DOGS AND CATS 105 



song was so distracting that we used some- 

 times to put him down on a table and cover 

 his cage with a cloth. One day we went out 

 and left him there, and must have forgotten 

 to shut the room door, for when we came 

 back we found the cover off the cage and 

 the cat curled up fast asleep by the side of 

 it The canary was unharmed and didn't 

 appear to be even frightened; he was hop- 

 ping about in his cage quite content and at 

 ease. That the cat should have pulled off 

 the cover and then have left the bird alone 

 seemed the more astonishing, because she was 

 a hardened and incurable thief. 



Blacky knew the time for afternoon tea, 

 and was always there to the minute. How- 

 ever, when something that came to her 

 brought off all her hair and made her a 

 pitiable object, she seemed to know of her- 

 self that she was not presentable, and though 

 we did nothing to prevent her she never came 

 into the drawing-room again until her hair 

 had grown; then she appeared regularly as 

 before. 



There may be some truth in the old saying, 

 " Dogs care for people and cats for places," 

 but individuals differ very much; great love 

 of home is often seen in dogs, and strong 

 personal affection in cats. 



A cat was born here in 1897 an d lived with 

 us for two years like any other cat. She was 

 indeed rather more intelligent than many. 



