NATURAL SCIENCES OP PHILADELPHIA. S3 



down, turning somer-saults and rolling over with it in her paws. After this 

 she seemed quite at home, and required no more lessons in rat-catching, 

 though she eventually became very expert. It occasionally happened that a 

 rat was seen or heard in a store room or corner from which there was no 

 secret escape, and in all such cases Miss Tiger was immediately called upon 

 and carried to the scene of action. She generally pointed out by her actions 

 the locality of the object of pursuit, and stood ready to pounce upon it on the 

 very first opportunity. On these occasions she sometimes made tremendously 

 long bounds, say ten feet. Escapes in these cases were very rare. She 

 eventually came to understand this business so well, that when called she 

 would run out and exhibit an eagerness to be picked up and carried, com- 

 parable to that of a child who expects to be lifted into a carriage. In attack- 

 ing rats she was quite fearless, and so far as known was never hurt by them. 

 She mostly seized them by the back of the neck or head, but was not at all 

 particular if these parts did not happen to be the first in her reach. She soon 

 crushed the skull by forcing her long cuspid teeth through it, generally kill- 

 ing her prey so quickly that it was not even heard to squeal. After playing 

 with it a moderate time, she would eat it, commencing with the head and pro- 

 gressing steadily till she finished with the end of the tail, only stopping a 

 moment to lick her chops, when she came to the heart or other titbit. Imag- 

 ining that the hair and hide were not very good food for her, I once partially 

 skinned one that she might learn to tear off the skin and leave it ; but this 

 was labor lost, as she immediately began to eat the skin, hair and all, in pre- 

 ference to the other part. Rats were sometimes taken from her and thrown 

 overboard, as she occasionally caught more than she could manage to eat ; 

 but she soon began to show her disapprobation of this measure by a very 

 startling, fierce and threatening growl. The first occasion it waked me up at 

 about midnight, and when I went out to inquire what was wrong with Miss 

 Tiger, I found her sitting near a big rat and growling in a very unusual and 

 startling manner at about six men whom she had driven from their beds by 

 her threatening. They were standing around her with various weapons in 

 their hands, but there was very little prospect of moving her without some 

 severe bites and scratches. As I approached a little nearer than the rest she 

 showed a disposition to take her prize in her mouth, and while her teeth were 

 thus employed I caught her by the top of her shoulders and she permitted me, 

 without the least resistance, to carry her off, rat and all, to a place on deck, 

 where her growling could not annoy the sleepers. She was frequently carried 

 off in this manner afterwards both by myself and by others. She would sit 

 by the hour very quietly near her property, till she was disturbed by some 

 movement near her, when she would commence with her threatening growl, 

 which was loud enough and fierce enough to make the firmest stand back, 

 till they had seen and reflected on the state of affairs. She had another 

 gentle, plaintive growl, which she used in calling for her breakfast and in 

 showing dissatisfaction on ordinary slight occasions. She had no cry which 

 could be compared to the mewing of the cat, but she could purr to perfection 

 when in search of a warm bed. Her favorite food was rare beef steak, which 

 she even preferred to rats ; but hunger and petting eventually induced her to 

 eat bread and butter for her breakfast, whenever she had a night of unsuc- 

 cessful hunting. 



The gentleness of this pet was really astonishing. She allowed herself to 

 be picked up by any body, without any worse mark of dissatisfaction than a 

 little growling. Even when feeding, and under apprehension that her rat was 

 about to be taken from her, she would not bite or scratch. She would play 

 with a handkerchief much in the same manner as with a rat. She was fond 

 of being handled, and when rubbed with the hand she would roll about on 

 her back and pretend she was going to bite, seizing the fingers between her 

 teeth, growling and biting with such cautious gentleness as not to be in any 

 I860.] 



