"Wake up, Billy!" called Bunny. "Wake up and see how hard it is snowing."
Billy opened his sleepy eyes and rolled out of bed.
Then he went to the door and peeped out.
"April fool, April fool!" shouted Bunny.
Billy laughed. Then he hopped out of doors.
It was a warm sunny day,—just the day to run around and play jokes.
But first the little rabbits had to find their breakfast.
Now that the warm days were coming they could find plenty to eat.
And Bunny and Billy and Bobtail were growing very fat.
Bobby Gray Squirrel and Sammy Red Squirrel could find plenty to eat, too.
In the fall they had stored away nuts and acorns in little holes in the ground.
When Jack Frost covered the ground with snow the squirrels could not dig up these nuts.
But now the ground was soft again, and Bobby and Sammy had plenty to eat.
Bunny and Billy and Bobtail saw the squirrels hide the nuts.
They did not like acorns so they never opened the store-house doors.
They just hopped around under the trees looking for green leaves and tender roots.
But on this first day of April Bunny found the biggest acorn he had ever seen.
It was hidden in a little hole, and he saw it when he sat down to eat his breakfast.
"Oh, oh!" he said to himself. "Now I can play a joke on Bobby Gray Squirrel.
"I am going to tie a string to this acorn, and when Bobby tries to pick it up I shall pull it away from him."
He told Bobtail and Billy about the joke he was going to play on the gray squirrel.
"Ho, ho!" laughed Billy.
"Ha, ha!" laughed Bobtail.
"We must hurry and finish our breakfast," said Bunny.
"Bobby will be out hunting for nuts very soon."
In a few minutes the three rabbits had finished their breakfast.
Then Bunny hopped away to find a string he had seen under the oak tree.
It was the same string they had used to fly their kite.
The string had held the kite to the branch for a long time.
Then one day North Wind came again and tried to carry it away.
He puffed and puffed, and at last the branch let go of the string.
The kite flew up in the air and far away, but the string dropped to the ground under the oak tree.
There Bunny found it, and he tied the string around the acorn.
Then he scampered back to his brothers.
They were waiting for him near the old stone wall.
"Let's fool Sammy Red Squirrel first," said Billy.
"I saw him run out of his hole just a minute ago."
Bunny put the acorn in front of Sammy's door.
Bunny put the acorn in front of Sammy's door.[Illustration: Bunny put the acorn in front of Sammy's door.]
Bunny put the acorn in front of Sammy's door.[Illustration: Bunny put the acorn in front of Sammy's door.]
Then he held on to the other end of the string and hid behind a big rock.
Bobtail and Billy hid behind the pine tree.
They all kept as still as mice. They did not even shake one of their long ears.
"There is Sammy now," whispered Billy. "I can see him running along the path."
"Don't make a noise," said Bobtail.
Bunny saw the little red squirrel coming down the path.
He kept very still and held on to the string.
Sammy came skipping down the path.
He was singing a gay little tune:
"One, two, three, four, five, six,
"I'll watch out for April tricks."
Just then he saw the acorn lying on the ground near his door.
"Look at that!" he said. "Bobby Gray Squirrel must have been here.
"Something frightened him, and made him drop that nut near my door."
Now Sammy was very fond of big acorns and he had not had one for a long time.
So he pounced on the acorn.
But it was not there! Bunny had given the string a quick pull.
Sammy put his hand down on a rock. There was no acorn to be seen.
"April fool!" shouted Bunny.
"April fool!" shouted Billy and Bobtail.
The three rabbits hopped out from their hiding places.
They laughed and laughed, and Sammy laughed, too.
"That was a good trick," he said.
"We are going to play it on Bobby Gray Squirrel, now," said Bunny.
"May I go with you?" asked Sammy.
"Oh, yes!" said the three rabbits.
So off through the woods they all went.
"Bobby often comes to the big oak tree," said Billy. "I think that will be a good place to play the trick."
Bunny put the acorn on the ground, and then they all hid behind the tree.
They did not wait very long before they saw Bobby coming.
And in another minute Bobby saw the acorn.
"Ho, ho!" he said. "Sammy Red Squirrel must have dropped that big acorn. I will pick it up."
He ran along the ground toward the oak tree.
Bunny held on to the string.
He was going to wait until Bobby took hold of the acorn and then pull it away.
