68 BIEDS 



says ("Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs"), 

 some woodcocks have one method, some another. There 

 is far too much mechanical rule-of-thumb in the study 

 of animals. 



A TUNISIAN GANDER 



With reference to the letter signed " G." in your issue 

 of the 10th inst., when living some years ago in Tunis 

 I possessed a gander both wiser and better than G.'s, 

 which began by stealing the goslings of another gander 

 as the .gypsies whom we used to read about stole little 

 children then in fits of foolish and wicked jealousy used 

 to beat with its wings " H." (presumably a benefactress) 

 most fiercely for being kind to his wife, and finally de- 

 prived his owners of a good and succulent dish for those 

 who like it by going on hunger strike when his wife 

 died. My gander had a better record ; for when he lost 

 his mate he devoted himself to good works and acted 

 as the benevolent policeman of the poultry-yard. He 

 never allowed any fighting, and if two cocks began to spar 

 he would waddle up, and in an amiable but most authori- 

 tative way, separate them with his long neck, giving 

 each a gentle but definite tap with his beak, as an 

 earnest of what might happen if any more quarrelling 

 went on. This was always effective, and my poultry- 

 yard became consequently an abode of peace and a model 

 to all the neighbouring seraglios, Mussulman or poultry. 



W. HAGGARD. 



A DEVONSHIRE GANDER 



Some years ago we possessed a goose and a gander. 

 For some reason or other the goslings were taken away 

 from them, and the gander went off to the next farm, 

 and brought back other goslings. The farmer came down 

 to ask if we had seen his missing ones, and, lo and behold I 

 they were in our field with our gander. He must have 



