me when you are looking for me. That is, you won't if I can
help it. You won't if I see you first."

Blacky chuckled. He knew what Danny meant. When Blacky goes looking
for Danny Meadow Mouse, it usually is in hope of having a Meadow Mouse
dinner, and he knew that Danny knew this. "I've had my breakfast," said
Blacky, "and it isn't dinner time yet."

"What is it you never did?" persisted Danny, in his squeaky voice.

"That was just an exclamation," explained Blacky. "I made a discovery
that surprised me so I exclaimed right out."

"What was it?" demanded Danny.

"It was that the feathers of my coat are coming in thicker than I ever
knew them to before. I hadn't noticed it until I started to set them in
order a minute ago." He buried his bill in the feathers of his breast.
"Yes, sir," said he in a muffled voice, "they are coming in thicker than
I ever knew them to before. There is a lot of down around the roots of
them. I am going to have the warmest coat I've ever had."

"Well, don't think you are the only one," retorted Danny. "My fur never
was so thick at this time of year as it is now, and it is the same way
with Nanny Meadow Mouse and all our children. I suppose you know what it
means."

"What does it mean?" asked Blacky, just as if he didn't have the least
idea, although he had guessed the instant he discovered those extra
feathers.

"It means we are going to have a long, hard, cold winter, and Old Mother
Nature is preparing us for it," replied Danny, quite as if he knew all
about it. "You'll find that everybody who doesn't go south or sleep all
winter has a thicker coat than usual. Hello! There is old Roughleg the
Hawk! He has come extra early this year. I think I'll go back to warn
Nanny." Without another word Danny disappeared in the brown grass. Again
Blacky chuckled. "More signs," said he to himself. "More signs. There
isn't a doubt that we are going to have a hard winter. I wonder if I
can stand it or if I'd better go a little way south, where it will be
warmer."

CHAPTER XVII: Blacky Watches A Queer Performance

This much to me is very clear:
A thing not understood is queer.
--Blacky the Crow.

Blacky the Crow may be right. Again he may not be. If he is right, it
will account for a lot of the queer people in the world. They are not
understood, and so they are queer. At least, that is what other people
say, and never once think that perhaps they are the queer ones for not
understan