LOCAL JOTTINGS. 211 



^^Rafo" liad a vast liking for human society, and generally alighted wherever 

 he happened to see labourers at work in a field, and when he took it in his 

 head would behave himself very improperly, stealing the bread and cheese of 

 the workmen, which probably lay covered up with a cloth under the hedge. 

 One day a very ludicrous scene occurred j "Rafo" had made rather a longer 

 excursion than usual, and had arrived over a portion of territory he had not 

 visited before. Seeing a team of horses and a plough at work with two 

 attendants, he determined to east anchor in so favourable a spot, and first of 

 all espying a very white-looking cloth at one end of the field, he made his 

 way to it, to gratify his curiosity; but no sooner had he surveyed the sub- 

 stance, than he began to show evident signs of there being something within 

 suitable to his palate; first pulling about the cloth, and finding he could not 

 get at the dainty morsel of bread and cheese within, he began to deal furious 

 strokes with his tremendous bill, and in a short time accomplished his purpose 

 of scattering the food all over the ground; and not being satisfied with this, 

 his attention was next directed to a *^^eortril," (a small barrel-shaped vessel, 

 holding about four quai-ts of beer,) which lay with the cork at the bung 

 exposed to view. ^^Eafo" gave a fierce dig at the cork, and out it came. 

 One of the labourers now having noticed the bird for the first time, ran to 

 frighten him away, but what was his surprise when he came up to find that 

 ^^E-afo" would not be so easily disturbed, for when the countryman pelted him 

 with clods, ^^Rafo" would only move a step or two out of the way and give 

 a loud croak, but at last he took flight and went ofi". 



As soon as the labourers had finished what remained of their meal, they 

 set to work ploughing as before, but had not proceeded far up the field when 

 ''^Rafo" again made his appearance, keeping within a foot or two of the team 

 as it went on, and do what they would they could not drive him away. At 

 last these two poor superstitious Welshmen, who had never seen so large a 

 bird dressed in such a suspicious colour before, got frightened by his seeming 

 determination of keeping close company; and this fright increased tenfold, when 

 one of them, determined to send a farewell clod at him, happened to hit 

 the poor bird a severe blow, when up got "Rafo," and kept sailing round 

 and round over their heads, croaking most horribly for several minutes, and 

 then ofl" he went, keeping up his dreadful noise until out of sight. When 

 these poor fellows recovered from their fright, one said to the other, "By 

 gum Jack that must be the d 1!" 



But alas! poor ^^Rafo" did not continue his tricks long, for one day a surly 

 farmer, not liking his frequent visits to his farm-yard, gave him a dose of 

 large shot, which ended poor "Rafo's" career. He was certainly a most 

 amusing bird, and, like the generality of his brethren, hated dogs, and kept 

 up a perpetual warfare against those animals; creeping softly behind one of 

 these poor creatures, he would, with the whole force of his body, give him 

 such a dig with his formidable beak, as would send the poor dog howling 

 away with his tail between his legs. 



(To be continued.) 