It was so still that the rabbits could hear Bobby's feet as they pattered on the ground.
Then all at once it was not still in the woods.
Jip, the dog, came bounding along the little path.
"Bow-wow, bow-wow!" he barked. "Look out for me. I am coming."
What a scampering there was!
Bobby forgot all about the acorn and skipped up the oak tree.
Sammy skipped up the tree after him.
The three little rabbits put their ears down on their heads, and hopped away out of sight.
"Bow-wow, bow-wow!" said Jip. "Where has every one gone?
"I thought I saw some one under this tree as I came along the path."
The acorn lay on the ground where Bunny had left it.
Four little bright eyes watched Jip from the oak tree.
Sammy wished he could call out "April fool," to Jip.
But he was afraid of dogs, so he kept very still.
Bobby kept still, too, and the three little rabbits hopped along towards home.
After a while Jip went home.
Then there was a quick scampering down the tree.
One of the squirrels had that big acorn for his dinner.
Was it Sammy or Bobby?
Mrs. Duck had a secret.
Bunny knew she had a secret, but she would not tell him what it was.
Bobtail knew she had a secret, and so did Billy.
Bunny saw Bobby Gray Squirrel and asked him if he knew Mrs. Duck's secret.
But Bobby did not know it, and Sammy Red Squirrel did not know it.
Every day Bunny saw Mrs. Duck walking along the little path that led through the field.
Sometimes she was going to the barn.
Sometimes she was coming from the barn.
She was always alone. And she was always in a hurry.
Mrs. Duck was always in a hurry.[Illustration: Mrs. Duck was always in a hurry.]
Mrs. Duck was always in a hurry.[Illustration: Mrs. Duck was always in a hurry.]
She did not stop to talk to Bunny.
She did not stop to catch any of the little bugs that she saw in the path.
"I wonder what is the matter with Mrs. Duck," Bunny said to himself.
"I wonder why she walks along this little path every day."
Bunny thought and thought about the secret.
"I will ask Mrs. Duck to tell me her secret," he said.
So Bunny sat down under the maple tree to wait for Mrs. Duck.
He waited and waited.
It was very warm in the field.
After a while Bunny shut his eyes and he fell fast asleep.
He slept such a long time that when he opened his eyes the sun was just going to bed.
"Well, well!" he said. "Mrs. Duck must have gone long ago."
Just then he saw Sammy Red Squirrel.
"Have you seen Mrs. Duck to-day?" he asked.
"Oh, yes!" answered Sammy. "She walked along the path early this afternoon."
The next day Bunny sat down under the maple tree to watch again.
But this time he was not alone.
He had asked Billy to come with him.
"If you are with me, I shall not to sleep," he said.
So the two little rabbits sat down to wait for Mrs. Duck.
They waited and waited.
It was very warm in the field. After a while Bunny shut his eyes. Then Billy shut his eyes, and they both fell fast asleep.
They slept such a long time that when they opened their eyes the sun was just going to bed.
Bobby Squirrel was sitting in the maple tree over their heads.
"Have you seen Mrs. Duck?" asked Bunny.
"Oh, yes!" answered Bobby. "She walked along the path early this afternoon."
"Well, well!" said Bunny. "I will try again to-morrow. I will ask Bobtail to come with me. Perhaps he can keep awake."
The next day the three little rabbits sat under the maple tree to watch for Mrs. Duck.
They waited and waited.
It was very warm in the field.
After a while the three little rabbits became sleepy.
Then Bobtail jumped up on his feet and began to hop around.
"Let's play tag," he said. "If we sit here in the sun we shall go to sleep.
"Then we shall not see Mrs. Duck when she walks along the path."
So the three rabbits played tag.
They ran round and round the maple tree. They ran back and forth along the little path.
All at once Bunny heard Mrs. Duck coming across the field.
She was going to the barn.
"Good-morning, Mrs. Duck," said Bunny.
"Where are you going this fine morning?"
"Quack, quack!" said Mrs. Duck, "I am going to the barn."
"Where have you been?" asked Billy.
"Quack, quack!" said Mrs. Duck. "That is a secret. I can not tell you."
Then Mrs. Duck walked quickly along the little path and across the road.
She went into the barn-yard and hunted around for something to eat.
She talked to the other ducks and hens. But she did not tell them her secret.
