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diff --git a/42946-0.txt b/42946-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a7fdfaa --- /dev/null +++ b/42946-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,4794 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42946 *** + +Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this + file which includes the original illustrations. + See 42946-h.htm or 42946-h.zip: + (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42946/42946-h/42946-h.htm) + or + (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42946/42946-h.zip) + + + Images of the original pages are available through + Internet Archive/American Libraries. See + http://archive.org/details/livetoysoranecdo00dave + + + + + + [Illustration: BLUEBEARD, THE SHETLAND PONY. + _Page 85._] + + +LIVE TOYS; + +Or + +Anecdotes of Our Four-Legged and Other Pets. + +by + +EMMA DAVENPORT, + +Authoress Of + +"Jamie's Questions," "Weak And Wilful," etc. + +With Illustrations by Harrison Weir. + + + + + + + +London: +Griffith and Farran, +(Successors to Newbery and Harris,) +Corner of St. Paul's Churchyard. +M DCCC LXII. + +London: +Printed by Wertheimer and Co., +Circus Place, Finsbury. + + + + + +TO + +LADY NEPEAN, + +THIS + +LITTLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED, + +AS + +CONTAINING TRUE ANECDOTES OF THE VARIOUS ANIMALS THAT WERE IN THE +POSSESSION OF A LITTLE BOY AND GIRL, IN WHOM SHE HAS ALWAYS SHEWN +A KIND INTEREST. + + + + +Transcriber's Note: Minor typographical errors have been corrected +without note. Irregularities and inconsistencies in the text have +been retained as printed. The cover of this ebook was created by +the transcriber and is hereby placed in the public domain. + + + + +CONTENTS. + + + PAGE + +MOPPY, THE WHITE RABBIT 1 + +THE TWO BIRDS, GOLDIE AND BROWNIE 4 + +POLL PARROT 10 + +NEDDY AND THE RIFLE DONKEY 19 + +BUNNY, THE WILD RABBIT 31 + +THE JACKDAW 38 + +PRICKER, THE HEDGEHOG 50 + +DRAKE, THE RETRIEVER 55 + +TAWNEY, THE TERRIER 60 + +PUFFER, THE PIGEON 70 + +DR. BATTIUS, THE BAT 75 + +THE CHOUGH 80 + +THE KITTENS, BLACKY AND SNOWDROP 83 + +BLUEBEARD, THE SHETLAND PONY 85 + +JOE, THE GERMAN DOG 96 + + + + +LIVE TOYS; + +OR + +ANECDOTES OF OUR FOUR-LEGGED AND OTHER PETS. + + + + +MOPPY, THE WHITE RABBIT. + + +The first Pet that we ever remember possessing was a large white +rabbit. We were then very little children; and, being at the sea-side, +we spent the greater part of the day on the shore, or rather on the +broad esplanade, that stretched for full half-a-mile round the pretty +bay. When we were quite tired of running there, or of picking up stones +and weeds on the shingle below the esplanade wall, we were enabled to +prolong our stay out of doors by means of the pretty little +goat-carriages that were kept in readiness on the esplanade. Some of +them were made with two seats; some were drawn by one goat, and some +with two. There were reins and regular harness to these little goats, +and we were indeed pleased, when our nurse allowed us to drive in one +of the double-seated carriages. We took turns to sit in front and +drive, and we tried hard to persuade our Mamma to let us have a goat, +and a goat-carriage for ourselves. What a nice Pet that would have +been! But Mamma said she could not take it about, as we travelled much, +and also that a goat would butt at us and knock us down. Therefore we +were obliged to be content with patting and coaxing the goats on the +walk. + +During one of our drives in the goat-carriage, we met with a boy +carrying a beautiful white creature with pink eyes; "Look! look! +nurse," we cried, "what is that?" "It is a rabbit," she said, "would +you like to stroke it?" and she took it out of the boy's hands, and +held it close to us; we kissed it and stroked it, and buried our faces +in its long white hair, felt its curious long ears, and wondered at the +strange colour of its eyes. The boy said that a sailor gave it to him; +but that his mother wished him to sell it, as it was troublesome in her +small cottage, and they had no yard to keep it in, and he asked nurse +if she would buy it from him. We earnestly begged that we might have +it; "Do buy it, Mary," we cried; "please buy it." And, after some +talking, Mary gave sixpence to the boy for the rabbit, and, my sister +giving up her front seat and her reins to me, went home with the pretty +creature in her lap. + +We called the rabbit Moppy; it was a source of great amusement to us. +Mary contrived a bed for it in a large packing-box in an empty garret +at the top of the house, and when we wished to play with it, it was +brought down to the nursery. We always fed it from our hands. It became +extremely tame, and would follow us about the room, and allow us to +lift it and carry it in all sorts of strange ways; for we could not +manage lifting it by the ears in the proper way. When it began to be +tired of us, it used to get under the sofa, and when we dragged it out +again it appeared angry and would kick with its hind legs, and make +quite a loud knocking on the floor, with what we called its hind +elbows. When this commenced, nurse usually carried it off to its box, +fearing that it might bite, or else she covered it up in her lap, when +it would remain asleep for some time. + +Now and then we took it with us when we drove in the little carriage, +and it lay so snugly on our knees and kept us so warm. Before we had +become at all weary of our plaything, or indifferent to its welfare, we +removed to Ireland; and going first to visit grand-mamma, it was +thought impossible to take Moppy, so after much consultation, nurse +spoke to one of the little boys who kept the goats, and seemed to be a +gentle good-natured lad, and with many instructions and requests that +he would be most kind and careful to the poor little animal, we kissed +and stroked our pet, and, burying our faces in its long white hair for +the last time, we made him a present of beautiful soft Moppy. + + + + +THE TWO BIRDS, GOLDIE AND BROWNIE. + + +"Would you like to buy a bird, Sir?" said a poor woman to me one day +when we were just setting out for our walk. She held in her hand a +small cage with a beautiful goldfinch. + +"I have one shilling and sixpence," I said, "will you give it to me for +that?" + +"I hoped to be able to sell it for half-a-crown," the woman said, "for +I am very poor; I am leaving this place and want money for my journey, +or I should not part with my bird." + +"But I have a shilling," said my sister, "and that added to your money +will make half-a-crown, and so we can buy it between us and it will +belong to us both." + +We gave our money to the poor woman, and she put the cage into my hand. +The little bird was quite a beauty, his colours so bright, his plumage +so glossy and thick, and his chirp so merry. After displaying him to +Mamma, and to every body we met, we carried him to the nursery, and +placed him on the broad window-seat; Mamma said she was afraid we +should soon get tired of him, and neglect to feed him and to clean his +cage. This, we thought, was quite unlikely. However, we promised very +faithfully; and we commenced with feeding and petting him so much that +he soon became extremely tame, would take seeds and crumbs from our +fingers, chirp to us when we came near his cage, and sing without the +least sign of fear. + +One day we had carried him into the drawing-room; and, on opening the +door of the cage to put in some sugar, he darted out. "Oh dear! oh +dear! Goldie is out," we exclaimed; "what shall we do? We shall lose +him." But Mamma quickly got up, and shut both the windows and begged us +to be quiet, and not to frighten him by rushing after him and +attempting to seize him. "If you leave him alone," said Mamma, "he will +perhaps allow you quietly to take him in your hand when he has flown +about as much as he wishes; but he will lose all his tameness if you +terrify him." So we sat down to watch the little fellow, he darted +about the room for some time, and presently alighted on the table, +where the breakfast things remained. First he pecked at the bread, then +tried the sugar, peeped into the cups, and seemed highly amused at the +different articles which he was now examining for the first time. Then +he flew on the top of the picture frames that hung on the wall, then on +the curtain rods, and at last perched on Mamma's head, peeped at her +hair, and looked as proud and happy as possible. And after he had +looked at every thing in the room and well stretched his wings, he +quietly returned to his cage, chirping at us, as if to say, "I have +seen enough for one day, I'll come out again to-morrow." So afterwards +we used to give him a fly every morning, taking care to shut all the +windows before his door was opened. We paid so much attention to our +bird; that he did not seem to find his life at all dull, but he +obtained a companion in an unexpected manner. + +Our nursery window was standing open, Goldie was in his cage on the +table, and we were playing on the floor; suddenly my sister exclaimed, +pointing to the window, "Goldie is out! Goldie is out!" and there +indeed, perched on the window-sill, was a little bird, which for a +moment we believed to be our own little pet. We gently approached the +window. "Oh that is a brown bird," said I, "and look! Goldie is safe in +his cage." Nurse now advised us to draw back from the window, for that +if not frightened, the little stranger might possibly be attracted by +the bird in the cage, and might come inside the window; so we retreated +to the opposite side of the room, and watched the little fellow. In he +hopped very cautiously, now and then making a little chirrup, and +twisting his head in all directions, as if to discover with his sharp +black eyes, whether there was anything or anybody likely to hurt him; +now he came on a chair-back, and then becoming bolder, ventured on the +table. When Goldie saw him, he left his seed box at which he had been +very busy, and hopping about his cage in a most excited mannere began +to chirrup as loudly as he could, and shaking his tails up and down, he +seemed to express his great joy at the sight of the little brown +visitor. Nurse quietly passed round the room and shut the window, "Now +we have him safe," we cried, dancing about. "Pray be still, my dears," +said nurse, "until we get him into the cage." So we again became +immoveable, and there was the brown stranger peeping at Goldie through +the bars, perhaps wishing to partake of the seed and sugar, and fresh +groundsel that Goldie had been enjoying. He was a delicately shaped +thin little bird, all his feathers of a pretty dark brown, he did not +appear to be much frightened when nurse approached, nor did he leave +the table when she opened the door of the cage; but on the contrary, he +peeped in, and receiving a very civil chirp of invitation from Goldie, +he actually hopped in to our extreme delight. + +We ran to display our treasure to Mamma. She was quite amused at our +having caught him in so strange a manner, and said that she thought he +was a linnet, or some such kind of bird. He was evidently a tame bird +that had been much petted. He soon accommodated himself to all Goldie's +habits, came regularly to breakfast, and took his fly afterwards, all +about the room, resting occasionally on our heads or shoulders. Brownie +would now hop on our fingers, when we wished to take him up from the +floor; and this we had never been able to teach to Goldie. + +The two birds were very good friends, excepting when an unusually nice +bit of groundsel or plantain excited a quarrel between them; then they +scolded, fluttered, and pecked at each other in a very savage manner. +We had a sliding partition made to the cage, and when they began to +dispute, we punished them by sliding in this partition and separating +them for a short time. They used to look quite unhappy, moping in their +solitude, until we made them happy again, by withdrawing the partition. + +These little birds went many journeys with us, even crossed to England, +and back again to Ireland, and lived with us for a long time; and I +suppose we became rather careless about open windows and doors, knowing +that the birds were so very tame, and had no wish to fly away. + +We were the following summer in another place. There our rooms were +confined and small; so we used to allow the birds to fly about on the +staircase every morning, in order to give them a larger range for using +their wings. + +One bright summer morning, Goldie flew out on the landing; and as he +had invariably come back again to his cage, we were not noticing him +much, and never perceived that the servant had gone down stairs, +leaving open the door at the bottom of the flight, just outside of +which door, was an open window. Presently we went to see for him, and +it was some moments before we spied him sitting on the ledge of this +open window. If we had made no exclamation, and placed the cage on the +stairs, most probably he would have returned; but perhaps we startled +him by running down the stairs towards him. Out he went so rapidly and +yet so gently, in the bright fresh air, as if he would say, "Liberty +and sunshine, and freedom of flight in the summer sky, is too +delightful to refuse, even for you, my dear little master and +mistress." He perched on a high tree and looked at us for a while. In +vain we strewed crumbs about the window, and called and whistled. In +vain we set his cage on the ledge with his deserted companion in it, +hoping that hearing Brownie's chirp would entice him to return. He +never came back again, and Brownie occupied the cage for many months; +our care of him being greater than ever, since we lost our other +favourite. + +But Brownie's end was much more tragic. We were going away on a visit +for some weeks; and it was decided that Brownie was not to go, but that +he should live in the kitchen until we returned. There was a huge cat +living in the barracks. We always had been in dread of her, and had +tried to make her afraid of entering our door; but whilst we were away, +she one day found all the doors open, and peeping into the kitchen, and +seeing no protecting servant there, she seized our dear little pet, and +soon destroyed him. When we returned home, there was nothing but the +empty cage. + + + + +POLL PARROT. + + +We were staying for some months at a seaport town in France, many +vessels used to come in from different parts of the world; and I +suppose the sailors brought with them all sorts of animals and birds, +for the houses looking on the quay where the vessels were moored were +almost entirely shops of birds, monkeys, etc., etc. It was most amusing +to walk along the quay, and look at all the live creatures that were +there exposed for sale. Such a chattering of monkeys of all shapes and +sizes, such a twittering and singing from every imaginable species of +small birds, such a screaming and chattering from the parrots and +macaws, and such fun in peeping into the cages of white mice and +ferrets. We often wished very much to buy a monkey; but Mamma did not +fancy it, and said they were uncertain ill-tempered beasts, and that we +should be constantly bitten if we had one. First, we longed for this +bird, then for that squirrel, then for a cage of white mice, and so on; +indeed I believe we quite tormented Mamma with requests to walk along +the quay of animals, as we called it. At last we set our affections +upon a grey parrot, the smoothest and handsomest among the large number +exposed for sale. We never heard her say anything, it is true; but we +thought that an advantage, as she would not have learnt to swear and +talk like the sailors, and we should teach her to say just what we +pleased. + +The price of the parrot was rather high, because of her size and +beauty, and we longed for her many weeks before we were her masters; +but at last she was placed in our possession as a new year's gift, and, +in addition, a nice cage with a swing, and tin dishes for her food, all +the wood work being carefully bound with tin, to secure it from her +formidable beak. + +Cage and parrot were carried with us on our return to England, and she +soon became a great pet. She was not at first very tame; but by much +petting, and by leaving the door of her cage constantly open, so that +she did not feel herself a prisoner, she gradually became more +friendly. The first sign of love to any of us was after my sister's +short absence of a few days at a friend's house. When she returned, we +were talking together in the hall, and Poll's cage being in an +adjoining room, she heard her voice, and recognising it, she came down +from her cage, and gave notice of her arrival at my sister's feet by +her usual croak; she flapped her wings, and gave every sign of pleasure +at seeing her again. She did not, however, extend her amiability to any +one but myself, sister, and Mamma; she was still savage to strangers, +and would bite fiercely if touched, but if we offered our wrists, she +would step soberly on, allow us to scratch her head, stroke her back, +push back her feathers to look at her curious little ears, and in +return she would lay her beak against our cheeks, and make a clucking +noise as if she meant to kiss us. She used to waddle all about the room +with her turned-in toes, and climbed up tables and chairs just as she +pleased. She would get upon Mamma's knee by scrambling up her dress, +holding it tight in her beak. When we were writing or drawing, she +enjoyed sitting on the table, though she meddled sadly with our things, +biting our pencils in pieces, tearing paper, and so on, and once in +particular, she terrified us for her own safety by opening every blade +of a sharp penknife, and flourishing it about in her claws as if in +triumph. We had some difficulty in getting it from her grasp without +cutting ourselves or hurting her. She was a famous talker, called us +all by name, whistled and barked when the dog came into the room; +called "Puss, puss!" and mewed when the cat showed itself, sang several +bits of songs, and asked for fruit and food of different sorts. We +never could teach her to sing through a whole tune. I never heard a +parrot get beyond a few bars; and I wonder what is the reason that they +will learn the commencement of half-a-dozen different songs, but still +cannot remember any whole. I do think a parrot's voice and utterance is +one of the most extraordinary of things, for it always repeats a word +in the peculiar voice of the person who taught it; and, instead of +closing its beak or touching the roof of its mouth with its tongue, in +order to articulate, it invariably opens its mouth wide when it speaks, +and its tongue is never used at all; yet it will pronounce m's, b's, +p's, and t's as plainly as any human being. We could always tell who +had taught our Poll any word or song, from the similarity of voice that +she adopted. Her sleeping-place was for some time on the top of a +chair-back in my sister's bedroom. When we were leaving the +sitting-room to go upstairs at night, Poll used to waddle down from the +cage and come to my sister, who held her wrist down for her to mount, +and having been conveyed upstairs and placed on the floor, she mounted +of her own accord to her sleeping perch, gave all her feathers a good +shake, and settled her head for the night. + +Very early in the morning, she used to commence her toilet. Such +scratchings and smoothings of her feathers, such picking and cleaning +of her feet and legs; and having arranged her dress for the day, she +would come down, take a turn or two about the room, and then look at my +sister to see if she were awake. If not stirring, Poll used to clamber +up on the bed by means of the curtain or counterpane, get quietly on +the pillow, and examine her eyes closely. If no wink was perceptible, +Poll would gently and cautiously lift up an eyelid, pinching it softly +in her beak, then go to the other eye and do the same; then she would +wait a little bit, saying, "Hey? hey?" as if to ask whether her +mistress was not yet properly roused. Then she would again work away at +the eyelids, till my sister could no longer refrain from laughing. She +used to feign being asleep every morning, in order to amuse herself +with Poll's proceedings. + +I wished to try having my eyelids opened by Poll in the same manner, +and one night took the bird into my own room; but she did not approve +of this change of quarters, and instead of going quietly to sleep, made +such a croaking and grinding of teeth on her chair-back, that I was +glad to carry her back to my sister's room. Indeed, although she was +very friendly with me, she did not manifest the same attachment as +towards my sister and mother, apparently preferring ladies' society. + +While Poll was with us, we went another journey into France, and took +the parrot with us in a basket. It was a stormy night when we crossed +from Southampton, and Poll in her basket was placed at the foot of my +sister's berth, and no further attention was paid her. The cabin was +very full of people, and numbers had to lie on the floor, there not +being sufficient berths or sofas. In the middle of the night, the +inmates of the ladies' cabin were all startled by a scream from an old +lady who was stretched on the floor. + +"Stewardess! Here! Here! Some dreadful thing is biting me. I have +received a shocking bite on the leg. Do search for the creature, +whatever it is." + +So the stewardess came and looked, and could find nothing. + +My sister, who had looked out of her shelf at the old lady's cry, +immediately divined what it was, seeing that Poll's basket had rolled +off the berth to the floor, and she having gnawed a hole in the basket, +had put out her beak and bitten the first thing with which it came in +contact. + +When the stewardess came to look for the monster, the basket had +rolled, with the motion of the ship, to the other side of the cabin, +and not finding a sea voyage pleasant, she put forth her beak again. + +"Oh! bless me! What can that be?" cried another passenger. "Something +bit me. Do find it, stewardess." + +Then came another lurch, and away rolled Poll in her basket; and no one +suspected a rather shabby old basket of containing anything but perhaps +a pair of slippers, or a brush and comb, or some such articles. So poor +Poll rolled about in her prison, inflicting bites on several legs and +arms, my sister meanwhile in agonies of laughter on her shelf, and not +daring to say who was the real offender, lest Poll should be turned out +of the cabin. + +At last the stewardess said that she supposed it must be rats, and she +ran away at the entreaties of the poor victims on the floor to fetch +the steward to search for the rats. Whilst she was gone, my sister +slipped down from her berth, and took possession of Poll's basket. She +had scarcely retreated with it in safety, when the stewardess returned +with the steward; and rather an angry altercation ensued, the man +insisting that there was not a rat in the ship, and the injured +passengers insisting that sharp bites could not be made by nothing at +all. However, after a long dispute, he begged them all to move from the +floor, and made a regular search. + +My sister was all the time in the greatest alarm, lest Poll should +think proper to croak or sing "Nix my dolly," or otherwise to make +known her presence. As luck would have it, however, Poll was either too +sea-sick or too angry to say anything, and the steward announced that +no live thing was in the cabin, and that the ladies had been dreaming. + +"But bites in a dream, don't bleed," retorted an angry old lady, +holding up to view a pocket handkerchief which indeed wore a murderous +appearance. + +This being unanswerable, the steward could only shrug his shoulders and +retreat from the Babel of voices in the ladies' cabin; and soon after, +my sister had the pleasure of landing, with Poll undiscovered and safe +in her old basket, and we are ignorant whether the old lady ever found +out what it was that had bitten her. + +During our journey, Poll often caused great amusement, by suddenly +shouting or singing as we were jogging along in a diligence or slowly +steaming on a river, thereby astonishing and alarming our fellow +passengers; nor did she forget, when occasion offered, to make good use +of her strong beak. + +At one place we were entering a town late at night, and the place being +a frontier town, our luggage was all strictly examined by the +custom-house officers before we were permitted to enter the gates. All +having been passed and paid for, we remounted the diligence; my sister +was the last. She had her foot on the step, when one of the men rudely +pulled her back, asking why she had not shown her basket. She said +there was nothing in it but a bird, but the man declared he must look; +and seeing that my sister was unwilling to open it, he imagined there +was something valuable and contraband in it, so roughly dragging it out +of her hands, he tore open the lid, and thrust in his hand. Poll gave a +loud croak, and the man rather quickly withdrew his hand, with a +thousand vociferations at the bird and the basket and my sister. I must +confess I was delighted to see that Poll had made her beak nearly meet +in