. My garden neighbors; true stories of nature's children . in vain, the cat seemed to realizethat it might as well quit or find some otherway. Many a cat has reached this same pointof experience and given up the task as a hope-less one, but not so with this cat. He wasmade of sterner stuff. He had too much of hiswild progenitors blood in his nature ever togive up while a bird flew and he had his liv-ing powers. 126 A DISTURBER OF THE PEACE I know not how he learned the way, per-haps by chance, but learn he certainly did,and it was a way thatwas most fatefullyeffective. He foundhow even birds .
. My garden neighbors; true stories of nature's children . in vain, the cat seemed to realizethat it might as well quit or find some otherway. Many a cat has reached this same pointof experience and given up the task as a hope-less one, but not so with this cat. He wasmade of sterner stuff. He had too much of hiswild progenitors blood in his nature ever togive up while a bird flew and he had his liv-ing powers. 126 A DISTURBER OF THE PEACE I know not how he learned the way, per-haps by chance, but learn he certainly did,and it was a way thatwas most fatefullyeffective. He foundhow even birds .maybe caught quite easily— even though the catis white and has blackspots. He discoveredthat cunning could dowhat strength andagility never can was a long, waitinggame, that took muchpatience and self-con-trol. Nevertheless, itgot the birds, and soit paid. The cat had learneda lesson that it is oftensupposed only man canlearn. Many a man has learned that brainswill often do what muscles alone can neverdo. And many other men know that this is 127. MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS so, but find it easier to work their musclesthan to work their brains. It was quite a secret for a cat to discover,but nothing is more certain than that it diddiscover this very thing. We are not writingfiction, but fact. In the realm of nature-study and descriptions, nothing else will do;all else is misleading and pernicious. Having learned the great secret,* the catstopped jumping into the air when a birdwent by. He stopped his stealthy prowlingafter one when it alighted on the ground. Hestopped chasing the wrens all about the began a new set of tactics. He found some places where there weremore birds than in other places. He fre-quented these places. And he back withbirds. How did he accomplish it? One day the man saw the cat disappear ina clump of grass. The cat remained awaysome time. The man was busy with his workand an hour went by. Still the cat vs^as not tobe seen. Then the man went ov
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1905
