
 piece, and still another. 
 
 Then he sat in the sunshine and 
 watched the other monkeys swing and 
 play on the highest bars. The mother 
 ventured to leave him a few minutes 
 while she talked with an old monkey 
 in the next cage. Each day brought 
 good food and bright sunshine for the 
 young one, and each day gave him 
 new strength. 
 
 162 
 
The next week a frisky little mon- 
 key chased his mother up one side 
 of the cage and down the other, 
 chattered and played Avith the mon- 
 keys, and begged for nuts and fruit 
 from the boys and girls who came 
 to watch him. 
 
 "The little one is all right now," 
 said the keeper. "He is the bright- 
 est, cutest monkey in the park." 
 
 163 
 
GREEDINESS 
 
 One Saturday afternoon, Ealph's 
 X father took him to the Park to see 
 V the animals. 
 
 There were lions, tigers, bears, ele- 
 phants, seals, and many other kinds 
 of animals, but what pleased the boy 
 most was the monkeys. 
 
 Ralph had a bag of peanuts, which 
 the monkeys must have smelled, for 
 they reached out their hands, expect- 
 ing to be fed. 
 
 One big monkey reached out farther 
 than the rest, and just as Ralph was 
 164 
 
about to give him a peanut, he snatched 
 the whole bagful and ran off with it 
 as fast as he could go. 
 
 Then the fun began. All the other 
 monkeys began to chase him, up and 
 down the sides of the cage, across the 
 top, then to the top of the big bare tree 
 that stood in the middle of the space. 
 
 All this time the big monkey held the 
 peanuts so tight in his paw, that by 
 and by there came a little hole in the 
 bottom of the bag. It grew and grew 
 until there was a large hole where the 
 little one had been. First one peanut 
 fell, then another, and another, until 
 there was none left in the bag. 
 165 
 
 ^ 
 
 e 
 
Down below, the monkeys were hav- 
 ing a feast, scrambling over each other 
 as monkeys do, pushing each other out 
 of the way, as long as the peanuts 
 continued to fall. 
 
 The greedy monkey had been run- 
 ning, so fast that he knew nothing of 
 what was going on. At last he sat 
 down on a bar at the top of the cage 
 to eat his peanuts. Slowly he opened 
 the bag, grinning as he thought of the 
 fine treat he was to have, but to his 
 surprise there wasn't a peanut left; 
 nothing but a paper bag with a hole 
 in it! 
 
 — Adapted from Primary Education 
 166 
 
THE MONKEY FAMILY 
 
 gorilla orang-outang 
 
 chimpanzee baboon 
 These animals can use both hind 
 feet and front feet as hands, and so 
 are known as "four-handed animals." 
 They are sometimes called "man- 
 shaped animals," because their shape 
 and actions are somewhat like those 
 of human beings. They feed on nuts, 
 fruits, and other vegetable food. 
 Some members of this family are 
 found in nearly all warm countries. 
 The gorilla is the largest and 
 167 
 
strongest animal of this group. It 
 lives in the thick jungles of Africa and 
 is so ferocious that it will attack a man. 
 
 The chimpanzee is also found in 
 Africa. It lives on the ground and 
 spends much of its time under rocks 
 and in caves. When captured, this 
 animal may be taught to perform 
 many acts like those of a human being. 
 
 The orang-outang is found in the 
 warm parts of Asia. It makes its 
 home in the tops of trees, where it 
 forms nests or seats by weaving the 
 branches together. Its arms are long 
 and strong and are adapted for climb- 
 ing. When angry it is exceedingly 
 168 
 
fierce, but a young orang-outang is 
 gentle, and like the chimpanzee may 
 be easily trained. 
 
 The baboon is sometimes called 
 " the dog-headed monkey " because 
 its head is much like that of a dog. 
 Baboons live in large bands and to- 
 gether make a fierce attack upon any 
 enemy that comes against them. 
 
 While all the animals of this group 
 may be spoken of as monkeys, yet 
 this term is usually given to the 
 smaller members. These active little 
 creatures live in the tree tops and 
 feed on fruit, nuts, insects, and small 
 birds. Some of them use their tails to 
 169 
 
aid them in climbing trees and in 
 swinging from bough to bough. The 
 tail seems to answer the purpose of a 
 fifth hand and is used in many ways. 
 