the surly fellow's finger. + +When my sister had regained her basket, and we had left the gate, we +lavished much praise on Poll for her discriminating conduct on this +occasion. She would not have bitten my hand had I put it into the +basket; how did she know that the hand was a stranger's? + +When we arrived at our destination in the south of France, Poll enjoyed +the novelty as much as any one. Now she revelled in the abundance of +oranges and other fruits, eating just the best part, and flinging away +the rest with lavish epicurism. And how she basked in the hot sun, and +climbed about the cypress and olive trees in the garden, biting the +bark and leaves, and almost I think believing that she was again in her +wild birth-place, wherever that may have been! She accompanied us in +safety on our homeward journey, went to Ireland with us; and whenever +we travelled, Poll went too. + +At one time she took an erroneous notion into her head, that she could +fly; now this was an impossibility, for her wings were very short and +small, and her body very large and heavy. Whether this had chanced from +her unnatural life in a house, or from early cutting of her wings, I do +not know, but she could not support herself in the air, even from the +table to the ground. However, she thought she could, and on one +occasion she tried to fly, when perched on the top bannister of a large +well staircase of four flights. Down she came like a lump of lead on +the floor below, and when we ran to pick her up, poor Poll was gasping, +lying on her back, with her eyes rolling about in a fearful manner. We +thought she would die, but we put some water in her mouth, blew in her +face and did what we could to revive her, and gradually she recovered. + +But this lesson was lost upon her. A few days after, she tried to fly +out of a window on the first floor, and came down in the same heavy +way, on the flagged pavement before the door. This time her head was +wounded, and bled, and she seemed stupid for some days after; but she +recovered and lived long after that. Probably these falls had injured +her brain, for at last she began to tumble off her perch, as if giddy, +and then her head swelled very much, and she died in a sort of fit. + +I have seen other parrots who were better talkers than ours; but I +never saw one so tame, and so fond of her own master and mistress, she +used to come to meet us like a dog, when we came into the house, after +being absent for walks or rides, knew our times for rising and going to +bed, called us separately by our names, and really showed much +intelligence. + +Birds, in general, are, I think rather stupid, and do not understand +anything, but what their own instinct tells them; but parrots seem to +know the meaning of the words they learn: and if others do not, I am +sure that our Poll did. + + + + +NEDDY, AND THE RIFLE DONKEY. + + +Our next pet was a very different creature. One of our aunts had sent +us some money as a present; and I and my sister had many consultations +as to what we should do with it. At last we hit upon an idea that +charmed us both, and we ran to our Mamma. "Oh Mamma, we cried, do you +think our money will buy a donkey? We saw the other day, a little boy +and girl both riding upon a donkey, it trotted along so nicely with +them, and the little boy at the other side of the square has a donkey, +and we should like it so very much." Then Mamma said that a donkey +would be of no use unless we could also buy a saddle and bridle; and +besides that, she must enquire where he could graze, or whether there +was any spare stall in which he could live. These things had not +occurred to us; but we went to Papa, and begged him to find out where +our donkey could live in case we had one. + +Now there was a large sort of waste field adjoining the Barrack Square; +a few sheep and some old worn-out horses were kept in it, but I believe +it was not used for anything else. We sometimes ran and played there, +and there was a pond in it, into which we were very fond of flinging +large cobble stones. Papa found that he could easily obtain leave for +our donkey to graze there, and it was of such extent, that it could +find there quite sufficient food; so that difficulty was done away +with. + +Then we made enquiry about the price of donkeys. We talked one day to +the nurse of the little boy and girl who rode together. She did not +know what their donkey cost, but told us that she knew a little boy who +bought a young donkey, when it was scarcely able to stand, and so +small, that he had it in his nursery, where it lay on the rug before +the fire, and was quite a playfellow to him. + +We thought we should like a tiny donkey to play with in the house; but +Mamma persuaded us that it would be much pleasanter to have one that we +could ride. Papa heard of a donkey we could buy for one pound, it came +to be looked at, and we liked its appearance much; it was in very good +condition, its coat thick and smooth, and not rubbed in any place. Our +other pound supplied us with a sort of soft padded saddle and bridle; +the pommels took off, so that either of us could use the saddle, and +happy indeed was the morning, when Neddy was brought to the door for +us. + +I had the first ride, and, owing to a peculiarity in Neddy's manners, I +soon had my first tumble. We proceeded across the square very nicely, +and were about to cross a large gutter, along which a good deal of +water was rushing. I had no idea that Neddy would not quietly step over +it; but he had an aversion to water, and coming close to the gutter, he +made a great spring and leapt over it; the sudden jerk tossed me off +his back, and Papa catching me by the collar of my dress, just +prevented me from going headlong into the water. And we found that +Neddy always jumped over a puddle, or any appearance of water; +sometimes a damp swampy place in the road, was enough to set him +springing. But when we knew that this was his custom, we were prepared +for it, and had no more falls; we rode in turns, and sometimes I got on +behind my sister, and many nice long rides we had all about the fields +and lanes. When we returned home, we took off the saddle and bridle at +the door, and gave Neddy a pat; away he scampered through the open +gateway into the field, flinging up his heels with pleasure. We could +see all over the field and the square from our windows, and soon found +it extremely amusing to watch the proceedings of our Neddy and another +donkey. + +This donkey belonged to a little boy, who also lived in the square; he +did not often ride upon it, but it followed him about more in the +manner of a large dog. It had learned how to open the latches of the +doors, and could go up and down stairs quite well. + +Our Mamma went one day to see the little boy's Mamma, and when she +opened the door of their house she was much surprised to find the +donkey's face close to her's, and she was obliged to give him a good +push to get past him. When we heard this, we used to watch for the +donkey going in and out, and soon we saw him go into the field and make +friends with Neddy. They held their heads near together and seemed to +be whispering; then they would trot about a little while, then whisper +again. We supposed that the strange donkey was telling Neddy what fun +he had in going into the different houses and getting bits to eat from +the inhabitants, and instructing him how to bray under such and such +windows when cooking was going on. For Neddy soon began to follow his +friend about, and to imitate everything that he did. We did not know +the name of the other donkey, so we called him the Rifle donkey, +because his little master's Papa belonged to a rifle regiment. Neddy +was an apt pupil, for soon after the conversations between the two +donkeys had begun, we were seated one evening at tea, when we heard an +extraordinary clattering upon the staircase, we listened and wondered, +as it became louder. The staircase came up to the end of a long +passage, which led to our doors, and when the clattering reached the +passage I exclaimed, "I do believe it is the donkey coming up stairs." + +We rushed to the door, and looked out. Yes, indeed, the Rifle donkey +and Neddy were quietly pacing along the passage. We were thoroughly +charmed at Neddy's cleverness in mounting two long flights of stairs, +and when we had given them each a piece of bread, and patted and coaxed +them, they turned away to go down again, the Rifle donkey leading the +way. He managed very well indeed, but Neddy made rather awkward work +with his hind legs; however, he managed to reach the bottom without +throwing himself down. Next they went under the windows of the +adjoining house, and the Rifle donkey began to bray loudly, Neddy +copied him in his most sonorous tones, and presently a window was +opened and a variety of little bits of food were thrown out, which they +ran to pick up. They came every morning to this window, and the officer +who lived there always answered their call, by throwing something out +to them. When he shut his window, they quietly went away, and about the +middle of the day, when luncheons and dinners were going on, they would +go to other windows about the square, and bray for food. Neddy always +walked behind the other, and did not bray till he began. Sometimes +there were clothes laid out to dry by the washer-women on a piece of +grass, behind the houses. This supplied great amusement to the donkeys, +for as soon as the women went away they would run to the grass, take up +the clothes in their mouths, fling them up in the air, tread upon them, +tear them, and even used to eat some of the smallest things, such as +frills and pocket-handkerchiefs. But this was really too mischievous, +as the poor women suffered for their fun. + +No one would believe them, when they said that such a missing +handkerchief had been eaten by donkeys, or that such a piece of lace or +a collar had been bitten and torn by the same tiresome creatures. I +well remember some of our shirts coming home half eaten, and our Mamma +then advised the washer-women to have a boy, with a good thick stick, +to watch the drying ground, and to desire him to belabour them well if +they attempted to touch any of the clothes. This advice was followed, +so that piece of fun was in future denied to the donkeys. But, I and my +sister highly disapproved of this system; we thought that we would much +rather have our shirts eaten, or indeed all our clothes torn than allow +Neddy to be beaten with a stick, to say nothing of the great amusement +it gave us, to see the two queer animals rushing about among the wet +things, entangling their feet in them, and sometimes trotting off into +the square with a night-cap or a stocking sticking on their noses. +However, we still took great interest in their proceedings even without +the poor washerwomen's clothes; for being deprived of that game, they +began to plague the soldiers at the guard room. It had a sort of +colonnade in front, supported by pillars, and the Rifle donkey found +that it was very diverting to rush head first at the men who were +standing under the colonnade. If they tried to strike him, he used to +dodge round a pillar, and then rush at them again from the other side. +Often he singled out one man for his attacks, and then Neddy assisted +his friend, by biting at the same man from behind, but he was not +nearly so active in evading punishment as the Rifle donkey, and +received many a buffet and kick during these encounters. Sometimes the +soldiers punished them by getting on their backs. This, however, was +not to be borne, and cling as tightly as they could, the donkeys never +failed to fling them off, when they would return to the charge with +renewed vigour. + +These games of bo-peep, and so forth, apparently amused the men quite +as much as ourselves, and many a half-hour have we sat in our +stair-case window-seat, watching the antics of the donkeys and the +soldiers. Their play usually ended by the Rifle donkey receiving a +harder rap on the nose than he deemed pleasant, then he would fling up +his heels, and with a most unearthly yell, gallop off to the field, +closely followed by the sympathising Neddy, who imitated in his best +fashion both the yell and the fling of his heels. + + [Illustration: NEDDY, AND THE RIFLE DONKEY. + _Page 25._] + +We were going to leave the barracks, and move to another part of +Ireland; and just before we went, the two donkeys got into a terrible +scrape. Indeed, it was very well that we did go away; for they were +becoming so extremely mischievous and so cunning, that they would soon +have become too tiresome; and although we were charmed with every trick +they played, almost all the grown-up people thought them a great +torment; and the Rifle-donkey had become a great deal more active and +monkey-like, since Neddy had followed and copied him. I suppose he felt +proud of being able to lead the other wherever he chose. + +It was extremely hot weather, and all doors and windows were generally +left standing open. Not that it would have made much difference to the +Rifle-donkey had they been shut; for there was not a door in the place +that he could not open. But very likely they were tempted to this work +of destruction by the sight of the open door. Whilst the officers were +dining, the two donkeys walked into the ante-room. The table there was +covered with newspapers, magazines, and books; and perhaps the donkeys +thought that these papers were some of their old friends the clothes, +from the drying-green; so they pulled them off the table; tore the +newspapers into little bits; munched the backs of some bound books; +scattered the magazines about the room; upset an ink-bottle that stood +on the table; dabbled their noses in the pond of ink, and having done +their best to destroy and spoil everything there, our Neddy, I suppose, +was so delighted at the mischief they had done, that he could not +refrain from setting up a loud and prolonged bray of pleasure and +exultation. + +This brought in some of the officers, and there they found the +Rifle-donkey trampling a heap of torn papers and books, with the +remains of a blotted "Punch" in his mouth, and Neddy was looking on and +expressing his admiration. + +So they were ignominiously turned out with kicks and blows; and some of +the officers were very angry, and said that both of the donkeys ought +to be shot immediately; and the others said that, at any rate, they +should be shut up, and not allowed to run at large about the barracks. +But, luckily for Neddy, we went away in a day or two, and we never +heard how they managed to keep the Rifle-donkey in order. Perhaps he +was not so mischievous when he had lost his companion, having then no +one to admire his proceedings. We only heard that when his regiment +left, some months later, the donkey marched out with them just in front +of the band. + +As soon as we arrived at our new abode, our first thought was to find a +field for Neddy. The fort in which we were to live was quite small; +there was a street on one side, and the river close up to the wall on +the other; the square, or rather the small space within the wall, was +gravelled: no where could we see a blade of grass for our poor donkey, +and there appeared to be nothing but brown bog anywhere round. Poor +Neddy was put in a stall at the inn for the night; he must have been +much surprised at the hay, and the luxurious bed of straw; for a bare +field had hitherto been his only resting-place, and green grass the +very best thing he had had to eat. + +But the stall could not be continued; and as soon as our Papa had +leisure, he looked about for a suitable place for Neddy. + +There was another small fort about half-a-mile down the river: it +consisted of a moat, and a low wall with a few guns. There was one +little cottage inside for the gunner in charge; and the whole space +inside the wall, consisting of a flat terrace, with sloping banks, and +a good space in the middle, was covered with beautiful thick green +grass. This was just the place for Neddy; he would not be able to get +out, and there was nothing inside that he could hurt; for, of course, +the gunner would soon teach him that he was not to poke his nose inside +his neat little cottage; and there was plenty of space for him to run +about, and fresh moist grass to eat, which I should think he would like +better than dry hay in a hot stall. So Papa asked, and obtained leave, +to keep our donkey there; and we rode upon him from the inn, and put +him in possession of the little fort. He pricked up his ears, and +seemed not quite to like the clatter of his hoofs, as he crossed the +planks which formed a rude bridge over the moat. We thought nothing of +this at the time, but we had to think a great deal of it the next day, +when we came to take our ride--in happy ignorance that this would be +the very last ride we should ever take on Neddy's back. We kept our +saddle and bridle in our kitchen, and had to carry it with us to the +fort; so I put it on my head and the bridle round my waist, and my +sister drove me, and pretended I was a donkey. So we came very merrily +to the fort, and having saddled and bridled Master Neddy, I was +mounted, and we proceeded towards the plank bridge. But just at the +edge, Neddy stopped short, laid back his ears, tried to turn round, +and, in fact, refused to cross. In vain we patted and coaxed, tried to +tempt him across with a biscuit, then tied a pocket handkerchief over +his eyes, and attempted to cheat him into crossing without his seeing +where he stepped. + +In no way could we induce him to put his foot upon the plank. The +gunner came to our aid; and we all worried ourselves to no purpose. +There was no other way out of the fort, and we were ready to cry with +vexation. At last, Nurse suggested that it would be best to return +home, and ask Papa what we could do; and being at our wit's end, we +took her advice and scampered back to the other fort. Papa, having +heard our story, sent four of the men with us, telling them they were +to bring Neddy out in the best way they could; but, that, come out, he +_must_. When we returned, there stood Neddy, just where we had left +him, staring stupidly at the bridge. At first, they wanted to whip him, +only leaving open to him the way to the bridge; but we declared he +should not be beaten; and the gunner agreed with us, that blows would +only make him still more obstinate. + +"Well, then," they said, "as he is to come out at all hazards, the only +thing we can do is to carry him, one to each leg." + +So they began to hoist up poor Neddy, who did not in the least approve +of this mode of conveyance. He tried to bite and kick, and twisted +himself about in all directions. How we did laugh to be sure! For when +two of them had got his fore legs over their shoulders, he made darts +at their hair and their faces with his mouth, so that they had to hold +his nose with one hand and his leg with the other. Then getting up his +hind-legs was worse still; for he jerked and kicked so, as almost to +throw down the men; and we quite expected to see the whole four and the +donkey roll into the moat together. At last, he was raised entirely on +their shoulders, and they ran across the bridge and set him down on the +other side. + +"Are we to have this piece of fun every morning, Sir?" asked one of the +soldiers, as they stood panting and laughing. + +"I hope not," I said, "I dare say he will be glad to go in to the grass +when we come back from our ride; and if he once crosses it, perhaps he +will not be afraid tomorrow." + +So we took our ride; Neddy behaved quite as well as usual; his fright +did not appear at all to have disturbed his placidity; and in about two +hours we again stood before the terrible bridge. The gunner came out to +see how we should manage. We took off the saddle and bridle, and +invited Neddy to enter. There was the nice fresh grass, and banks to +roll upon, and to run up and down, looking very tempting through the +gate; and on the other side of the road, there was nothing but heaps of +stones and a great brown bog, stretching away as far as we could see, +with nothing at all to eat upon it. But for all that, Neddy looked at +the bridge; smelt it; and, resolutely turning his back to it, stared +dismally at the bog, as if he were thinking, + +"I don't see anything that I can eat there." + +However, it was evident that although the fear of starvation was before +him, he could not make up his mind to cross the ditch; and, in fact, +had absolutely determined not to do so. + +We were in despair; but feeling sure that it would not do to have him +carried in and out every day; we disconsolately led him back to our +home, and told our troubles to Papa, who ordered him back to the stall +at the inn for the night. + +Next day, we tried in all directions to find a field where Neddy could +graze; but no such place could be found. So we had a grand consultation +as to what must be done for him; and Papa said that he could not keep +him in a stall, feeding with hay, for, perhaps, half-a-year or more, as +he expected to remain where we were for a long time. So we made up our +minds to part with our donkey; and we did not regret it quite so much +at this time of year, as winter would soon come on, when, probably, we +should not be able to ride much. + +We sent Neddy to the nearest town, about ten miles off; and a little +boy there became his master. And we kept his saddle and bridle, in +hopes of supplying his place some day. + + + + +BUNNY, THE WILD RABBIT. + + +We were now living in England, in a country place--fields and woods and +lanes all around. We took great pleasure in all the amusements of +country life. + +Our Papa had some ferrets, which he used to take out for rat-hunting in +the corn stacks with a terrier we had, named Tawney, and other dogs; +and now and then he went to a rabbit warren at some little distance. A +boy one day brought from this warren a hat full of young rabbits for +the ferrets to eat. They were all supposed to be dead; but when Papa +was looking at them, he saw that one of the poor little things was +alive, so he brought it into the house and gave it to me and my sister, +saying that if we thought we could feed it we might keep it. + +The poor little thing was so young, that it was a great chance whether +we could bring it up; but we had a cook who was very fond of all +animals, and she helped us to nurse it. She fed it with milk for a few +days, and then it soon began to nibble at bran and vegetables, and in a +week or two could eat quite as well as a full-grown rabbit. + +The gardener made us a nice little house for it, by nailing some bars +across the open side of an old box, and it slept in this by the side of +the kitchen fire; but we never fastened it up so that it could not get +out, and in the day-time it was seldom in its box, but running about +the kitchen, and it soon found its way along the passage into the +sitting-room, and then upstairs to the nursery, and into all the +bed-rooms. It went up and down stairs quite easily, and seemed +perfectly happy running about the house. + +It was a very strange thing that our terrier Tawney, of whom I have +much to tell afterwards, never thought of touching Bunny, for when out +of doors he was most eager after any sort of animal, would run for +miles after a rabbit or a hare, went perfectly crazy at the sight of a +cat, and was famous for rat-hunting and all such things; but as soon as +he entered the house, even if the saucy little Bunny bounded about just +before his nose, he would quietly pass by, apparently without an idea +that it was a thing to be hunted. In the evenings, when Tawney would +lie asleep on the rug, Bunny used to run over him, sometimes nestling +itself against his back or legs; then would pat his face with its fore +paws, and take all manner of liberties with him, he never so much as +growled or snapped at it, and seemed really to like the companionship +of the poor little creature. + +One very favourite hiding-place of Bunny's was behind the books on the +dining-room shelves. These were quite low down to the floor, and if he +could find a gap where a book was taken out, he squeezed himself in, +and as the shelves were very wide, there was plenty of room for him to +run about behind the books. I suppose he liked the darkness, and +thought it was something like one of his native burrows, and if he +could not remember them, it was his natural propensity to live in +narrow dark passages, and therefore he preferred such places to the +open daylight. It was very funny to see his little brown face peeping +out between the books. Sometimes it happened that a book was replaced +whilst Bunny was snugly hidden behind, and then we missed him when we +went to put him to bed in his box for the night. First we went to look +for him in all the rooms, and about the passages, and if he was not in +the bookcase he would always come when we called, so when we saw +nothing of the little animal, we went and took a book out of each +shelf, and we were sure to see his bright eyes glistening in the dark, +and then out came little Bunny with a bound. He did not seem to care +for running into the garden or yard, which was odd; but as he grew +older his taste