84 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OP 



danger of wounding the skin. But one exception to this occurred ; one of 

 the officers attempted to play with her in this manner with kid gloves on, and 

 was immediately punished for his foppery by having her long teeth instantly 

 forced through both his glove and his finger. She may have perceived some 

 difference between the texture of the gloves and that of the fingers on which 

 she was accustomed to try her teeth. She knew very well where to find warm 

 sleeping places. She would for this purpose visit the hammocks of the men 

 at night, and waken any sleeper she happened to fancy by patting him gently 

 on the face with her paw. If encouraged and welcomed by a pat on the back 

 or top of the head, she would lie down either against his breast or at his feet ; 

 but if refused by one or two very gentle boxes on the ear, she would retire 

 with a discontented growl and seek a more hospitable sleeper. How she 

 learned to distinguish between the taps on the top of the head as marks of 

 approbation, and those on the sides of the opposite signification, is a subject of 

 mystery, but there is no doubt of the fact ; perhaps some of the men may 

 have taught her the difference by boxing her more energetically. 



She was very fond of licking the men about the face and gently pinching their 

 ears in her teeth ; and although she frequently engaged in this disagreeable 

 amusement, she never wounded any one in the least while thus occupied. In 

 cold weather she was very fond of getting between blankets, and required but 

 the very slighest encouragement to crawl into the very middle of a bed and 

 roll herself up in this position for her morning nap. 



On one occasion it was noticed that she had a large tumor on the side of 

 her face, and a large abscess formed. It was at first supposed that she had 

 hurt her face in playing with a catfish ; some one, however, noticed that it 

 proceeded from an irregularity in shedding one of the milk teeth. One of 

 the officers, of uncommon zeal in such matters, proposed to hold her while 

 the obnoxious tooth was extracted. I determined to gratify him in this 

 matter, and to the astonishment of all he held Miss Tiger on his lap while I 

 extracted the obnoxious tooth with a pair of forceps, and neither of us was 

 scratched during the operation. 



She was fond of dark places, and delighted in running about deck and up the 

 rigging early in the mornings and on cloudy days. When the men were 

 called aloft to furl "top gallant sails," she would jump to the shrouds and 

 have a race with them up the rigging, and with very little effort she was ' ' first 

 man in the top. ' ' 



She generally showed so much excitement in the presence of birds, that 

 doubtless her instinct would lead her to seize them. She killed three or four 

 chickens at different times secretly, and off Cape Horn she seized and killed 

 an albatross of at least double her weight. A common green parrot was 

 at one time on board and she was exceedingly eager to get at it, but she 

 was boxed a little on the ears and her head turned the other way a few times, 

 till she appeared to understand that it was not for her. Subsequently, when 

 she appeared to be watching it too intently, she was boxed a little and driven, 

 till in about a week she seemed to regard it as one of the family. 



In the beginning of December we were passing the "West India Islands, the 

 ship, in her course, starting flocks of flying fish, in which Miss Tiger became 

 interested, they looked so much like birds. She was observed in the moon- 

 light watching them very intently. Her absence was noticed at breakfast. 

 A search through the ship made it certain she had been lost overboard 

 during the night. 



March 13th. 

 Mr. Lea, President, in the Chair. 

 Forty members present. 



[Marcb, 



