Finding that threats were of no use, Billy seized him by the back of the neck, raised him about two feet from the ground, shook him a little, and then let him drop.
Spotty was satisfied. He lost his appetite for oats, and ran squealing out of the yard.
Edith's Papa.
JOCKO, THE RAVEN.
The raven is a sly bird, and has not many friends. He will steal from you, if he can. He can crow like a cock, mew like a cat, and bark like a dog; and sometimes he will imitate the sound of the rattle with which the farmer tries to frighten him away from the corn.
The raven, like the parrot, can learn to talk a little. He is even capable of learning a little Latin. Dr. J. Franklin's raven, which was named Jocko, pronounced the word aqua (water) distinctly; but he much preferred wine to water. Sad to say, Jocko was a toper.
"One day," says the doctor, "my housekeeper placed a glass of red wine on the table: in an instant the bird plunged in his beak, and began sucking up the wine, drop by drop. The housekeeper, fearing he would break the glass, took it away; but at this Jocko was very angry, and tried to peck at her face.
"If three glasses are placed on the table,—one of water, another of beer, and the third of wine,—Jocko will leave the first two, and will pay his respects only to the glass of wine."
