yard, he ran dowu am) mauled a kittt^i beloiifiin^ to a 

 sliorlhahed, lueddlesoiiu' old maid. 



This kitten, to repair its damaged anatomy, had to 

 retire the balance of the week lo rest in swaddling 

 bands and arnica fumes. 



Expressions of regret were aii^o uttered on account 

 of the pi'emalure and violent demise of the Thomas 

 feline group planted at the foot of a grape vine. This 

 shaggj-coated and crooked old vine had for years 

 served as a shelter and breeding place for several 

 generations of the sparrow kind, and when these cats 

 were buried at its base to invigorate the growth, there 

 was hidden in a thick cluster of large leaves and fad 

 ing, whitish blossoms, the tenantless nest of a pair of 

 sweet-voiced Chipping Sparrows, that these same cats 

 had destroyed the day previous to the commencemem 

 of their unexpected contract to "grow grapes." 



FISHES THAT CATCH DUCKS AND BIRDS 



The taste which birds, such as the herons, cranes, 

 kingfishers, certain hawks, owls and eagles, the mer 

 gansers and several kinds of sea ducks, gulls, terns and 

 other oceanic birds have for fishes is well known. It 

 does not, however, appear to be generally undei-stoon 

 that we have numerous members of the finny inhabi 

 tants of our rivers, lakes and ponds which seldoni 

 allow a toothsome young duck or other small-sized 

 birds, which they can capture, to t'scap>-. 



Small mammals, such as mice, shrews and moles arc 

 also sometimes eaten by these scaled animal-catchers. 

 On the ocean, in salt water bays and large rivers, and 

 about the Great Lakes, numerous ducks, gulls, terns 

 and other swimming birds are gobbled up by hungry 

 fishes. Sandpipers, the smaller h(M-ons and other birds 

 which wade about in shallow wafers, are likewise often 