 170 
 
THICK-SKINNED ANIMALS 
 
PUTTING A BABY ELEPHANT TO BED 
 
 It was getting dark in the big circus 
 tent, and Nellie kept close to her father 
 as they walked across the great ring 
 where the animals performed. In the 
 animals' tent a gasoline light fluttered 
 and smoked in the wind. 
 
 " You're just in time," said the 
 circus man. 
 
 In one corner of the tent were sev- 
 eral elephants. One mother elephant 
 had a baby elephant not much taller 
 than Nellie. / 
 
 173 
 
" She'll put her baby to bed pretty 
 soon," said the circus man. " She 
 always does before it's time to go 
 into the ring for the evening perform- 
 
 ance," 
 
 Nellie and her father sat down on 
 a bale of straw and watched the great 
 gray beasts as they ate their supper. 
 
 Presently the mother elephant put 
 her trunk around the baby's neck, and 
 seemed to whisper to him as he rubbed 
 his head against her knee. He stood 
 still a moment, then raised his head, 
 flapped his little ears, and trotted off 
 by his mother's side to a corner of 
 the pen. 
 
 "^ 174 
 
There she left him and Avent to a 
 pile of hay near by. She took ap 
 bunch after bunch of it with her trunk 
 and spread it round her baby. The 
 baby did not once stir from the spot 
 where she had left him. 
 
 When the hay was all spread, the 
 mother began to tread it down with 
 her feet. Then she went to the farther 
 side of the pen and fumbled about the 
 ground with her trunk. 
 
 This time she stood outside the 
 baby's bed, and blew a cloud of fine 
 
 dust into the folds of his skin, till he 
 
 j 
 
 was thoroughly poAvdered for the night. 
 After a few soft pats and a few soft' 
 175 
 
grunts from his mother, the baby lay- 
 still and was soon fast asleep. 
 
 But Mamma Elephant's work was not 
 yet done. She took up hay in her 
 trunk and tossed it lightly along the 
 baby's sides and back until he was 
 entirely covered. 
 
 "What did she do all that for?" 
 asked Nellie. 
 
 "In the elephant's home in India 
 and Africa," replied her father, " there 
 are many big snakes which might 
 harm the little one. In the forest 
 she makes the baby's bed of grass 
 and leaves and treads it down to 
 make sure there are no snakes hidden 
 176 
 
in it. When she makes the bed of 
 hay in this country she does the 
 same thing. She blew dust on him 
 because in their home insects get 
 into the tender folds of the baby's 
 skin and bite him ; the dust keeps 
 them out. And the mother covered 
 him up so that no hunter could find 
 him. In their own home she would 
 have covered him with leaves, sticks, 
 and grass." 
 
 177 
 
THE DOCTOR AND THE ELEPHANT 
 
 Jack had run a thorn into his foot 
 and it pained him so that he could 
 hardly step. But when Uncle Henry 
 wanted to cut the thorn out, Jack 
 said, " No," for he was afraid the 
 sharp knife would hurt. 
 
 " I shall have to tell you a story 
 about an elephant," said Uncle Henry. 
 
 Jack loved stories ; so, forgetting his 
 sore foot, he sat down to listen. 
 
 "Hebe Avas a fine big elephant," 
 began Uncle Henry, " worth a great 
 
 178 
 
deal of money to her owner. In 
 some way she stepped upon a nail or 
 a sharp piece of iron, which worked 
 into the tender part of her foot and 
 festered. Poor Hebe was nearly wild 
 with pain. 
 
 " A doctor was sent for, and when 
 he came, he found Hebe swinging the 
 hurt foot and making loud cries. He 
 was afraid to go near her, for he 
 knew that she could easily kill him, 
 but the keeper told him not to fear, 
 as the great animal would not hurt 
 him. Very carefully the doctor took 
 hold of the injured foot to examine 
 it. 
 
 179 
 
" ' I shall have to cut, and cut 
 deep,' the doctor said after he had 
 looked at it. 
 
 "The keeper said some strange words 
 to the elephant and then called out, 
 ' Cut away.' " 
 
 "And did he cut?" asked Jack. 
 
 " Yes, but the first cut was not 
 enough, and he asked the keeper, 
 ' Shall I cut again ? ' 
 
 " ' Cut again,' was the answer. 
 
