THE RAT AND THE CAT. 125 



chain runs along a wire, stretched from one 

 end of the garden to the other. They have a 

 little house at each end of the wire, and they 

 walk up and down and defend any seeds or 

 fruits which it may be desirable to defend from 

 birds. 



Mr. Vivian pathetically laments ' he cannot 

 more freely kill his neighbours' cats.' We 

 heartily sympathise with him. 



Many ladies are subscribers to the Society 

 for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals yet 

 keep cats themselves. Do they realise that 

 nearly every day in the summer these beasts 

 kill a bird, and the little ones are left to starve 

 in their nests ? 



We have heard that in JSTew Zealand 

 already a curious ground parrot has become 

 nearly extinct owing to the numbers killed by 

 the settlers' cats. 



Mice are easily caught in traps, and who ever 

 knew a farm kept clear of rats by cats ? We 

 have often thoudit the more cats the more rats. 



