me forth to the light,
Said he to himself,
"It was just as I feared,
A fox has been here through the night.

"I think I had better
Go scampering home
To the dear little home in the wood,
And never, oh never
Again will I roam,
Or leave my dear mother so good."

Away then he ran,
Without once looking back,
Till he saw the dear home he loved best.
And mother came hopping
Along the hard track
To welcome him home to the nest.

And, oh! such a breakfast
Before him there lay,
Such clover and grass from the wood;
And always I've heard,
From that terrible day,
That Bunny is patient and good.

B. R. McKean

The Pet Rabbit

I have a little Bunny
With his coat as soft as down,
And nearly all of him is white
Except one bit of brown.
The first thing in the morning,
When I get out of bed,
I wonder if my bunny's still
Safe in his shed.

And then the next thing that I do,
I daresay you have guessed;
It's at once to go and see him,
When I am washed and dressed.
And every day I see him,
I like him more and more,
And each day he is bigger
Than he was the day before.

I feed him in the morning
With bran and bits of bread.
And every night I take some straw
To make his little bed.
What with carrots in the morning
And turnip-tops for tea,
If a bunny can be happy,
I'm sure he ought to be.

Then when it's nearly bed-time
I go down to his shed,
And say "Good-night, you bunny!"
Before I go to bed,
I think there's only one thing
That would make me happy quite,
If I could take my bunny dear
With me to bed at night.

Robert Mack

[Illustration: A Working Rabbit.]

[Page 179--Hare Land]

[Illustration: Mouse and Frog riding Hare.]

The Little Hare

Beyond the palings of the park
A Hare had made her form,
Beneath a drooping fern, that made
A shelter snug and warm.

She slept until the daylight came,
And all thinks were awake,
And then the Hare, with noiseless steps,
Crept softly from the brake.

She stroked her whiskers with her paws,
Looked timidly around
With open eyes and ears erect
That caught the smallest sound.

The Field-Mouse rustled in the grass,
The Squirrel in the trees,
But Puss wa