238 The Book of Cats. 



suspicious tiger-cat succumbs, and the name of this 

 weapon is — Kindness! So armed, the Rev. J. G. 

 Wood conquered a body of Ocelots exhibited at 

 the menagerie. He says : — 



*' Several of these animals, when I first made 

 their acquaintance, were rather crabbed in disposi- 

 tion, snarled at the sound of a strange step, growled 

 angrily at my approach, and behaved altogether in 

 a very unusual manner, in spite of many amicable 

 overtures. After a while, I discovered that these 

 creatures were continually and vainly attempting 

 the capture of certain flies, which buzzed about the 

 cage ; so I captured a few large bluebottle flies, 

 and poked them through a small aperture in the 

 cage, so that the Ocelot's paw might not be able to 

 reach my hand. At first the ocelots declined to 

 make any advance in return for the gift, but they 

 soon became bolder, and at last freely took the flies 

 as fast as they were caught. The ice was now 

 broken, and in a very short time we were excellent 

 friends, the angry snarl being exchanged for a com- 

 placent composed demeanour. The climax to their 

 change of character was reached by giving them a 

 few leaves of grass, for which they were, as I thought 

 they would be, more anxious than for the flies. 

 They tore the green blades out of my hand, and 



