146 The Book of Cats. 



friend. When any of them grew troublesome, she 

 would gently box their ears. A German magazine 

 tells us of a M. Hecart, who tamed a wild Cat 

 and placed a tame sparrow under its protection. 

 Another Cat attacked the Sparrow, which Vv^as at 

 the most critical moment rescued by its protector. 

 During the Sparrow's subsequent illness, the Cat 

 watched over it with great tenderness. The same 

 authority gives an instance of a Cat trained 

 like a Avatch dog, to keep guard over a yard con- 

 taining a Hare, and some Sparrows, Blackbirds 

 and Partridges. 



Captain Marryat, in his amusing way, relates this 

 anecdote. A little black spaniel had five puppies, 

 which were considered too many for her to bring up. 

 As, however, the breed was much in request, her 

 mistress v/as unwilling that any of them should be 

 destroyed, and asked the cook whether she thought 

 it would be possible to bring a portion of them up by 

 hand before the kitchen fire. In reply, the cook ob- 

 served that the Cat had that day littered, and that, 

 perhaps, two puppies might be substituted. The 

 Cat made no objection, took to them kindly, and 

 gradually all the kittens were taken away, and the 

 Cat nursed the two puppies only. Now the first 

 curiosity was, that the two puppies nursed by the 



