160 CHAPTER OF VARIETIES. 



and animals ; and, if I have benefited by it in no other way, I have 

 at last found much innocent amusement in it ; and this, with sub- 

 mission to your correspondent N. N., is an object not altogether unwor- 

 thy of attention, even if Cock Robins and Tomtits should happen to 

 contribute to it. But on this head I know that your opinion coincides 

 with my own, as you prove by the manner in which the " Field 

 Naturalist" is conducted. Some years ago, I kept a tame rabbit, a 

 very fine and large specimen of the common domestic variety, and who 

 for boldness, sagacity, and playfulness, equalled any monkey : he had 

 the range of a small garden and the lower part of the house ; nor 

 indeed was he confined to the lower part, for he could go up and down 

 stairs as easily and as well as the biped inhabitants ; he was very fond 

 of playing before the kitchen fire with a large cat ; sometimes, how- 

 ever, they did not agree, and the cat would erect her back and hiss 

 at him, when he would leave the kitchen at full speed ; presently his 

 head would be seen peeping in at the door ; and, if the cat's back 

 happened to be turned towards him, he would hop softly up to her 

 and disturb her meditations with a sound box on the ear from one 

 of his fore-paws ; he would repeat this several times successively ; he 

 was frequently caught, when he thought himself unobserved, dragging 

 bunches of turnips, carrots, and greens, from the kitchen to a dark 

 closet, in which he slept. In going into the garden, this little animal 

 had three rooms to pass through : he would beat at the first door with 

 his fore paw, until admitted ; then cross the room, and repeat the same 

 operation at the next door, looking wistfully back for assistance to any 

 one in the room ; and so on into the garden, from which he returned 

 in the same way. He was quite devoid of fear, and would fight any 

 one with his fore paws, sitting upright in the most ludicrous manner. 

 He was at last stolen, to my great regret. At different times, I have 

 kept several squirrels ; one in particular was perfectly tame, and devo- 

 tedly attached to the person who usually fed it. It was not confined 

 to the cage, but was frequently indulged with liberty, when it would 

 run up and down the body of its protector, enter his pockets in search 

 of nuts, which it generally found, and, sitting on his shoulder to crack 

 them, suffered itself to be carried all over the house. It was so tame 

 that we often allowed it to run in the garden ; in a moment it would be 

 at the top of a mulberry tree, about twenty feet in height, and hop 

 about from branch to branch ; but at the call of its protector would 

 immediately descend and get on his shoulder, or into his pocket to be 

 carried to the cage : it was a common thing to see this squirrel at play 