for burrowing showed itself strongly. + +As he used to follow the cook about everywhere, he had of course been +often down to the cellar and larder. These were paved with small round +stones, and there was an inner cellar, or rather a sort of receptacle +for lumber of all sorts, which was not paved at all; it had a floor of +earth. Old hampers and boxes were put away there, sometimes potatoes +and carrots, etc., were spread on the floor there, and altogether the +place had a very damp, earthy sort of smell, perhaps very like the +inside of a rabbit burrow, and one day the cook came to ask Mamma to +come and look at the litter Bunny had made in the cellar. We all ran +down, and saw that Bunny had scratched up a quantity of earth from +between the little stones with which the cellar was paved; in fact the +cellar floor looked almost like a flower-bed, all earth. The door into +the inner cellar happened to be shut, or most probably he would have +commenced his operations where there were no stones to hinder him. + +Mamma said that the gardener should press down the earth again between +the stones, and tighten any that were loose, and that Bunny must not be +allowed at any time to go down into the cellar. But it was very +difficult to prevent his doing so. In summer, the meat and the milk +were kept down there, as being the coolest place, and the beer barrels +were there, and the coals, in different compartments; and to fetch all +these different things somebody or other was perpetually opening the +door at the top of the stairs. So Bunny frequently found opportunities +for slipping in at the open door, and he came every day less and less +into the sitting-rooms. One evening he had the cunning to hide himself +behind some of the empty hampers in the inner cellar, and when we +called him, and looked about for him in the evening, no Bunny appeared. +In vain we took books out of all the shelves, hunted behind the +curtains, under the sofas, and in all his usual hiding-places, we were +obliged to give it up, and go to bed without finding him. + +The next morning, we renewed our search, and seeing no sign of his work +in the outer cellar, we determined to have a regular rummage in the +inner one. After moving a great many bottles, baskets, boxes, and +barrels, we found a great hole. The earth had evidently been just +scratched out; for it was quite moist and fresh. The busy little fellow +had made a long burrow during the night in the floor of the cellar. +When he heard our voices, he came out of his newly-made retreat, and we +took him up stairs and gave him some food; for he was quite ravenous +after his hard work. Then we consulted with his friend the cook, how to +manage about him in future. It would certainly never do to let him go +on burrowing under the house; in time we should have all the walls +undermined, and the house would come tumbling down upon us, burying us +in the ruins. Terrible, indeed, was the catastrophe that we created in +our imagination from the small foundation of Bunny's having scratched a +hole in the cellar! And now that he had once tried and enjoyed the +pleasures of burrowing, we could scarcely expect that he would +relinquish it again. + +We went to talk about it to Mamma; and we proposed that Bunny should +live in the garden. + +"But," said Mamma, "I shall have all my nice borders scratched into +holes; and the roots of my beautiful rose-trees laid bare; and, in +short, the whole flower-garden destroyed, to say nothing of the +kitchen-garden, which would, of course, become a mere burrow." + +"Well, then, Mamma," we said; "we must make him a much larger house, +and keep him in it altogether. We will not let him have his liberty at +all; and then it will be impossible for him to do any mischief." + +But Mamma said, that although that plan would certainly prevent Bunny +from burrowing; she thought that it would not be a very happy life for +the poor little animal, who had been accustomed all his life to perfect +liberty, and had never been confined to one place. + +We could think of no other plan; so begged Mamma to tell us what she +thought we had better do. + +"Do you remember," said Mamma, "seeing a number of little brown +rabbits, running about and darting in and out of their holes, in the +wild part of the fir-woods, where we sometimes drive. There is a great +deal of fern and grass about there, and nothing at all to prevent the +rabbits from burrowing and enjoying their lives without any one to +molest them. I advise you to take Bunny there, and to turn him loose in +the fir-wood; he will very soon find some companion and make himself a +home; and do you not think he will be far happier when leading that +life of freedom, than if kept in a wooden house, or even if allowed to +burrow in a cellar?" + +After some deliberation, we agreed to follow Mamma's advice; and the +next day we drove to the fir-wood, taking Bunny with us in a basket. + +We drove slowly along the skirts of the wood, looking for a nice place +to turn him out. At last, we came to an open space among the fir-trees; +the ground was there thickly covered with long grass, ferns, and +wild-flowers, and the banks beneath the firs were full of rabbit-holes; +we saw many little heads popping in and out. + +"This is just the place," we cried. "What a beautiful sweet fresh place +to live in; and we got down and went a little way into the grass; then +we placed the basket on the ground and opened it. Bunny soon put up his +head, snuffed the sunny sweet air, and glanced about him in all +directions. No doubt he was filled with wonder at the change from our +kitchen or dark cellars, to this lovely wood; with a bright blue sky, +instead of a ceiling; waving green trees, instead of white walls; and +on the ground, in place of a bare stone floor; inexhaustible delights +in the way of food; and soft earth for burrowing. Having admired all +this, he jumped out of the basket; first he nibbled a little bit of +grass, then ran a little way among the ferns. + +"Do let us watch him till he runs into a rabbit hole," we said to +Mamma. + +And Mamma said she would drive up and down the road that skirted the +firs, for about half-an-hour, and we might watch Bunny. + +He wandered about for a long time among the grass and plants; and at +last we lost sight of him in a thick mass of broom and ferns. + +Mamma thought it was useless to search for him; there was no doubt that +he would thoroughly appreciate the advantages of the fir-wood. So we +gathered a large bunch of wild flowers, jumped into the carriage, and +left Bunny in his beautiful new home. + + + + +THE JACKDAW. + + +One morning, my sister was sitting with Mamma at the dining-room +window, when they saw me coming down the garden walk, with my head bent +down, and something perched on my back. + +"Look!" said Mamma, "What has your brother got on his back?" + +Up started my sister. + +"Oh!" cried she, "It is something alive; it is black: what can it be?" + +And she darted out to look at my prize. + +It was a fine glossy fully-fledged Jackdaw. The gardener, knowing my +love for pets of all kinds, had rescued it from the hands of some boys, +who had found a nest of jackdaws, and had presented it to me. + +Although it was quite young, it looked like a solemn old man; the crown +of its head was becoming very grey; and it put its head on one side, +and examined us in such a funny manner, listening with a wise look when +we spoke, as if considering what we were saying. + +The gardener had cut one of his wings pretty close, and the remaining +wing was not very large. We set him down in the garden, and watched him +for some time, in order to be certain that he could not fly over the +low wall that separated our garden from the road. And we soon saw that +he could only flutter a few inches from the ground, and hop in a very +awkward sidelong manner; there was no fear of his escaping. + +Luckily, there was a large wicker cage, that had once been used for a +thrush, in the coach-house. We fetched this out, cleaned it, and placed +Jacky in it on the ground near some shady bushes. We left the door +open, that he might hop in and out, and always kept a saucer of food +for him in the cage. + +He soon became very tame; would hop on our wrists and let us carry him +about, and liked sitting on our shoulders, as we went about the garden. +Near his cage was a large lilac-bush, and he found that he could hop +nearly to the top by means of its branches; and he picked out for +himself a nice perch there, in a sort of bower of lilac-leaves and +flowers. + +Finding this much pleasanter than the cage, he soon deserted that +entirely; and at night, and whenever he was not hopping about the +garden, or playing with us, he was to be found always on the same twig +in the lilac bush. + +We used to place his saucer of sopped bread, and his saucer of water at +the foot of the bush. + +When we passed, he used to shout "Jacky!" and soon began to try other +words; and tried to imitate all sorts of sounds and noises. + +In the heat of summer, when the bed-room windows were all opened at +daylight, we used to hear him practising talking in his bush. He barked +like the dogs; utterly failed in his attempt to sing like the canaries; +mewed like pussy very well, indeed; and then kept up an indescribable +kind of chattering, which we called saying his lessons; for we supposed +that he intended it to imitate our repeating of lessons, which he heard +every morning through the dining-room window. + +Sometimes we heard more noise than he could possibly make alone; and we +softly got out of our beds, and peeped through the window to discover +what it was about. There must have been six or seven other jackdaws, +running round and about his bush, hopping up and down into it; +apparently trying how they liked his house, and having all sorts of fun +and conversation with our Jacky. + +Within a few fields of our garden walls, stood the old ruin of a hall +or manor-house; it had once, doubtless, been large and handsome; +nothing now remained of it but the outer wall, a few mullioned windows, +and some remnants of stone-staircases. The walls being very thick and +much broken, afforded excellent holes and corners for jackdaws'-nests; +for owls and such things. Indeed, it was from one of these holes in the +ruined hall, that Jacky had been taken. And the numerous feathered +inhabitants of the "Old Hall," as it was called, having spied our pet, +sitting in lonely state in his bower among the lilac leaves, doubtless +thought he would be grateful for a little company, and the society of +his equals; so kindly used to pay him a visit in the early morning, +before children or gardener were likely to interfere. + +We were rather afraid that the wild jackdaws might entice away our +Jacky, by describing to him their own free life, and the mode of +existence in the crumbling walls of their home. But when Mamma made us +observe how very awkwardly he hopped about with his cropped wing, and +how utterly impossible it was for him to fly across two or three +fields, and to the top of the ruin, we were satisfied that his stay in +our garden was compulsory; and we agreed that the "Old Hall" jackdaws +might visit him as much as they pleased. But they never once came at +any other time than very early in the morning. + +I suppose Jacky thought that he had kept these visits a profound secret +from us. + +As he grew older, he became extremely mischievous. When Mamma was busy +in the garden, he used to come down from his tree and follow her about +from one border to another, watching earnestly whatever she was doing; +and whilst she tied up the plants, or gathered away the dead leaves and +flowers, he used to put his head on one side, and seemed to be +considering for what purpose this or that was done. + +Mamma was planting a quantity of sweet peas, in order to have a second +and late crop, after the first had begun to fade. She planted them in +circles, twelve peas in each, and a white marker was stuck in the +centre of each patch. As it was fine warm weather, Mamma expected that +these peas would very soon appear; but in a few days, when she went to +look at them, she saw that all the white markers had been pulled up and +thrown on one side. + +So she called to us, "Children! I am afraid you have meddled with my +seed markers; for they have all been taken out, and I stuck them firmly +in the ground; some one must have touched them." + +We assured Mamma that we were not the delinquents; indeed, we were too +fond of all the beautiful flowers to injure them in any way. + +When we looked closer, we saw that there was an empty hole in each +place where Mamma had planted a pea. They had every one been picked +out. + +Whilst we were wondering who could have done this, the gardener passed, +and Mamma showed him the empty holes, and the markers pulled up; and +asked him who he thought likely to have done such a piece of mischief. + +"I shouldn't wonder if it war he," said the gardener, pointing to +Jacky, who, as usual, was close to Mamma, listening attentively to all +we said. + +"Jacky, Jacky!" shouted he, making some of his awkward jumps at the +same time, and going close to the ring of little holes, he peeped down +them, with his head on one side, as if to make sure that he had left +nothing at the bottom. + +We could not help laughing at the queer old-fashioned manner of the +creature; but, at the same time, it was very annoying for Mamma to lose +all the pretty and sweet flowers through Jacky's greediness. + +She said she would plant some more immediately; and she sent my sister, +with Jacky on her wrist, to the front of the house, with orders to stay +there till the planting was finished, so that the mischievous bird +might not watch the whole process, and would not know where the seeds +were planted. + +I staid to help Mamma; we planted rings of sweet peas in different +places from the old ones; and instead of white markers, which might +attract Jacky's notice, we stuck in a great many bramble-sticks, all +round every patch, so closely that a much smaller bird than Jacky would +have found it difficult to squeeze himself in between the rough prickly +twigs. Then we thought that all was safe, and we let Jacky come back to +his perch. + +The next day he had not touched the brambles; but I suppose he had +thought it necessary to do something in the way of gardening; so he had +fetched up, from the farthest end of the kitchen garden, a roll of +bass, or strips of old matting, that was used for tying plants and +flowers to sticks. This he had pulled into little shreds, all about the +lawn and the flower-beds, and a great deal of time and trouble he must +have spent upon his work. How the gardener did scold! saying, that it +would take the whole afternoon to clear away the litter, and that Jacky +did more mischief than he was worth; and so on. + +But Jacky was a privileged person, and did pretty much as he liked; so +it was of no use to complain about him. + +It was most amusing to see how he teased the gardener when mowing was +going on; he would watch his opportunity, and when no one chanced to be +looking, he would run away with a bit of carpet or piece of old +flannel, that the gardener used to wipe his scythe; or else he would +drag away the hone, or sharpening-stone, and hide it under his +lilac-bush. + +So gardener, finding him a great nuisance on mowing days, told us that +he should certainly mow off Jacky's head or legs some day; for he would +come hopping about among the cut grass; and if taken up and landed in +his tree, he would immediately come down again, and thrust himself just +in the way. + +So for the future, we took care on mowing days to shut up Jacky in the +nursery, or in the dining-room, where he used with a rueful countenance +to watch all proceedings through the window, pecking now and then in a +spiteful way at the glass. + + [Illustration: THE SPARROW-HAWK AND CAT. + _Page 45._] + +Whilst Jacky was in our possession, we had a sparrow-hawk for a short +time. Papa brought him home one evening in a paper bag; he was a very +handsome fellow, with such brilliant eyes, and such a beak! He was +perfectly wild, and bit furiously at any hand that approached him; so +we covered up his head in a pocket-handkerchief, whilst gardener +fastened a small chain round his leg. Then we fixed a short stump in +the grass, not far from Jacky's lilac, and fastened the end of the +chain to the stump. So he could run and hop about for a yard or two +round the stump; we intended to keep him there until he became a little +tamer, and hoped that the example of his neighbour would teach him good +manners. But instead of taking Jacky as a pattern, the new comer +bullied him in a most dreadful way. We might have saved ourselves the +trouble of chaining him, for he snapped the chain in two with his +strong beak, and came down from his stump quite at liberty to roam +about. Strange to say, he did not go away altogether, but walked in at +the dining-room window. We were seated at tea, and not knowing that the +hawk had liberated himself, we were quite startled at hearing a curious +flapping in the corner of the room, but we soon saw the two brilliant +eyes, and there sat Mr. Sparrow-hawk, on the top of the book-case. We +took him out and confined him to his stump again. There he staid +quietly all night; but next day we heard Jacky pitying himself in his +bush, and we found him fidgetting about in the top of the lilac, and +fearing to come down, because Mr. Sparrow-hawk was walking about at the +bottom, and whenever poor Jacky ventured down, he was darted at by the +new comer, and hastily scrambled up the bush again. This was done out +of pure love of teasing, for the hawk would not condescend to touch +Jacky's food, consisting of sopped bread; but yet he would not let the +poor old grey-head come down to eat his own breakfast. Jacky was quite +crest-fallen, and we procured a stronger chain which held Mr. +Sparrow-hawk fast on his stump for several days, during which time +Jacky regained his equanimity. + +But then the chain was burst again, and this time the hawk took to +chasing the cats as well as tormenting Jacky. We had two cats, they +were very good friends with Jacky, and used wander about the garden a +good deal; quite unconscious of what was in store for them; they +commenced playing about Mr. Sparrow-hawk's stump, when down stepped the +gentleman and nipped the tail of the nearest cat quite tightly in his +sharp beak, poor pussy shrieked and mewed, and we had to go to her +rescue. At last we left off chaining the hawk, as we found that he did +not try to escape, but sat on his stump or else came into the house; +and we often were startled by finding him perched on a table, or on the +bannisters, but at the same time he would not become tame, and he so +terrified and annoyed poor Jacky, that we soon sent him away; and +certainly the cats and Jacky must have rejoiced, when they found the +savage owner of the stump had disappeared. The only sign of +civilization which Mr. Sparrow-hawk had shown, was one evening, when a +gentleman who visited us, happened to be playing the flute in the +drawing-room. The hawk never came into the room when any one was there, +and had very often heard the piano and singing; but probably the +peculiar sound of the flute had something very pleasing to the bird's +ear, for although this room was full of people, he came to the open +window, hopped in, and gradually approached the flute-player, till he +perched himself on the end of the flute. When the music ceased, the +hawk, quietly took himself out of the window again, and next day was as +wild as ever. + +One of Jacky's great pleasures during the summer, was bathing or +washing at the sink in the back kitchen. We always took care that he +was provided with a large saucer of water, which stood beneath his +lilac bush, but this did not appear to be sufficient. One day when the +cook was pumping water out of the sink-pump, Jacky jumped up, and put +his head under the stream, shouting and fluttering, with expressions of +the greatest delight; and after this he generally came every day into +the back kitchen, and called and hopped about until cook came and +pumped over him. Such a miserable half drowned creature as he looked, +with all his feathers sticking close to his body; then he used to +repair to the kitchen and sit before the fire, till he became dry. +Sometimes he got upon the fender, and when the fire was large, it made +his feathers appear quite to smoke, by so rapidly drawing out the +water. Once he was actually singeing, when the cook snatched him up and +put him out of the window, and it was strange that he seemed to like +the roasting at the fire, quite as well as the cold water. + +He soon discovered the time that tea was prepared in the kitchen, and +regularly came to the window to ask for tea and bread and butter; so a +saucer of tea and a piece of bread and butter were placed on the +window-sill for him, as punctually as the cook's own tea was prepared; +and Jacky sipped his tea, and ate his bread and butter like any old +washerwoman. But whilst sitting at the kitchen window he spied all +sorts of things on cook's little work-table that strongly tempted his +thieving propensities, and coming cautiously one morning, when the cook +was absent, he pretty well cleared the table; very many journeys in and +out must it have cost him, for when the poor cook returned to her +kitchen, she began exclaiming. "Who has been meddling with my work and +all my things?" and she called to me and my sister, and asked if we had +hidden her work materials to plague her. "No indeed," we said, "we have +not been here this morning at all." + +"Well then," said she, "what has become of my thimble, my scissors, and +reels of cotton, my work, that I laid upon the table, and there was +also an account-book of your Mamma's, and a pen; I don't see one of +them!" We hunted about for the missing articles. The kitchen window +looked out on a plantation, not far from Jacky's bush. My sister looked +out. "Oh!" cried she, "there is one leaf of your account-book on the +border." "And I declare," exclaimed cook, who had run to the window, +"there is one of my new reels twisted round and round yon rose tree; I +do believe it's that mischeevous bird." We were delighted. We both +sprang out of the window--"There's your thimble," I shouted, "full of +wet mould!" "And here are your scissors," cried my sister, "in Jacky's +drinking saucer! And there is your half-made shirt, hanging on the rose +bush beneath the window!" Poor cook could not forbear laughing. "Well," +said she, "he must have been right-down busy to take off all these +things in about five minutes. Gather up my things for me, like good +bairns." So we ran about picking up the things; the cotton reels were +restored with about half their supply of cotton, as he had twisted them +all round about the stems of different plants; the pen was stuck into +the earth, and as for the account-book, the leaves were all about the +garden, some he had even carried down to the cucumber frame, quite at +the other end. But he was such a favourite, that even this sort of +trick was allowed to pass unpunished. He furnished us with much +amusement; and I am now coming to his sad end. + +The wall which separated our garden from the road, was very rough and +old, full of holes and crumbling mortar. Once or twice, when sitting at +the windows, we had seen a small animal run across the gravel walk; we +could not discern whether it was most like a rat or a weasel, and +probably it came in through one of the holes in the wall. We did think +of Jacky; but knowing that he always roosted at the top of the lilac +bush, we supposed that he was quite out of the reach of rat or weasel. +One morning quite early, our Papa whose window was open, heard a very +strange sort of chattering from poor Jacky, so unlike his usual +language, that he got up and looked out of his window. Seeing nothing, +and hearing no more, he went to bed again; but when Mamma went as usual +to give Jacky his breakfast, no call of pleasure came from the bush, no +Jacky was there, and he was no where to be seen. + +"Then a weasel has taken him," said Papa, when we told him; "the +singular cry he made this morning, was doubtless when the weasel seized +him." And when we searched about the garden, there we found on a grass +bank, at some distance, the remains of our poor pet. The weasel had +bitten him behind the ear, and sucked the blood; his feathers were a +good deal ruffled, but no other bite had been made. We blamed ourselves +much, for not having safely fastened him in a cage every night in the +house. But now we could do nothing but bury the body of poor Jacky. + + + + +PRICKER, THE HEDGEHOG. + + +Shortly after poor Jacky's death, Papa called us into the garden. + +"Children!" he said, "Here is something for you in my handkerchief. +Guess what it is; but don't touch." + +The handkerchief looked as if something very heavy was in it; and we +guessed all sorts of things, but in vain. + +At last Papa let us feel, and my sister grasped it rather roughly; but +withdrew her hand quickly, with five or six sharp pricks. + +"Oh! it is a nasty hedgehog," cried she; "look how my fingers are +bleeding!" + +"Not a _nasty_ hedgehog," I