oved the ball out of the rut. Having done as they would
be done by, the assistants then returned to their own business.

Sir Frederick Doyle, while watching some wasps eating plums on his
trees, knocked one down without killing it. The wasp fell into a large
spider's web below. To his surprise a fellow-wasp instantly flew down to
the rescue. He poised himself close to the spider's web, whirling his
wings till they looked like glittering rainbows, so fast that their
shape could not be seen. This was to prevent them from being caught in
the sticky web, and all the time he was striking deft and rapid blows at
the threads that held his friend fast. At length he cut him out, but the
poor rescued insect fell down to die upon the ground. The observer adds:
'I was so much struck with this proof of a heart as well as a brain in
the case of wasps that I not only spared the "V.C." wasp who rescued his
friend, but also the rest of the troop, and left the plums to their
fate.'

The weasel, that terrible foe to rabbits and rats, is not famous for
good temper, yet a pretty tale is told of one of them. A gentleman was
riding home, when his horse trod on a weasel, which was unable to get
out of the way in time. The poor little animal's spine seemed to be
hurt, and it could not move its hind legs. Presently another weasel came
out of the hedge by the roadside, and went up to the injured one. After
carefully inspecting it, the second weasel picked up the first and
carried it to the side of the road, out of the way of the traffic, where
he gently laid it down.

[Illustration: "All three set to work shoulder to shoulder."]

Wild elephants seem unable to bear the sight of suffering friends
without an attempt to save them, and in particular the wild herds of
these noble beasts love and protect their leaders. When pressed by
hunters, they place him in the midst and crowd in front of him, eager to
save his life at the expense of their own. Professor Romanes gives an
instance of a fine 'tusker' which, when badly wounded, was promptly
surrounded by his companions. They supported him between their
shoulders, and actually succeeded in covering his retreat to the forest.

Birds are very generous towards each other in these ways, particularly
such as live in communities together. If one rook of a colony gets into
trouble, all the rest are worried about him directly. A great mob of
rooks, living in trees near the river Irwell, were seen chasing ea