enchanting. Such arbours to take strawberries and cream in! and such
summer-houses, where they drank tea out of doors every evening! Here
they saw a prodigious eagle, fastened to the ground by a chain, and
looking the most dull, melancholy creature in the world; while Harry
wished the poor bird might be liberated, and thought how delightful it
would be to stand by and see him soaring away to his native skies.

"Yes! with a large slice of raw meat in his beak!" said Peter Grey, who
was always thinking of eating. "I dare say he lives much better here,
than he would do killing his own mutton up in the clouds there, or
taking his chance of a dead horse on the sea-shore occasionally."

Harry and Peter were particularly amused with Mrs. Darwin's curious
collection of pets. There were black swans with red bills, swimming
gracefully in a pond close to the window, and ready to rush forward on
the shortest notice, for a morsel of bread. The lop-eared rabbits also
surprised them, with their ears hanging down to the ground, and they
were interested to see a pair of carrier-pigeons which could carry
letters as well as the postman. Mrs. Darwin showed them tumbler pigeons
too, that performed a summerset in the air when they flew, and horsemen
and dragoon pigeons, trumpeters and pouters, till Peter Grey at last
begged to see the pigeons that made the pigeon-pies, and the cow that
gave the butter-milk; he was likewise very anxious for leave to bring
his fishing-rod into the drawing-room, to try whether he could catch one
of the beautiful gold-fish that swam about in a large glass globe,
saying he thought it might perhaps be very good to eat at breakfast.
Mrs. Darwin had a pet lamb that she was exceedingly fond of, because it
followed her everywhere, and Harry, who was very fond of the little
creature, said he wished some plan could be invented to hinder its ever
growing into a great fat vulgar sheep; and he thought the white mice
were old animals that had grown grey with years.

There were donkies for the children to ride upon, and Mrs. Darwin had a
boat that held the whole party, to sail in, round the pond, and she hung
up a swing that seemed to fly about as high as the house, which they
swung upon, after which they were allowed to shake the fruit-trees, and
to eat whatever came down about their ears; so it very often rained
apples and pears in the gardens at Ivy Lodge, for Peter seemed never to
tire of that joke; indeed the apple-tre