45 



THE STUDY OF NATURAL HISTORY CONDUCIVE 

 TO HEALTH. 



BY THOMAS FULLER, ESQ. 



(Concluded from page 24.) 



How to get rid of these Cats puzzles me sadly. Notwithstanding" 

 they have found powerful advocates in some of your correspondents, in my 

 estimation they are absolutely vermin. I have succeeded in getting rid 

 of a litter of kittens; fortunately, they have gone into houses in the city, 

 where their natural habits will be limited to the destruction of rats and 

 mice; but I am sorry to say a continuance of certain nightly serenades of 

 the most horrid sounds gives promise of another. If such consummation 

 takes place, they, at least, shall have early care; meanwhile, something 

 must be done to lessen the number of full-grown individuals now about. 

 I did look for assistance from my gardener, but upon sounding him, 

 found no hopes of co-operation from that quarter. Although a rough 

 uneducated subject, I never met with a man so full of human kindness; 

 he is taciturn to a degree, which makes him appear uncouth to some 

 people; but I respect him so much for his honesty, and genuine goodness 

 of heart, that I would not on any consideration, ask him to do what was 

 opposed to his own feeling. Such is his gentleness that I have seen him 

 take up toads tenderly with his spade, carry them a distance from the 

 garden, and deposit them carefully in the nearest ditch. Such acts stand 

 out in striking contrast to the cruelty generally practised towards these 

 poor reptiles. I next made overtures to a man who works for me 

 occasionally, and inquired if he could manage to make away with some 

 Cats which infested my house. "Oh! yes," replied he, "I will manage 

 that job;" so having appointed him to come in the evening for them, 

 we proceeded to get possession of the offenders, with no small difficulty, 

 so wild are they: we succeeded in capturing two, one of them, La Chatte, 

 a principal performer in the serenades, as evidenced by appearance of the 

 approaching consummation before mentioned. My accomplice was punctual 

 "to his engagement, and producing a sack, the animals were forthwith 

 securely bestowed in it. "Now," said I, "the river, the river is the thing; 

 tie a heavy stone round the neck of each, and cast them far as you 

 possibly can towards the middle." "Lor Sir!" ejaculated the man, "I 

 would not kill a Cat for the world." "Then what on earth did you 

 come here for?" said I, somewhat nettled at the fellow's simplicity. "Oh!" 

 added the man, "I am going to carry them a long distance off, to a mill 

 that I know of, where they are sure of finding protection, and will never 

 come back here to annoy you." 



VOL. VII. H 