 "This time he reached the abscess. 
 Hebe gave a long sigh of relief and 
 stood still while the doctor sprayed 
 and bound up her foot." 
 
 "I know what you mean," said 
 180 
 
Jack. " I suppose a boy ought to be 
 as brave as an elephant. You may 
 take out the thorn." 
 
 When this had been done and the 
 sore place dressed, Uncle Henry said, 
 " Now I will tell you the last part of 
 the story. A year and a half later the 
 doctor happened to be where Hebe was 
 and asked about his patient. 
 
 " ' She is well and happy,' her 
 keeper told him. ' Come in and see 
 her.' 
 
 " The doctor wondered if she would 
 
 know him. At first the big elephant 
 
 did not notice him, then she looked 
 
 at him steadily and with interest. 
 
 181 
 
Next she reached out her trunk and 
 touched his shoulder and hair. Then 
 she slowly lifted her great foot, now 
 healed and sound, and showed it to 
 him as if to say, ' You see, I remem- 
 ber very well what you did for me.' " 
 
 182 
 
THICK-SKINNED ANIMALS 
 
 elephant 
 rhinoceros 
 
 hippopotamus 
 swine 
 
 Although the animals of this group 
 differ greatly in size and shape, they 
 are alike in some respects. Their 
 bodies are heavy and are covered with 
 a tough, thick skin. They usually live 
 near ponds or streams and spend much 
 of their time wallowing in the mud or 
 standing in the water. 
 
 The elephant is the largest known 
 animal. It has a heavy body, stout 
 legs, a large head, and a long trunk. 
 183 
 
On each side of the trunk are two 
 short horns called tusks. From these 
 tusks fine ivory is obtained. The trunk 
 serves the elephant in many ways. By 
 means of it the big animal can reach 
 into the branches of trees to pick nuts 
 and fruit; with it the elephant breathes 
 and smells ; water is sucked through it 
 and poured down the huge throat; it 
 serves as a hand in picking a blade 
 of grass, in carrying heavy loads, and 
 in uprooting trees. Elephants can be 
 taught to work and are often given 
 tasks where great strength is required. 
 They live in Southern Asia and in 
 Africa. 
 
 184 
 
The rhinoceros has one and some- 
 times two horns, extending upward 
 from the nose or upper lip. The skin 
 of this animal is so thick that only 
 large and heavy bullets will pierce it. 
 Like many other animals living in hot 
 countries, it sleeps during the greater 
 part of the day and goes in search of 
 food during the cool of the evening. 
 
 The hippopotamus is a huge, un- 
 wieldy creature sometimes measuring 
 fourteen feet in length. It lives in 
 Africa, where it is found in the river 
 courses and along the muddy banks. 
 Its food consists chiefly of grass and 
 water plants, which it consumes in 
 185 
 
great quantities. The mother hippo- 
 potamus carries her little one on her 
 neck when swimming and diving. 
 
 The swine or hog once lived in a 
 wild state in the woods of Europe and 
 Asia. Now it is one of our valuable 
 domestic animals. It eats both vege- 
 table and animal food. By means of 
 a projection on its snout it digs roots 
 from the ground. Its flesh is used for 
 food ; from its bristles fine brushes are 
 made. 
 
 186 
 
CUD CHBWERS 
 
ZARA, THE CAMEL 
 
 Zara was a young camel, very young 
 indeed she sometimes seemed, although 
 she was nearly as large as her mother. 
 For four years she had played in an 
 awkward way around the little village 
 in Arabia where her owner lived. 
 
 Some changes had come in the last 
 two months. She was not allowed to 
 run around so much. Her master had 
 begun training her, teaching her to 
 kneel down when he said a certain 
 word, and to remain on the ground 
 until a load was strapped upon her 
 189 
 
back. At first Zara refused to carry 
 the load, but after mucli coaxing she 
 was made to go a little distance. 
 
 " We will take her with us on 
 our next journey," said her master. 
 " She is old enough now to do some 
 work." 
 
 Zara was then put with the other 
 camels, and for several days they were 
 given all the food they could eat, un- 
 til the humps on their backs became 
 much larger. 
 
 Then one day the owner came to 
 look at them. " The camels are in 
 fine shape," he said. " I never saw 
 them look better. See how fat they 
 
 190 
 
are and how large their humps are. 
 They can go many days without food. 
 We will start to-night. It is too hot 
 to travel in the daytime." 
 
