4 The Scottish Naturalist. 



it. So he seized upon the brilliant expedient of jumping into it 

 himself bodily, whiningly gazing over the brim with fixed 

 vigilance still upon the coat left behind, and beyond his small 

 power, though not will, to take with him there too as security ! 

 He would have flown in a fury at any one else, and hurt them 

 considerably, sooner than they should touch his property in 

 charge. His own tempter, however, poor Nettle loved far too 

 well to attempt to injure; he could only maintain his politeness, 

 with his trust itself, by the means so quickly devised and so 

 readily acted upon." 



II. — "Another pet of the same master, and of a different kind ? 

 was a tame bullfinch. This bird also adored his keeper as 

 much as little Nettle did; but his mistress, alas! who shall tell 

 the tale ! He could not abide her ! The lady was not of an ami- 

 able nature, and the bird had discovered the fact instinctively, 

 though to it she was honey and butter and sugar and oil combined, 

 tender, caressing, and the kindest of the kind, all of which 

 Bully ungratefully repaid by fighting her each time she even 

 entered the room where he hung a petted, spoilt favourite. He 

 would extend his wings and hiss at her very approach, however 

 distant, anol fly in a rage to try and peck her ; but his master ! 

 it was absurd to watch the little bird and big bearded man 

 together. Bully languishing in blissful delight — his head on one 

 side — his sweetest notes warbling from his appreciating throat, 

 and letting the master do what he will and how he would too, 

 and at any time, except in his wife's company only, when Bully 

 invariably showed pugnacity again ; the sound of her voice — 

 her footfall — was quite enough always to upset its small 

 temper, until at last, scarce unreasonably, the mistress grew to 

 be quite jealous of her feathered rival, and to hate the sight of 

 the bird." 



III. — "A third anecdote is of a cat, who, I am sure, must 

 have been indulging in "higher education" somewhere, so 

 unlike was he in his ways to the rest of his furry brotherhood. 

 Puss took a wild fancy to the contents of my bird cage, chiefly, 

 I am convinced, because he knew better, and desired to 

 torment a servant girl to whom he was greatly attached. Puss 

 was very big and strong, and the most resolute, tenacious, and 

 pertinacious of fourfooted thieves ; the terror of the neighbour- 

 hood round on account of his bold plundering raids, having in 

 one season devoured a family of no fewer than eighteen pro- 

 mising young chickens, showing skill and audacity in the 



