The Scottish Naturalist. 7 



as usual after its own way. In consequence they heard her 

 feathered majesty begin, — " It hails, and it rains, and — 'tis so 

 dark" And over and over again, vouchsafing no modification, 

 and no other remark, throughout the whole of that occasion ; 

 master and mistress entirely at a loss in their puzzle to compre- 

 hend their pet's wisdom, as to every appearance there existed 

 no occasion for it whatever. Polly was informing its owners, 

 however, unknown to them, of the high life below stairs, of 

 which their own domestics had purposely kept them ignorant, 

 to escape consequences to themselves. Neither master nor 

 mistress ever understood the confidential communication, nor 

 could account for it in any way ! — of course not ; as might have 

 been expected. The parrot had behaved with exemplary pro- 

 priety in the kitchen, as all thought there, not observing anything 

 in the least degree ; but the change to its more aristocratic haunts, 

 the first sight of its mistress, and the spell was broken on that 

 score, — the words burst forth at once, glibly and reiterated, — 

 "It rains, and it hails, and — His so dark." Sententious, 

 solemn, slow, and pausing with measured, deliberate tread, till 

 it came to the last, then it hurled, in quick double knock, the 

 remainder — that convicting accusation: — "His so dark." The 

 tale is true, as I can vouch for, having received it, to my 

 belief, at first hand, from one of the participators in the plot 

 itself — an old domestic, who told it with every appearance of 

 speaking the truth, without the least exaggeration." 



V. — " Another anecdote is of a pair of Spa?iiels, belonging to a 

 relative of my own, and therefore an authentic narrative, illus- 

 trative of animals' wondrous sagacity. One of these dogs was 

 ever in favour, whilst the other was always in disgrace. Beauty 

 was good as gold, and lavished with rewards in accordance ; 

 his fellow as systematic a subject, on the other hand, of blows and 

 punishments, which his misconduct called forth so deservingly. 

 Now, for some reason or other, a certain member of the house- 

 hold found cause to suspect Beauty's perfection at all points, — 

 perhaps in his own soul being no 'particular believer in Infalli- 

 bility — as the family were all Irish, the dogs inclusive, — and 

 determined to test Beauty. It was closely watched, and on a 

 particular occasion it was clearly convicted of theft, in this wise : 

 It. was the hour of lunch, and Beauty's erring companion lay 

 stretched at full length snoozing on the hearth-rug. The door 

 was shut, the windows, long and opening on to the lawn, thrown 

 wide to admit the breeze, and Beauty's secret, lurking spy in 