 That afternoon when the loading 
 began, all the camels knelt as Zara ^^^ 
 had been taught to do. " We will 
 not put a heavy load on this one," 
 said the master as he patted Zara's 
 head. " She is a young camel. This 
 is her first trip." 
 
 That night as soon as the moon 
 rose they started. Away they went 
 in a long line across the sand. Zara, 
 loaded with two precious bags of water, 
 followed close behind her mother. 
 191 
 
f I 
 
 Next morning a stop was made; 
 the loads were taken from the camels 
 and they were allowed to rest. This 
 was not like playing around the vil- 
 lage with the other young camels, and 
 Zara began to wish that she were 
 back at home. But she was a grown- 
 up camel now ; at least so her master 
 had said, and she could not always 
 play. 
 
 Three nights they traveled and 
 three days they rested. Then the 
 master said : " We shall reach one of 
 the wells to-morrow. There we can 
 fill the bags again, and the camels 
 can have water." 
 
 192 
 
Next morning when they stopped, 
 one of the men said : " Here is the 
 well, but I cannot draw any water. It 
 is dry." 
 
 " We have but a little water left 
 in our bags," said another. " What 
 shall we do ? " 
 
 "Divide the water among the men," 
 said the master. " The camels will 
 have to do without. To-morrow we 
 shall reach a well that is never dry. 
 Then the camels can drink all they 
 want." 
 
 The camels were thirsty, for they 
 had been given no water since leaving 
 their home in the village. That 
 
 193 
 
morning they wandered about, vainly 
 trying to find a leaf or a blade of 
 grass to eat. About noon, one of the 
 men gave a loud cry and pointed to a 
 yellow cloud not far away. Instantly 
 the camels threw themselves flat on 
 the ground, stretched their long necks 
 as far as possible, and lay quite still. 
 The men lay down beside them, hid- 
 ing their faces in the camels' long 
 hair; and there they stayed until the 
 great storm had passed. For an hour 
 the hot, stinging sand blew all about 
 them. With eyes, ears, and even their 
 noses closed, the camels waited until 
 the wind ceased. Then they rose, 
 194 
 
shook the sand from their heads and 
 shaggy coats, and were ready for their 
 journey. 
 
 But they were thirsty, very thirsty. 
 The older ones sniffed the air, but 
 found no trace of water. 
 
 Early next morning one of the men 
 called, " This is the place of the well, 
 for here are the trees, but where is 
 the well?" 
 
 "It is covered with sand," said the 
 master, " The storm of yesterday has 
 covered it. We must dig for it." 
 
 Anxiously the men began digging 
 with spades and shovels, but no well 
 could be found. 
 
 195 
 
"Try again," cried the master. 
 " We must have water or we shall 
 die." 
 
 Again the men tried, and again they 
 found only the soft, shifting sand. 
 
 "It is of no use," said the men. 
 " We cannot find it. We must go on. 
 Perhaps the camels can find water 
 for us." 
 
 Poor Zara was nearly dead, but 
 she was obliged to go on with the 
 rest. Slowly the line moved across 
 the desert. The camels, with their 
 heads hanging low, seemed almost too 
 weak to move. 
 
 In the afternoon a change came 
 
 196 
 
over them. Their heads were lifted 
 higher; some of them began to run. 
 Joyful shouts came from the men : 
 " We are saved ! The camels will find 
 water ! " 
 
 The camels ran faster and faster. 
 Even Zara felt new life that she could 
 not understand. 
 
 For half an hour the race continued, 
 and then the leaders stopped; for 
 there before them, near a great rock, 
 was a little stream of water! 
 197 
 
THE MOTHER DEER AND HER 
 LITTLE ONE 
 
 The little deer lay in his bed of 
 leaves under tlie spreading branches 
 of the fir tree and looked out at the 
 bright sunshine in the valley. The 
 'Jcs^ mother deer stood close by his side. 
 Once in a while she stooped to lick 
 the spotted, furry coat of the baby, 
 then moved a few feet away as if 
 coaxing him to come. 
 
 After several trials the little deer 
 staggered to her, his thin legs seeming 
 almost too weak to support his trem- 
 bling body. 
 