said, "but a curious nice creature; where +did you get it, Papa?" + +"It was given to me this morning for you," he replied; "It will live in +the garden; and you must sometimes give it a little milk, and it will +do very well; and perhaps become quite tame." + +The little creature, when placed on the grass, did not curl itself up +and appear affrighted, but looked about him, and ran quickly to and +fro. We brought some milk out in a saucer, but he could not manage to +get his nose over the side; so we made a little pond of the milk on the +grass, and he dipped his black snout into it, and then sucked it up +greedily. + +This hedgehog soon became very tame; when we took him up in our hands, +he did not curl up in afright, but let us look at his feet, and touch +and pat his curious little pig's face. He helped himself to what he +liked best in the garden; and we never found that he rooted up +anything, or did the slightest damage; he liked the milk which we gave +him daily; and when we were playing on the grass, he used to run about +us, as if he liked our company. + +We had been told that we should never be able to keep a hedgehog; that +they always climbed over the walls, and escaped to the fields and +hedges. + +But although we did not in any way confine Pricker, he never attempted +to leave us, being apparently quite content with his run of the kitchen +garden, flower garden and house; for we sometimes carried him into the +kitchen, and up stairs into the nursery, where he would roll himself up +into some snug corner, and remain apparently asleep for an hour or +more. + +When we had had Pricker for some weeks, we received a present of a +second hedgehog. He was larger, but never became so tame as our first +friend; he did not like to be taken up in our hands, and we never could +obtain a good look at his black face and legs, as he rolled up on the +slightest touch; and when Pricker was running about on the grass, his +shy companion used to remain hidden beneath the leaves and plants. + +We had, at this time, a very favourite dog; and at the first coming of +the hedgehogs, we were in some fear that Tawney would kill them, for he +was a most eager hunter of rats, weasels, rabbits, cats; in short, of +anything that would run from him. + +But every one assured us that a dog would not kill a hedgehog, on +account of his sharp prickles; and the first time that we showed +Pricker to Tawney, he made a sort of dart at him, and received, of +course, a violent prick on the nose; at this he retreated, barking and +licking his lips, and dancing round poor Pricker, with every desire to +attack again; but hoping to find a spot unprotected by the formidable +spikes. + +Pricker, however, having tightly rolled himself up, such a spot was not +to be found; and, after a great deal of noise and excitement, Tawney +retired, and we never observed him to venture again. + +When Pricker was running on the grass, or when we were feeding him with +milk, Tawney used to play about without condescending to take the +slightest notice of the little animal; in short, he pretended not to +see him. So that we felt quite easy about the safety of Pricker and his +comrade. + +What it was that induced Tawney not only to _see_ Pricker, but to +attack him again, we do not know, as nobody was witness of the +catastrophe. + +On going into the garden one brilliant morning, Tawney made his +appearance in a very excited state, bounding about our feet with a +short delighted bark, that was not usually his morning salutation; and +on looking more closely at him, we saw that his nose was bleeding; +indeed, his whole head and ears were much ruffled and marked. + +We did not at first think of Pricker; but on wiping Tawney's face with +a wet towel, we found that he was bleeding from many wounds. + +"The hedgehog!" we exclaimed, "He must have killed poor Pricker." + +So we commenced a grand hunt through the garden, looking under all the +cabbage-plants, and in all the usual haunts. + +Behind the cucumber frame we found our hedgehog; but as he curled up +the moment we looked at him, we knew that it was not Pricker; and on +further search we discovered the mangled remains of the poor animal, +whose natural armour had not been sufficient to protect him from so +brave and plucky a little dog as our Tawney, who must really have +suffered greatly from the deep thrusts into his face and head before he +could have inflicted a mortal bite. + +Now, we thought, what shall we do with the other; as, doubtless, +Tawney, would not allow him to live, having found himself the conqueror +in the present instance. + +Papa said that a gentlemen, one of our neighbours, had been telling him +that his kitchen was infested with black beetles; and that he had tried +beetle-traps, and all sorts of methods of getting rid of them in vain. +Papa had told him that the surest way was to keep a hedgehog in the +kitchen, as they devour black-beetles greedily. + +"Now," said Papa, "as you cannot keep the little creature in safety +here, you had better make a present of it to Mr. D----; and I advise +you to carry it to him at once." + +Accordingly, we took the hedgehog to our neighbour, and it was duly +installed in the kitchen. + +In a day or two, we went to enquire whether the beetles were +decreasing. + +Alas! the poor hedgehog had fallen a victim to his own greediness; for, +having eaten too many beetles, he was found dead amidst a heap of the +slain. + + + + +DRAKE, THE RETRIEVER. + + +It happened at this time that we passed another winter in Ireland; and +missing our garden, and other occupations, my father made us a present +of a dog. + +Drake was a large handsome retriever of a dark brown colour, with very +short curly hair. I believe that sort of dog is called the "Irish +Retriever;" they are certainly very common in that country. I remember +to have seen many of them; but our Drake, we thought, was handsomer +than the generality; his coat was more curly and of a better colour, +and he was taller--for they often have rather short legs in proportion +to their body. He was a very rough bouncing creature, full of life and +activity; many a tumble, and many a hard knock we received in our games +with him; he used to bound at us, and putting both paws on our +shoulders, roll us over like ninepins. + +It was winter when he came to us--a very hard winter, almost constant +frost, and now and then heavy falls of snow--we were at that time in a +small fort on the bank of the Shannon; and although that is a very +broad, deep, and rapid river, it was once, during the winter, quite +frozen over for more than a week; and, after that, when the strongest +current remained unfrozen, there was still a great deal of ice on the +sides, and all among the sedges and rushes that grew among the flat +banks. + +Drake liked the cold very much, and liked rolling in the snow, and +being pelted with snow-balls, which was our chief amusement out of +doors during the winter. + +In the house we had fine games of hide and seek; we hid a glove or +pocket-handkerchief under the sofa-cushion, or in the curtain, or in +Mamma's pocket, and telling Drake to find it; he would rush frantically +about the room, snuffing in every hole and corner, until he brought to +light the hidden article. Then we had races, in and out the bed-rooms +and sitting-rooms, up and down the stairs, and round the tables; but +these races generally ended by something being thrown down, or, at +least, by our clothes being torn in Drake's exultation at catching us. + +Whilst the hard frosts lasted, Papa had Drake out with him a great +deal. + +Wild geese and wild ducks abounded on the river; but they were +extremely difficult to shoot; they generally flew in great numbers, and +seemed to keep a sentinel, or one to look out; for it was almost +impossible to approach them near enough to have them within the reach +of a shot. + +It was now that Drake's fetching and carrying propensities became most +valuable. + +Papa had a flat punt constructed; it was a most curious-looking boat, +so flat that it scarcely stood out of the water at all; inside was +fixed a large duck-gun on a swivel, and then there was just room for +Papa, and one man, to lie down at the bottom, with Drake; it was rowed +by one paddle at the stern. + + [Illustration: DRAKE, THE RETRIEVER. + _Page 57._] + +The geese and ducks used to come to feed on the river's banks very +early indeed in the morning; and so watchful and shy were they, that +even in the flat punt, Papa found that he could not come at all near +them unperceived. Off they would all go again, making such a flapping +with their great wings, and quacking as they went. + +So Papa, having noticed a flat swampy sort of place, some way down the +river, set out late at night in the punt; and, reaching this +feeding-ground, waited there till the flock came flying over them. They +made themselves heard sometime before they arrived; and then Papa, the +man, and Drake, all crouched down and remained immoveable until the +birds were right overhead; and then, bang went the great duck-gun, and +down tumbled, at least, half-a-dozen great fat geese. + +Now was Drake's time; and but for him no geese would have been brought +home, although many might have been shot. + +Out of the punt sprang Drake, and soon carried back one or two that had +fallen into the open water; then he would carefully get upon the thin +ice, between the rushes and the coarse grass, and bring to light any +wounded bird that had sought to find a shelter there. Then again into +the water where great thick reeds prevented the boat from going; if the +birds dived, he dived after them; and, in short, none escaped him; he +swam after them, scrambled along the ice after them, rummaged in the +weeds all stiff with frozen snow, and having seized one and hurried +back to the boat with it, off he would start for another. + +But when the flock had once received a shot, they came no more to the +same place that night; so no more was to be done, unless a chance bird +or two on the way home. Sometimes they flew one or two together; we +have seen them from the windows of the fort, fly quite close to the +bridge in the daytime; but only great hunger could have driven them to +this. + +When the party reached home, and the birds were spread out on the floor +to be looked at, how pleased Drake was, and how proudly he snuffed from +one to the other. + +The wild geese were very handsome birds, not so large as common geese, +but very plump, and with a beautiful dark brown plumage. They were very +good to eat, for they do not live on fish, as some suppose, but eat +only the weeds and grass that they find in certain spots along the +river's bank. But the ducks were handsomer still, very nearly as large +as the geese; less tough when cooked, and having brilliant blue +feathers in each wing. Then there was a smaller kind of duck, with +green feathers instead of blue, in the wings; this green was like the +humming bird's green, as bright as emerald. + +Besides these, there were teals, very pretty-looking things with +silvery looking feathers on the breast, and a variety of small ducks, +and curlews. All pretty, and all good to eat; we had to thank Drake for +every one of them, as without his help very few would have been picked +up; there was so much thin ice along the river, that would not have +borne a greater weight than Drake, so when they fell upon this, they +were quite out of man's reach, to say nothing of the difficulty of +groping out a wounded bird from a wilderness of long grass and rushes, +growing in pretty deep water. Drake highly enjoyed the night +expeditions, and when the punt was getting ready, or the gun cleaning, +he would jump about and bark, as if to say "I know what is in +contemplation." + +When the winter was nearly passed, we went back to England, leaving +Drake in the fort; being much played with and sometimes teazed by the +soldiers, he became very rough, and rather inclined to snap and bite. +Shortly afterwards he was sent to us in England, and on his arrival we +brought him in, to have a game with us in the house. We had a large +ball, and were making Drake fetch it, when we rolled it to the end of +the room. This went on very well for some time, excepting that Drake +did not give the ball up without a growl, which he had never done +formerly; and at last, he laid down with it between his fore feet, and +I desired him to bring it in vain, so I went to him and took it in my +hand, when he flew at me with a growl, and bit my cheek. It was not a +very severe bite, but Mamma said she would not keep the best dog in the +world after he had bitten one of us, and that Drake must immediately be +sent away. Then Papa wrote to a gentleman who knew what a clever dog at +finding game Drake was, and he agreed to buy him. So he was sent off +without our seeing him again. + + + + +TAWNEY, THE TERRIER. + + +We now come to the very chief of our favourites, our dear dog Tawney. +Before he arrived, we only had a setter who lived in his kennel in the +yard, and we never petted him much; and once when Papa went away for +several months, he took the dog with him, so we were without any guard. + +At this time a great many robberies had taken place, and houses had +been broken into in the neighbouring town. There appeared to be a gang +of house-breakers going about. And when Mamma was writing to our +Grandmamma, she said that she quite expected a visit from this gang, +some night, as Papa was away, and no man in the house. Grandmamma +replied that the best safeguard was a little terrier, sleeping inside +the house, and that she would send her one; and in a few days we +received a beautiful terrier, close haired and compact, with such +brilliant dark eyes and of a yellowish colour, more the colour of a +lion than anything else, so we named him "Tawney." A bed was arranged +for him in a flat basket, which was placed every evening near the back +door, and we soon found what sharp ears he had, and what a good +watch-dog he would prove. If Mamma got up after every one had gone to +bed, and opened her own door as softly as possible, Tawney heard the +lock turn, and barked instantly. He always gave notice when anybody +entered the front gate, or came into the yard, and we felt sure that no +housebreaker could approach the house _unheard_ at least. + +Tawney became our constant companion. He took his meals with us, sat +under the table during our lessons, walked out with us, joined in all +our romps and games; and was really almost as companionable as another +child could have been. At hide and seek, running races, leaping over a +pole, and blind man's buff, he played as well as any boy, and when we +drove in the pony carriage, he amused us excessively. He darted into +every door or gate he found open, and in passing through the town he +behaved so badly with respect to the cats, that we were obliged to take +him into the carriage, until we had quite left the streets. If he saw a +poor quiet cat sitting at a door he flew at her; and if the cat took +refuge in the house, Tawney followed, barking and yelping, and doing +all he could to worry poor puss. Of course this was not at all pleasing +to the inmates, and generally Tawney emerged, as quickly as he entered, +followed by a flying broom-stick, sometimes by the contents of a pail +of dirty water; and often by an angry scolding woman, whom we had to +appease as we best could. Then if he saw a little child with a piece of +bread, or a mug of milk, he would seize upon the food, knocking down +the child by the roughness of his spring; and then we had again to +apologise and explain, and regret, and so on; and although all these +pranks were done in the joy and delight of his heart, at starting for a +good run in the country, that was no comfort to the aggrieved cats and +children; and he became so unbearable when in the town, that we used to +make a circuit to avoid the streets, or else as I said before, take him +inside the carriage. + +Then when we reached the lanes and roads, we gave him his liberty, +which he thoroughly enjoyed. How he raced before us, how he sprang over +the hedges and walls, sometimes disappearing entirely for a field or +two, and then suddenly darting out from some wood or garden! Once or +twice he returned to the carriage with his nose bloody; we could not +discover what he had been worrying. But it must be confessed that he +was a fierce little animal, and had no idea of fearing anything. + +Sometimes he disappeared altogether when running after the carriage, +and more than once staid out all night and even two nights; but always +returned safely and in good plight, as if he had not been starved. + +We used to wish that he had the power of telling us his adventures on +these occasions: where he had slept; what pranks he had played; and in +how many scrapes and difficulties he had found himself. + +His greatest delight was when Papa took him with us to hunt a stack for +rats. Oh! what a wonderful state of excitement was Tawney in; he used +to sit staring at a hole in the stack as if his eyes would spring from +his head, and shaking in every limb with delightful expectation. Then, +when the rat bolted from his concealment, what a sharp spring did the +little fellow make; and having dispatched his victim, would peer up to +the top of the stack and seem to examine so carefully all up the side, +to discover another hole that looked promising. If none offered, he +would run off to another stack, and snuffing all round it, search most +carefully for signs of rat holes. + +One of Tawney's most annoying tricks, was his love of fighting; he +scarcely ever met with another dog, without flying at him and provoking +him to a severe contest, in which torn ears were his usual reward; but +this sort of hurt was perfectly disregarded by him. + +On one occasion, we went a journey to the sea-shore, and Tawney was put +into a dog-box, with several other dogs. + +While the train was in motion the rattle and noise prevented us from +hearing them; but at the first station a most tremendous yelping, +snarling, and shrieking arose from the dog-box; and, on opening the +door, the whole number of dogs were tearing and biting each other; no +doubt, having been invited to the contest by our naughty Tawney. The +combatants having been separated by dint of dragging at their tails, +legs, and bodies, Tawney, with damaged mouth and ears, though wagging +his tail and wriggling about with pleasure, was consigned to a solitary +prison for the rest of the journey; and the remaining dogs were left to +lick their wounds in peace. + +We were anxious to see what Tawney would think of the sea; we had +neither river, pond, or lake, near our home in the country, so had +never had an opportunity of trying his powers of swimming. + +The first day that we went down to the shingle, the sea was very rough; +great tops of white foam rolling over on the beach; and we had no idea +that the little fellow would venture into the midst of such a very +novel-looking element. + +However, we flung a stick in. "Fetch it, Tawney! Fetch it!" + +And in plunged the bold little animal; the first wave threw him up on +the beach again, looking rather astonished; but he did not hesitate to +try again. The water being so rough, we did not urge his going in any +further, fearing that he might be washed away; but on smooth days, he +would swim out a long way, and bring back any floating thing that was +thrown in; and he enjoyed his swims as much as any regular water-dog +could do. + +He had a habit of paying visits by himself, when we were at home; he +used regularly to go down the road to a farmer, at some little +distance, every morning about eight o'clock, and quietly return, +trotting along the footpath at nine, which, doubtless, he knew to be +the breakfast hour. + +Whilst we were at the sea-side, he used to visit a family with whom we +were intimate. Running to their gate, he waited till some one rang, and +entered with them; if their business was not in the drawing-room, he +again waited till some other person opened the door, and then he +settled himself on the hearth-rug for about half an hour; after which, +he took leave by wagging his tail, and came home again. + +The lodging in which we were, was one on a long terrace, the front +looking on the sea, and the back having a long strip of yard opening +into a lane. The kitchen being in front, Tawney found that he was not +heard when he barked to be let in at the back of the house. + +But the servant did not approve of coming up the steep kitchen stairs +to let in Mr. Tawney, when the back door was level with the kitchen, +and only a step for her; and, in some way, Tawney comprehended this; +for he used to come to the front of the house; and the area of the +kitchen-window being close to the front door, he was sure that his bark +was heard. Then he raced round the end of the terrace, and through the +lane, to the back door; and by the time cook had gone to open it, there +was Mr. Tawney ready to enter. + +There being no fear of housebreakers or thieves here, the dog was +allowed to sleep in Mamma's bed-room; we provided him with a box and +some folds of carpeting at the bottom, and made him, we thought, a soft +comfortable bed. + +But Tawney much preferred sheets and blankets, and, my sister sleeping +in a little bed in the corner of Mamma's room, he used to wait till she +was fast asleep, and then slip himself on to the bed so quietly as not +to wake her; and, getting down to the foot of the bed, would remain +there till morning. + +But Mamma said he must stay in his box; and forbad my sister to allow +him to get on the bed. + +As, however, he never tried to do so until she was asleep, she could +not prevent it. So Mamma listened, and when she heard Tawney very +softly leave his box and go to the bed, she got up and whipped him, and +put him back in his box, ordering him to stay there. + +Several nights this took place; till Tawney had the cunning to wait +till Mamma also was asleep, when he crept into the warm resting-place, +and staid there in peace till the morning. + +When daylight appeared, he returned to his own bed, in order to avoid +the morning whipping, which he knew would come, were he discovered in +the forbidden place. + +When we were returning home, we were to make some visits in London; so, +thinking it best not to take Tawney, we entrusted him to a man who was +going to our own town, with many charges as to feeding and watching +him. + +And when we had left London and arrived at home, there was poor Tawney +safe and well, and extravagantly delighted to see us. + +When we enquired about his behaviour on the road, of the man who had +brought him, he told us that he had been in a terrible fright at the +London station, thinking that he had lost Tawney entirely. + +He had to cross London from one station to another; and there was an +hour or two to spare before the starting of the train from the second +station; so, wishing to leave the station for that time, and fearing to +risk Tawney in the street, he tied him up, as he thought, safely in a +shed belonging to the station. He was also taking with him some luggage +belonging to us, among which was a large round packing-case, that +usually stood in Mamma's room; these were shut up in a store-house at +the other end of the station. + +At the appointed hour our friend returned to the station, and went to +claim the dog; but no Tawney was in the shed, only the end of the +broken rope which had fastened him. In great anxiety he ran about +enquiring of all he met. No one knew anything of the dog, no one had +seen him pass out of the station; and after fruitless search in all the +waiting and refreshment rooms, and in short through the whole station; +he was reluctantly obliged to go for the luggage in order to pursue his +journey, when, on opening the door of the store-house, what was his joy +on beholding the missing Tawney, seated on the top of the round packing +case, that he well knew to belong to his mistress. How he found out +that the luggage was in the store-house, and how he got in, we could +not of course discover; and it only confirmed us in our opinion of +Tawney's intense wisdom. We and Tawney enjoyed ourselves much for some +weeks, taking long walks, long drives, and hunting rats in all the +neighbours' stacks. We had some fine games in our own field, and a +great deal of basking in the sun, as it was a beautiful summer, with +constant sunshine. + +I mentioned, that Tawney used to enrage the people in the cottages by +trying to worry their cats. On one of these occasions, when he had made +a dreadful confusion at the door of a cottage containing children, +upsetting a tub of soap-suds, dirtying the clean sanded floor, and +frightening an old woman nearly out of her wits, by his reckless +endeavour to seize on the cat; a man had come angrily out of the +cottage, and coming close up to the carriage, declared with a clenched +fist, and a furious countenance, that if Tawney ever approached his +door again, he would kill him. Papa, who happened to be with us, said +that if he would give Tawney a good beating, it would punish the dog +without punishing us; and as he was a great favourite, he begged that +he would not think of killing him. Then we drove on, leaving the man +standing sulkily in the road. + +Whether Tawney had gone alone to this cottage for the purpose of +worrying the cat, or whether the man had taken his revenge for the +first offence, or whether he had done any thing in the matter, we shall +never know; but we could not help suspecting him when the following sad +affair happened. + +It was a very sultry day, too much so to run or to do anything but lie +on the grass, which we did during the whole morning. Papa sat reading +on a bench placed in the shady side of the house, and we were on the +grass beside him; Tawney lay roasting in the sun, and, now and then, +panting with heat, came to us in the shade, or even went into the +dining-room window and flung himself down under the table; some steps +led into the garden from the window, and as the window-sill was not +level with the dining-room floor, but raised about two feet above it, +we had a stool or sort of step inside the window, as well as outside; +Tawney generally sprang through, without troubling himself about the +steps. + +Soon after Tawney had entered the house, apparently for the purpose of +cooling himself, we heard a tumble, then another, and I got up to see +what he was doing. "Why Papa," I cried, "what can be the matter with +Tawney, he is trying to jump out of the window and cannot reach the +sill, and falls back again." Papa came to see, and again the dog made +an ineffectual spring at the low window-sill. Papa lifted him out into +the garden, saying he supposed he had half blinded himself with lying +so long in the hot sunshine. But we continued to watch him, and +presently we saw his limbs twitching in a sort of fit, and he ran +wildly about us. Papa called to the gardener, and they took him into +the stable, forbidding us to approach him, as they feared he was going +mad; they dashed water over him as he lay exhausted on the straw in the +stable; but soon the fits became more and more violent, and our poor +dog in a few hours was dead. + +A man that examined him by Papa's desire, said there was no doubt that +he had been poisoned by strychnine. He might have picked up something +so poisoned while running in the roads, or it might have been purposely +done by the angry man to whom I alluded. We never found out the manner +in which it had been administered, and could only regret most heartily +the loss of our dear playfellow. We had not another dog for a very long +time, and never shall love one so well as Tawney. + + + + +PUFFER, THE PIGEON. + + +What pretty things are pigeons, how happy and nice they look sitting on +the house-top, and walking up and down the sloping roof with their +pretty pink feet and slender legs; and then how they flutter up into +the air, making circles round the house, and now and then darting off +on a straight flight across the fields. Soon after we came to live at +our country house, my sister had a present of a pair of fantail +pigeons, quite white. They were beauties, not the slightest speck of +any colour was on their feathers; and when they walked about with their +tails spread out in a fan, and their necks pulled up so proudly, we +thought them the prettiest creatures we had ever seen. Our Papa allowed +us to have a nice place made for them in the roof of the stables, with +some holes for them to go in at, and a board before the holes for them +to alight on; inside there were some niches for nests, and as the +fantails were quite young, we soon ventured to put them in there. At +first we spread a net over their holes, so that they could only walk +about on the board outside; and when we thought they knew the look of +the place well, we let them have their entire liberty, and they never +left us. + +Next we obtained a pair of tumblers, these were small dumpy little +birds, of a burnished sort of copper colour, and such queer short +little bills; when they were flying, they turned head over heels in the +air, without in the least interrupting their flight. Then we had some +capuchins, they were very curious-looking creatures, white and pale +reddish brown, with a sort of a frill sticking up round their necks, +and the back of their heads. We called them our Queen Elizabeths, for +their ruffs were much more like her's than like a monk's hood, from +which resemblance they are named. Besides these, we had several common +pigeons, some pretty bluish and white. We fed them regularly in the +yard, and when they saw us run out of the house, with our wooden bowl +full of grain, they came fluttering down and took it out of our hands, +and strutted about close to us so tamely and nicely; and then they +would whirl up again in the air. + +We lived quite close to a railway station, and at one time of the +autumn, a great number of sacks of grain were brought there for +carriage to distant parts of the country; for the corn fields were very +numerous about us. In the process of unloading these sacks from the +carts, and again packing them on the railway trucks, a quantity of corn +was spilt about, and our pigeons were not slow to find this out; we +noticed they were constantly flying over into the station-yards; and +sometimes when we went to feed them in the morning, they did not come +for our breakfast at all, having already made a great meal at the +station. There was an old pigeon-house in the roof of the luggage +store, which formed part of the station buildings; and our ungrateful +pigeons actually went and built some of their nests in this pigeon +house in preference to our own. At least, they laid their eggs there; +as for building a nest they never did, they trod an untidy sort of +hollow in the straw and wool we placed for them, and there laid their +eggs. + +We often wondered why it was they did not build beautiful compact and +smooth nests like the little hedge birds. That was the only thing about +the pigeons that we did not like--their dirty untidy nests, and the +frightful ugliness of the newly-hatched pigeons. The first nest they +had, was made by the white fantails, and we had anxiously watched for +the hatching, expecting that we should have two beautiful little soft +white downy pigeons, something like young chickens, or, still better, +young goslings. And how disappointed we were when we saw the little +frights, with their bare great heads and lumps of eyes, and their ugly +red-skinned bodies, stuck full of bluish quills. After that we did not +much trouble ourselves about the young pigeons, until they came out +with some feathers, and tried to fly; but for all that, it was very +provoking to see them go off to another house. + +Our favourite of all, was a large handsome pouter or cropper. He was of +a kind of dove colour, mixed with green and bluish feathers, and when +he stood upright, and swelled out his breast, he was quite beautiful. +He became tamer than any one of the pigeons; he would come to the +window when we were breakfasting, and take crumbs of bread from our +fingers, he would perch on our shoulders when we called to him in the +yard, and liked to strut about at the back door, and to come into the +kitchen and to peck about beneath the table; we called him Puffer. But +he too was very fond of going to the station, and sitting on the +store-house roof; and at last, really half our pigeons had their nests +in the station house instead of in ours. We went and fetched them out, +nests and eggs altogether, several times; and then we persuaded the +station men to block up the door of the old pigeon-house, which +prevented them from laying their eggs there, but they still greedily +preferred that yard to our own. Then came the harvest time. There were +many fields of corn within sight of our house, and we perceived that +our naughty pigeons took to flying out to these fields, instead of +going so much to the station. How beautiful they looked with Puffer at +their head, darting along in the sunshine, till they were almost out of +sight; and in about an hour they would come back again, spreading +themselves all over the house-top, and lying down to bask in the sun, +and to rest after their long flight, and the good meal they had made in +the corn-fields. Puffer would always come down to us, however tired, +and let us stroke him and kiss his glossy head and neck. + +One day after they had all flown far out all over the fields, we heard +a shot at a distance; we were not noticing it much, beyond saying to +each other, "There is some one shooting;" but the gardener who was with +us observed, "I wish it may not be some one firing at your pigeons. The +farmers can't bear their coming after the grain; I am sorry they have +taken to flying away to them corn-fields." This alarmed us, and we +watched eagerly for the return of the pigeons. "Here they come," I +exclaimed, and presently they were all settling as usual about the +house top, Puffer in the midst quite safe. "Count them, Sir," said the +gardener. So we set to work to number the fantails, tumblers, Queen +Elizabeths, and dear old Puffer; all right, but surely there were not +so many of the common pigeons; no, two were missing! "They've been shot +then, sure as fate," said the gardener, "we shall lose them all I +fear." Next morning we gave them a double breakfast, hoping that not +feeling hungry, they would not again go to the fields; but off they +went as usual about mid-day, and very anxiously we watched for their +returning flight; we could always see Puffer a long way off, he was so +much larger than the others, and we longed for the time when all the +corn would be reaped and carried away, out of the reach of our +favourites. + +One by one our pigeons diminished; we begged the gardener to speak to +the farmers about, and ask them not to shoot our pigeons; but he said +that it must be very annoying to the farmers to see a tribe of birds +devouring the produce of their hard labour and anxiety; and that he did +not wonder at their endeavouring to destroy the thieves. He said that +if he spoke about it, the farmer would say, "Shut up your birds, and if +they don't meddle with us, we shan't meddle with them." Then we +consulted whether we could cage our pigeons; but they had always had +their liberty, and we were sure that they would not thrive if shut up. +So we must take our chance, and the naughty things persisted in flying +over the fields to the distant corn. One day, no Puffer returned to us; +and in despair we gave away all our remaining pigeons. + + + + +DR. BATTIUS--THE BAT. + + +I now come to rather a singular pet. Every one--or rather every +child--has a dog, or a cat, or rabbits, or thrushes; little birds in +cages are dreadfully common, and so are parrots; so are jackdaws; and, +as for ponies and donkeys, what country-house is without them. + +But I think that many people have not had a tame bat. It is not +generally a tempting-looking creature; and I should never have thought +of taking any trouble to procure one with the intention of petting it. + +Our bat put itself into my possession by coming or falling down the +chimney of my bed-room. + +The room was dark; and I heard a scratching and fluttering in the +chimney for some time. Then I heard the flapping of wings about the +room; and thought that a robin or a martin had perhaps fallen into the +chimney and had been unable to make its way again to the top. + +I got up, and was seeking a match to light my candle, when the little +creature came against me, and I caught it with both hands spread over +it. + +I felt directly that it was not a bird; there is something so +peculiarly soft and strange in the feel of a bat; and I was nearly +throwing it down with a sort of disgust. + +Second thoughts, which are generally best, came in time to prevent my +hurting the poor little creature; and I lighted the candle, and took a +good look at my prize. + +It was about the size of a small mouse; it kept its wings closely +folded, and I placed it in a drawer, and shut it up till morning, when +I and my sister had a long inspection of my prize. + +I do not know of what variety it was; for there are, I believe, a great +many different kinds. He had not long ears; his eyes were very small +indeed, though bright. + +We had never handled a bat before, and were not soon weary of examining +his curious blackish wings; the little hooks, where his fore-feet, +apparently, should have been; his strangely-deformed hind feet; and his +mouse-like body and fur. + +We wrapped him up and shut him in a basket, and during the day, I +caught a handful of flies, of all sizes, and put them into the basket. + +When it grew dusk, we opened the basket, and he soon came out and +fluttered about the room for a time; we found that he had eaten all the +flies, but not the wings of the larger ones. + +When he had been at liberty for some time, we easily caught him again, +and shut him up; and when he became a little more used to me, I left +him out all night, being careful to close the opening into the chimney; +and he used to have the range of mine and the adjoining room during the +night. + +We tried him with a variety of food. I had fancied that bats ate leaves +and fruit; but he never touched anything of that kind. He would eat +meat, preferring raw to cooked; and would drink milk, sucking it up, +more than lapping. + +He evidently did not like the light; but sometimes would make flights +about the room when candles were burning; and, occasionally, I took him +about in my jacket pocket in the day-time. If I took him out to show +him to any one in the broad day-light, he never unfolded his wings to +fly, but remained quietly in my hand with his wings folded. + +We had been reading a book in which one of the characters, a strange +old man, was named Dr. Battius; so we called our bat after him; and I +do think the little creature learnt to know me. He never fluttered or +tried to get away from me; and would always let me take hold of him +without manifesting any fear. + +He went several long journeys in my pocket; once I had him with me in a +lodging by the sea-side, and amused myself much with him. He would sit +on the table in the evening, lap his milk at my supper-time, and would +vary his exercise by crawling or progressing along the floor, darting +about the room, or hanging himself up to something by his hooks, and +letting his body swing about. + +He cleaned himself carefully, used to rub his nose against the soft +part of his wing, or rather his black skin, for it was not much like a +wing, and would scratch and clean his body with his hind feet. + +People used to say, "How can you keep such a repulsive sort of animal?" + +But, in fact he was not a dirty creature; he spent as much time rubbing +and scraping himself, as any cat would do; and he ate nothing dirty, +raw beef and flies being his chief food, with a very little milk. + +We had heard and read that bats have some extraordinary way of seeing +in the total darkness, or else that their touch is so delicate, that +they can feel when approaching any wall or hard thing; and it was so +with Dr. Battius, excepting on one occasion--the night when I first +caught him; then he struck against my chest; so that I secured him +easily, by clasping both hands over him. + +But I never after saw him strike against anything; he used to fly about +my room at night, and I never heard the least tap against any object; +he even would come inside my bed curtains, and fly to and fro; but I +could not detect the slightest sound of touching them. + +The black skin that formed his wings was so wonderfully soft to the +touch, that perhaps he felt with that, when the wings were spread out. + +I cannot imagine that his crushed-up little eyes could see in the dark; +they appeared scarcely good enough to see at all in any light. + +This poor little creature lived in my care for many months. + +I went to visit some friends who were not fond of any animal in the +house; and I knew that this dusky little creature would inspire +disgust, if not terror, among some of the party. So, unwillingly, I +left him at home. + +But my sister being away too, the servant, perhaps gave him too much +food, or he missed his exercise about the room. One morning he was +found dead in his drawer. + +I have no idea whether bats are long-lived animals; or whether they +would, for any time, flourish in solitude. Had I kept the poor little +doctor with me, I might have found out more about him. + + + + +THE CHOUGH. + + +I think I may here describe a bird, which, although he was not our +property, was watched with much interest by us, and which we never met +with but once. + +It was a Chough. + +It belonged to an officer who was living in the same barracks; and we +first saw it perched on the window-sill of his kitchen. + +"Is that a crow?" asked my sister, pointing to it, as we stopped to +examine it. + +"That cannot be a crow," I answered; "its legs are yellow, as well as +its beak; and it is more slender, and a more bluish sort of black." + +When we approached and offered to touch it; it did not draw back or +appear shy, but allowed us to stroke its back and look at it quite +closely. + +It was a very handsome bird; its plumage beautifully glossy; its claws +hooked and black; and its tongue very long. It was pecking at a plate +of food that was near it; but did not appear very hungry. + +Presently, the officer's servant came to the window, and we enquired +what it was. + +"A Cornish Chough," was the answer. + +We had never seen one before; indeed, knew nothing about that sort of +bird. We had, indeed, heard its name in an old song or glee, called the +"Chough and Crow;" or that begins with those words. + +So we asked Mamma about it when we went in, and she showed us an +account of it, in which we found that it is not at all common +everywhere, like a crow; but that it only lives in the cliffs of +Cornwall, Devonshire, and Wales; and has sometimes, but rarely, been +seen about Beachy Head, and in no other part of Europe, excepting the +Alps. So that it is really a very uncommon bird. + +The same account said that they could be taught to speak like a +jackdaw. + +But we never heard this one say anything, or make any noise, except a +sort of call or croak, with which he answered the servant who attended +to him. + +We always stopped to stroke and pat him when we went out to walk; and +he was a great pet with the soldiers, and went about some years with +the regiment. + +He showed his intelligence and quickness in a very curious way. + +During the time that the regiment was quartered in Scotland he was +lost; he had either wandered out of the barrack-gate, and had failed to +find his way back again; or he had been picked up and carried away by +some thief. He was, however, never seen or heard of for many months, +and was given up as lost. + +The regiment then removed to Edinburgh; and two or three soldiers went +to visit a sort of zoological garden in the outskirts. There were a +great number of cages, among other things; and the attention of the men +was attracted to one of these cages by the violent fluttering and +exertion made by the inhabitant to get out. + +On coming closer to the cage, they perceived that the prisoner was the +old Cornish Chough; and they asked the keeper if it was lately that +they had confined it, since it seemed so uneasy. + +The man said that it had been in that cage for a long time, and never +had been otherwise than perfectly quiet and satisfied. + +They wished to take it away, saying they knew the bird's former master; +but the owner refused to part with it, and the soldiers passed on. + +On their way back, the keeper was still standing watching the bird; +who, as soon as the soldiers came again in sight, fluttered and dashed +itself violently against the bars. + +The man said that losing sight of them, it became quiet, and sat +dolefully on its perch; but the moment it again saw them, it exerted +all its strength to reach them. + +There is no doubt that the poor bird recognised the red-coats, among +which it had formerly lived, and wished to go to his old friends. + +The soldiers told the officer how they had discovered his old pet; and +he purchased it from the keeper of the garden. + +The poor Chough manifested great pleasure at being again in the barrack +kitchen, and followed the fortunes of the regiment until his master's +death, when we lost sight of the yellow-billed yellow-legged Cornish +Chough. + + + + +THE KITTENS--BLACKY AND SNOWDROP. + + +"Guess what we have, Mamma! Guess!" cried I and my sister, as we ran +into the dining-room, with something wrapped up in each of our +pinafores. So Mamma felt, and found that we had something alive; then +she guessed guinea-pigs, then rabbits; at last we rolled out on the +carpet two little kittens. + +They were such soft, pretty little things; one was black and the other +white. I chose the black one, and my sister had the white. They lived +chiefly in the nursery, and were soon very familiar, and quite at home. + +My black one, however, was pleased to be much fonder of my sister than +of me; it particularly insisted on sleeping on my sister's bed; and we +sometimes changed beds to see if it would follow her. Blacky would jump +on the bed, come and look at my face, waving his tail about in the air, +and seeing that it was his own master, he would bound off the bed and +go and look in the other, and being satisfied that my sister was there, +he would curl himself up at her back. In consequence of some illness in +the nursery, my sister was sent to another room, and Blacky not finding +her in the nursery, went and looked into all the bed-rooms until he +found her. Snowdrop, as we called the white cat, used to sleep in a +large wardrobe, rolled up upon some of the clothes. They were both very +fond of getting into cupboards and drawers, and often startled us, and +others, by springing out, when drawers and closet-doors were opened in +different rooms; we were obliged to forbid them the drawing-room, +because they would get on the chimney-piece, and on the top of a +book-case where there was a good deal of china, and we thought they +would certainly throw down and break it all in their rough games. + +At the time we had these cats, we had also the jackdaw and hawk; and +Blacky and Snowdrop often went to have a game with Jacky, who liked +them; they used to run after him round his bush, and amuse themselves +with whisking their tails about, and seeing him peck at them. But when +they tried the same game with the hawk, they found a very different +creature to deal with; for the savage bird darted at the playful little +creatures, and very nearly bit off Blacky's tail; and afterwards, if he +saw them in the garden, although they did not offer to approach his +stump, he would slyly steal among the shrubs and bushes, till he got +near enough to them to make a dart at their tails, and many a savage +bite he gave them. + +We did not keep these cats long. Blacky disappeared entirely; whether +some one stole him for the luck of having a black cat, or what became +of the poor little fellow we did not know. Snowdrop was fond of running +on the top of the garden-walls, and of hunting little birds about the +roads; and it seems strange that so active an animal as a cat should +allow itself to be run over, but Snowdrop, in hunting a bird across the +railway, which ran on the other side of our garden wall, was actually +killed by the train. + + + + +BLUEBEARD, THE SHETLAND PONY. + + +Our donkey, Neddy, was never replaced; but instead of him we had a far +better pet, a beautiful little Shetland pony! We had left Ireland, and +went to live in England; we had a nice garden, a paddock and some +fields, and a stable; and when we saw all this, we ran to Papa and +begged that we might now have another donkey, as there was plenty of +room for him. But Papa said we might now very well ride a pony, and +that he would look out for a nice one. Shortly after this he went to a +large horse-fair at Doncaster, and almost before he could have arrived +there, we began to look out and watch for his return with the pony. + +We made all kinds of guesses about the size and the colour that the +pony would be, and wrote out a long list of names suitable for a +Shetland. I wished that it might be black, and my sister wished for a +cream colour; but I believe that no such thing exists as a +cream-coloured Shetland. And after all our expectation, Papa came home +so late, that we did not see him that night. + +We besieged his door next morning, shouting, "Did you find a pony? Have +you bought the pony?" Yes, a pony had come, but we were not to look at +him until Papa came down; and after breakfast, Papa sent for it to the +dining-room window. Oh! what a nice little roly-poly of rough hair it +was. It was very small, and its funny little face peeped out from the +shaggy bunch of hair over its eyes, in such a sly way. Its mane was a +complete bush, and its tail just swept along the ground. And all over +its body the coat was so thick and soft, and so long, that the legs +looked quite short and dumpy. Altogether, it was the most darling +little fellow any one could imagine; its colour was dark-brown, and its +mane and tail nearly black. + +Papa promised to get a nice saddle and bridle for it, as we declared +that Neddy's old pad was so shabby, that it would be a shame to put it +on this little beauty. But, meantime, we were well satisfied