UNCLE IN ENGLAND. 125 



to their being regularly taken away, she seemed 

 to agree to that arrangement, and devoted her- 

 self to the one she had saved. 



A few weeks afterwards another of the cats 

 kittened, and its whole brood being destroyed, 

 the poor thing became very uneasy, and suffered 

 much from the want of her little ones to relieve 

 her of the nourishment provided for them. On 

 which, the fat Mrs. Snowtip being very ill-sup- 

 plied herself, actually employed the poor bereaved 

 cat as a nurse. This office she performs with 

 proper fidelity, and the two ladies agree perfectly; 

 for while the nurse feeds little Snowtip, the 

 mother smooths and dresses it herself, and on 

 any alarm flies to its protection, while the nurse 

 seems contented with doing her own duty, and 

 never interferes on such occasions. 



. I have had a good deal of work at my 

 strawberry bank, for Mr. Biggs warned me that 

 the beds ought never to be dug, but constantly 

 hand-weeded ; and he recommended also that 

 the runners should be nipped off as soon as they 

 appeared. I undertook to do all this myself; and 

 both weeds and runners seem determined that I 

 shall not be idle. 



This strawberry bank is such a very dry soil, 

 that I found the plants wanted water conti- 

 nually ; and I asked my uncle to let a little 



M 3 



