The Book of Cats. 221 



out on the roof of the house, and throw it to the 

 Cats on the tiles, by which conduct she brought so 

 many stray Cats round about the neighbourhood, 

 that the parties in the vicinity complained of the 

 nuisance. The noise of about a hundred strange 

 Cats, a little before feeding-time, about ten in the 

 morning, was tremendous ; and when the meat was 

 thrown to them, the fighting and confusion was 

 beyond description. 



" There was also a woman in Islington who used 

 to have fourteen pounds of meat a-day. The per- 

 son who supplied her was often paid two and three 

 pounds at a time. She had often as many as thirty 

 Cats at a time. Every stray Cat that came she 

 would take in and support. 



" The carriers give a great deal of credit ; indeed, 

 they take but little ready money. On some days 

 they do not come home with more than 2s. One 

 with a middling walk, pays for his meat Js. 6cL per 

 day ; for this he has half-a-hundred weight : this 

 produces him as much as lis. 6d., so that his profit 

 is 45., which, I am assured, is about a fair average 

 of the earnings of the trade. One carrier is said 

 to have amassed ;/; 1,000 at the business : he usually 

 sold from li to 2 cwt. every morning, so that his 

 profits were generally from i6s. to ^^i per day. But 