to use it, +and commenced our rides forthwith; scarcely a day passed without our +making a long excursion. Sometimes Mamma walked with us, and sometimes +only nurse; we used to trot along the road for some distance, and then +canter back again to Mamma, so that we had a long ride, whilst she only +took a moderate walk; and we soon had explored every lane and bye-road +near our new home. + +After much debate about the pony's name, we had fixed on two or three, +and finding that we could not agree on the important subject, we wrote +out the names on slips of paper, and drew lots. "Bluebeard" was the +name that we drew the oftenest, so that was decided; and as he really +had a very long beard, we thought it very appropriate. + +Although Bluebeard was a decided beauty, it must be confessed that he +had a great number of tricks, and was not the best-behaved pony in the +world. When we were out riding, if we met any carts on the road, or in +passing through the streets, Mamma or nurse used to lead him by the +bridle; this _we_ used to consider a great affront to our horsemanship, +and Bluebeard, doubtless, thought it an affront to himself, for he +could not bear to be led; he shook his head, and tried to get the +bridle out of their hand, and failing to do so, he revenged himself by +biting and tearing Mamma's shawl or dress; and our poor nurse had +scarcely a gown left that was not in rents and holes from Bluebeard's +teeth; she said it took her half her time to mend her clothes, for she +never went out with us and returned with her clothes whole. This amused +us very much; but Mamma thought she should have liked Bluebeard better +if he had been less playful. + +With good living, and the care that was lavished on him in our stable, +he soon became fatter, and very frisky, so full of wild spirits and +play, that we could not quite manage him. So Mamma had a very small +basket-work carriage made, just to fit Bluebeard; it was painted +dark-blue, and was very pretty; it had two seats, so just carried us, +and Mamma and nurse. + +Now we drove out one day, and rode the next; the carriage was so low, +that we could jump in and out as Bluebeard trotted along; and we liked +to run, holding on by the back, to see whether we could run as fast as +Bluebeard at his fastest trot; and when we jumped out, he used to turn +his head round and look for us, and sometimes made a full stop till we +got in again. Mamma thought that the heavier work of drawing the +carriage with four people in it, would prevent Bluebeard from becoming +too frisky and unmanageable, as, certainly, it was far greater labour +for him than a quiet trot with only myself or sister on his back; but I +believe that the more work he had, the more corn he ate, for he +scampered along with the carriage as if it were nothing at all, and +grew more and more skittish. It was very amusing to watch for donkeys +as we drove along the roads, for he could not bear to meet one; if he +spied the long ears at a little distance, he used to fling up his head, +stand still for an instant, and then turn sharply round, and rush away +in the opposite direction to the offending object; this he did whether +we were riding or in the carriage. It signified but little when we +rode; for all that happened was our tumbling off, when he twitched +himself round; and as he met Mamma and nurse a little way back on the +road, he was always stopped. + +But in the carriage it was a very awkward trick, and we should often +have been upset, had not the front wheels turned completely under the +body of the carriage, so Bluebeard could twist round, and put his head +quite inside without upsetting us. + +Once or twice, when going up a hill, a donkey suddenly put up his head +from behind the hedge. Round flew Bluebeard with such a jerk, as nearly +to throw us out of the carriage, and having whisked us round, he tore +down the hill at a furious rate. All that could be done on such +occasions, was for one of us to jump out and hold his head before he +had time to turn round; and, therefore, we always kept a sharp look out +for donkeys on the road. This dread of Bluebeard's was the more +strange, as he was extremely friendly with a poor half-starved donkey +that was sometimes put into the same field with him. He used to rub his +head against it, talk to it, (that is, hold their noses near together), +and seemed quite to like its company. But any other donkey inspired him +with downright terror. Another bad trick when in the carriage, was +kicking, which he often did, sometimes throwing his heels so high that +he got them over the shaft, and then we had the fun of unharnessing him +completely, in order to put him in again. + +It sometimes took a very long time to catch him, though the field was +very small; he would come close to the groom, and when he put out his +hand to catch him, he would give his head a toss and gallop off round +the field; now and then, when weary of his fruitless attempts at +catching him, the groom would set the field-gate wide open, and +Bluebeard would dart through it, along the lane, and up the hill to our +house. But it was rather a risk doing so, as it was quite a chance +whether he would go home, or in any other direction. + +When he was fairly in the stable, and cleaning and harnessing had +commenced, he by no means ceased from his playful tricks: he would roll +in the straw with his legs kicking up; then he would bounce about in +all directions, to prevent the bridle from being put on; and shake his +head till all his shaggy mane fell over his eyes. + +All this was meant for play and fun; but the groom often was +reprimanded for unpunctuality, in not bringing the carriage to the door +for half-an-hour or more after the time when it was ordered. Certainly, +if Bluebeard would not be caught, and then would not be harnessed, it +was not the groom's fault. However, he began to be very sharp and cross +with the pony; and once pulling him roughly up from sprawling on his +back, instead of standing still to be combed, Bluebeard dashed his head +at him and gave him a bad bite on the chest. + +When Mamma came out to put a plaister on the bite, she was very angry, +and said that if Bluebeard bit in his play, she could not allow us to +keep him; and she desired that he should not have half so much corn. + +But I do believe the groom paid no attention to this order, and gave +him just as much as before; for the wicked little pony never became one +bit quieter, and we often had to beg hard that sentence of dismissal +should not be pronounced. + +Whenever Papa had time to take us riding with him, or could spare his +horse for the groom, we had a nice ride, Bluebeard having a long rein +which Papa or the groom held, we found that he went a great deal better +than when Mamma walked with us; indeed, he had then no time to play +tricks, for it was as much as he could do to keep up with the great +horse, whose walk matched with our gentle trotting; his trot to our +cantering; and when the horse cantered, Bluebeard was put to his full +speed. + +We enjoyed these rides immensely; but, unluckily, they were few and far +between, as the horse could be spared very seldom; therefore, we still +continued our plan of Mamma walking, and we riding by turns; and it was +a great excitement to us, watching for Bluebeard's tricks, for we were +much afraid of his being sent away as too tiresome; and we tried in all +ways to prevent and to conceal his delinquencies. + +I very frequently went over his head, for he liked to go precisely the +way he chose; and if we came to a turning in the road, and I pulled the +bridle in one direction, Bluebeard was certain to insist on going the +other. Then he tugged, and I tugged; but his neck was so strong, and +his mouth so hard, that I seldom could succeed in making him go my way; +and unless some one came to my assistance, the dispute generally ended +by Bluebeard putting his head between his legs, and pitching me over +his head. + +My sister suggested that the best way to manage him would be always to +urge him to go the way we did not wish, and he, being certain to differ +from us, would take, as his own choice, the road that we really +intended. + +This was the same plan as that suggested for refractory pigs, who will +never go forwards; viz., to pull them backwards, when they will at once +make a bolt in the desired direction. + +But I objected, that it was a shabby way of proceeding to manage him by +deceit, and I preferred being flung over his head in open contest; and +the plan was given up as too cowardly; and as my rolls were generally +in the soft sandy lanes or on the grass by the road side, I never was +in the least hurt. + +My sister, too, had several tumbles which made us laugh very much. + +We came once to a place where three lanes met, and Mamma called out to +my sister, who was riding some way in front, to turn to the right; so +she pulled the rein, and, as a matter of course, Bluebeard shook his +mane, tossed his head about, and intimated that he intended to turn +down the opposite lane to the left. Then my sister pulled and pulled, +whipping Bluebeard at the same time; but his coat was so immensely +thick, that he really did not feel a switch the least in the world, +especially from a little arm like my sister's. So he did not stir, but +kept twisting his head along the left-hand lane. + +"He will kick in a minute," I said; and Mamma ran quickly to take hold +of his bridle. + +When naughty little Bluebeard felt her touch the rein, he made a bolt +down the lane so suddenly, that he dragged Mamma down on the ground, +and flinging up his heels at the same time, sent my sister flying, and +she came down upon Mamma; so there they were rolling over each other in +the dusty lane. + +Bluebeard scampered a short way down the lane and then came back to us, +whisking his tail, as if to say, "You might as well have come my way at +once, without causing all this fuss." + +And whilst we were employed in shaking the dust off Mamma's and +sister's clothes, he stood looking at us in a triumphant kind of +manner. + +But after all, he did not have his own way; for when my sister was +mounted again, Mamma took the bridle and led him down the lane to the +right and all the way home; and he was not in favour with Mamma for +some time after. + +When the winter came on, his coat grew so thick and heavy, and his mane +and tail so bushy and long, that he really looked like a great bundle +of hair rolling along the road; for his legs scarcely showed as high as +his knee. As for his eyes, it was a mystery how he saw at all; for they +were not visible, except when we pulled back the hair to look at them: +there never was such a curious rolypoly-looking little creature. + +When the cold of the winter was passing away, it was agreed that +Bluebeard had better be clipped, his coat being really much too heavy; +no sheep's fleece could have weighed more. + +So we had the pleasure of seeing the little fellow carefully shorn of +his thick dress; his long bushy tail was left at our particular +request, and also plenty of mane; we liked that, because we found it a +great help to clutch a handful of mane, when he tried to kick us off; +but his eyes were left free to look out, and very saucy they looked. + +We were astonished to find how small he looked, and how thin and +elegant his stumpy little legs appeared, we thought they scarcely +seemed strong enough to bear our weight; and in the carriage he would +appear a perfect shrimp. + +Then his colour was entirely altered. Instead of dark brown, he was now +a pale sort of grey; indeed, we could scarcely believe that the same +pony was before us. + +He did not look so droll and round, but much prettier; and we felt +quite proud of him the next time we rode out with Papa. + +When he was next put into the pony-carriage, he almost appeared too +small for it; and one bad effect of clipping him was, that he evidently +felt so light and unshackled, that he could not restrain his wish to +prance and jump; he now perpetually was kicking his legs over the +shafts; and so, two or three times during a drive, we unharnessed him +before we could replace him where he ought to be--between the shafts; +instead of having his fore legs inside, and his hind legs outside. + +Mamma said that this was dangerous, and that she feared Bluebeard might +either break his own legs by this trick, or would upset the carriage +and break ours. And we began to fear that Bluebeard would some day +bring on his own dismissal. + +One day, Mamma rode Bluebeard herself; and in spite of the greater +weight, which he must have found very different from that of such small +children as my sister and myself, Bluebeard kicked so much, and behaved +altogether in such an improper manner, that Mamma declared he was no +longer a safe pony for such young children, and said she should expect +to see us brought home with fractured skulls or broken limbs, if we +were allowed to ride him. + +All our beggings and prayings had no effect. Bluebeard was sold to a +man in the neighbouring town. + +When this man said that he wanted the pony for a little boy to ride, +Mamma said that he was too ill-broken and too unmanageable for any +child, and that she did not wish to sell him for that purpose. + +But he said that he intended to tie the boy tightly on to the saddle, +and should make a groom walk with him with a long rein; and then should +have no fear about the boy's safety. And he bought him, notwithstanding +Mamma's warning. + +We were so sorry to see the poor little fellow led away; our only +consolation was, that in a year or two we should become too big for +Bluebeard; and then, at any rate, we must have parted with him. + +Now and then we saw the little boy riding him; and the groom that was +with him showed us that he was strapped on to the saddle by a strap +across each thigh, and also a strap below each knee; so that it was +really impossible that he should fall off. + +Mamma said it was not at all safe for a child to be fastened in that +way; for if Bluebeard should take into his head to roll on his back, he +would most probably kill the child. But as she had warned the father, +and had told him of all the pony's bad tricks, it was no longer her +affair to say anything about him, or to meddle with his arrangements. + +It was a long time before Papa met with a pony to suit us better. The +next one was to be so large, that he would last us for many years; he +must be frisky enough to be pleasant and amusing, and yet must have no +bad tricks; no kicking and running away; and, above all, he must be +very pretty indeed, with long tail and mane. + +All these qualities were not so easy to find combined; and before I +talk about the next pony, I will mention some of our other pets. + +So good bye to dear little naughty Bluebeard. + + + + +JOE, THE GERMAN DOG. + + +Being for some months in a German town, we proposed, before returning +to England, that we should procure one of the strange-looking little +German terriers, with long backs and short legs; and we made inquiries +as to where we could obtain one of the real German breed. We found that +there are several different races of these dogs; they have all the long +back, and short bandy legs; but one kind is very large, with pointed +nose and long tail; another kind is small, with excessively soft hair, +small head and magnificent large eyes; another kind is small, rather +wiry in the hair, and unusually long and pointed in the nose. + +After seeing several, we at last had one offered to us that we liked, +and bought; he was of the last-described species; his body long and +narrow, his legs very short and crooked, and his feet enormous, big +enough for a dog of three times the size; his tail was long, and +dangled down in an ungainly sort of way; his head was small, and his +nose much elongated and pointed; his eyes small and sparkling, and his +ears rather soft and long. Altogether, he was the queerest-looking +little animal you would wish to see. We named him Joe, and commenced +his education by showing him, that he was not to consider our baby +sister a species of rat, and to worry her accordingly, and by teaching +him to sleep on a rug in the corner of one of the bed-rooms. He was a +very sociable merry little fellow, liked scampering after us through +the range of rooms, all on one floor or flat, and enjoyed running along +the roads and in the park with us; but he was terribly chilly; he could +not bear sleeping on his mat, always wanting to be on the bed, or at +least muffled up in a flannel gown; and in the day, he was happiest +when he was allowed to creep under the stove and lie there, really +almost undergoing baking. I never saw an animal bear so much heat with +satisfaction to himself. + +He destroyed half the things in the house before he got over his +puppy-days; but every one liked him, and he generally escaped +punishment. He was sharp enough to know his way home, in a very few +days after we bought him. We had him out in the park and missed him, a +long way from home; seeing no sign of him, we concluded that some one +had picked him up, and gave him up for lost, having no idea that the +little young creature would know its way home; and we were quite +surprised when we reached our own door, to find Joe sitting there +waiting; he had come along the crooked walks of the park, through the +streets, and up our long flight of stairs, and our opinion of his +sagacity rose in proportion. + +Shortly after we had bought Joe, we travelled to England, and +determined to try whether we could manage to take him in the carriage +with us, instead of letting the poor little fellow be shut up in a +dog-box on the train, with, perhaps, a dozen other savage dogs. So +Papa carried him under his cloak; Joe was very good at the station, +and kept himself perfectly quiet, until we were all seated in the +railway-carriage. We were beginning to think that we had him safe for +that day's journey; and as soon as we had shewn our tickets, could let +him run about the carriage. + +The ticket-taker came to the door, had looked all round, and Papa was +showing his ticket, when, at the last minute, Joe began to plunge and +push about under the cloak. Papa held him fast, but the stupid little +animal set up a yelp, just as the man was leaving the carriage. He +immediately asked if we had a dog, and poor Joe was hauled out by his +neck, and Papa had to run in great haste to see him placed in a +dog-box. And for the next three or four hours, Joe howled incessantly. + +When we halted in the middle of the day, we managed better; Mamma took +him under her shawl, and got into the carriage some time before the +officials came peeping about, and he lay quiet in her lap, and no one +meddled with him; so the afternoon of his first day of travel was not +so miserable as the commencement. Altogether, Joe was a good deal of +trouble on the journey; there was always a fuss about gaining +permission to have him in the carriage, and we did not know what to do +with him at the inns, for fear he should go down stairs and be lost. At +last we reached England, and for a time lived in London. + +At first we were much afraid that Joe would be darting out of the front +door, and would be stolen immediately. But he soon got used to the +confinement, only having a yard behind the house to run in, and he made +himself extremely happy. The house in which we were staying possessed +two dogs, a cat, a variety of birds, and in the yard lived a cock with +several hens. + +Joe and the cat used to have famous games together, rolling each other +over and over, then racing round the kitchen, over the tables and +chairs. When pussy was tired, she sat upon a chair and slapped Joe's +face, whenever she could reach him, as he ran barking round the chair. +One of the dogs was very old and fat, and did not at all approve of the +new comer's vivacious ways, but growled at Joe fiercely when he tried +to entice him to play. The other dog was also too fat to be very +active; and when Joe found that no fun was to be had with them, he +merely danced round them now and then, to have the pleasure of making +them angry, and seeing them show their teeth; and then he left them to +their slumbers, and scampered off to the cat, who was more suited to +his age and manners. + +Out in the yard he had much amusement with the fowls; at first sight he +had been rather frightened at them, but soon took pleasure in seeing +them flutter about and run away from him. The cock, however, did not +run away, but faced Master Joe, and crowed at him, and ran at him in +the most valiant manner; and when Joe was too pertinacious in barking +at him and teazing him, the cock actually sprang upon his back and +pecked him, until Joe crouched down on the ground fairly beaten. In +return, however, Joe nearly caused a death-warrant to be pronounced +against the cock and all the hens, by teaching them to eat eggs. + +One morning, the hens were observed to be in a great state of +excitement, pecking greedily at something on the ground, which, on +examination, proved to be a new-laid egg, broken and devoured by the +unnatural hens. The next day another and another was found in the same +way; in fact, as soon as the eggs were laid, they were brought out of +the hen-house and broken. So it was agreed, that the hens having once +contracted this bad habit, could never be cured, and had better all be +killed. But before this determination had been put in practice, Mamma +chanced to look out of the window early, just after Joe had been sent +out for his morning walk, and spied the naughty creature coming out of +the hen-house with an egg in his mouth. Presently all the hens and the +cock ran out after him, calling, "Stop thief!" or, rather, implying +those words by their cackling and noise; and they pursued Joe round and +round the yard, until they came up with him all in a body, and the egg +being dropped in the scuffle, was of course broken; and then the hens +fell upon it and ate it up. + +This it seems took place every morning. Joe fetched eggs out of the +nests; and the hens, after pretending to be very angry, ended by +joining in the robbery. + +The next time Joe was seen with an egg in his mouth, one of the +servants went out and called to him, when he placed it on the ground so +gently, that it was not even cracked; and if we could manage to catch +him before the hens rushed upon him, we always obtained the egg safe +enough; for he did not break it or eat it himself, only put it into the +hen's heads to do so; and, probably, his only object was to make the +whole family of hens run after him, which he seemed much to enjoy. + +So the sentence of death against the cock and hens was not pronounced, +as it seemed the whole fault lay with Joe; and whenever we could catch +him approaching the hen-house he received a good whipping. + +He had, however, that sort of temper which cares not the least for +whipping or scolding; he never was at all abashed or cowed; but made a +most dreadful yelling whilst the whipping was inflicted, and the moment +he was released he would dance about perfectly happy, and immediately +go and repeat the fault--he was quite incorrigible. + +We managed to prevent, in a great measure, his stealing eggs, by not +letting him out so early; and when he went into the yard people were +going in and out, that could watch him. + +So, to make amends for the loss of his morning's fun, he used to push +aside the window curtain and blind, as soon as it was light, and stand +on his hind legs at the window, watching the cock and hens; now and +then signifying his approval of their proceedings by a short bark. + +He slept in an arm-chair, covered up with an old dressing gown. On one +occasion this was removed, and we thought Joe would do just as well +without it; but with his great love of warmth, he absolutely refused to +sleep without a warm covering. He was much perturbed, and ran squeaking +about the room, till after keeping us awake half the night, we were +obliged to get up, and supply him with something soft to envelope him +in the arm-chair. + +When Joe was tired of playing with the cat, the dogs, and the fowls, he +used to go to the top of the house into our baby-sister's nursery. He +was very fond of her; but usually timed his visits so as to come in for +her dinner or supper, of which he always had a share. + +She used to put her tin of milk on the floor and sit beside it: first +Joey took a lap or two, then baby had a sip; and so they emptied the +mug together: and at her dinner, Joe used to eat the pudding at one +side of the plate, whilst baby worked away at the other. + +Then they took a roll on the floor together, and whatever rough pull or +pinch was bestowed on Joe, he never snapped or hurt the little girl; +indeed, would let her do anything she liked with him. + +He was very long before he gave up his puppy fashion of tearing and +biting everything. If a book or a piece of work fell on the ground, +Joey's sharp teeth soon brought them into a deplorable condition. If he +could get hold of a bonnet, he soon dragged off ribbon, flowers, lace, +and whatever it possessed; and poor little baby's toys, balls, and +dolls were never presentable after they had been five minutes in the +house. + +Then he wickedly pulled to pieces the mat at the bottom of the stairs, +for which he was well whipped; in short, the mischief he did was +terrible. + +His encounters with the cock did not prove sufficient exercise for the +hardy little fellow; and he began to get so fat, that we determined to +send him into the country, to some place where he would have a great +deal of running about out of doors. + +We were sorry to part with him for the time we should be in London; but +we did not wish to see him become too fat to waddle. + +So Papa took him with him when he went into the country to visit some +friends. He placed him with a man who was to teach him rat-hunting; and +Joe showed that he had an excellent nose, and promised to be a +first-rate ratter. + +But when Papa had returned to London, we heard that poor Joe had made +his appearance again at the house of the friend whither Papa had first +taken him. He was looking sadly thin and wretched, and ran into the +bed-room Papa had used, and searched for him in all directions. + +The poor little fellow remained there until Papa made another +arrangement for him, as evidently he had been ill-used by the +rat-catcher. + +He next was sent to a gamekeeper's, who lived in a nice park, where +there was a beautiful rabbit-warren, plenty of stacks for ratting, a +stream to swim in, and fields and farms to range about. + +There we hoped he would be very happy; and as poor little Joe is still +alive, I have not to relate his end at present, and hope that he will +still afford us much amusement. + + * * * * * + +Now I think I have described the greater part of the animals, birds, +and creatures of all kinds that belonged to me and my sister. How much +pleasure we derived from them! And what a mixture of pity and contempt +we always felt for children who feared or disliked animals! + +There was a family of little children near us once, when we had our +dear dog Tawney; how they used to scream and run whenever they saw him! +even though he was taking no notice of them in particular. Then they +would take up stones and throw them at him, really intending to hurt +him; for their intense fear of the dog rendered them quite cruel; and +when he found that they tried to hurt him, and shouted at him, he used +to bark in return, which of course terrified them more. + +Then some of our friends had quite a horror of our hedgehog, and our +bat, and wondered how we could kiss Neddy's nose, and Bluebeard's. I am +sure their soft nice coats were quite as pleasant to kiss, as many +people's faces. + +I only wish that all little children would love animals, and find as +much amusement as we did in the care of our Live Toys. + + +THE END. + + +WERTHEIMER AND CO., PRINTERS, CIRCUS PLACE, FINSBURY CIRCUS. + + + + +ORIGINAL JUVENILE LIBRARY. + + +A CATALOGUE + +OF + +NEW AND POPULAR WORKS. + +PRINCIPALLY FOR THE YOUNG. + +[Illustration: Goldsmith introduced to Newbery by Dr. Johnson.] + +PUBLISHED BY + +GRIFFITH AND FARRAN, + +(LATE GRANT AND GRIFFITH, SUCCESSORS TO NEWBERY AND HARRIS), + +CORNER OF ST. PAUL'S CHURCHYARD, LONDON. + + +WERTHEIMER AND CO., CIRCUS PLACE, FINSBURY CIRCUS. + + + + +ILLUMINATED GIFT BOOKS. + +Every page richly printed in Gold and Colours. + + +The Wisdom of Solomon; + + From the Book of Proverbs. With a Frontispiece, representing the + Queen of Sheba's visit to Solomon. Small 4to., price 14_s._ cloth + elegant; 18_s._ calf; 21_s._ morocco antique. + +The Bridal Souvenir; + + Containing the Choicest Thoughts of the Best Authors, in Prose + and Verse. New Edition, with a Portrait of the Princess Royal. + Elegantly bound in white and gold, price 21_s._ + + "A splendid specimen of decorative art, and well suited for a + bridal gift."