21 



a worm or a grain or a beetle. Then she would 

 call to the kittens to come and get it. When they 

 would not touch it she would eye it wistfully, peck 

 at it, and at last eat it herself. 



She learned to know, however, that the bringing 

 out of a certain pie plate meant dinner for her furry 

 brood. When the plate was set down she would 

 hurry to it, clucking very urgently. We had no 



Little Brown Hen and her Kittens 



need to call the kittens ourselves. They knew what 

 that cluck meant and would come running to see 

 what she had for them. She would not allow the 

 other cats- nor the terrier Gyp to come near the 

 plate. 



While her kittens ate she would walk around 

 and around them with contented little clucks, now 

 and then pecking at a stray morsel herself. 



