184 WITH HOUND AND TERRIER. 



months later. The rest of the chicks were care- 

 fully watched, and nothing happened to them till 

 they were old and strong enough to be sent to 

 the poultry-yard. 



The following spring I had seven dark -coloured 

 ducklings brought up from the farm and put on 

 the lawn, together with five very nice white ones 

 which, as they were about the same age as mine, I 

 bou^'ht to o^o with them. I had the white ones 

 wired in when they were first brought home till 

 they should get accustomed to their quarters, and 

 every day after luncheon I used to take some scraps 

 out and feed them. This proceeding excited 

 Whankey's jealousy to the highest pitch, and she 

 used to walk round the wire with her bristles up 

 and growling savagely. One Sunday morning 

 before I started for church I opened the wire and 

 left all the ducks to run about together, and 

 Whankey was as usual in the drawing-room with 

 the window open. On my return a tragic tale was 

 unfolded. The gardener had met Whankey carry- 

 ing a dead white duckling in her mouth, and he 

 had watched her go with it to the asparagus-bed, 

 lay it down, and proceed to dig a hole. The 

 gardener picked up the duck and brought it into 

 the house, and Whankey immediately went in and 

 ensconced herself in my bedroom. I went to the 

 lawn to see what had happened, and there found 

 the seven dark ducklings all huddled together and 

 looking very frightened, but not a white one to be 

 seen. Further search showed that all the latter 