--_Literary Gazette._ + +The Birth-Day Souvenir; + + A Book of Thoughts on Life and Immortality, from Eminent Writers. + Small 4to. price 12_s._ 6_d._ illuminated cloth; 18_s._ morocco + antique. + + "Admirably designed."--_Gentleman's Magazine._ + + "Beautifully executed."--_Literary Gazette._ + + "The binding worthy of that which it covers."--_Morning Herald._ + +Shakespeare's Household Words; + + With a Photographic Portrait taken from the Monument at + Stratford-on-Avon. New and improved edition. Elegantly bound + in cloth richly gilt, 9_s._; morocco antique, 14_s._ + + "An exquisite little gem, fit to be the Christmas offering to + Titania or Queen Mab."--_The Critic._ + +Light for the Path of Life; + + From the Holy Scriptures. Small 4to., price 10_s._ 6_d._, extra + cloth; 14_s._ calf gilt edges; 18_s._ morocco antique. + + "Charmingly designed, and beautifully printed."--_Art Journal._ + + +NEW BOOK OF EMBLEMS. + + Square 8vo. price 21_s._ cloth elegant; 27_s._, calf extra, 31_s._ + 6_d._, morocco antique; beautifully printed by Whittingham, in Old + English type, with the initial letters and borders in red. + +Spiritual Conceits; + + Extracted from the Writings of the Fathers, the old English Poets, + etc., with One Hundred entirely New Designs, forming Symbolical + Illustrations to the passages, by W. HARRY ROGERS. + + +GRIFFITH AND FARRAN, corner of St. Paul's Churchyard. + + + + +NEW AND POPULAR WORKS. + + +DEDICATED BY PERMISSION TO ALFRED TENNYSON. + +The Story of King Arthur; + + and his Knights of the Round Table. With Six Beautiful + Illustrations, by G. H. THOMAS. Post 8vo. price 7_s._ cloth; 9_s._ + coloured, gilt edges. + + +NEW WORK BY W. H. G. KINGSTON. + +True Blue; + + Or, the Life and Adventures of a British Seaman of the Old School. + By W. H. G. KINGSTON, Author of "Peter the Whaler," "Will + Weatherhelm," etc. With Illustrations by JOHN GILBERT. Fcap. 8vo. + price 5_s._ cloth; 5_s._ 6_d._ gilt edges. + + +NEW WORK BY ELWES. + +Guy Rivers; + + Or, a Boy's Struggles in the Great World. By ALFRED ELWES, Author + of "Ralph Seabrooke," "Paul Blake," etc. With Illustrations by H. + ANELAY. Fcap. 8vo. price 5_s._ cloth; 5_s._ 6_d._ gilt edges. + + +THOMAS HOOD'S DAUGHTER. + +Tiny Tadpole; + + And other Tales. By FRANCES FREELING BRODERIP, daughter of the late + Thomas Hood. With Illustrations by HER BROTHER. Super-Royal 16mo. + price 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 4_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + + +CAPTAIN MARRYAT'S DAUGHTER. + +Harry at School; + + A Story for Boys. By EMILIA MARRYAT, Author of "Long Evenings." + With Illustrations by ABSOLON. Super Royal 16mo. price 2_s._ 6_d._ + cloth; 3_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + + +BY THE AUTHOR OF "TRIUMPHS OF STEAM." + +Meadow Lea; + + Or, the Gipsy Children; a Story founded on fact. By the Author + of "The Triumphs of Steam," "Our Eastern Empire," etc. With + Illustrations by JOHN GILBERT. Fcap. 8vo. price 4_s._ 6_d._ cloth; + 5_s._ gilt edges. + +Live Toys; + + Or, Anecdotes of our Four-legged and other Pets. By EMMA DAVENPORT. + With Illustrations by HARRISON WEIR. Super Royal 16mo. price 2_s._ + 6_d._ cloth; 3_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + +Distant Homes; + + Or, the Graham Family in New Zealand. By Mrs. J. E. AYLMER. With + Illustrations by J. JACKSON. Super Royal 16mo. price 3_s._ 6_d._ + cloth; 4_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + +Neptune's Heroes: or The Sea Kings of England; + + from Hawkins to Franklin. Illustrated by MORGAN. Fcap. 8vo; price + 5_s._ cloth; 5_s._ 6_d._ gilt edges. + +Lost in Ceylon; + + The Story of a Boy and Girl's Adventures in the Woods and Wilds of + the Lion King of Kandy. By WILLIAM DALTON, Author of "The White + Elephant," etc. Illustrated by HARRISON WEIR. Fcap. 8vo.; price + 5_s._ cloth; 5_s._ 6_d._ gilt edges. + +Ralph Seabrooke; + + Or, The Adventures of a Young Artist in Piedmont and Tuscany. By + ALFRED ELWES, Author of "Frank and Andrea," etc. Illustrated by + ROBERT DUDLEY. Fcap. 8vo.; price 5_s._ cloth; 5_s._ 6_d._ gilt + edges. + + +THE LATE THOMAS HOOD, ETC. + +Fairy Land; + + Or, Recreation for the Rising Generation, in Prose and Verse. By + THOMAS and JANE HOOD, their Son and Daughter, etc. Illustrated by + T. HOOD, Jun. Super royal 16mo; price 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 4_s._ + 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + +Long Evenings; + + Or, Stories for My Little Friends, by EMILIA MARRYAT (Daughter of + the late Captain Marryat). Illustrated by JOHN ABSOLON. Super royal + 16mo.; price 2_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 3_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + +Holidays Among the Mountains; + + Or, Scenes and Stories of Wales. By M. BETHAM EDWARDS. Illustrated + by F. J. SKILL. Super royal 16mo.; price 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 4_s._ + 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + + +E. LANDELLS. + +The Illustrated Paper Model Maker; + + Containing Twelve Pictorial Subjects, with Descriptive Letter-press + and Diagrams for the construction of the Models. By E. LANDELLS, + Author of "The Boys' and Girls' Toy Maker," "Home Pastime," etc. + Price 2_s._ in a neat Envelope. + + "A most excellent mode of educating both eye and hand in the + knowledge of form."--_English Churchman._ + +The Girl's Own Toy Maker, + + And Book of Recreation. By E. LANDELLS, Author of "Home Pastime," + etc., assisted by his daughter, ALICE LANDELLS. Second edition. + With 200 Illustrations. Royal 16mo. price 2_s._ 6_d._ cloth. + + "A perfect magazine of information."--_Illustrated News of the + World._ + + +The White Elephant; + + Or the Hunters of Ava, and the King of the Golden Foot. By W. + DALTON, Author of the "War Tiger," etc. Illustrated by HARRISON + WEIR. Fcap. 8vo. price 5_s._ cloth; 5_s._ 6_d._ gilt edges. + + "Full of dash, nerve and spirit, and withal freshness."--_Literary + Gazette._ + +Frank and Andrea; + + Or Forest Life in the Island of Sardinia. By ALFRED ELWES. Author + of "Paul Blake," etc. Illustrated by ROBERT DUDLEY. Fcap. 8vo. + Price 5_s._ cloth; 5_s._ 6_d._ gilt edges. + + "The descriptions of Sardinian life and scenery are admirable." + --_Athenæum._ + +The Nine Lives of a Cat; + + A Tale of Wonder. Written and Illustrated by C. H. BENNETT. + Twenty-four Engravings. Imperial 16mo. price 2_s._ 6_d._ cloth; + 3_s._ 6_d._ coloured. + + "Rich in the quaint humour and fancy that a man of genius knows + how to spare for the enlivenment of children."--_Examiner._ + +Blind Man's Holiday; + + Or Short Tales for the Nursery. By the Author of "Mia and Charlie," + "Sidney Grey," etc. Illustrated by JOHN ABSOLON. Super Royal 16mo. + price 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 4_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + + "Very time to nature and admirable in feeling."--_Guardian._ + +Tuppy; + + Or the Autobiography of a Donkey. By the Author of "The Triumphs of + Steam," etc., etc. Illustrated by HARRISON WEIR. Super Royal 16mo. + price 2_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 3_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + + "A very intelligent donkey, worthy of the distinction conferred + upon him by the artist."--_Art Journal._ + +Funny Fables for Little Folks. + + By FRANCES FREELING BRODERIP (Daughter of the late THOMAS HOOD). + Illustrated by her Brother. Super Royal 16mo. price 2_s._ 6_d._ + cloth; 3_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + + "The Fables contain the happiest mingling of fun, fancy, humour, + and instruction."--_Art Journal._ + +The History of a Quartern Loaf. + + Rhymes and Pictures. By WILLIAM NEWMAN. 12 Illustrations. Price + 6_d._ plain, 1_s._ coloured. + + Uniform in size and price, + + The History of a Cup of Tea. + The History of a Scuttle of Coals. + The History of a Lump of Sugar (_preparing_). + + +A Woman's Secret; + + Or How to Make Home Happy. 18mo., with Frontispiece, price 6_d._ + Uniform with the above in size and price, and by the same Author, + +Woman's Work; + + Or, How she can Help the Sick. + +A Chapter of Accidents; + + Or, the Mother's Assistant in cases of Burns, Scalds, Cuts, &c. + +Pay To-day, Trust To-morrow; + + A Story founded on Facts, illustrative of the Evils of the Tally + System. + +Nursery Work; + + Or Hannah Baker's First Place. + +Family Prayers for Cottage Homes; + + With a Few Words on Prayer, and Select Scripture Passages. Fcap. + 8vo. price 4_d._ limp cloth. + + [Asterism] These little works are admirably adapted for circulation + among the working classes. + +The Triumphs of Steam; + + Or, Stories from the Lives of Watt, Arkwright, and Stephenson. By + the Author of "Might not Right," "Our Eastern Empire," &c. With + Illustrations by J. GILBERT. Dedicated by permission to Robert + Stephenson, Esq., M.P. Second edition. Royal 16mo., price 3_s._ + 6_d._ cloth; 4_s._ 6_d._, coloured, gilt edges. + + "A most delicious volume of examples."--_Art Journal._ + +The War Tiger; + + Or, The Adventures and Wonderful Fortunes of the Young Sea-Chief + and his Lad Chow. By WILLIAM DALTON, Author of "The White + Elephant," &c. Illustrated by H. S. MELVILLE. Fcap. 8vo., price + 5_s._ cloth; 5_s._ 6_d._ cloth, gilt edges. + + "A tale of lively adventure, vigorously told, and embodying much + curious information."--_Illustrated News._ + +The Boy's own Toy Maker. + + A Practical Illustrated Guide to the useful employment of Leisure + Hours. By E. LANDELLS. With Two Hundred Cuts. Fourth Edition. Royal + 16mo., price 2_s._ 6_d._, cloth. + + "A new and valuable form of endless amusement."--_Nonconformist._ + + "We recommend it to all who have children to be instructed and + amused."--_Economist._ + +Hand Shadows, + + To be thrown upon the Wall. A Series of Eighteen Original Designs. + By HENRY BURSILL. 4to price 2_s._ plain; 2_s._ 6_d._ coloured. + +A Second Series of Hand Shadows; + + With Eighteen New Subjects. By H. BURSILL. Price 2_s._ plain; 2_s._ + 6_d._ coloured. + + "Uncommonly clever--some wonderful effects are produced."--_The + Press._ + + +BY THE LATE THOMAS HOOD. + +The Headlong Career and Woful Ending of Precocious Piggy. + + Written for his Children, by the late THOMAS HOOD. With a Preface + by his Daughter; and Illustrated by his Son. Third Edition. Post + 4to., fancy boards, price 2_s._ 6_d._, coloured. + + "The Illustrations are intensely humourous."--_The Critic._ + +The Harpsden Riddle Book. + + A Collection of 350 Original Charades, Conundrums, Rebuses, etc. + Fcap. 8vo. price 2_s._ 6_d._, cloth. + +The Fairy Tales of Science. + + A Book for Youth. By J. C. BROUGH. With 16 Beautiful Illustrations + by C. H. BENNETT. Fcap. 8vo., price 5_s._, cloth; 5_s._ 6_d._ gilt + edges. + + CONTENTS: 1. The Age of Monsters.--2. The Amber Spirit.--3. The + Four Elements.--4. The Life of an Atom.--5. A Little Bit.--6. + Modern Alchemy.--7. The Magic of the Sunbeam.--8. Two Eyes + Better than One.--9. The Mermaid's Home.--10. Animated Flowers. + --11. Metamorphoses.--12. The Invisible World.--13. Wonderful + Plants.--14. Water Bewitched.--15. Pluto's Kingdom.--16. Moving + Lands.--17. The Gnomes.--18. A Flight through Space.--19. The + Tale of a Comet.--20. The Wonderful Lamp. + + "Science, perhaps, was never made more attractive and easy of + entrance into the youthful mind."--_The Builder._ + + "Altogether the volume is one of the most original, as well as one + of the most useful, books of the season."--_Gentleman's Magazine._ + +Paul Blake; + + Or, the Story of a Boy's Perils in the Islands of Corsica and Monte + Cristo. By ALFRED ELWES, Author of "Ocean and her Rulers." + Illustrated by H. ANELAY. Fcap. 8vo., price 5_s._ cloth; 5_s._ + 6_d._ cloth, gilt edges. + + "This spirited and engaging story will lead our young friends to a + very intimate acquaintance with the island of Corsica."--_Art + Journal._ + +Sunday Evenings with Sophia; + + Or, Little Talks on Great Subjects. A Book for Girls. By LEONORA G. + BELL. Frontispiece by J. ABSOLON. Fcap. 8vo., price 2_s._ 6_d._ + cloth. + + "A very suitable gift for a thoughtful girl."--_Bell's Messenger._ + +Scenes of Animal Life and Character. + + From Nature and Recollection. In Twenty Plates. By J. B. 4to., + price 2_s._ 6_d._, plain; 3_s._ 6_d._, coloured, fancy boards. + + "Truer, heartier, more playful, or more enjoyable sketches of + animal life could scarcely be found anywhere."--_Spectator._ + +Caw, Caw; + + Or, the Chronicles of the Crows. Illustrated by J. B. 4to., price + 2_s._ plain; 2_s._ 6_d._ coloured. + +Three Christmas Plays for Children. + + 1. The Sleeper Awakened. 2. The Wonderful Bird. 3. Crinolina. By + THERESA PULSZKY. With Original Music, composed by JANSA; and Three + Illustrations by ARMITAGE, coloured. 3_s._ 6_d._, cloth, gilt + edges. + + +W. H. C. KINGSTON'S BOOKS FOR BOYS. + +With Illustrations. Fcap. 8vo. price 5_s._ each, cloth; 5_s._ 6_d._ +gilt edges. + +Will Weatherhelm; + + Or, the Yarn of an Old Sailor about his Early Life and Adventures. + + "We tried the story on an audience of boys, who one and all + declared it to be capital."--_Athenæeum._ + +Fred Markham in Russia; + + Or, the Boy Travellers in the Land of the Czar. + + "Most admirably does this book unite a capital narrative, with the + communication of valuable information respecting + Russia."--_Nonconformist._ + +Salt Water; + + Or Neil D'Arcy's Sea Life and Adventures. With Eight Illustrations. + + "With the exception of Capt. Marryat, we know of no English author + who will compare with Mr. Kingston as a writer of books of nautical + adventure."--_Illustrated News._ + +Manco, the Peruvian Chief; + + With Illustrations by CARL SCHMOLZE. + + "A capital book; the story being one of much interest, and + presenting a good account of the history and institutions, the + customs and manners, of the country."--_Literary Gazette._ + +Mark Seaworth; + + A Tale of the Indian Ocean. By the Author of "Peter the Whaler," + etc. With Illustrations by J. ABSOLON. Second Edition. + + "No more interesting, nor more safe book, can be put into the + hands of youth; and to boys especially, 'Mark Seaworth' will be + a treasure of delight."--_Art Journal._ + +Peter the Whaler; + + His early Life and Adventures in the Arctic Regions. Second + Edition. Illustrations by E. DUNCAN. + + "A better present for a boy of an active turn of mind could + not be found. The tone of the book is manly, healthful, and + vigorous."--_Weekly News._ + + "A book which the old may, but which the young must, read when + they have once begun it."--_Athenæum._ + +Blue Jackets; + + Or, Chips of the Old Block. A Narrative of the Gallant Exploits of + British Seamen, and of the principal Events in the Naval Service + during the Reign of Queen Victoria, by W. H. G. KINGSTON. Post + 8vo.; price 7_s._ 6_d._ cloth. + + "A more acceptable testimonial than this to the valour and + enterprise of the British Navy, has not issued from the press + for many years."--_The Critic._ + + +HISTORY OF INDIA FOR THE YOUNG. + +Our Eastern Empire; + + Or, Stories from the History of British India. By the author of + "The Martyr Land," "Might not Right," etc. Second Edition, with + Continuation to the Proclamation of Queen Victoria. With Four + Illustrations. Royal 16mo. cloth 3_s._ 6_d._; 4_s._ 6_d._ + coloured, gilt edges. + + "These stories are charming, and convey a general view of the + progress of our Empire in the East. The tales are told with + admirable clearness."--_Athenæum._ + +The Martyr Land; + + Or, Tales of the Vaudois. By the Author of "Our Eastern Empire," + etc. Frontispiece by J. GILBERT. Royal 16mo; price 3_s._ 6_d._ + cloth. + + "While practical lessons run throughout, they are never obtruded; + the whole tone is refined without affectation, religious and + cheerful."--_English Churchman._ + +Might not Right; + + Or, Stories of the Discovery and Conquest of America. By the + author of "Our Eastern Empire," etc. Illustrated by J. Gilbert. + Royal 16mo. price 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 4_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt + edges. + + "With the fortunes of Columbus, Cortes, and Pizarro, for the + staple of these stories, the writer has succeeded in producing a + very interesting volume."--_Illustrated News._ + +Jack Frost and Betty Snow; + + With other Tales for Wintry Nights and Rainy Days. Illustrated by + H. Weir. 2_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 3_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + + "The dedication of these pretty tales, prove by whom they are + written; they are indelibly stamped with that natural and graceful + method of amusing while instructing, which only persons of genius + possess."--_Art Journal._ + +Old Nurse's Book of Rhymes, Jingles, and Ditties. + + Edited and Illustrated by C. H. BENNETT, Author of "Shadows." With + Ninety Engravings. Fcap. 4to. price 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth, plain, or + 6_s._ coloured. + + "The illustrations are all so replete with fun and imagination, + that we scarcely know who will be most pleased with the book, the + good-natured grandfather who gives it, or the chubby grandchild + who gets it, for a Christmas-Box."--_Notes and Queries._ + +Maud Summers the Sightless: + + A Narrative for the Young. Illustrated by Absolon. 3_s._ 6_d._ + cloth; 4_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + + "A touching and beautiful story."--_Christian Treasury._ + +Clara Hope; + + Or, the Blade and the Ear. By MISS MILNER. With Frontispiece by + Birket Foster. Fcap. 8vo. price 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 4_s._ 6_d._ + cloth elegant, gilt edges. + + "A beautiful narrative, showing how bad habits may be eradicated, + and evil tempers subdued."--_British Mother's Journal._ + + The Adventures and Experiences of Biddy Dorking and of the FAT + FROG. + + Edited by MRS. S. C. HALL. Illustrated by H. Weir. 2_s._ 6_d._ + cloth; 3_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + + "Most amusingly and wittily told."--_Morning Herald._ + + +ATTRACTIVE AND INSTRUCTIVE AMUSEMENT FOR THE YOUNG. + +Home Pastime; + + Or, The Child's Own Toy Maker. With practical instructions. By E. + LANDELLS. New and Cheaper Edition, price 3_s._ 6_d._ complete, + with the Cards, and Descriptive Letterpress. + + [Asterism] By this novel and ingenious "Pastime," beautiful Models + can be made by Children from the Cards, by attending to the Plain + and Simple Instructions in the Book. + + CONTENTS: 1. Wheelbarrow.--2. Cab.--3. Omnibus.--4. Nursery + Yacht.--5. French Bedstead.--6. Perambulator.--7. Railway + Engine.--8. Railway Tender.--9. Railway Carriage.--10. Prince + Albert's Model Cottage.--11. Windmill.--12. Sledge. + + "As a delightful exercise of ingenuity, and a most sensible mode + of passing a winter's evening, we commend the Child's own Toy + Maker."--_Illustrated News._ + + "Should be in every house blessed with the presence of + children."--_The Field._ + + +BY THE AUTHOR OF "CAT AND DOG," ETC. + +Historical Acting Charades; + + Or, Amusements for Winter Evenings. New Edition. Fcap. 8vo. price + 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 4_s._ gilt edges. + + "A rare book for Christmas parties, and of practical + value."--_Illustrated News._ + +The Story of Jack and the Giants: + + With thirty-five Illustrations by RICHARD DOYLE. Beautifully + printed. New and Cheaper Edition. Fcap. 4to. price 2_s._ 6_d._ in + fancy boards; 4_s._ 6_d._ coloured, extra cloth, gilt edges. + + "In Doyle's drawings we have wonderful conceptions, which will + secure the book a place amongst the treasures of collectors, as + well as excite the imaginations of children."--_Illustrated + Times._ + +Granny's Wonderful Chair; + + And its Tales of Fairy Times. By FRANCES BROWNE. With + Illustrations by KENNY MEADOWS. Small 4to., 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth, + 4_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + + "One of the happiest blendings of marvel and moral we have ever + seen."--_Literary Gazette._ + +Pictures from the Pyrenees; + + Or, Agnes' and Kate's Travels. By CAROLINE BELL. With numerous + Illustrations. Small 4to.; price 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 4_s._ 6_d._ + coloured, gilt edges. + + "With admirable simplicity of manner it notices the towns, the + scenery, the people, and natural phenomena of this grand mountain + region."--_The Press._ + +The Early Dawn; + + Or, Stories to Think about. By a COUNTRY CLERGYMAN. Illustrated by + H. WEIR, etc. Small 4to.; price 2_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 3_s._ 6_d._ + coloured, gilt edges. + + "The matter is both wholesome and instructive, and must fascinate + as well as benefit the young."--_Literarium_. + +Angelo; + + Or, the Pine Forest among the Alps. By GERALDINE E. JEWSBURY, + author of "The Adopted Child," etc. With Illustrations by JOHN + ABSOLON. Small 4to.; price 2_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 3_s._ 6_d._ + coloured, gilt edges. + + "As pretty a child's story as one might look for on a winter's + day."--_Examiner._ + +Tales of Magic and Meaning. + + Written and Illustrated by ALFRED CROWQUILL, Author of "Funny + Leaves for the Younger Branches," "The Careless Chicken," "Picture + Fables," etc. Small 4to.; price 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 4_s._ 6_d._ + coloured. + + "Cleverly written, abounding in frolic and pathos, and inculcates + so pure a moral, that we must pronounce him a very fortunate + little fellow, who catches these 'Tales of Magic,' as a windfall + from 'The Christmas Tree'."