The Mason-bees 



He crossed the torrent In May, at a time when 

 the rivers run high; he overcame his repug- 

 nance to water in order to return to his be- 

 loved home. The Avignon Tom did the same 

 when crossing the Sorgue. 



The deserter was reinstated In his attic at 

 Serignan. He stayed there for a fortnight; 

 and at last we let him out. Twenty-four 

 hours had not elapsed before he was back at 

 Orange. We had to abandon him to his un- 

 happy fate. A neighbour living out in the 

 country, near my former house, told me that 

 he saw him one day hiding behind a hedge 

 with a rabbit in his mouth. Once no longer 

 provided with food, he, accustomed to all the 

 sweets of a Cat's existence, turned poacher, 

 taking toll of the farm-yards round about my 

 old home. I heard no more of him. He came 

 to a bad end, no doubt : he had become a rob- 

 ber and must have met with a robber's fate. 



The experiment has been made and here is 

 the conclusion, twice proved. Full-grown 

 Cats can find their way home, in spite of the 

 distance and their complete ignorance of the 

 intervening ground. They have, in their own 

 fashion, the instinct of my Mason-bees. A 

 second point remains to be cleared up, that 



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