 198 
 
Slowly the mother led him down 
 the valley, stopping every few steps 
 while she ate the fresh grass or 
 nibbled the leaves from the bushes 
 and trees. 
 
 On the side of the hill other deer 
 were feeding. Here Avere mother deer 
 with young fawns, and stately father 
 deer with great branching antlers. 
 As the mother with the new baby 
 joined the herd, one or two deer ^ 
 stopped feeding long enough to look ^^^^^ 
 at them, but the others seemed to ""^^ 
 take no notice. 
 
 For weeks mother and fawn roamed 
 over the green hills, drinking from ""-cvvstt- 
 
 %.*,„„ ^ 
 
the river tliat ran through the valley, 
 or resting in the shade of the trees 
 that grew along its edge. The little 
 deer wandered by his mother's side or 
 played with the other fawns of the herd. 
 The days were long and pleasant 
 there on the shady hillside, but life 
 in the woodland was not without its 
 dangers. Once when the mother and 
 fawn had wandered to the lower end 
 of the valley, the dogs had chased 
 '"^-y, them. The run was long and hard, 
 for the mother was compelled to 
 slacken her pace to keep with her 
 little one, but at last the dogs were 
 left behind. 
 
 200 
 
Another time a panther leaped from 
 a tree and fastened its claws and teeth 
 in the back of the mother. Rushing 
 under the low branches of a tree, she 
 had brushed the animal off ; but it was 
 a long time before the wounds healed. 
 
 When the fall days came the grass 
 died, the leaves fell from the trees 
 and bushes, and it was necessary for 
 the herd to separate to find food. 
 Then the mother deer showed her 
 young one how to find the tender 
 roots of plants under the soft earth, 
 and taught him to strip the bark 
 from the trunks of young trees. 
 
 The fawn was now nearly as large 
 201 
 
 •-^ Cy^ 
 
as his gentle mother. The spots were 
 beginning to disappear from his furry 
 sides, and he looked more like the 
 handsome father deer of the herd. 
 During his short life he had learned 
 much of the ways of the woods. He 
 knew that some animals were friends 
 of deer but that others were bitter 
 enemies. His keen senses of smell 
 and hearing warned him when any foe 
 was near and his swift feet had many 
 times carried him far from danger. 
 
 One night, ap the two deer were 
 
 lying at the foot of the hill, they 
 
 heard a strange noise in the valley. 
 
 Both raised their heads and listened. 
 
 202 
 
Again the sound came, this time a 
 long, low howl. The mother well 
 knew what this meant; it was the 
 cry of a pack of wolves who some- 
 times came there to hunt. She 
 sprang quickly to her feet, and, 
 closely followed by the young one, 
 she dashed through the bushes. The 
 howling of the wolves became louder. 
 The pack were on the trail, coming 
 closer and closer! 
 
 Faster and faster the deer ran, leap- 
 ing over rocks and bushes, bounding 
 over ditches and fallen logs; but 
 nearer and nearer came the hungry 
 pack of wolves. 
 
 203 
 
The young one began to grow tired. 
 He had not the strength of his 
 mother and could not endure the 
 long run. She saw that he was going 
 slower, and that the leader of the 
 pack was almost up to him. Unless 
 she could save him she knew that in 
 a moment the cruel teeth of the leader 
 would be fastened into his sides. 
 
 Suddenly she turned and ran straight 
 toward the river. The young one fol- 
 lowed, and close behind him came the 
 greedy pack. 
 
 A few more leaps and the mother 
 had reached the sandy shore ; then 
 she gave a great bound that took her 
 
 204 
 
far out into the water. A moment 
 more, and the young one was with 
 her, swimming toward the other side; 
 while behind, on the river's bank, a 
 pack of hungry wolves howled at 
 them and snarled at each other. 
 
 205 
 

 ODD CHEWERS 
 
 
 cow 
 
 deer 
 
 bison 
 
 sheep 
 
 camel 
 
 antelope 
 
 goat 
 
 giraffe 
 
 reindeer 
 
 Cud chewers have no front teeth on 
 the upper jaw, but their other teeth 
 are large and strong. They have 
 cloven hoofs; that is, their hoofs are 
 divided into two parts. Instead of 
 one stomach, these animals have four. 
 The food passes into the first stomach 
 without being chewed; after passing 
 through the second stomach it re- 
 turns to the mouth, and the animal 
 
 206 
 
" chews its cud." After being chewed 
 for some time the food passes to the 
 third and fourth stomachs. 
 
