The Burgess Animal Book for ChildrenBurgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo)
General
The Burgess Animal Book for Children
Burgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo)
Animal behavior -- Juvenile literature; Zoology -- Juvenile literature
Old Mother Nature nodded. “There are some others very like
White-tailed Jack, only not quite as big,” said she. “They have
just such long hind legs, and just such great ears, but their
coats are different, and they live on the great plains farther
south. Some of them live so far south that it is warm all the
year round. One of these latter is Antelope Jack, whose home is
in the Southwest.”
“Tell us about him,” begged Peter.
“To begin with,” replied Old Mother Nature, “he is a member of the
big Jack Rabbit or Jack Hare branch of your family. None of this
branch should be called a Rabbit. All the members are first cousins
to Jumper and are true Hares. All have big ears, long, rather thin
necks, and long legs. Even their front legs are comparatively long.
Antelope Jack is probably next in size to White-tailed Jack. Strange
to say, although he lives where it is warm for most of the year, his
coat is very largely white. His back is a yellowish-brown and so is
his throat. But his sides are white. The surprising thing about
him is that he has the power of making himself seem almost wholly
white. He can make the white hair spread out at will by means of
some special little muscles which I have given him, so that the
white of his sides at times almost seems to meet on his back. When
he does this in the sun it makes flashes of white which can be seen
a long way. By means of this Antelope Jack and his friends can
keep track of each other when they are a long distance apart. There
is only one other animal who can flash signals in this way, and that
is the Antelope of whom I will tell you some other time. It is
because Jack flashes signals in this way that he is called Antelope
Jack. In his habits he is otherwise much like the other members of
his family. He trusts to his long legs and his wonderful powers of
jumping to keep him out of danger. He is not as well known as his
commoner cousin, plain Jack Rabbit. Everybody knows Jack Rabbit.”
Peter shook his head. “I don't,” said he very meekly.
“Then it is time you did,” replied Old Mother Nature. “If you had
ever been in the Far West you would know him. Everybody out there
knows him. He isn't quite as big as Antelope Jack but still he is
a big fellow. He wears a brownish coat much like Jumper's, and
the tips of his long ears are black. His tail is longer than
Jumper's, and when he runs he carries it down.”
“I don't carry mine down,” Peter piped up.
Old Mother Nature laughed right out. “True enough, Peter, true
enough,” said she. “You couldn't if you wanted to. It isn't long
enough to carry any way but up. Jack has more of a tail than you
have, just as he has longer legs. My, how he can run! He goes with
great bounds and about every tenth bound he jumps very high. This
is so that he can get a good look around to watch out for enemies.”
“Who are his enemies?” asked Peter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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