CUKIOUS SPECIMEN OF A DKIED CAT. 



I HAVE lajbely received from Mr. Drummond, 

 of Croydon, the dried bodies of a common cat and 

 brown rat, in a most perfect state of preservation ; 

 and he has most kindly placed at my disposal the 

 following account : "In the year 1864, two of my 

 old houses at South End, Croydon, were pulled 

 down. They had become ruinous and were con- 

 sidered dangerous. In removing the roof, there 

 was found wedged tightly in between the rafters 

 the body of a cat with a rat in its mouth. The 

 skin of both appeared perfect, all the fur gone, and 

 the bodies dried up, but displaying the muscles 

 and prominences of bone. The attitude of the cat 

 evidently showed that she had made a plunge into 

 a narrow space and had succeeded in seizing the 

 rat by its spine, but having by the spring forced 

 her body forward, she had lost the means of with- 

 drawing from the narrow place into which she had 

 squeezed herself, but, retaining her grip of the rat, 