When she had eaten all she wanted she went out of the yard and across the road.
Then she walked back again along the path across the field.
When she came to the maple tree she saw Bunny and Bobtail and Billy.
And Bunny and Bobtail and Billy saw Mrs. Duck.
"Where are you going, now?" asked Bunny.
"I am going down to the brook," she said. "That is where my secret is."
"May we go with you?" asked Billy.
"Yes," said Mrs. Duck. "I will show you my secret if you will all promise not to tell."
So the three little rabbits hopped along behind Mrs. Duck until they came to the brook.
The water in the brook was running over the stones and singing a sweet little song.
Mr. Green Frog was sitting on a stone taking a nap in the warm sun.
"Now, follow me," said Mrs. Duck. "I will show you my secret."
She led the three rabbits to some bushes that grew close beside the water.
"Quack, quack!" she said. "Look in here. What can you see?"
Bunny peeped in under the bushes.
"Oh, oh!" he said, "how pretty they are."
Billy peeped in under the bushes.
"Oh, oh!" he said, "how many there are."
Bobtail peeped in under the bushes.
"Oh, oh!" he said. "That is a very good secret."
Now what do you think the three rabbits saw hidden away under the bushes?
Perhaps you have guessed Mrs. Duck's secret by this time.
Yes! there was a nest full of eggs,—just the prettiest eggs you ever saw.
Mrs. Duck was very proud of them.
She let the rabbits look at the eggs for a few minutes.
"Now I must cover my eggs up," she said. "I must keep them warm."
So Mrs. Duck sat down on the nest and cuddled the eggs under her soft warm wings.
Not one egg could be seen. And Mrs. Duck sat so still that Bunny thought she had gone to sleep.
Every day after that the rabbits went to visit Mrs. Duck.
But they did not tell the secret to any of their friends.
Then, one day, when the rabbits went to visit Mrs. Duck, she would not get off the nest.
"Quack, quack!" she said. "I can not let you see the eggs to-day. I you will come to-morrow I will show you what I have in my nest."
So the rabbits hopped away, leaving Mrs. Duck alone on her nest under the bushes.
The next morning, bright and early, the rabbits hopped along the little path.
They found Mrs. Duck still sitting in the nest.
They saw some little yellow heads peeping out from under her wings.
"Quack, quack!" she said. "See my ducks. They are the prettiest ducks you ever saw.
"And they have the brightest eyes in the world."
One little duck wriggled out from under her mother's wing and tried to stand on her little yellow feet.
But they were not strong yet.
"Come back, come back!" said Mrs. Duck. "You must stay in the nest until you are strong."
And the little duck wriggled back again under her mother's wing.
"We will come again to see your ducks," said Bunny.
After two or three days the three rabbits went back to see the little ducks.
There was nothing in the nest under the bushes but a few broken shells.
"Where can the ducks be?" said Bunny.
"Tweet, tweet!" sang the sparrow. "I saw Mrs. Duck and all the little ducks going to the barn."
"There they are now," sang another sparrow.
Bunny and Bobtail and Billy looked across the field.
They saw Mrs. Duck leading her family to the barnyard.
Mr. Rooster saw them coming.
He flapped his big wings and flew up on the fence.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo!" he said. "See Mrs. Duck and all the little ducks."
The three rabbits watched the ducks until they were in the barnyard.
Then they hopped off to the woods to tell Mrs. Duck's secret to all their friends.
"Quack, quack, quack!" said Mrs. Duck, as she walked along the little path through the meadow.
"Quack, quack, quack! Follow me, little ducks."
One, two, three, four, five, six little yellow ducks waddled after their mother along the little path through the meadow.
Bunny Rabbit was sitting under a tree, fast asleep, and he did not hear them coming.
He was dreaming of flying away with the little birds.
He could fly high up over the trees and over the houses.
Oh, it was great fun! All the other rabbits were sitting on the ground watching him.
"Good-by," he called to Billy.
Then he waked up, and he was not under the oak tree.
"Quack, quack, quack!" said Mrs. Duck. "What are you talking about, Bunny? I cannot see Billy anywhere."
"I was dreaming of flying," said Bunny. "I said good-by to Billy because I was going far away."
"Quack, quack!" said Mrs. Duck. "I should like to see you fly. You can't even swim."
"Perhaps I could," said Bunny, "if you would teach me."
