CHAPTER XXII 

 ODD FRIENDSHIPS 



ODD friendships between animals of different kinds 

 are often seen, but an adventure recorded in Nature 

 by Mr. L. C. Hurst is rather out of the common. 

 It often happens that among all the domestic animals 

 of a farm the donkey is the cleverest, and takes the 

 lead when anything interesting is going on. One of 

 these sharp-witted donkeys, kept in Derbyshire, had 

 learnt how to open gates, a not uncommon accomplish- 

 ment of his tribe. Being shut up in a field with two 

 ponies, he soon wanted a change of scene and com- 

 pany, and so opened the gate of his own meadow and 

 walked out with the ponies. He appears to have 

 wished to find another set of companions, for he 

 opened three other gates in order to reach another 

 field where a mare, a foal, and a yearling, all old 

 friends of his, were placed. They no doubt were 

 very pleased to see him, and the whole party went 

 out for a walk. They were then joined by a mastiff, 

 and they went on their way together exactly as 

 animals are supposed to do in story-books dog, 

 donkey, ponies, mare, yearling, and foal " until they 

 met a man," to adopt the style consecrated to ad- 

 ventures of this kind. Unfortunately the man knew 



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