226 WITH THE U. S. NATURALISTS 



**My cat?" repeated the Feather Man in sur- 

 prise. "Nero used to eat birds, years ago, but I 

 cured him with a garden hose." 



"Much he's cured!" declared the boy, feeling 

 more sure of his ground now, and, stepping for- 

 ward, he laid on the log the three photographs of 

 the Angora cat playing with the wounded Painted 

 Bunting. 



The Feather Man grew very still as he looked at 

 them. 



"Did you take these yourseK?" he asked. 



For answer, Shan turned one of the prints over 

 and showed the back, on which he had written the 

 date, hour and place where the photograph had 

 been taken. 



"And Bull said, sir," the boy continued, "that 

 he'd seen your white cat after birds a dozen 

 times." 



The other shook his head. 



"I thought I possessed one of the few bird- 

 trained cats in captivity," he said, "and now you 



seel 



!" 



"Can't a cat be trained?" asked the boy. 



"Yes," was the reply, "I suppose it can. If a 

 man were to give his whole time to it, like a circus 

 performer training trick-animals, a cat might be 



