62 The Naturalist in La Plata, 



would jump there to seize it ; and so the contest 

 would continue for a long time, an exhibition of the 

 cleverness and the stupidity of instinct, both of the 

 pursuer and the pursued. There were several cats 

 at the house, and all acted in the same way except 

 one. When a stalk was placed before this cat, 

 instead of becoming excited like the others, it went 

 quickly to one end and smelt at the opening, then, 

 satisfied that its prey was inside, it deliberately bit 

 a long piece out of the stalk with its teeth, then 

 another strip, and so on progressively, until the 

 entire stick had been opened up to within six or 

 eight inches of the further end, when the mouse 

 came out and was caught. Every stalk placed 

 before this cat was demolished in the same business- 

 like way ; but the other cats, though they were made 

 to look on while the stick was being broken up by 

 their fellow, could never learn the trick. 



In the autumn of the year countless numbers of 

 storks (Ciconia maguari) and of short-eared owls 

 (Otus brachyotus) made their appearance. They 

 had also come to assist at the general feast. 



Eemembering the opinion of Mr. E. Newman, 

 quoted by Darwin, that two-thirds of the humble 

 bees in England are annually destroyed by mice, I 

 determined to continue observing these insects, in 

 order to ascertain whether the same thing occurred 

 on the pampas. I carefully revisited all the nests 

 I had found, and was amazed at the rapid disap- 

 pearance of all the bees. I was quite convinced that 

 the mice had devoured or driven them out, for the 

 weather was still warm, and flowers and fruit on 

 which humble bees feed were very abundant. 