"Come with me," said Mrs. Duck "I am going to teach my little ones to swim, and I will teach you, too."
"Quack, quack!" said all the little ducks, as they waddled after their mother.
"Come and see how soon we will learn to swim."
Bunny did not like to think that these little ducks could do something that he could not do.
"I have four feet," he said to himself, "and they have only two. I am sure I can do what they can do."
So Bunny jumped up and followed the ducks along the path through the meadow.
In a few minutes they came to the brook.
The water looked cool to the little ducks.
But the water looked very wet to Bunny.
Mrs. Duck stood on the bank for one minute to talk to her ducklings.
"Follow me," she said, "and do what I do. Swimming is the easiest thing in the world.
"When I count three we will all go into the water together."
"I think I will wait and see how you do it," said Bunny. "That will be the best way for me to learn."
So Bunny sat down on the bank, and the little ducks stood in a row behind their mother.
"Now," said Mrs. Duck, "one, two, three,—go!"
At the word "go" they all waddled into the water.
Paddle, paddle, paddle! Mrs. Duck made her feet go so fast that she was soon in the middle of the brook.
Paddle, paddle, paddle, went all the little ducks, and they were swimming after their mother.
"Oh, what fun this is!" said the littlest duck.
"How cool the water is," said the biggest duck.
"Come in, Bunny," called all the ducks. "Swimming is the easiest thing in the world."
"Why don't you try it, Bunny?" asked Mr. Green Frog, who was sitting on a rock close by.
"The water is cool, and swimming is the easiest thing in the world."
Bunny sat still on the bank, but he did not say a word.
He watched the ducks swimming round and round in the water.
"All they have to do is to paddle their feet," he said to himself.
"I am sure I can do that. But I do wish the water was not so wet."
"Are you afraid to come in?" asked Mrs. Duck.
"Are you afraid to come in?" asked Mr. Green Frog.
Of course Bunny was afraid, but he did not like to say so.
At last he stood up and went down to the edge of the brook.
He put one foot in the water, but he pulled it out again very quickly.
He put one foot in the water.[Illustration: He put one foot in the water.]
He put one foot in the water.[Illustration: He put one foot in the water.]
"Oh, dear!" he said, "the water is so wet."
"You can't swim on dry land," said Mrs. Duck. "Jump in, and you will like it, I know."
"Jump in!" said Mr. Green Frog.
Bunny went a step nearer and put two feet in the water.
"Oh, dear!" he thought to himself. "I never can learn to swim. I wish I were back under the tree, fast asleep."
Splash, splash! Mr. Green Frog jumped into the water close to Bunny's feet.
It frightened the poor little rabbit and he slipped into the water, too.
"Paddle your feet, paddle your feet!" Mrs. Duck called to him.
But, of course, Bunny did not know how to paddle his feet.
He kicked and kicked and scrambled and splashed around in the brook.
The water ran into his eyes and he could not see.
The water ran into his ears and he could not hear.
The water ran into his mouth and he could not speak.
He kicked and splashed and scrambled until at last he felt his feet touch the ground.
Then he scrambled up on the bank and threw himself on the soft grass.
"You did not paddle your feet," said Mrs. Duck.
"Watch us," said all the little ducks. "Do it the way we do."
"Oh, oh!" laughed Mr. Green Frog. "Do try it again. It was the funniest sight I ever saw."
"It may have been funny for you," said Bunny. "But it was not funny for me.
"I am so wet, that I shall never be dry again. And I am afraid I have spoiled my fur coat."
But Mr. Sun shone down brightly and Bunny was soon dry and warm.
Then he hopped along home by the little path through the woods.
"Swimming may be easy for ducks," he said to himself.
"And flying may be easy for birds.
"Rabbits and squirrels can run and hop and jump. And that is easy for them."
It was a lovely day in June.
Bunny had been playing all the morning with Billy and Bobtail.
They had played tag, and hide-and-seek, and ever so many other games.
At last they were all tired and hungry.
"I know where there is a great big patch of clover," said Bunny.
"Oh, Bunny!" begged Bobtail, "show us where it is. I have not had a taste of clover for ever so long."
"I like clover, too," said Billy. "Is it very far from here?"
"Oh, no," said Bunny. "It is down beside the brook."
The three little rabbits hopped off to find the big patch of clover.
