THE HEN FBVEB. 171 



prostrate in their eagerness to escape. The monster bird 

 danced a moment on their prostrate bodies, and then darted 

 forth from its late prison-house. 



" It rushed through a couple of grapo-houses, carrying 

 destruction in its progress. It scoured through the flower- 

 beds, ruining the bright parterres. Mrs. Green, who was 

 walking in the garden with her child, saw the horrid appari- 

 tion, and stood paralyzed with terror. In an instant she was 

 thrown down and trampled under foot, shrieking and clasp- 

 ing her infant in her arms. 



" Mr. Green beheld this last atrocity, and his conjugal 

 affection overcame his love of birds. He caught up his 

 fowling-piece and fired at the ungrateful monster ; the shot 

 ripped up some of its tail-feathers, but failed to inflict a 

 mortal wound, — nothing short of a field-piece could produce 

 an impression on that living mass. Away sped the fowl to 

 the railroad-track, down which it rushed with headlong 

 speed. But its career was brief; an express train, coming 

 up in an opposite direction, struck it full in front, and 

 rushed on, scattering feathers, wings and drum-sticks, wildly 

 in the air. . 



" 'Tell me, doctor,' gasped Green, ' what do you think 

 of my Great Pagoda ? ' 



" ' Great Pagoda ! ' said the professor, in indignant dis- 

 dain. ' That was a Struthio, — Greek, Strothous, — in 

 other words, an ostrich. If you had n't belonged to the 