 The cow is one of the most useful 
 animals. It gives milk from w^hich 
 butter and cheese are made. When 
 it is killed, its flesh is called beef ; 
 the fat is made into candles and 
 soap ; the skin is tanned and made 
 into leather for boots and shoes ; glue 
 is made from the hoofs ; from the 
 horns are made buttons, combs, and the 
 handles of knives and forks ; the hair 
 is mixed with lime to make mortar. 
 
 The i^heep is about the size of a 
 
 207 
 
large dog. Its body is covered with 
 a thick coat of avooI, which keeps the 
 sheep warm during the winter months. 
 In the spring the owner cuts the wool 
 off so that the sheep will not suffer 
 from heat during the summer. This 
 wool is sent to the factory, where it 
 is woven into cloth. From the sheep's 
 skin, soft leather is made. 
 
 The goat is much like the sheep, but 
 instead of being covered with wool it 
 has a thick coat of hair. Fine cloth 
 and beautiful shawls are sometimes 
 made from this hair. In some places 
 the people drink the milk of the goat 
 or make butter and cheese from it. 
 208 
 
Its skin is made into fine leather 
 from which shoes and gloves are 
 manufactured. Goats can climb up 
 the rocky sides of hills and mountains 
 where few other animals can go. 
 
 The deer is not so large as the cow. 
 The father deer has fine horns or an- 
 tlers ; these drop off every year and 
 new ones grow. The deer is timid 
 and is a swift runner. 
 
 The camel is called " the ship of 
 the desert." Instead of hard, horny 
 hoofs it has broad, flat feet that do 
 not sink into the soft sand. It can 
 carry a heavy load and can go long 
 distances without food or water. Be- 
 
 209 
 
fore starting on a long journey it is 
 given a large quantity of food. This 
 causes the hump on its back to be- 
 come much larger. When it is out 
 in the desert and no food is to be 
 had, the fat from this hump is ab- 
 sorbed into the body. It lives in the 
 deserts of Asia and Africa. 
 
 The giraffe is found in South Africa. 
 Its long neck enables it to feed on the 
 tender leaves of trees. It defends it- 
 self by rapid kicks with its hind legs. 
 These kicks are so powerful that the 
 giraffe is sometimes able to drive away 
 even a lion. 
 
 Great herds of bison, or buffaloes, 
 210 
 
as they are called, once roamed over 
 the western plains of America, but 
 such large numbers of them have been 
 killed by hunters that only a few re- 
 main. Th6 wigwams of the Indians 
 were often made from the hides of 
 these animals. 
 
 The antelope of America is called 
 the Rocky Mountain sheep or goat. 
 In many respects it resembles the 
 deer, but differs from it in the shape 
 of its horns. 
 
 The reindeer is found in the cold 
 
 lands of the north. It is used as a 
 
 beast of burden and taught to draw a 
 
 sledge with a heavy load. Its flesh is 
 
 211 
 
used for meat and from its skin warm 
 clothing is made. 
 
 Other animals belonging to this 
 group are the moose, elk, llama, 
 chamois, and musk ox. 
 
 212 
 
THE HORSE FAMILY 
 
BUCEPHALUS 
 
 Bucephalus, the niost famous horse 
 ♦^hat ever lived, belonged to Alexan- 
 der the Great. 
 
 He had been raised by a man who 
 loved beautiful horses. For a long 
 time the man kept the horse because 
 no one would pay the high price he 
 asked. At last the king, Alexander's 
 father, heard of it and asked that 
 Bucephalus be brought to the palace. 
 
 So one morning the owner led the 
 horse into the palace grounds. The 
 king and all his nobles crowded 
 
 215 
 
round to look at it. Never before 
 had such a beautiful animal been 
 seen. 
 
 "Behold this wonderful horse," 
 said the owner. "Is he not splen- 
 did? He is fit for a king." 
 
 "He is pleasing to look at," re- 
 plied the king. " I should like to 
 own him ; but first I would see one 
 of my men ride him." 
 
