icken 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.

The great friend and playmate of Bruin, was Pincher a very accomplished,
smooth terrier, capital dog to go with the hounds, and to kill all sorts
of obnoxious animals. If the two appeared to be asleep, and we
exclaimed "Cat!" or "Rat!" in one instant they were on their legs,
seeking in every direction for their game. They hunted on their own
account sometimes, and were often seen with a red spaniel, trotting
through the fields, no doubt conspiring together to have a feast. Both
Bruin and Pincher were perfectly aware when Sunday came round; and
although on other days, when they saw us equipped for a walk, they were
most vociferous in their entreaties to go also, on Sunday they hid
themselves under the sofa, and never offered to accompany us. They knew
where we went, and generally came to meet us on our return, sometimes
venturing as far as the gate of the churchyard, which was a mile
distant, but never went within the enclosure.

One of my brothers, who was more peculiarly Pincher's master, had a
great fancy to be a doctor as he called it; and he chipped various flint
stones into fancied instruments. With these he pretended to perform
operations on Pincher, who would lie perfectly passive under his hands,
to have his teeth drawn, his limbs set, his wounds bandaged, his veins
opened. The grand finale used to