oy THE NATURE OF BARDOLPH. 
229 
At the end of May last a second pair of dabchicks — believed to 
be the young birds of 1895, came to the water and commenced 
building, but being also molested by the moorhens, soon quitted 
the spot. In July a bird of the present year appeared but did not 
remain long. During this month (October) a third pair has 
arrived and can be seen throughout the day, being unusually tame. 
Others have been noticed recently in the district, so that these 
interesting little birds would seem to be on the increase. The 
moorhens themselves raised three broods during the season, viz.. 
May 14 (eight), July 2 (seven), and August 16 (five). On the advent 
of the second brood the old birds drove away the first. The latter 
were repeatedly observed feeding their young brethren ; a fact 
regarding the species recorded many years ago by the late Bishop 
Stanley. 
H. Chipperfield. 
ON THE NATURE OF BARDOLPH. 
^^ARDOLPH is a dog with a pedigree. From his mother, 
the beautiful “ Calthorpe Ruby,” he inherits some of the 
bluest blood in the fo.x terrier world, and his grandfather 
on the paternal side was that renowned “ Desolation,” 
whose valorous exploits against rats and other enemies of the 
race are no doubt favourite themes in many dog nurseries. 
To Bardolph has descended something of his grandfather’s 
spirit ; but when he came to us, as a puppy of six months old, 
the sterner side of his nature was as yet undeveloped, and his 
timid shrinking manner deluded us into fearing that he was going 
to prove a little deficient in pluck. With us he was soon at 
home, but outside the garden gate he straightway became afflicted 
with as many whims and fancies as a fine town-bred lady. A 
cow was to him an object of the direst terror, and all big dogs he 
looked upon as his natural enemies. He would wriggle and 
squirm before them, or lie on his back with his legs in the air, 
and a most abject expression of countenance, as much as to say, 
“You see I am a very little dog, quite a worm in fact ; pray be 
kind to me!” And the first time he saw a rabbit, I do not know 
which was the more frightened, the dog or the rabbit 1 Both fled 
in opposite directions, and one of them, at least, never stopped 
till he reached home 1 
But all this happened three months ago, and between then 
and now there is a great gulf fixed, which has received into its 
yawning depths a miscellaneous collection of articles — various 
half-masticated boots and shoes, a doll with its hair pulled out 
and its body eaten away, hats, aprons, &c., torn to shreds; to say 
nothing of sundry items of food, such as a leg of mutton stolen 
from the larder, cream cheeses (for which our friend has an 