 A man from the stables approached 
 the horse and attempted to mount 
 him. Bucephalus reared upon his 
 hind feet, and the man was thrown 
 off. Another man tried, this time 
 one of the finest riders in the king- 
 216 
 
dom. Again the horse refused to 
 carry any one on his back. Others 
 tried with the same result. 
 
 "Take the horse away," said the 
 king. " He is vicious. No one can 
 ride him." 
 
 Now, the boy Alexander was stand- 
 ing by his father's side and had 
 been eagerly watching all that oc- I 
 curred. 
 
 "Oh, Father," he cried, "don't 
 send such a beautiful horse away. 
 Those men do not know how to man- 
 age him." 
 
 The king was surprised at the boy. 
 " Do you think you know more than 
 
 217 
 
these older and wiser men ? " he 
 asked. 
 
 "I may not be wiser than they," 
 replied the boy, "but I know I could 
 ride this horse." 
 
 The king and his nobles laughed 
 loudly at this. 
 
 "Please let me try," begged Alex- 
 ander. " If I fail I will pay you the 
 price of the horse." 
 
 Then Alexander went up to Buceph- 
 alus and taking him by the bridle 
 turned his face toward the sun so 
 that he could not see his own 
 shadow. The boy had noticed that 
 the horse seemed afraid whenever he 
 
 218 
 
saw his shadow on the ground. 
 Alexander petted him and spoke 
 gently to him. Then suddenly he 
 leaped upon his back. Bucephalus 
 seemed surprised; he made one effort 
 to throw his young rider, then turn- 
 ing he ran swiftly down the road. 
 When the end of the course was 
 reached, Alexander turned the horse 
 around and rode him back to the 
 place where his father was anxiously 
 waiting. 
 
 "Well done, my son!" cried the 
 king. " The horse shall be yours, for 
 you have conquered him. You have 
 shown that you should have large 
 
 219 
 
 C 
 
dominions to rule. I fear my little 
 kingdom will be too small for you." 
 
 Bucephalus served Alexander for 
 many years. The horse would not 
 allow any one but Alexander to ride 
 him. If a groom tried to mount him, 
 back would go his ears, and up would 
 go his heels. 
 
 He went with his master through 
 many wars and at last died of old 
 age. Alexander grieved for his faith- 
 ful friend. He caused a fine funeral 
 to be made in his honor and placed 
 over his grave a large monument 
 bearing the one word : 
 
 BUCEPHALUS 
 
 220 
 
THE STORY OF A DONKEY 
 
 Some time ago', there was a poor 
 man in Spain who made a living by 
 selling milk. He lived in the country 
 and sold his milk in the town. Every 
 day he carried the milk to the houses 
 of the people, just as the milkmen do |-. 
 in this country. He had a long way 
 to go and many days he came home 
 very tired. 
 
 One day he said to his wife : "I 
 must have some help with my work. 
 The load is too heavy for me to 
 carry." 
 
 221 
 
"If you only had a donkey," said 
 his wife, "he could carry the milk 
 bottles for you." 
 
 "Yes," said he, *" a donkey would 
 be a great help to me ; but how am I 
 to get one? We have no money to 
 spare." 
 
 They often talked about the donkey, 
 and at last made up their minds to 
 save every penny they could to buy 
 one. 
 
 The milkman worked harder than 
 ever. Every day he put away a 
 little money until at last the donkey 
 was bought. 
 
 It was a happy day for the poor 
 222 
 
man when he brought the animal 
 home and showed him to the family. 
 The children were delighted. They 
 gathered around him, called him all 
 kinds of pet names, and patted him 
 with their hands. They thought that 
 they had never seen so fine a donkey 
 anywhere. 
 
 The milkman's work was now 
 much easier, for the donkey carried 
 the bottles of milk in two big sacks 
 which" hung across his back, while 
 his master walked at his side. Thus 
 they were able to take out more milk 
 to sell, call at more houses, and so 
 make more money. 
 
 223 
 
The donkey soon became a great 
 pet with the children; he was so 
 gentle that the little ones played 
 with him as if he had been a great dog. 
 
 Day after day the milkman and his 
 donkey went their daily round, and 
 called at the same houses to sell 
 milk. In this way many months 
 passed, and the donkey became as 
 well known as his master. 
 
 One day the milkman was not 
 well, but he went his round and got 
 along as best he could. That night 
 he was worse. In the morning he 
 was so ill that he could not leave 
 his bed. 
 
