JUNIOR NATURALIST MONTHLY. 



CATS. 



"Close by the jolly fire I sit 

 To warm my frozen bones a bit." 



— Robert Louis Stevenson. 



It is cold out of doors these March nights. The wind howls about 

 the eaves and rattles the window blinds. You sit before the fire 

 and think that it is very nice to be at home. The gray kitten comes 

 in lazily, yawnis, stretches, and then sits beside j^ou. She does not 

 like the cold. None of her family like it. Lions, tigers, and cats 

 enjoy life best in the warmer lands. 



We want you to think about the gray kitten this month. If you 

 have cared for her tenderly all the days that you have known her, 

 she will give you many opportimities to study her ways. Cats, you 

 know, are valuable farm hands. Let us try to understand them 

 better that we may make them more comfortable and at the same 

 time more useful. 



A long time ago, I owned a gray kitten, one of the most interesting 

 of her kind that has come into my life. She was a little waif that I 

 met on the highway one winter night, and, although I tried to prevent 

 her, she insisted on going my way. When I reached home, there she 

 was beside me. It was so cold that I did not like to leave her out-of- 

 doors, and the next day I could not learn where her home had been. 



We became friendly, this little gray kitten and I, and she followed 

 me about as faithfully as a dog. One way in which she showed her 

 desire for my companionship, I think will interest boys and girls. 

 It happened that for several weeks I was detained in the city until 

 after dark, and one night, as I was returning to my home I found her 

 standing on a corner about four blocks from the house. I picked up 

 the little wanderer, covered her with my cape, and carried her home. 

 The next night she was in the same place waiting for me, and this 

 continued for weeks. Even on cold, stormy nights, the little, shiver- 

 ing figure stood by the railroad crossing, always on time. 



When you ^vrite to Uncle John, tell him sometliing about your cat. 

 He will be interested to know how long she has lived with you, and 

 whether you enjoy her more than your other household pets. He 

 will also like to have you learn something about her that you have 

 never known before. The following suggestions may help you: 



