Стража! Стража!

           "Er..."

           "Aboutthreefootsixinches,"sheaddedkindly.

           "Nobiggerthanthat?"saidVimeshopefully.Inhislaptheolddragonbegantosnoregently.

           "Golly,no.Hewasabitofafreak,actually.Mostlytheydon’tgetmuchbiggerthaneightthumbs."

           CaptainVimes’slipsmovedinhurriedcalculation."Twofeet?"heventured.

           "Welldone.That’sthecobbs,ofcourse.Thehensareabitsmaller."

           CaptainVimeswasn’tgoingtogivein."Acobbwouldbeamaledragon?"hesaid.

           "Onlyaftertheageoftwoyears,"saidLadyRamkintriumphantly."Uptotheageofeightmonthshe’sapewmet,thenhe’sacockuntilfourteenmonths,andthenhe’sasnood-"

           CaptainVimessatentranced,eatingthehorriblecake,britchesgraduallydissolving,asthestreamofinformationfloodedoverhim;howthemalesfoughtwithflamebutinthelayingseasononlythehens*breathedfire,fromthecombustionofcomplexintestinalgases,toincubatetheeggswhichneededsuchafiercetemperature,whilethemalesgatheredfirewood;agroupofswampdragonswasaslumporanembarrassment;afemalewascapableoflayinguptothreeclutchesoffoureggseveryyear,mostofwhichweretroddenonbyabsent-mindedmales;andthatdragons

           "Onlyuntiltheirthirdclutch,ofcourse.Afterthatthey’redams.

           ofbothsexeswerevaguelyuninterestedinoneanother,andindeedeverythingexceptfirewood,exceptforaboutonceeverytwomonthswhentheybecameassingle-mindedasabuzzsaw.