Anecdotes of the Habits and Instinct of AnimalsLee, R., Mrs.
General
Anecdotes of the Habits and Instinct of Animals
Lee, R., Mrs.
Animal behavior -- Juvenile literature
He grew indifferent to every one except my brother, never
played again; and four years after was found dead in his corner of
refuge.
But it is not in a mournful light alone that we must view the Scotch, or
indeed any other terrier; for they are the most untiring playful beings
under the sun. I picked up a poor little expiring puppy by the edge of a
pond one day, recovered him, brought him up, and there never was a more
faithful or amusing beast. He proved to be a shaggy Scotch terrier; and
his heedless youth had to undergo many corrections before he became the
perfect model of obedience which his maturity presented. One of his
misdemeanours was, to kill the young chickens. The woman who managed the
poultry could not imagine why these little creatures died so fast, and
at first suspected that they picked up and swallowed something which
poisoned them. She, however, opened one, and did not find anything in it
which confirmed her suspicions; but the feathers were ruffled on the
back of the neck, and she was then convinced that they were destroyed by
a much larger animal than themselves. She watched for some days; and at
length saw Mr. Bruin, my dog, creep through a little hole in the palings
of the yard, and squat himself down, very gravely, as if he had not a
thought of mischief in him; presently a little chicken ran past him,
snap went Bruin at the back of its neck, and giving it a toss over his
head as he would a rat, the little thing was dead. Another was served in
the same way; and I was then called to inflict the punishment I thought
most proper. I was averse to beating him at first, so I pointed to the
chicken, and scolded him so much that he appeared to be very sorry for
what he had done. But he was then young and giddy, and the impression
made was but slight. In three days he returned to his tricks, and I was
obliged to chastise him more severely. I tied a dead chicken round his
neck, beat him, and shut him up all day in a tool-house, where I visited
him several times, pointed to the chicken, and repeated how naughty he
was. He was so ashamed that he could not look me in the face, and in the
evening, when I released him, he could not eat. He recovered his gaiety
in a day or two because he was entirely forgiven; but he never again
went into the poultry-yard, and if by chance he saw a chicken, he would
hang his head and tail, and walk round it at such a distance, that he
evidently recollected his former conduct.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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