me; and I looked again,
and carefully examined every inch of the ground as my eyes passed over
it. This time I discovered what the animal was after. Close into the
willows appeared two little parallel streaks of a dark colour, just
rising above the surface of the snow. I should not have noticed them had
there not been two of them, and these slanting in the same direction.
They had caught my eyes before, but I had taken them for the points of
broken willows. I now saw that they were the ears of some animal, and I
thought that once or twice they moved slightly while I was regarding
them.

"After looking at them steadily for a time, I made out the shape of a
little head underneath. It was white, but there was a round dark spot in
the middle, which I knew to be an eye. There was no body to be seen.
That was under the snow, but it was plain enough that what I saw was the
head of a hare. At first I supposed it to be a Polar hare--such as we
had just killed--but the tracks I had followed were not those of the
Polar hare. Then I remembered that the 'rabbit' of the United States
also turns white in the winter of the Northern regions. This, then, must
be the American rabbit, thought I.

"Of course my reflections did not occupy all the time I have taken in
describing them. Only a moment or so. All the while the lynx was moving
round and round the circle, but still getting nearer to the hare that
appeared eagerly to watch it. I remembered how Norman had manoeuvred to
get within shot of the Polar hare; and I now saw the very same _ruse_
being practised by a dumb creature, that is supposed to have no other
guide than instinct. But I had seen the 'bay lynx' of Louisiana do some
'dodges' as cunning as that,--such as claying his feet to make the
hounds lose the scent, and, after running backwards and forwards upon a
fallen log, leap into the tops of trees, and get off in that way."

"Believing that his Northern cousin was just as artful as himself" (here
Basil looked significantly at the "Captain,") "I did not so much wonder
at the performance I now witnessed. Nevertheless, I felt a great
curiosity to see it out. But for this curiosity I could have shot the
lynx every time he passed me on the nearer edge of the circle. Round and
round he went, then, until he was not twenty feet from the hare, that,
strange to say, seemed to regard this the worst of her enemies more with
wonder than fear. The lynx at length stopped suddenly, brought hi