32 LECTURE III. 



the poor bird, who, seeing its danger, left the 

 hedge, but was immediately followed and seized 

 by one of the crows. To the surprise of the 

 gentleman who had watched the whole proceed- 

 ing, he saw the crow rise up into the air, and at 

 last fall down dead; one of those active little 

 animals, called weasels, had fastened on him. 

 This serves to illustrate the old proverb of the 

 biter being bit. The pigeon was afterwards 

 picked up alive, and taken home by the gentle- 

 man referred to. I will now tell you another 

 anecdote of the crow. In the Island of Ceylon 

 there is a very cunning and impudent one, not 

 black, as ours are, but with a brown or bronzed 

 back. In the court-yard of the house of the 

 Governor of Ceylon a large dog was chained 

 up, and was employed one day in picking the 

 meat off a bone which had been given him. One 

 of these crows alighted near him, and showed a 

 wish to partake of the bone. This the dog 

 would not allow, so the crow flew away and soon 

 returned with a companion, who was placed 

 near the tail of the dog, and the other took his 

 station as near as he could venture to the 

 coveted bone. The crow near the dog's tail 

 then gave a strong pluck at it, when the dog 



