358 THE RAVEN AND THE DOG. 



which, though the memory is impressed, the heart may- 

 remain altogether untouched and uninfluenced. 



Yery different from the character and disposition of the 

 idle and heedless boy who killed this poor bird, was the 

 conduct of a dog (we do not now recollect whether it was the 

 Eaven's chief friend, the otter-dog, or another), by whom its 

 life had been a short time before preserved. By some acci- 

 dent the Eaven had fallen into a tub of water, and either 

 weakened by struggling, or unable to get out, owing to its 

 feathers being soaked with water, it was nearly drowned. The 

 dog, chained at a short distance, saw the poor bird's danger, 

 and dragging his heavy kennel towards it, reached his head 

 over the side of the tub, and taking the drowning Eaven up 

 in his mouth, laid him gently on the ground, where he soon 

 recovered, to die by the hand of the boy, who, though he 

 might have known by heart, had never learned to feel in his 

 heart the golden precept of " doing to others as he would 

 be done by." 



Another instance of attachment, though originating in a 

 quadruped, yet so closely connects itself with the subject- 

 matter before us, that its insertion needs no apology. A cat 

 having kittened between the tiles and roof of an out-house at 

 Earley Court, in August, 1836, was a short time afterwards 

 accidentally killed, and two out of three of her kittens were 

 caught in a trap placed there for that purpose ; the third, 

 however, remained in its hiding-place, eluding all attempts 

 to catch it, when, to prevent its being starved (as it was too 

 young to feed itself), a sort of platform was fixed against the 

 tiles, and food and milk placed within its reach. It so hap- 

 pened that a brood of chickens was in the habit of attending 

 the spot near the kitten's quarters, who by degrees approached 

 them, at first with great timidity, but at last, bolder grown, 

 it ventured to lie down amongst them, while they were seeking 

 their food, and following wherever they went. It was very 

 amusing and curious to see the kitten soon, instead of follow- 

 ing, leading its forces, consisting of (at least) twenty hens, 

 chickens, &c., about the grounds, sometimes catching at their 

 feet, as if going to bite them, and they pecking at the kitten 