They hopped down to the brook, but they could not see any clover there.
"Perhaps it was in the meadow," said Billy.
"The brook runs through the meadow."
"Yes," said Bobtail, "and then it runs through the woods."
"Clover would not grow under the trees," said Bunny. "It grows in the fields where the sun shines."
"The sun shines in the meadow," said Billy. "Let's go down there and look for the clover patch."
So the three little rabbits hopped off through the field.
They hopped along beside the brook all the way.
"Oh, look!" said Bunny. "See the fishes swimming in the water."
Billy hopped very close to the brook.
Splash, splash! went something right under his feet.
Billy hopped back and looked all around to see what had happened.
"What was that?" he asked.
"That was old Mr. Green Frog," said Bunny. "There he is now, sitting on a rock laughing at you."
"Ho, ho!" laughed Mr. Green Frog. "I frightened you that time."
"I frightened you, too," said Billy. "That was why you jumped into the water."
"Well," said Mr. Green Frog, "you almost hopped on my back.
"Of course I was frightened. I jumped into the water without looking to see what was the matter."
"Come, come," said Bunny. "We must find that clover patch. I am as hungry as a bear."
So the three little rabbits hopped off across the meadow.
They could not hop so near the brook now because the ground was soft and wet.
And the rabbits did not like to wet their feet.
They hopped along, and at last Bunny called out, "Here it is. Here it is."
Billy and Bobtail hopped up close to Bunny.
Sure enough, there was the biggest patch of clover they had ever seen.
And how green every leaf was!
The clover was all in blossom, too.
The white blossoms held their heads up to the sun.
The sun smiled to see the pretty white flowers among the green leaves.
Many bees were flying over the clover patch.
They were asking the blossoms for nectar to make sweet honey.
"Buzz, buzz!" sang the bees, as they flew from flower to flower.
Bunny and Billy and Bobtail began to nibble the greenest leaves.
They nibbled and nibbled and nibbled.
The bees buzzed and buzzed and buzzed.
"What good honey we can make," said the bees. "Clover honey is best of all."
"Oh, how good this clover is," said Billy. "I am glad I came so far."
"Yes," said Bunny. "It is the sweetest clover I ever tasted."
"Yes, it is," said Billy. "I—
"Oh, oh, oh!" he cried. "Oh, my nose!"
Billy jumped up and hopped round and round. He rubbed his nose and wiped the tears out of his eyes.
Bunny and Bobtail stopped eating, and went to see what had happened to Billy.
"What is the matter?" asked Bunny.
"Oh, my nose!" said Billy. "I took a bite of clover and something stung me on the nose."
A bee flew up from the clover and sailed round and round in the air.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz!" said the bee. "I stung your nose, Billy. I thought you were going to eat me."
Bunny saw the bee flying round and round over their heads.
"It must have been a bee that stung you," said Bunny.
Billy looked at the bee.
"I am going home," he said. "I did not want to come so far anyway. There are plenty of good things eat in our own field."
So Billy hopped along home very slowly.
He stopped every few steps to rub his poor little nose.
Mother Rabbit saw him coming and went to the door to meet him.
"What is the matter?" she asked.
"I went to the meadow to eat clover," said Billy. "The bees were there and one stung me on the nose."
"Rub your nose in the dirt and that will make it feel well again," said Mother Rabbit.
Billy put some dirt on his nose, and the pain soon went away.
Then Mother Rabbit took him to a place where the grass was tender.
He ate all the dinner he wanted and then went home to take a nap.
Bunny and Bobtail ate their dinner in the meadow.
The clover was so sweet and tender that they wanted to eat it all.
They nibbled and nibbled and nibbled.
But they were both very careful not to nibble any of the blossoms where the bees were gathering honey.
It was warm and sunny in the meadows.
It was warm and sunny in the fields.
But in the woods it was cool and shady under the pine trees.
The red squirrels had been playing all the morning.
They had chased each other up and down the trees and along the little path.
Now Sammy was sitting on the branch of a pine tree resting.
All at once he heard a noise over in the field.
It was a very loud noise and he wondered what it could be.
He could not see the field from the tree where he was sitting.
So he ran down to the ground and skipped along—to the old stone wall.
"Whirr, whirr, whirr!" the noise came nearer and nearer.