--_Athenæum._ + +Faggots for the Fire Side; + + Or, Tales of Fact and Fancy. By PETER PARLEY. With Twelve Tinted + Illustrations. Foolscap 8vo.; 3_s._ 6_d._, cloth; 4_s._ gilt + edges. + + CONTENTS.--The Boy Captive; or Jumping Rabbit's Story--The White + Owl--Tom Titmouse--The Wolf and Fox--Bob Link--Autobiography of a + Sparrow--The Children of the Sun: a Tale of the Incas--The Soldier + and Musician--The Rich Man and His Son--The Avalanche--Flint and + Steel--Songs of the Seasons, etc. + + "A new book by Peter Parley is a pleasant greeting for all boys + and girls, wherever the English language is spoken and read. He + has a happy method of conveying information, while seeming to + address himself to the imagination."--_The Critic._ + +The Discontented Children; + + And How they were Cured. By MARY and ELIZABETH KIRBY, authors of + "The Talking Bird," etc. Illustrated by H. K. BROWNE (Phiz). + Second edition, price 2_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 3_s._ 6_d._ coloured, + gilt edges. + + "We know no better method of banishing 'discontent' from + school-room and nursery than by introducing this wise and clever + story to their inmates."--_Art Journal._ + +The Talking Bird; + + Or, the Little Girl who knew what was going to happen. By M. and + E. KIRBY, Authors of "The Discontented Children," etc. With + Illustrations by H. K. BROWNE (Phiz). Small 4to. Price 2_s._ 6_d._ + cloth; 3_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + + "The story is ingeniously told, and the moral clearly + shown."--_Athenæum._ + +Julia Maitland; + + Or, Pride goes before a Fall. By M. and E. KIRBY, Authors of "The + Talking Bird," etc. Illustrated by JOHN ABSOLON. Price 2_s._ 6_d._ + cloth; 3_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + + "It is nearly such a story as Miss Edgeworth might have written on + the same theme."--_The Press._ + +Letters from Sarawak, + + Addressed to a Child; embracing an Account of the Manners, + Customs, and Religion of the Inhabitants of Borneo, with Incidents + of Missionary Life among the Natives. By MRS. M'DOUGALL. Fourth + Thousand, enlarged in size, with Illustrations. 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth. + + "All is new, interesting, and admirably told."--_Church and State + Gazette._ + + +COMICAL PICTURE BOOKS. + +_Uniform in size with_ "The Struwwelpeter." + + Each with Sixteen large Coloured Plates, price 2_s._ 6_d._, in + fancy boards, or mounted on cloth, 1_s._ extra. + +Picture Fables. + + Written and Illustrated by ALFRED CROWQUILL. + +The Careless Chicken; + + By the BARON KRAKEMSIDES. By ALFRED CROWQUILL. + +Funny Leaves for the Younger Branches. + + By the BARON KRAKEMSIDES, of Burstenoudelafen Castle. Illustrated + by ALFRED CROWQUILL. + +Laugh and Grow Wise; + + By the Senior Owl of Ivy Hall. + +The Remarkable History of the House that Jack Built. + + Splendidly Illustrated and magnificently Illuminated by THE SON OF + A GENIUS. Price 2_s._ in fancy cover. + + "Magnificent in suggestion, and most comical in + expression!"--ATHENÆUM. + +A Peep at the Pixies; + + Or, Legends of the West. By MRS. BRAY. Author of "The Borders of + the Tamar and the Tavy," "Life of Stothard," "Trelawny," etc., + etc. With Illustrations by HABLOT K. BROWNE (Phiz). Super-royal + 16mo., price 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 4_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + + "A peep at the actual Pixies of Devonshire, faithfully described + by Mrs. Bray, is a treat. Her knowledge of the locality, her + affection for her subject, her exquisite feeling for nature, and + her real delight in fairy lore, have given a freshness to the + little volume we did not expect. The notes at the end contain + matter of interest for all who feel a desire to know the origin of + such tales and legends."--_Art Journal._ + + +A BOOK FOR EVERY CHILD. + +The Favourite Picture Book; + + A Gallery of Delights, designed for the Amusement and Instruction + of the Young. With several Hundred Illustrations from Drawings by + J. ABSOLON, H. K. BROWNE (Phiz), J. GILBERT, T. LANDSEER, J. + LEECH, J. S. PROUT, H. WEIR, etc. New Edition. Royal 4to., price + 3_s._ 6_d._, bound in a new and Elegant Cover; 7_s._ 6_d._ + coloured; 10_s._ 6_d._ mounted on cloth and coloured. + +Ocean and her Rulers; + + A Narrative of the Nations who have from the earliest ages held + dominion over the Sea; and comprising a brief History of + Navigation. By ALFRED ELWES. With Frontispiece. Fcap. 8vo., 5_s._ + cloth; 5_s._ 6_d._ gilt edges. + + "The volume is replete with valuable and interesting information; + and we cordially recommend it as a useful auxiliary in the + school-room, and entertaining companion in the + library."--_Morning Post._ + +Berries and Blossoms. + + A Verse Book for Children. By T. WESTWOOD. With Title and + Frontispiece printed in Colours. Super-royal 16mo., price 3_s._ + 6_d._ cloth, gilt edges. + +The Wonders of Home, in Eleven Stories. + + By GRANDFATHER GREY. With Illustrations. Third and Cheaper + Edition. Royal 16mo., 2_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 3_s._ 6_d._ coloured, + gilt edges. + + CONTENTS.--1. The Story of a Cup of Tea.--2. A Lump of Coal.--3. + Some Hot Water.--4. A Piece of Sugar.--5. The Milk Jug.--6. A + Pin.--7. Jenny's Sash.--8. Harry's Jacket.--9. A Tumbler.--10. A + Knife.--11. This Book. + + "The idea is excellent, and its execution equally commendable. The + subjects are well selected, and are very happily told in a light + yet sensible manner."--_Weekly News._ + +Cat and Dog; + + Or, Memoirs of Puss and the Captain. Illustrated by WEIR. Sixth + Edition. Super-royal 16mo., 2_s._ 6_d_, cloth; 3_s._ 6_d._ + coloured, gilt edges. + + "The author of this amusing little tale is, evidently, a keen + observer of nature. The illustrations are well executed; and the + moral, which points the tale, is conveyed in the most attractive + form."--_Britannia._ + +The Doll and Her Friends; + + Or, Memoirs of the Lady Seraphina. By the Author of "Cat and Dog." + Third Edition. With Four Illustrations by H. K. BROWNE (Phiz). + 2_s._ 6_d._, cloth; 3_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + + "Evidently written by one who has brought great powers to bear + upon a small matter."--_Morning Herald._ + +Tales from Catland; + + Dedicated to the Young Kittens of England. By an OLD TABBY. + Illustrated by H. WEIR. Third Edition. Small 4to., 2_s._ 6_d._ + plain; 3_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + + "The combination of quiet humour and sound sense has made this one + of the pleasantest little books of the season."--_Lady's + Newspaper._ + +The Grateful Sparrow. + + A True Story, with Frontispiece. Second Edition. Price 6_d._ + sewed. + +How I Became a Governess. + + By the Author of "The Grateful Sparrow." With Frontispiece. Price + 1_s._ sewed. + + +WORKS BY MRS. R. LEE. + +Anecdotes of the Habits and Instincts of Animals. + + Third and Cheaper Edition. With Illustrations by HARRISON WEIR. + Fcap. 8vo., 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 4_s._ gilt edges. + +Anecdotes of the Habits and Instincts of Birds, Reptiles, and Fishes. + + With Illustrations by HARRISON WEIR. Second and Cheaper Edition. + Fcap. 8vo., 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 4_s._ gilt edges. + + "Amusing, instructive, and ably written."--_Literary Gazette._ + + "Mrs. Lee's authorities--to name only one, Professor Owen--are, + for the most part first-rate."--_Athenæum._ + +Twelve Stories of the Sayings and Doings of Animals. + + With Illustrations by J. W. ARCHER. Third Edition. Super-royal + 16mo., 2_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 3_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + + "It is just such books as this that educate the imagination of + children, and enlist their sympathies for the brute + creation."--_Nonconformist._ + +Familiar Natural History. + + With Forty-two Illustrations from Original Drawings by HARRISON + WEIR. Super-royal 16mo., 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 5_s._ coloured gilt + edges. + +Playing at Settlers; + + Or, the Faggot House. Illustrated by GILBERT. Second Edition. + Price 2_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 3_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + +Adventures in Australia; + + Or, the Wanderings of Captain Spencer in the Bush and the Wilds. + Second Edition. Illustrated by PROUT. Fcap. 8vo., 5_s._ cloth; + 5_s._ 6_d._ gilt edges. + + "This volume should find a place in every school library; and it + will, we are sure, be a very welcome and useful + prize."--_Educational Times._ + +The African Wanderers; + + Or, the Adventures of Carlos and Antonio; embracing interesting + Descriptions of the Manners and Customs of the Western Tribes, and + the Natural Productions of the Country. Third Edition. With Eight + Engravings. Fcap. 8vo., 5_s._ cloth; 5_s._ 6_d._ gilt edges. + + "For fascinating adventure, and rapid succession of incident, the + volume is equal to any relation of travel we ever + read."--_Britannia._ + + "In strongly recommending this admirable work to the attention of + young readers, we feel that we are rendering a real service to the + cause of African civilization."--_Patriot._ + +Sir Thomas; or, the Adventures of a Cornish Baronet in Western Africa. + + With Illustrations by J. GILBERT. Fcap. 8vo.; 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth. + +Harry Hawkins's H-Book; + + Shewing how he learned to aspirate his H's. Frontispiece by H. + WEIR. Super-royal 16mo., price 6_d._ + + "No family or school-room within, or indeed beyond, the sound of + Bow bells, should be without this merry manual."--_Art Journal._ + +The Family Bible Newly Opened; + + With Uncle Goodwin's account of it. By JEFFERYS TAYLOR, author of + "A Glance at the Globe," etc. Frontispiece by J. GILBERT. Fcap. + 8vo., 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth. + + "A very good account of the Sacred Writings, adapted to the + tastes, feelings, and intelligence of young people."--_Educational + Times._ + + "Parents will also find it a great aid in the religious teaching + of their families."--_Edinburgh Witness._ + +Kate and Rosalind; + + Or, Early Experiences. By the author of "Quicksands on Foreign + Shores," etc. Fcap. 8vo., 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 4_s._ gilt edges. + + "A book of unusual merit. The story is exceedingly well told, and + the characters are drawn with a freedom and boldness seldom met + with."--_Church of England Quarterly._ + + "We have not room to exemplify the skill with which Puseyism is + tracked and detected. The Irish scenes are of an excellence that + has not been surpassed since the best days of Miss + Edgeworth."--_Fraser's Magazine._ + +Good in Everything; + + Or, The Early History of Gilbert Harland. By MRS. BARWELL, Author + of "Little Lessons for Little Learners," etc. Second Edition. With + Illustrations by JOHN GILBERT. Royal 16mo., 2_s._ 6_d._ cloth; + 3_s._ 6_d._, coloured, gilt edges. + + "The moral of this exquisite little tale will do more good than a + thousand set tasks abounding with dry and uninteresting + truisms."--_Bell's Messenger._ + +A Word to the Wise; + + Or, Hints on the Current Improprieties of Expression in Writing + and Speaking. By PARRY GWYNNE. Fifth Edition. 18mo. price 6_d._ + sewed, or 1_s._ cloth, gilt edges. + + "All who wish to mind their _p's_ and _q's_ should consult this + little volume."--_Gentleman's Magazine._ + + "May be advantageously consulted by even the + well-educated."--_Athenæum._ + + +ELEGANT GIFT FOR A LADY. + +Trees, Plants, and Flowers; + + Their Beauties, Uses and Influences. By Mrs. R. LEE, Author of + "The African Wanderers," etc. With beautiful coloured + Illustrations by J. ANDREWS. 8vo., price 10_s._ 6_d._, cloth + elegant, gilt edges. + + "The volume is at once useful as a botanical work, and exquisite + as the ornament of a boudoir table."--_Britannia._ + + "As full of interest as of beauty."--_Art Journal._ + + +NEW AND BEAUTIFUL LIBRARY EDITION. + +The Vicar of Wakefield; + + A Tale. By OLIVER GOLDSMITH. Printed by Whittingham. With Eight + Illustrations by J. ABSOLON. Square fcap. 8vo. price 5_s._, cloth; + 7_s._ half-bound morocco, Roxburghe style; 10_s._ 6_d._ antique + morocco. + + Mr. Absolon's graphic sketches add greatly to the interest of the + volume: altogether, it is as pretty an edition of the 'Vicar' as + we have seen. Mrs. Primrose herself would consider it 'well + dressed.'"--_Art Journal._ + + "A delightful edition of one of the most delightful of works: the + fine old type and thick paper make this volume attractive to any + lover of books."--_Edinburgh Guardian._ + + +WORKS BY MRS. LOUDON. + +Domestic Pets; + + Their Habits and Management; with Illustrative Anecdotes. By Mrs. + LOUDON. With Engravings from Drawings by HARRISON WEIR. Second + Thousand. Fcap. 8vo., 2_s._ 6_d._ cloth. + + CONTENTS:--The Dog, Cat, Squirrel, Rabbit, Guinea-Pig, White Mice, + the Parrot and other Talking Birds, Singing Birds, Doves and + Pigeons, Gold and Silver Fish. + + "A most attractive and instructive little work. All who study Mrs. + Loudon's pages will be able to treat their pets with certainty and + wisdom."--_Standard of Freedom._ + +Glimpses of Nature; + + And Objects of Interest described during a Visit to the Isle of + Wight. Designed to assist and encourage Young Persons in forming + habits of observation. By Mrs. LOUDON. Second Edition, enlarged. + With Forty-one Illustrations. 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth. + + "We could not recommend a more valuable little volume. It is full + of information, conveyed in the most agreeable manner."--_Literary + Gazette._ + +Tales of School Life. + + By AGNES LOUDON, Author of "Tales for Young People." With + Illustrations by JOHN ABSOLON. Second Edition. Royal 16mo., 2_s._ + 6_d._ plain; 3_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + + "These reminiscences of school days will be recognised as truthful + pictures of every-day occurrence. The style is colloquial and + pleasant, and therefore well suited to those for whose perusal it + is intended."--_Athenæum._ + + +MISS JEWSBURY. + +Clarissa Donnelly; + + Or, The History of an Adopted Child. By MISS GERALDINE E. + JEWSBURY. With an Illustration by JOHN ABSOLON. Fcap. 8vo., 3_s._ + 6_d._ cloth; 4_s._ gilt edges. + + "With wonderful power, only to be matched by as admirable a + simplicity, Miss Jewsbury has narrated the history of a child. For + nobility of purpose, for simple, nervous writing, and for artistic + construction, it is one of the most valuable works of the + day."--_Lady's Companion._ + +The Day of a Baby Boy; + + A Story for a Young Child. By E. BERGER. With Illustrations by + JOHN ABSOLON. Second Edition. Super-royal 16mo., price 2_s._ 6_d._ + cloth; 3_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + + "A sweet little book for the nursery."--_Christian Times._ + +Every-Day Things; + + Or, Useful Knowledge respecting the principal Animal, Vegetable, + and Mineral Substances in common use. Written for Young Persons. + Second Edition, revised. 18mo., 1_s._ 6_d._ cloth. + + "A little encyc'opædia of useful knowledge, deserving a place in + every juvenile library."--_Evangelical Magazine._ + +PRICE SIXPENCE EACH, PLAIN; ONE SHILLING, COLOURED. + +_In Super-Royal 16mo., beautifully printed, each with Seven +Illustrations by_ HARRISON WEIR, _and Descriptions by_ MRS. LEE. + + 1. BRITISH ANIMALS. First Series. + 2. BRITISH ANIMALS. Second Series. + 3. BRITISH BIRDS. + 4. FOREIGN ANIMALS. First Series. + 5. FOREIGN ANIMALS. Second Series. + 6. FOREIGN BIRDS. + + [Asterism] Or bound in One Volume under the title of "Familiar + Natural History," _see page_ 16. + + _Uniform in size and price with the above._ + + THE FARM AND ITS SCENES. With Six Pictures from Drawings by + HARRISON WEIR. + + THE DIVERTING HISTORY OF JOHN GILPIN. With Six Illustrations by + WATTS PHILLIPS. + + THE PEACOCK AT HOME, AND BUTTERFLY'S BALL. With Four Illustrations + by HARRISON WEIR. + + +WORKS BY THE AUTHOR OF MAMMA'S BIBLE STORIES. + +Fanny and her Mamma; + + Or, Easy Lessons for Children. In which it is attempted to bring + Scriptural Principles into daily practice. Illustrated by J. + GILBERT. Third Edition. 16mo., 2_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 3_s._ 6_d._. + coloured, gilt edges. + + "A little book in beautiful large clear type, to suit the capacity + of infant readers, which we can with pleasure + recommend."--_Christian Ladies' Magazine._ + +Short and Simple Prayers, + + For the Use of Young Children. With Hymns. Fifth Edition. Square + 16mo., 1_s._ 6_d._ cloth. + + "Well adapted to the capacities of children--beginning with the + simplest forms which the youngest child may lisp at its mother's + knee, and proceeding with those suited to its gradually advancing + age. Special prayers, designed for particular circumstances and + occasions, are added. We cordially recommend the + book."--_Christian Guardian._ + +Mamma's Bible Stories, + + For her Little Boys and Girls, adapted to the capacities of very + young Children. Eleventh Edition, with Twelve Engravings. 2_s._ + 6_d._ cloth; 3_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + +A Sequel to Mamma's Bible Stories. + + Fifth Edition. Twelve Illustrations. 2_s._ 6_d._ cloth, 3_s._ + 6_d._ coloured. + +Scripture Histories for Little Children. + + With Sixteen Illustrations, by JOHN GILBERT. Super-royal 16mo., + price 3_s._ cloth; 4_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + + CONTENTS.--The History of Joseph--History of Moses--History of + our Saviour--The Miracles of Christ. + + _Sold separately: 6d. each, plain; 1s. coloured._ + +Bible Scenes; + + Or, Sunday Employment for very young Children. Consisting of + Twelve Coloured Illustrations on Cards, and the History written in + Simple Language. In a neat box, 3_s._ 6_d._; or the Illustrations + dissected as a Puzzle, 6_s._ 6_d._ + + FIRST SERIES: JOSEPH. + SECOND SERIES: OUR SAVIOUR. + THIRD SERIES: MOSES. + FOURTH SERIES: MIRACLES OF CHRIST. + + "It is hoped that these 'Scenes' may form a useful and interesting + addition to the Sabbath occupations of the Nursery. From their + very earliest infancy little children will listen with interest + and delight to stories brought thus palpably before their eyes by + means of illustration."--_Preface._ + + +ILLUSTRATED BY GEORGE CRUIKSHANK. + +Kit Bam, the British Sinbad; + + Or, the Yarns of an Old Mariner. By MARY COWDEN CLARKE, author of + "The Concordance to Shakspeare," etc. Fcap. 8vo., price 3_s._ + 6_d._ cloth; 4_s._ gilt edges. + + "A more captivating volume for juvenile recreative reading we + never remember to have seen. It is as wonderful as the 'Arabian + Nights,' while it is free from the objectionable matter which + characterises the Eastern fiction."--_Standard of Freedom._ + + "Cruikshank's plates are worthy of his genius."--_Examiner._ + +The Favourite Library. + + A Series of Works for the Young; each Volume with an Illustration + by a well-known Artist. Price 1_s._ cloth. + + 1. THE ESKDALE HERD BOY. By LADY STODDART. + 2. MRS. LEICESTER'S SCHOOL. By CHARLES and MARY LAMB. + 3. THE HISTORY OF THE ROBINS. By MRS. TRIMMER. + 4. MEMOIR OF BOB, THE SPOTTED TERRIER. + 5. KEEPER'S TRAVELS IN SEARCH OF HIS MASTER. + 6. THE SCOTTISH ORPHANS. By LADY STODDART. + 7. NEVER WRONG; or, THE YOUNG DISPUTANT; and "IT WAS ONLY IN FUN." + 8. THE LIFE AND PERAMBULATIONS OF A MOUSE. + 9. EASY INTRODUCTION TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF NATURE. By MRS. TRIMMER. + 10. RIGHT AND WRONG. By the Author of "ALWAYS HAPPY." + 11. HARRY'S HOLIDAY. By JEFFERYS TAYLOR. + 12. SHORT POEMS AND HYMNS FOR CHILDREN. + +_The above may be had Two Volumes bound in One, at Two Shillings +cloth, or 2s. 6d. gilt edges, as follows:_-- + + 1. LADY STODDART'S SCOTTISH TALES. + 2. ANIMAL HISTORIES. THE DOG. + 3. ANIMAL HISTORIES. THE ROBINS and MOUSE. + 4. TALES FOR BOYS. HARRY'S HOLIDAY and NEVER WRONG. + 5. TALES FOR GIRLS. MRS. LEICESTER'S SCHOOL and RIGHT + AND WRONG. + 6. POETRY AND NATURE. SHORT POEMS and TRIMMER'S + INTRODUCTION. + +Stories of Julian and his Playfellows. + + Written by HIS MAMMA. With Four Illustrations by JOHN ABSOLON. + Second Edition. Small 4to., 2_s._ 6_d._, plain; 3_s._ 6_d._, + coloured, gilt edges. + + "The lessons taught by Julian's mamma are each fraught with an + excellent moral."--_Morning Advertiser._ + +Blades and Flowers. + + Poems for Children. Frontispiece by H. ANELAY. Fcap. 8vo; price + 2_s._ cloth. + + "Breathing the same spirit as the Nursery Poems of Jane + Taylor."--_Literary Gazette._ + +Aunt Jane's Verses for Children. + + By Mrs. T. D. CREWDSON. Illustrated with twelve beautiful + Engravings. Fcap. 8vo; 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth. + + "A charming little volume, of excellent moral and religious + tendency."--_Evangelical Magazine._ + +The History of a Family; + + Or, Religion our best Support. With an Illustration on Steel by + JOHN ABSOLON. Fcap. 8vo., 2_s._ 6_d._ cloth. + + "A natural and gracefully written story, pervaded by a tone of + Scriptural piety, and well calculated to foster just views of life + and duty. We hope it will find its way into many English + homes."--_Englishwoman's Magazine._ + +Rhymes of Royalty. + + The History of England in Verse, from the Norman Conquest to the + reign of QUEEN VICTORIA; with an Appendix, comprising a summary of + the leading events in each reign. By S. BLEWETT. Fcap. 8vo., with + Frontispiece. 2_s._ 6_d._ cloth. + + +NEW AND CHEAPER EDITION. + +The Ladies' Album of Fancy Work. + + Consisting of Novel, Elegant, and Useful Patterns in Knitting, + Netting, Crochet, and Embroidery, printed in Colours. Bound in a + beautiful cover. New Edition. Post 4to., 3_s._ 6_d._, gilt edges. + + +HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN. + +The Dream of Little Tuk; + + And other Tales, by H. C. ANDERSEN. Translated and dedicated to + the Author by CHARLES BONER. Illustrated by COUNT POCCI. Fcap. + 8vo., 2_s._ plain; 3_s._ coloured. + + "Full of charming passages of prose, poetry, and such tiny + dramatic scenes as will make the pulses of young readers throb + with delight."--_Atlas._ + +Visits to Beechwood Farm; + + Or, Country Pleasures, and Hints for Happiness addressed to the + Young. By CATHERINE M. A. COUPER. Illustrations by ABSOLON. Small + 4to., 3_s._ 6_d._, plain; 4_s._ 6_d._ coloured; gilt edges. + + "The work is well calculated to impress upon the minds of the + young the superiority of simple and natural pleasures over those + which are artificial."--_Englishwoman's Magazine._ + +Insect Changes. + + With richly Illuminated Borders, composed of Flowers and Insects, + in the highly-wrought style of the celebrated "Hours of Anne of + Brittany," and forming a first Lesson in Entomology. Price 5_s._, + in elegant binding. + + "One of the richest gifts ever offered, even in this improving + age, to childhood. Nothing can be more perfect in illumination + than the embellishments of this charming little volume."--_Art + Union._ + +The Modern British Plutarch; + + Or, Lives of Men distinguished in the recent History of our + Country for their Talents, Virtues and Achievements. By W. C. + TAYLOR, LL.D. Author of "A Manual of Ancient and Modern History," + etc. 12mo., Second Thousand, with a new Frontispiece. 4_s._ 6_d._ + cloth; 5_s._ gilt edges. + + CONTENTS: Arkwright--Burke--Burns--Byron--Canning--Earl of + Chatham--Adam Clarke--Clive--Captain Cook--Cowper--Crabbe + --Davy--Eldon--Erskine--Fox--Franklin--Goldsmith--Earl Grey + --Warren Hastings--Heber--Howard--Jenner--Sir W. Jones-- + Mackintosh--H. Martyn--Sir J. Moore--Nelson--Pitt--Romilly + --Sir W. Scott--Sheridan--Smeaton--Watt--Marquis of Wellesley + --Wilberforce--Wilkie--Wellington. + + "A work which will be welcomed in any circle of intelligent young + persons."--_British Quarterly Review._ + +Home Amusements. + + A Choice Collection of Riddles, Charades, Conundrums, Parlour + Games, and Forfeits. By PETER PUZZLEWELL, Esq., of Rebus Hall. New + Edition, revised and enlarged, with Frontispiece by H. K. BROWNE + (Phiz). 16mo., 2_s._ 6_d._ cloth. + +Early Days of English Princes. + + By Mrs. RUSSELL GRAY. Dedicated by permission to the Duchess of + Roxburgh. With Illustrations by JOHN FRANKLIN. Small 4to., 3_s._ + 6_d._ cloth; 4_s._ 6_d._ coloured, gilt edges. + + "Just the book for giving children some first notions of English + history, as the personages it speaks about are themselves + young."--_Manchester Examiner._ + +First Steps in Scottish History, + + By MISS RODWELL, Author of "First Steps to English History." With + Ten Illustrations by WEIGALL. 16mo., 3_s._ 6_d._ cloth; 4_s._ + 6_d._ coloured. + + "It is the first popular book in which we have seen the outlines + of the early history of the Scottish tribes exhibited with + anything like accuracy."--_Glasgow Constitutional._ + + "The work is throughout agreeably and lucidly written."--_Midland + Counties Herald._ + +London Cries and Public Edifices. + + Illustrated in Twenty-four Engravings by LUKE LIMNER; with + descriptive Letter-press. Square 12mo., 2_s._ 6_d._ plain; 5_s._ + coloured. Bound in emblematic cover. + +The Silver Swan; + + A Fairy Tale. By MADAME DE CHATELAIN. 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