Where Are the Night Animals

Night Animals?

The summermoon tises ower thehiu. —A lone coyote howls. It snits the al. Then it begins its nightly hunting route. With the coyote gone, a skunk scoots outfrom its den in a log. Another skunk appears. The two romp, squeaking and squealing.

They don't see the harvest micescampering among the fallen branches. But a watchful barn owl does. It hoots and goes back to eating a gopher.

The sound of the owl startles an opossummunching berries. She and her babies duckinto the underbrush. Then cautiously shewaddles to the pond for a drink.

In the muddy water a raccoon feelsaround for crayfish and snails. Above, amale tree frog calls to a female tree frog, " Kreck-ek, kreck-ek. "

A shadow passes over the frog. A litle brown bat dipsand dives to snatch moths and mosquitoes from the air. By dawn it has eaten one quarter of its weight in insects. The sun rises. The animals retreat to their homes. The day belongs to others.