THE EARTH'S BOUNTY 



the poor mother was dead. Later, when the 

 baby was curled up, contentedly sleeping, on 

 my lap, he said: 



" Say, Mother, don't you want to give that 

 lamb away for a Christmas present?" 



Being a generous old dear, and knowing my 

 predilection for infant creatures, she acqui- 

 esced most cordially, and I carried home the 

 poor little chap, improvising a feeding bottle 

 by tying a wad of cotton batting in the center 

 of a linen handkerchief, pushing the ends into 

 a wide-mouthed bottle, and allowing only the 

 batting wad to protrude from the neck, where 

 it was securely tied to prevent its being pulled 

 out. With this most primitive substitute for 

 a mother, the noble little creature struggled 

 through infancy, to become chief among our 

 outdoor pets; nor would she ever have been 

 considered as a commercial factor had not 

 her habit of following me about led her into 

 a paddock on Mr. E.'s farm, where a newly 

 acquired ram was enclosec 1 



Five months later, October 10th, when 

 8 



