288 NATURAL HISTORY READER. 



desirous of tasting sonic of the fruit, he never allowed him 

 to get a single apple during the half hour they were left 

 together. I have also seen this terrier protecting meat 

 from other terriers (his sons), which lived in the same 

 house with him, and with which he was on the very best of 

 terms. More curious still, I have seen him seize my wrist- 

 bands while they were being worn by a friend to whom I 

 temporarily lent them. ,, T P „_,._„ 



1 J Cr. J. honianrs. 



PUSS WITH A MISSION. 



1. One of the greatest satisfactions of my boyhood con- 

 sisted in watching the warfare carried on against the canine 

 race by a little and lissome black tabby who abode in the 

 principal store in the village. She seemed to be crazy to 

 avenge the wrongs of her kind. She went at every dog- 

 skin on four legs the moment she saw it ; disparity of size 

 or numbers was a matter of no consideration. 



2. On one occasion a cur rolled howling out of the store 

 in agony. Two other canines, who had heard the noise of the 

 conflict, arrived simultaneously, whereupon the black paws 

 struck out right, left, and forward, one, two, three, with 

 the quickness of rapiers, the result being a victorious cat 

 in the middle and three yelping fugitives taking three dif- 

 ferent roads for safety. The miller's black and tan terrier, 

 having been once pitched bleeding down a staircase, con- 

 ceived such a terror of this fierce avenger of centuries of 

 wrong that, when his master came to the store for gro- 

 ceries, he could not be wdieedled nearer than the black- 

 smith's shop, an eighth of a mile away, but remained there, 

 barking anxiously, until the imprudent human should re- 

 turn. 



3. As for the postmaster's dog — a long, lean, and frowzy 



