NATURAL HISTORY 



the same hen several times, yet he found she was still 

 provided with a fresh paramour, that did not take her 

 away from her usual haunt. 



Again : I knew a lover of setting, an old sportsman, 

 who has often told me that soon after harvest he has 

 frequently taken small coveys of partridges, consisting 

 of cock birds alone ; these he pleasantly used to call 

 old bachelors. 



There is a propensity belonging to common house 

 cats that is very remarkable; I mean their violent 

 fondness for fish, which appears to be their most 

 favourite food : and yet nature in this instance seems 

 to have planted in them an appetite that, unassisted, 

 they know not how to gratify: for of all quadrupeds 

 cats are the least disposed towards water; and will 

 not, when they can avoid it, deign to wet a foot, much 

 less to plunge into that element. 



Quadrupeds that prey on fish are amphibious : such 

 is the otter, which by nature is so well formed for 



diving, that it makes great havock among the inhabi- 

 tants of the waters. Not supposing that we had any 

 of those beasts in our shallow brooks, I was much 



