Nor is the " skimiem's" a solitary instance of how the brute 

 creation may he influenced, their very natures and complexions 

 perverted, by low human associations. Take the St. Giles's 

 dog. Is he for a moment to be compared with the dog of St. 

 James's ? Isn't he a rakish-looking brute, with an insolent 

 curl of the upper lip and an unpleasant scowl ? Isn't he a 

 gutter prowler and a worrier of sheep? Then, again, the 

 costermonger's donkey ; is he ajijrthing like the sleek and 

 decent suburban animal who draws invahd chaises ? It may 

 be argued that stripes and bruises are not calculated to im- 

 prove the personal appearance ; but I maintain that stripes 

 and bruises alone would never give to the costermonger's 

 donkey the air of dissipation, the short pipe and beery ex- 

 pression so peculiar-to him. Look at the fowl — ^the cocks and 

 hens of our rookeries ! Isn't the cock always an untidy little 

 wretch, with a ragged comb and spurs broken to splinters? 

 How is it possible to believe that a bird of this sort rises and 

 crows at daybreak ? Then the hens, the slovenly creatures, 

 with their tail feathers all mud-bedraggled; it may be, cer- 

 tainly, that they are driven to recklessness by their husbands' 

 misbehaviour, but there is no denying that they one and all 

 look Capable of larcenously disposing- of their own eggs and 

 buying barley with the proceeds. So it is with all sorts of 

 song-birds that are trained to sing against each other (espe- 

 cially the chaffinch) for the benefit of their blackguardly mas- 

 ters. And lastly, but by no means least, so it is with the low- 

 neighbourhood sparrows. To my certain knowledge — but, 

 there, everybody knows the saucy scamp the London sparrow 

 is! 



To return, however, to the subject of pigeon-flying and 

 pigeon-flyers, I had lost some pigeons of a valuable sort 

 from my dormer, and while I was still disconsolate for the same, 

 the postman, brought me the following missive : — 



" Sib, — Seein' the reward as you laave offered for some pigins as flowed 

 away from your dormer, I rite to tell you as you might get a 'int about 

 'em if you cum and brought the reward with you to the Bald Pye Public 

 'ouse, Bethnal Green, on Sunday night at 8. 



" Pea Bs. Arks for Mr. Stickle." 



As requested, I repaned to the "Bald Pye," and there, 

 through Mr. Stickle's instrumentality, obtained my strayed 

 pets. I suppose I paid rather more for their recovery than 

 was expected, for Mr. Stickle became suddenly extremely 

 good-natured, ofiered to show me his stock, and, flnally, iij- 



