ip-p
yip-p" until we quite weary of them. If the door stands open, they fly
up the steps, walk in, look round the room, and pick up any thing they
can find, until we send them away. The moment their tin pan appears,
they are all in a flying huddle, tumble over each other, fly to the
pan, to our shoulders, or anywhere, to get the first mouthful. Old
Mater is ravenous and impolite as the rest, except that she always
waits for her children to get a few mouthfuls first; but not another
hen or chicken must come near them. Luca, patient gentle Luca, often
stands and waits modestly behind; and, if she gets nothing, makes a
little mournful sound,--that is all.

Some _flocks_ of russet, black and brown hens, crowers, and chickens,
who live close by, are a great annoyance to Mater, and to all of us.
They come shooting into the yard like little steam-engines, and snatch
all they can of the dinner to which they were not invited; and, if
driven away a dozen times, rush back, the first chance, to get and
devour all they can. Why, they have been into the house, and eaten a
pie which was set to cool, pecked at the apples, Pony's oats, and any
thing they could find to eat! What would you have said then? Even
Mater's _children_ never did such impertinent things, hungry as they
always are. One white chicken about their size, a naughty-looking
little thing, with her head always down, left her own mother, and
would come dashing in as if she belonged among them; but Mater and her
little ones always found her out, and sent her away.

One day we thought we would name the eleven chickens, as Mater could
not name them herself; and, since then, we know them each and all, and
just how they behave. Annie and Mary are two sober-looking little
creatures, in quakerish feathers of drab and grey. Nat is a white
crower, with beautiful soft feathers, and a long graceful black tail.
Louise has a shaded dress of grey and white, and is almost as modest
and gentle as Luca. Hannah is a little bantam, with tufted head and
large eyes, the smallest but the sprightliest of the family: she
always tumbles in amongst the rest, and gets the first taste of every
thing; and her mother allows her to do it. One of them, named Lise, a
white one, came in the other morning, just as we had finished
breakfast; and, seeing many things spread out to eat, she flew up to
the back of a chair, and, perching herself there, surveyed the whole
table, and was very unwilling to get dow