THE DAILY LIFE OF OUE FAEM. 177 



had a real individual of the A sinus vulgaris amidst 

 the beasts of burden upon the farm. He said he could 

 never do without one. A donkey-cart is so handy for 

 everyone to use for a multitude of services, to perform 

 which one might grudge to break a team. The best 

 specimen of the breed he ever knew was at the beck 

 and call of every man, woman, and child upon the 

 estate, who could justify its use, and when done with 

 was accustomed to be turned off at the nearest point to 

 the homestead, when it would set off at full canter, and 

 not stop until it had backed its vehicle carefully into 

 the cart-house, waiting quietly there until some one 

 might pass by and release it, when, with a flourish of its 

 tail, and a sly side-kick, it would canter off to browse. 

 I was fascinated by this idea, and have been upon the 

 look-out ever since — as yet without luck. 



The river being full after the recent rains, we went 

 out for a sail yesterday afternoon, and at a bend of the 

 stream came across a beautiful small gull hovering and 

 dipping after the fry, not regarding our presence in the 

 least. I have looked Yarrell over, and, so far as I can 

 make out, it was one of the '■ kittiwakes," in whose 

 behalf a recent protest has been made. It is astonishing 

 how little the birds regard us upon the water ! Not 

 only does the heron wade contemptuously within fair 

 pea-rifle reach, but the hawks come sailing close over- 

 head from a rock in which they build, and the pigeons 

 wing their rapid way from the corn-fields to the wood, 

 not a dozen yards above or before us. I see that our 

 little Dandy is pacing the hall, nursing a nearly-fledged 

 turtle-dove to which he lays claim, having, discovered 

 the nest in a filbert-bush close to the house. He was 

 to have had the pair, but one has disappeared from its 



