If her chickens are not all white, she will
not own them.
"We found it out in a strange way. In her last brood all the chickens
were white but one. She was not kind to this one when it was little, and
as it grew older she seemed to like it less and less.
"One day James saw her drive it away when the other chickens were going
to bed under her wings at night, but he thought she would let it in to
its shelter when the chickens she liked best were safe. The next morning
when James went out to milk the cows, he had a great surprise.
"A half-grown kitten, which had come to us, was waiting to go into the
barn with him and get the breakfast which James always gave it when he
had milked. In company with this kitten was the poor little chicken that
had been driven away by the hen."
"That was very strange!" said Robert.
"We thought so," answered Mrs. Spencer. "After this the kitten and the
chicken became fast friends. They ate together, and slept together in
the barn, and seemed very fond of each other."
"Did you ever know of another cat that was friendly with a hen or a
chicken?" asked Robert.
"Yes. I remember that a cat which had been deserted, and had grown very
wild, made friends with our hens. He often used to be seen feeding with
them in the barnyard.
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