So quick were his movements that it was impossible
for one of the little people watching to keep their eyes on him.
It seemed sometimes as though he must have vanished into the air.
Of course he didn't. He was simply showing them his wonderful
ability to take advantage of every little stick, stone and bush.
"Billy is a great traveler," said Old Mother Nature. He really
loves to travel up and down the Laughing Brook, even for long
distances. Wherever there is plenty of driftwood and rubbish,
Billy is quite at home, being so slender he can slip under all
kinds of places and into all sorts of holes. Quick as he is on
land, he is not so quick as his Cousin Shadow; and good swimmer
as he is, he isn't so good as his bigger cousin, Little Joe Otter.
But being equally at home on land and in water, he has an advantage
over his cousins. Billy is much hunted for his fur, and being
hunted so much has made him very keen-witted. Mrs. Billy makes
her home nest in a hole in the bank or under an old stump or under
a pile of driftwood, and you may be sure it is well hidden.
There the babies are born, and they stay with their mother all
summer. Incidentally, Billy can climb readily. Billy is found
all over this great country of ours. When he lives in the Far
North his fur is finer and thicker than when he lives in the South.
I wish Little Joe Otter were here.
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