A thought occurred to me recently: given the regrettable trend for idiots to purchase dogs based on their perceived "hardness" or "toughness", perhaps Sir Terry could work this into the Feegle mythos? And I have the perfect candidates:
Robins!
Everyone thinks of them as these adorable little fluffy birds that are bold, fearless, and just a little cocky.
They're not. They're psychotic.
Robins are insanely aggressive at certain times of the year, and will attack male Robins so violently they've been recorded breaking bones and even killing one another! They've also been filmed attacking stuffed specimens, their own reflections, and anything that looks a bit like a Robin (sounds a bit Feegle-like....). Here's an example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3kZ-NYXvbo
I personally have witnessed a Robin attacking an Eagle Owl! (For those of you who don't know, an Eagle Owl is a predator with wingspan of nearly six feet!) Now, whilst it is common for multispecies bird groups to attack birds of prey (this is known as "mobbing") the Robin in question was by itself!
I just love the idea of a Feegle with a Robin on a leash, struggling to maintain that it's a cool idea for a pet, despite the fact that it's just as likely to savage it's owner as it is to behave itself.
Plus, their temperament is basically the bird equivalent of a Feegle. Watching one sat on your hand, looking you directly in the eye, you just know it's thinking "Oi! See youz Jimmy! Whit ye lookin' et?"
Robins!
Everyone thinks of them as these adorable little fluffy birds that are bold, fearless, and just a little cocky.
They're not. They're psychotic.
Robins are insanely aggressive at certain times of the year, and will attack male Robins so violently they've been recorded breaking bones and even killing one another! They've also been filmed attacking stuffed specimens, their own reflections, and anything that looks a bit like a Robin (sounds a bit Feegle-like....). Here's an example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3kZ-NYXvbo
I personally have witnessed a Robin attacking an Eagle Owl! (For those of you who don't know, an Eagle Owl is a predator with wingspan of nearly six feet!) Now, whilst it is common for multispecies bird groups to attack birds of prey (this is known as "mobbing") the Robin in question was by itself!
I just love the idea of a Feegle with a Robin on a leash, struggling to maintain that it's a cool idea for a pet, despite the fact that it's just as likely to savage it's owner as it is to behave itself.
Plus, their temperament is basically the bird equivalent of a Feegle. Watching one sat on your hand, looking you directly in the eye, you just know it's thinking "Oi! See youz Jimmy! Whit ye lookin' et?"
And having personally experienced Arctic Skuas, I'd add them to the list as well.