"Oh, dear me!" said Sammy. "I know what that is. Mr. Man is cutting the grass in the field.
"Now all the families that live there will have to move out."
Sammy sat still and watched to who would be the first to move.
He had not been sitting on the wall very long when he saw the whole rabbit family coming out of the field, one behind the other.
Mrs. Rabbit had on her bonnet and shawl. She was carrying Baby Rabbit in her arms.
Father Rabbit had a big basket.
Bunny and Bobtail and Billy were hopping along behind, laughing and talking.
"What fun it is to move," said Bunny.
"I hope we shall find a good home somewhere," said Mother Rabbit.
Bunny and Bobtail and Billy hopped and skipped along.
They hopped ahead of Father Rabbit along the little path that led through the woods.
When they came to the stone wall they saw Sammy Red Squirrel.
"Good-morning," they called. "We are moving to-day. We are looking for a new home.
"Do you know where we can find one large enough for all of us?"
"No," answered Sammy. "I know where the house is that Mrs. Robin left, but that is too small for you."
"Come, come," called Mother Rabbit, "we cannot stop to talk. We must find a new home soon. It is dinner time this very minute."
So the family of rabbits hopped off along the path.
Then Sammy heard a little squeaking noise and he looked to see where it came from.
"Squeak, squeak!" said Mrs. Field Mouse. "I was not ready to move.
"I did not want to leave my home in the field this week."
"We can soon find another home," said Mr. Field Mouse.
"Here is one right here. This is the very place we are looking for."
Mr. Mouse set his bag down beside a hole that he had found near the stone wall.
Mrs. Mouse looked at the hole and so did all the little mice.
"Perhaps that will do until we can go back to our home in the sunny field," said Mrs. Mouse.
Then she shook her head and wiped a tear from her eye.
"Oh, dear!" she said. "I know I shall be very lonely here."
"But we could not stay in the field," said Mr. Mouse. "A man was cutting the grass, and I am afraid of that big cutter."
"That is so," said Mrs. Mouse, as she wiped another tear out of her eye. "But I shall be glad when we can move back."
"I think this hole will do," said Mr. Mouse. "I will go in and see."
Sammy sat on the wall and watched the mice.
He saw them stop in front of the hole and peep into it.
Then he saw Mr. Mouse go in—head, tail and all.
"That house belongs to some one else," said Sammy.
But Mr. Mouse was in the hole and did not hear what he said.
Mrs. Mouse and the little mice were peeping into the hole and they did not hear what he said.
In a minute Sammy heard Mr. Mouse call to his family to follow him.
Mrs. Mouse picked up the bag and started into the hole.
All the little mice followed her.
Sammy sat on the wall watching them.
All at once he heard a noise.
Mrs. Mouse heard the noise and jumped back.
She dropped the bag, and it flew open. Everything spilled out on the ground.
The next minute Mr. Mouse came scrambling out of the hole.
He had lost off his glasses, and his cap was gone.
"Oh, oh, oh! That is no home for us. Some one lives there, now," he said.
"Who, who, who?" asked all the little mice at once.
Mr. Toad came out to the edge of the hole, winking and blinking.
"I do," he said. "This is my home. Who came to visit me?"
"I told you that some one lived there," chattered Sammy Red Squirrel.
"I told you, but you would not listen to me."
"Well, there is no harm done," said Mr. Mouse. "I just paid Mr. Toad a visit."
"We must find a home any way," said Mrs. Mouse. "If we stay here the cat will catch us."
"There comes the cat now," said Sammy. "She heard Mr. Mouse squeal when he came out of the hole."
When the mice heard that the cat was coming, what a scampering there was.
It did not take the whole family of mice long to find a home under a big stone.
Sammy jumped off the wall and ran up into the pine tree.
The cat came along the path very slowly.
"Meow, meow!" she said to herself. "I must find something for breakfast."
But she did not find the little mice. They were hiding away under the big stone.
And she did not find Sammy. He was safe in the pine tree.
Of course she knew where the mice were hiding.
She saw them when they ran into the hole.
But the stone was too heavy for her to move.
She sat down beside the hole and waited and waited, but not one little mouse put out his nose.
At last the cat grew tired of waiting, and walked back along the path to the house.
She found a saucer of milk on the kitchen floor.
And the best of it was that it could not run away and hide like the mice and squirrels.