CAT AND CHICKENS. 343 



hand of the boy, who, though he might have known by heart, 

 had never learned to feel in his heart, the golden precept oi 

 " doing to others as he would be done by." 



Another instance of attachment, though originating in a 

 quadruped, yet so closely connects itself with the subject- 

 matter before us that its insertion needs no apology. A cat 

 having kittened between the tiles and roof of an outhouse at 

 Earley Court, in August 1836, was a short time afterwards 

 accidentally killed, and two out of three of her kittens were 

 caught in a trap placed there for that purpose. The third, 

 however, remained in its hiding-place, eluding all attempts to 

 catch it, when, to prevent its being starved (as it was too young 

 to feed itself), a sort of platform was fixed against the tiles, and 

 food and milk placed within its reach. It so happened that a 

 brood of chickens was in the habit of attending the spot near 

 the kitten's quarters, who by degrees approached them, at first 

 with great timidity, but at last, bolder grown, it ventured to 

 lie down amongst them while they were seeking their food, and 

 following wherever they went. It was very amusing and curi- 

 ous to see the kitten soon, instead of following, leading its forces, 

 consisting of (at least) twenty hens, chickens, &c., about the 

 grounds, sometimes catching at their feet, as if going to bite 

 them, and they pecking at the kitten in return; sometimes 

 hiding behind a bush, or concealing itself in the shrubs, and 

 springing unexpectedly in the midst of them, and then purr 

 and rub itself against their sides. One pullet in particular 

 was an especial favourite. It accompanied her every day to 

 her nest, which was under the boards of an outhouse, and 

 would then lie down at a short distance. The person who first 

 noticed this circumstance was in the habit of feeding the kitten, 

 and it was therefore less shy with him than any one else. He 

 had observed it in the position described without perceiving 

 the pullet, but when he did he was induced to watch whether 

 it remained there after she had left her nest. He at length 

 observed her fly off and join the other fowls, when the kitten 

 immediately left its place and followed the pullet, setting up 

 its tail and purring as if much pleased. It, however, did not 

 confine itself to one set of chickens only, but every fresh brood 



