Evening star., 1947-01-10
This and That
BIZ Charles E. TraceweH.


Rabbits, it seems to me, have very
little sense.
The other evening, with snow and ice
on the ground, large brown bunny
took up a position under some lilac
bushes by the fence.
It was just before dusk, and so We
got good look at him.
There he was, huddled up in the snow,
scarcely moving his nostrils.
He did move his nose, however, as
could be easily seen through the bin
oculars:
He was fine looking wild rabbit, soft
browns, and lighter tones, with q great
cotton tail.
Perched on the snow, he made quite
a sight, easily seen by any marauding
animal, but there were few Of these on
such day.
Finally the rabbit began to nibble the
lilac bark It didn't seem very Juicy
meal, so we thought Of carrots and
lettuce. H.
A handful Of these ought to make q
good meal for wandering rabbit in
the cold. Nowhere in nature could he
find such fare that day.
From California, perhaps, came the
lettuce, all the way to serve a wild
rabbit.
This was a pleasant thought, but,
like so many happy thoughts, 1t turned
out to be erroneous, for no sooner had
we gone into the yard, bearing large
carrot in the left hand. and wad Of
lettuce in the right, than the rabbit
shot across the ice.
TT moe iYoYe0cSihIo nf course tn UQlk
without making a crunching sound.
The rabbit ran easily, freely, taking
the snow in his stride.
Snow or grass, it was all the same to
him. He was made to take it," as the
phrase puts it. Nothing he had to face
could put him at disadvantage. But
that doesn't mean that he had much
intelligence, and here is why:
He never came back to the food, al
though he plainly saw it. red and green
against the snow.
He sat for long time under some
He was looking squarely in our di-
rection.
Inside the house again, we watched
through the glass, but the rabbit never
came back.
The next morning, there was the car
rot and lettuce, fresh and crisp on the
ice
MIR. Rabbit has preferred his bark,
rose canes, and the like.
There is belief that wild things viii
not touch food handled by man.
Maybe this was proof, and maybe 1t
wasn't. Perhaps it just meant that the
wild thing had gone on into another
yard, and never given himself q chance
to sample good bunny fodder.
1t was difficult to believe that If he
had approached the food he would
not have smelled it, and that, smelling.
he could have resisted its appeal.
Rabbit sense, it may be, is other than
ours.
Perhaps it dictated flight from any
thing bearing the smell Of mankind.
Centuries had done their work.
Wild things have this wisdom. which
at times seems wrong, to us, but World
Wars I and II put q different stamp or
the relative VISIONS of man and ami
mails
Who knows but that animals long
ago recognized the most deadly thing
in the universe?
Despite mans prating of love, he hates
more than he loves, and kills more than
| he conserves.
The rabbit was wise, maybe, in fleeing
when no hand was raised against him
The preferred olive branch. the. ex-
tended carrot and bunch Of lettuce
These are eternal symbols Of good ir
| wicked and willful world, bent on ruiz
| or ruin.
People of good will may md 1t ex.
pedient, after all, to follow the elder
| wisdom OF the Wild rabbit, and run
away q fast a. possible.