CO UK AGE OF THE RAT. 
105 
A frieim of his, thinking that some Bantams would be a 
great addition to the place, and being himself a fancier 
of those tiny birds, made him a present of half a dozen, 
comprising five hens and a cock. They were of the most 
beautiful gold-spangle kind, known, I believe, as Sir Charles 
Sebright's breed. The cock weighed only a pound, and 
some of the hens less than that ; and a very pretty sight 
he said it was to see them sparkling in the sun, or strut- 
ting about among the shrubs, or on the grass-plot. By- 
and-by one of the hens hatched nine diminutive chickens, 
and made as much fuss over them as if they had been 
six feet high each. However, the chickens were healthy 
and strong, and the cock was very proud of them. 
When the chicks were about six weeks old, the gentle- 
man missed two of them; on the following morning he missed 
two more ; and the morning after that he missed another. 
He therefore charged his gun, and determined on watching 
the remainder of the day, and, if possible, shoot the paltry 
thief that could run away with such helplesss little crea- 
tures. The day passed on till after dinner without any sign 
of an enemy ; but as he and his good lady were at dessert, 
they saw a large rat cowering among the shrubs, and evi- 
dently after the chickens ; for every now and then he would 
creep nearer and nearer. The window was open when the 
gentleman cocked his gun and took his station, in order to 
let fly at him as he made a rush. Presently out he dashed, 
and, just as the gentleman was going to pull, the cock 
bird flew across his sight ; and had he then fired he would 
have shot the cock and rat together ; but, as it was, he 
laid down his gun to witness sport of another character ; 
the cock was laying into the rat as hard as he could. 
He said the battle then became truly novel and interesting, 
though by no means a fair one ; for if the rab once suc- 
ceeded in getting hold of the cock, all further chance for 
the little fellow would be over. So he rang for the servant 
to bring his dog Wallace, a rough Scotch terrier. In the 
interim the rat got hold of the cock by the feathers at 
the back of the head. The cock fought on with all his might, 
when out came the feathers in the rat's mouth, which rather 
bothered him, because they stuck in his teeth. It now 
became the cock's turn ; for the rat, in making a rush, 
