good that bark had
tasted the night before, hesitated again, and then hurried over
to the third tree. It was protected just like the others. Then
Peter forgot all about going home. He wanted some of that
delicious bark, and he ran from one tree to another as fast as he
could go.

At last, way down at the end of the orchard, Peter found a tree
that had no wire around it. "They must have forgotten this one!"
he thought, and his eyes sparkled. All around on the snow were a
lot of shiny little wires, but Peter didn't notice them. All he
saw was that delicious bark on the young peach tree. He hopped
right into the middle of the wires, and then, just as he reached
up to take the first bite of bark, he felt something tugging at
one of his hind legs.

XV

Peter Rabbit Is Caught in a Snare

When Peter Rabbit, reaching up to nibble the bark of one of
Farmer Brown's young trees, felt something tugging at one of his
hind legs, he was so startled that he jumped to get away. Instead
of doing this, he fell flat on his face. The thing on his hind
leg had tightened and held him fast. A great fear came to Peter
Rabbit, and lying there in the snow, he kicked and struggled
with all his might. But the more he kicked, the tighter grew that
hateful thing on his leg! Finally he grew too tired to kick any
more and lay still. The dreadful thing that held him hurt his
leg, but it didn't pull when he lay still.

When he had grown a little calmer, Peter sat up to examine the
thing which held him so fast. It was something like one of the
blackberry vines he had sometimes tripped over, only it was
bright and shiny, and had no branches or tiny prickers, and one
end was fastened to a stake. Peter tried to bite off the shiny
thing, but even his great, sharp front teeth couldn't cut it.
Then Peter knew what it was. It was wire! It was a snare which
Farmer Brown had set to catch him, and which he had walked right
into because he had been so greedy for the bark of the young
peach tree that he had not used his eyes to look out for danger.

Oh, how Peter Rabbit did wish that he had not been so curious to
know what Farmer Brown had been doing that day, and that he had
gone straight home as he had meant to do, instead of trying to
get one more meal of young peach bark! Big tears rolled down
Peter's cheeks. What should he do? What could he do? For a long
time Peter sat in the moonlight, trying to thin