96 RIVERBY 



writes: " My squirrel still lives and rules the house. 

 She has an enemy that causes her much trouble, 

 a rat that comes into the wood-shed. I had noticed 

 that, whenever she went out there, she investigated 

 the dark corners with care before she ventured to 

 play, but did not understand it till I chanced to 

 be sitting in the kitchen door once, as she was dig- 

 ging up a nut she had buried. Just as she got it 

 up, a great rat sprung on her back ; there ensued a 

 trial of agility and strength to see which should have 

 that nut. Neither seemed to be angry, for they did 

 not attempt to bite, but raced around the shed, cuff- 

 ing each other at every opportunity; sometimes one 

 had the nut, sometimes the other. I regret to say 

 my squirrel, whenever sh'e grew tired, took a base 

 advantage of the rat by coming and sitting at my 

 feet, gnawing the nut, and plainly showing by her 

 motions her exultation over her foe. Finally the 

 rat became so exasperated that he forgot prudence, 

 and forced her to climb up on my shoulder. 



"In an extract from a London paper I see it as- 

 serted that birds and snakes cannot taste. As to the 

 snakes I cannot say, but I know birds can taste, 

 from observing my canary when I give him some- 

 thing new to eat. He will edge up to it carefully, 

 take a bit, back off to meditate ; then, if he decides 

 he likes it, he walks up boldly and eats his fill. 

 But if there is anything disagreeable in what I offer 

 him, acid, for instance, there is such a fuss! He 

 scrapes his bill, raises and lowers the feathers on the 

 top of his head, giving one the impression that he is 



