22 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



To live in the world of fashion you 

 must have at least some accomplish- 

 ments even a dog must, especially 

 when, like me, they are thoroughbred. 

 But there are lots of curs that put on so 

 many airs that they quite overdo it. 

 Such animals are beneath my notice. 



'I ALSO LOVE TO GO OUT WALKING WITH 

 ANY OF THE FAMILY." 



But you would like to hear how I pass 

 my days. Well, the first thing that hap- 

 pens in the morning after I wake up is a 

 feeling of a great void within. This 

 makes me think of the cook whom I hear 

 upstairs lighting the kitchen fire. I am 

 soon with her, and she. much to my de- 

 light, drives me a hone or a soda biscuit 

 (at home in the states they call them 

 crackers, don't you know). Anyway this 

 light repast seems to fill a want within, 

 and J am then ready for anything. I go 

 to the door, hark, and am let out. I just 

 dote on cats ; there are always some to 

 be found near home, so that I generally 

 put in some time every day poking 



round the near-by back yards. In this 

 way I am sure of seeing some cat tails. 



The Scotch people always want to 

 know the ins and outs of everything. 

 This doubtless accounts for my being 

 drawn towards every dog I meet — not 

 drawn in the manner of making eyes at 

 them in anything of a flirtatious way, 

 but just to smell them over and find out 

 for myself if they are O. K. But I am 

 very particular about the dogs 1 a>soci- 

 ate with; for instance, there are a family 

 of Boston terriers who live across the 

 street. They do their best to be friendly 

 with me, as 1 would like to be with 

 them — if 1 only could; but they do make 

 me tired. Possibly if they were called 

 New York terriers I might have differ- 

 ent feelings towards them, but even dogs 

 have their likes and dislikes. There are 

 a few rather decent fox terriers I play 

 with; they are jolly fun — quite a differ- 

 ent set of chaps to the Irish terriers, 

 who are always trying to start a quarrel. 

 But I have made heaps of friends and 

 possibly some enemies. I hate to be 

 rolled over in the mud by some dog 

 bigger than myself, yet I have been — 

 though 1 always make a point of mak- 

 ing as big a howl over the affair as I 

 possibly can, because then I am sure of 

 an extra amount of sympathy. The 

 right kind of sympathy given at the 

 proper time. I have always found very 

 soothing to the nerves. When I first 

 came here I used to stay away from 

 home for long periods ; but I don't often 

 now. because there are a number of nice 

 soft sofas at Wright Street. I do love 

 to sleep on any of them. I also love to 

 go out walking with any of the family. 

 Sometimes I am taken out to Rock- 

 wood Park and Lilly Lake, where there 

 are a lot of swans and Canada geese. 

 They are quite tame and come close to 

 shore, and it is great fun to stand on 

 the edge of the bank and bark at them. 

 They are so silly, twisting their long 

 necks and making their hideous noises. 

 Then there are the two black bears. The 

 first day I was taken to see them I was 

 awfully frightened. I knew they were 

 not nice long before I got near them, as 

 they did not smell like dog or attar of 

 roses. Of my own will I would not be 

 induced to go near them, but I was 

 lifted up and looked at them from a dis- 



