AN e\'ening's walk. 51 



LETTER VII. 



FROM CAROLINE TO EMILY. 



DEAR EMILY, 



Your friend's description of the artful con- 

 trivances of those ingenious magpies, would make 

 ample amends for staying at home. The fondness of 

 animals for their young is truly surprising ; and when 

 called forth by particular circumstances, seems to 

 give them powers beyond the common limits of their 

 faculties. 



A few evenings ago, as I was enjoying a walk 

 with my dear Rachel, she led me through some ver- 

 dant meadows, covered with the sheep of a neigh- 

 bouring farmer.* Our path lay within a hundred 

 yards of a clear brook, formed by a small stream 

 that descends from a mountain. Many ewes and 

 lambs were feeding near us, but one in particular 

 drew our attention by the singularity of its mo- 

 tions. She approached us, bleating very loudly, and, 

 after looking pitifully in my face, ran off towards 



* This anecdote is attested as a fact by Mr. Collet, in the 

 Monthly Magazine for December 1808. 



