CHAPTER XVIII. 



PETS. 



Pets of Childhood Pet Snakes "Apollo" the Bull-dog His mischievous 

 propensities "Roughie" and " Bosco '' "Pret" and his successors 

 ' ' Grip " the Raven- An overdose of Linen A pet Chameleon Blind-worms, 

 old and young Feeding *them with slugs Pet Toads Various Lizards 

 Tortoises A Bat and its diet Cage-birds Outdoor Pets Daily Pensioners 

 Fat versus Bread-crumbs The Scene on the Window-ledge Impatient 

 Sparrows Tit-mice and how they were fed Pet Lions and Tigers How 

 to get on friendly terms with a Lion Adventure with a cross-grained Dog 

 Special fondness for Cats A Second Mahomet. 



THROUGHOUT almost the whole of his life as was indeed 

 only to be expected my father was in the habit of 

 keeping pets of almost every kind. Long before even 

 he went to school he was constantly bringing home 

 creatures which he had found in his country rambles, 

 not at all for the mere purpose of making pets of them, 

 after the manner of most boys with a natural fond- 

 ness for animals, but that he might keep them for 

 a while in captivity, and watch their habits at home. 

 During his school-days, snakes seem to have been his 

 special favourites ; not vipers, of course, but the evil- 

 smelling grass-snakes, which, however, learned in time 

 to retain their horrible odour unless when touched by 

 the hand of a stranger. And in after-life there were 

 few available creatures which he had not for some time 



