232 EXTRACTS FROM CORRESPONDENCE. 



marvellous as the tales about dogs are : I met, last year, in the Highlands, 

 a gentleman Salmon-fishing, and he assured me that a little Terrier of the 

 Skye breed, which he had with him, would, whenever he hooked a fish, jump 

 into the river and perform the part of a landing-net. 



In the grounds in front of our house, we have a pond with two small 

 islands for the water-fowl to breed on, and here I keep two pairs of tame 

 Canadian Geese ; during the winter they live veiy peaceably together, but 

 as soon as the spring comes on, the two ganders become pugnacious, and 

 separate each with his mate. For several mornings lately, however, the 

 peace of the island has been much disturbed by an old wild gander, who 

 has come regularly to pay his addresses to one of the Geese, and yesterday, 

 succeeded in enticing her away. I saw them go, watched their direction, 

 fetched my gun and followed, but could not get near enough to shoot ; I 

 succeeded, however, in driving them back to our own field, and continued 

 the stalk, when I came nearly up with them, the gander, as before, took 

 wing, but the goose did not follow ; he flew for some distance alone, but 

 finding his mistress would not come, returned, and fell a victim to his rash- 

 ness. The two little islands I before mentioned, are each of them large 

 enough to contain the nests of a dozen pail's of Geese, still, so pugnacious 

 are these Canadians, that, when one pair has fixed upon either island ta 

 build their nest, they will allow no other Geese to come near, though they 

 will suffer Ducks and Water-Hens to inhabit it with impunity. 



We have lately had a great flood here, and one day, while walking with 

 my dog by the river-side, he started a Mouse out of a tuft of grass close to 

 the water's edge, and being closely pressed, the little fellow jumped in, my 

 dog went after him, but just as he was getting near enough to make a plunge, 

 the Mouse, to my astonishment, dived, and I saw nothing more of it. 



We have just been taking up some old draining-tiles, which, from some 

 cause or other, had become quite useless ; and on inspection, we found that 

 the roots of an old willow had insinuated themselves for a very long dis- 

 tance up the drain, so as completely to choke it, and you might draw them 

 out of the tiles in solid pieces, having somewhat the appearance of peat. 



Uppingham, February, 1855. 



(To he continiLed.) 



A LIST OF THE ZOOPHYTES FOUND ON THE COAST OF 

 BANFFSHIRE. 



BT MR. T. EDWARD. 



Reader ! I have a wish ; nay more, I have several ; and which, if I could 

 but have gratified, would tend to make me, perhaps, the happiest man alive. 

 Doubtless you have Avishes too. It is, or it would appear to be, a natural, or 