 224 
 
What was to be done? His wife 
 could not go witli the donkey. She 
 was needed at home to nurse her sick 
 husband. None of the children could 
 go ; they were all too young. If the 
 milk was not sold, it would spoil and 
 be lost. Then, the milkman knew 
 that the people could not do without 
 the milk. 
 
 His wife said : '' We will send the 
 donkey to town with the milk. He 
 is a clever fellow. The people will 
 know him. They will help themselves 
 to the milk." 
 
 Then she packed the bottles of 
 milk in the large bags which hung 
 
 225 
 
from the donkey's back. When all 
 was ready, she started the animal on 
 the road he had so often taken with 
 his master. 
 
 The donkey walked away. The 
 milkman had never used a whip or 
 stick to drive him along. The donkey 
 did not know why he was going 
 alone. He only knew that he had 
 been told to go by those who had 
 always been kind to him. 
 
 The mother and children stood at 
 the cottage door and watched the 
 donkey out of sight. Then they went 
 inside to care for the sick man. 
 
 The donkey marched on, going just 
 226 
 
as fast as if his master had been by 
 his side. He seemed to know that 
 he had the work to do alone. He 
 never took a wrong turning. He did 
 not stop once to eat grass by the 
 way. 
 
 At last he reached the town. 
 There he walked straight to the first 
 house at- which his master sold milk ; 
 the door was shut and no one came 
 to him. Then he seemed to remem- 
 ber that his master pulled the rope 
 which hung at each door. Taking it 
 in his mouth, the donkey gave it a 
 pull. The door opened and some one 
 came out to him. 
 
 227 
 
To get around as quickly as pos- 
 sible, the milkman had often left the 
 donkey at one door while he went on 
 to the next. So the people were used 
 to helping themselves. 
 
 The woman who came out took a 
 bottle of milk and went away to 
 empty it. The donkey waited until 
 she brought back the empty bottle, 
 and then he went on to the next 
 house. 
 
 Soon the people in the street saw 
 what he was doing. They thought 
 that the milkman must be ill, and 
 they were surprised and pleased to 
 see how well the donkey could do the 
 228 
 
work alone. Some of them patted 
 him and gave him bread and cake to 
 eat. 
 
 All this time the milkman was 
 thinking about the donkey. He knew jj 
 that the faithful animal would do his 
 best. He did not think that any one 
 would bother him, and he could trust 
 all the people to take only their own 
 milk. He was afraid, however, that 
 the donkey would not remember all 
 the houses at which he should call. 
 Or perhaps he would return home 
 before he had completed his round. 
 
 But the donkey knew the last house 
 as well as the first. As soon as he 
 
 229 
 
had called there, he went no farther. 
 Without a word from any one he 
 turned about and started for home. 
 
 The milkman felt a little better that 
 afternoon, so he sat outside the door 
 to watch for the donkey's return. He 
 had not been there long, when he saw 
 his faithful servant trotting along the 
 road. In a few minutes the donkey 
 had reached his master. 
 
 There in the bags were the empty 
 bottles all safe and sound. Not one 
 was missing or broken! The donkey 
 had, indeed, done his work well. 
 
THE HORSE FAMILY 
 
 horse donkey burro zebra 
 
 The animals of the horse family 
 have one hoofed toe on each foot. 
 The hair on their bodies is short and 
 smooth, but their manes and tails are 
 long and bushy. They feed chiefly on 
 grain, grass, and the leaves of plants. 
 When wild they live in herds. 
 
 The horse is the largest domestic ani- 
 mal. It has a long body, an arched 
 neck, and long, slender legs. Its ears 
 are pointed and its eyes are large and 
 bright. It is a faithful servant to 
 231 
 
13. 
 
 man and worthy of his greatest care 
 and protection. 
 
 The donkey is much like the horse 
 in shape, but it has a longer and 
 thicker coat of hair, and its ears are 
 much larger. 
 
 The burro is smaller than the dpn- 
 key. It can climb up the steep sides 
 of mountains where other beasts of bur- 
 den would not dare to go. 
 
 The zebra roams over the plains of 
 southern Africa. The body of this 
 beautiful animal is covered with brown 
 stripes. It has long, pointed ears, small 
 hoofs, and a long tail. It is wild and 
 extremely difficult to capture. 
 232