150 The Book of Cats. 



disposed to resign his charge, and ever kept at 

 hand to fly to the rescue whenever dangerous ladies 

 threatened it with a caress." 



The following instance of maternal courage and 

 affection is recorded in the Naturalists^ Cabinet : — 



" A Cat that had a numerous brood of kittens, 

 encouraged her little ones to frolic one summer 

 day in the sunshine, at a stable-door. A hawk 

 sailing by, saw them : swift as lightning it darted 

 down on one of the kittens, and would have carried 

 it off, but the mother, seeing its danger, sprang 

 upon the common enemy, which, to defend itself, 

 let fall the prize. The battle that followed was 

 terrible, for the hawk, by the power of his wings, 

 the sharpness of his talons, and the keenness of his 

 beak, had for awhile the advantage, cruelly lace- 

 rating the poor Cat, and had actually deprived 

 her of one eye in the conflict ; but Puss, no way 

 daunted by this accident, strove with all her cun- 

 ning and agility for her little ones, till she had 

 broken the wing of her adversary. In this state 

 she got him more within the power of her claws, 

 the hawk still defending himself apparently with 

 additional vigour ; and the fight continued with 

 equal fury on the side of Grimalkin, to the great 

 entertainment of many spectators. At length, 



