Old Mother Nature waited
patiently. Finally Peter began rather timidly.
"Of course," said he, "the only way I know how I look is by the
way the other members of my family look, for I've never seen
myself. I suppose in a way I look like all the rest of the Rabbit
family. I have long hind legs and short front ones. I suppose
this is so I can make long jumps when I am in a hurry."
Old Mother Nature nodded, and Peter, taking courage, continued. "My
hind legs are stout and strong, but my front ones are rather weak.
I guess this is because I do not have a great deal of use for them,
except for running. My coat is a sort of mixture of brown and gray,
more brown in summer and more gray in winter. My ears are longer for
my size than are those of most animals, but really not very long after
all, not nearly as long for my size as my cousin Jumper's are for his
size. My tail doesn't amount to much because it is so short that it
is hardly worth calling a tail. It is so short I carry it straight
up. It is white like a little bunch of cotton, and I suppose that
that is why I am called a Cottontail Rabbit, though I have heard that
some folks call me a Gray Rabbit and others a Bush Rabbit. I guess
I'm called Bush Rabbit because I like bushy country in which to live."
"I live in the dear Old Briar-patch and just love it.
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