Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-11

ways to be seen fitting around in the
trees or darting across the yard.
This applies with more force, of
course, to the squirrels. Rabbits are
scarcer. but often to be seen, especially
at the most unexpected moments One
suddenly his eyes will fall on a rabbit
sitting bolt upright, as If carved out of
soap.
Not a muscle of him moves, but the
observer may be quite sure that those
sensitive nostrils are twitching and that
those long ears are vibrating to catch
the slightest sound.
How long will he sit there? Seconds
roll into minutes and still he does not
move. Then, with one giant leap, he
Is of and away, as Tom, the cat, streaks
after him.
1t is a losing race for Tom. Those
long hindlegs propel the rabbit with
ever-increasing speed, so that the fast
cat seems to be standing still.
Mice and rats are the sixth and
seventh garden animals. These mostly
are of the Woods variety, the mice much
more in evidence than the rats In most
cases the latter will not be seen except
when brought in by the household cat.
Yet they abound in many neighbor-
hoods. and no doubt make themselves
free of the gardens in their vicinity.
The mole We call animal No. 8. He is
one of the most curious and disliked of
all garden creatures, and happily is not
so much in evidence-except where he
Is. We believe he frequents the lawns
in small towns and country places more
than those of the city.
Birds we class as creature No 9.
Every one notices them at times, and
some become so interested in them that
their study becomes one of the most
pleasant OF garden occupations. These
are such delightful and interesting COM
panionS that gardeners are never done
talking about them. The coming of the
/ thrusheS and the cardinals and the
hummingbirdS and others are events i'll
the garden year.
Various moths, such as the sphinx
head, must be classed next These
creatures are as interesting in their way
AS the birds, although much more diff
cult to see. Many a gardener has these
visitors unaware. II he sees them at
all, he thinks them small birds or Jumps
them off as bugs"
A garden creature. eleventh in our
list, which is evident to the sense of
hearing. is the so-called hot bug
which sets up such a droning all night
long. These things tune up SO steadily
that most people would feel lost without
their hum in the atmosphere Many
Rave heard them, but few ever seen
them.
Bees get the honor Of being No. II
in our listing The most prominent
garden variety is the humble or humble
bee. This is the fellow who Shoves his
way into the Snapdragons and out again
his burlv shoulders covered with pollen.
The humble slug is our No 10. This
is the fellow which leaves the neat silver
lines on concrete walks and steps. Just
what value, if any, he is as a garden
denizen We do not know. but his tribe
does not seem to be very large, except
in very wet places.
The tortoise and the toad we class
together in No. IA. Perhaps our zoology
is faulty. but there seems some rela :
tionship between turtles" and hoptoads
to most Of us. These are among the
most valuable of garden animals. eating
thousands Of insects, worms and slugS
tSee No. 13)
Small snakes and angleworns come IN
our No Is Perhaps more OF them are
in gardens than the average gardener
knows. Now we come to the insect divi-
sion, the members of which constitute
cur last sections. and run the number
far above our limit of 20. The ants
fieas. lice and mosquitoes are among
the most prominent members We have
said nothing about the scores of insects
hurtful to plants, but they cannot be
emitted, for thev are very much in our
gardens MOI would we leave cut the
nrefiies. peasant to observe on a Sun
Cav night