220 ANECDOTES OF ANIMALS. 



holes in some valuable antelope, monkey, and leopard 

 skins, which were to have been sent to niy friends by 

 the next departing vessel. 



When I was allowed to eat, my appetite was kindly 

 tempted by dainties sent to me by friends, and which 

 were placed under tin covers on the top of a chest of 

 drawers. The endeavours of my rodent companions to 

 get at these were excessively droll ; but as fast as they 

 clambered an inch or two up the sides, the slippery 

 metal caused them to slide down again; and they 

 thought if they could but get to the top of the cover, 

 they should succeed. So they mounted upon each other's 

 shoulders and accomplished the feat, but not their pur- 

 pose, instead of getting inside, down they came in a 

 body again ; but they became so used to my laughter 

 that they did not mind it. Many of them combined 

 together to push the cover off the dish ; but it was too 

 firmly retained by the rim to be moved. One day they 

 thought they had triumphed, for the cover was not 

 quite put down in one place. A summons was evidently 

 given, and presently a number of little paws were in- 

 serted to raise it still higher ; but instead of doing this, 

 the cover slipped on to their paws, and it was very 

 ludicrous to see their pain and mortification. After 

 this they so far abandoned the attempt that only one 

 would be occasionally seen walking round, as if, by 

 reconnoitering the fortress again, his genius would 

 suggest a successful termination to the enterprise. 



In an American scientific journal there is a well- 

 authenticated account of a strange and overpowering 

 sensibility to music, as evinced by a mouse. It says 

 ' that one evening, as a few officers on board a British 

 man-of-war, in the harbour of Portsmouth, were seated 



