The Book of Cats. 133 



to the ground, mewing piteously, while their mother 

 was tugging at their tails. It was absolutely neces- 

 sary to release the kittens from their painful posi- 

 tion, and to teach Pret how a kitten ought to be 

 carried. After a while, she seemed to comprehend 

 the state of things, and ever afterwards carried her 

 offspring by the nape of the neck. At one time, 

 when she was yet in her kittenhood, another kitten 

 lived in the same house, and very much annoyed 

 Pret, by coming into the room and eating the meat 

 that had been laid out for herself However, Pret 

 soon got over the difficulty, by going to the plate 

 as soon as it was placed at her accustomed spot, 

 picking out all the large pieces of meat and hiding 

 them under the table. She then sat down quietly, 

 placing herself sentry over her hidden treasure, 

 while the intruding Cat entered the room, walked 

 up to the plate, and finished the little scraps of 

 meat that Pret had thought fit to leave. After 

 the obnoxious individual had left the room, Pret 

 brought her concealed treasures from their hiding- 

 place and consumed them with deliberation. 



Clever as Pret was, she sometimes displayed a 

 most unexpected simplicity of character. After 

 the fashion of* the Cat tribe, she delighted in cover- 

 ing up the remainder of her food with any sub- 



