304 NATURAL HISTORY IN ANECDOTE.

brood, was roused to madness by an unprovoked attack made
by a voracious rat, on her unsuspecting companion. The
shrieks of the beloved captive, while dragged away by the
enemy, excited every maternal feeling in the affectionate bosom
of the feathered dame: she flew at the corner whence the
alarm arose, seized the lurking enemy by the neck, writhed
him about the room, put out one of his eyes in the engage-
ment, and so fatigued her opponent by repeated attacks of
spur and bill, that in the space of twelve minutes, during
which time the conflict lasted, she put a final period to the
invader’s existence ; nimbly turned round, in wild but triumph-
ant distraction, to her palpitating nestling, and hugged it
in her victorious bosom.” In this same work there is a story
of a hen, near Exeter, which devoted itself with much assiduity
and success to catching mice. Hens often take to other
animals and have been known to show great attachment to
kittens, and to dogs, instances being recorded of hens living
in dogs’ kennels and laying their eggs there under canine
protection. The concern shown by hens, when the ducks
they may have hatched take to the water, is very amusing.
Captain Brown gives an instance of a hen which had
become used to this phenomena, from having been employed
in hatching successive broods of ducks, and which showed
equal concern when a brood of her own chickens avoided
the watery element.

ORDER VI. The Hoazin is the only bird of this order.
‘The Hoazin. It belongs to Brazil and Guiana and is nearly
as large as the peacock. It has been variously classified but,
differing in important characteristics from any other bird, it
is deemed best to place it in an order by itself.

ORDER VII. This order includes the Vultures, Condors,
Birds of Prey. Eagles, Kites, Falcons, Goshawks, Sparrow-
hawks, Buzzards, Kestrals, Owls, &c., &c. Interesting as many
of these birds are the briefest possible mention is all that
we can give of some of them.