MY SUMMER IN A GARDEN. 47 



them come, I said, and eat the worms, 

 in order that we, later, may enjoy the 

 foliage and the fruits of the earth. We 

 have a cat, a magnificent animal, of the 

 sex which votes (but not a pole-cat), 

 so large and powerful, that, if he were in 

 the army, he would be called Long Tom. 

 He is a cat of fine disposition, the most 

 irreproachable morals I ever saw thrown 

 away in a cat, and a splendid hunter. 

 He spends his nights, not in social dissi 

 pation, but in gathering in rats, mice, 

 flying-squirrels, and also birds. When 

 he first brought me a bird, I told him 

 that it was wrong, and tried to convince 

 him, while he was eating it, that he was 

 doing wrong ; for he is a reasonable 

 cat, and understands pretty much every 

 thing except the binomial theorem and 

 the time down the cycloidal arc. But 

 with no effect. The killing of birds 

 went on to my great regret and shame. 



