54 The Peewit. 



being so used in those days — about the time, probably, when 

 the Bible was translated into English. Thus we find in the 

 beautiful history of Joseph and his brethren, " He sent messes 

 to them, but Benjamin's mess was five times as much as any of 

 theirs." 



Here I would remark, on the old name of Wypes for this bird, 

 that country-people in the midland counties still call them pie- 

 wypci. 



But now again to our birds. The peewit, like the gull, may 

 easily be tamed to live in gardens, where it is not only useful 

 by ridding them of worms, slugs, and other troublesome crea- 

 tures, but is very amusing, from its quaint, odd ways. Bewick 

 tells us of one so kept by the Rev. J. Carlisle, Vicar of New- 

 castle, which I am .sure will interest my readers. 



He says two of these birds were given to Mr. Carlisle, and 

 placed in his garden, where one soon died ; the other continued 

 to pick up such food as the place afforded, till winter deprived 

 it of its usual supply. Necessity then compelled it to come 

 nearer the house, by which it gradually became accustomed to 

 what went forward, as well as to the various members of the 

 family. At length a servant, when she had occasion to go into 

 the back-kitchen with a light, observed that the lapwing always 

 uttered his cry of pee-wit to gain admittance. He soon grew 

 familiar ; as the winter advanced, he approached as far as the 

 kitchen, but with much caution, as that part of the house was 

 generally inhabited by a dog and a cat, whose friendship the 

 lapwing at length gained so entirely, that it was his regular 

 custom to resort to the fireside as soon as it grew dark, and 

 spend the evening and night with his two associates, sitting 



