RURAL GLEANINGS. 



" every hen is in her turn the virago of the yard, in proportion to the 

 helplessness of her brood, and will fly in the face of a dog or sow in 

 defence of those chickens which in a few days she will drive before her 

 with relentless cruelty." The following affords a pretty good instance 

 of sagacity in fowls: A few days back a Dorking cock and his 

 numerous wives being assembled round a tub (which is sunk in the 

 ground for the ducks to bathe in), I flung a piece of bread on to the 

 middle of the water's surface to see what they would do in that case to 

 obtain it, At first they strutted round and round the tub, trying at 

 different sides to reach it, but after many attempts, finding their endea- 

 vours unsuccessful, all retired from the spot except the cock and one of 

 the hens. The latter, after eying the desired morsel for some time, 

 and apparently considering how to get it, at length hit upon this inge- 

 nious expedient : placing her beak down to the brink, she sucked up 

 the water, and thus formed a current whereby the piece of bread was 

 attracted towards her, but very slowly ; which the cock perceiving, he 

 ran round to the opposite side and commenced fanning his wings, and 

 did not cease doing so until he had blown it over and within the reach 

 of the hen, who soon swallowed it up. 



It is a curious and well known fact, that many male animals, instead 

 of being proud of their offspring and anxious for their care and pre- 

 servation, will treat them with such relentless cruelty as often termi- 

 nates with the death of their helpless victims. A duck lately hatched 

 a brood in which she seemed to take much pride ; but the drake, con- 

 sidering, it would appear, that he was neglected by her on account of 

 her attention to her ducklings, had, it seems, determined upon their 

 destruction. He was found the other day with one end of a little 

 duckling in his bill, whilst the duck held the other extremity in hers, 

 the former endeavouring to gain possession of it, and the latter anxiously 

 trying to retain it. A stop was however soon put to this game of 

 " pull devil, pull baker," by releasing the object of contention from 

 its perilous situation. As I have now noted all worth noting relating 

 to animals domesticated here, I must now speak of those enjoying the 

 sweets of liberty in the neighbouring fields. 



At Snaresbrook, about a week ago, I witnessed an instance of 

 great tameness in the robin, certainly very remarkable when we con- 

 sider that it is rarely but in the winter that it makes itself familiar 

 with man. A gardener was filling a wheelbarrow with dead leaves and 

 other rubbish, which he was busily employed in sweeping up into a 

 heap, when, whilst thus occupied, and not farther distant from his 

 barrow than three feet, a robin continued hopping about the inside of 



