292 BIRDS IN LONDON 



sheldrakes. To dispose of him a company of 

 eighteen workmen and a good hunting dog were 

 :sent over to the island. The cat, driven from his 

 hiding-place in the bushes, quickly ascended the 

 tallest tree in his territory. A youth who was 

 .a good climber went up after him, and the other 

 men, armed with stout sticks, gathered round the 

 tree to receive the animal on his coming down. 

 The cat quickly made up his mind how to act : 

 -down he swiftly came from branch to branch, 

 and in leas than two seconds was frantically 

 tearing about among the legs of his adversaries, 

 .and bursting through the cordon was quickly in 

 the water swimming for life. Immediately there 

 was a rush for the boats, but before the men 

 could get on to the water the cat had reached 

 the shore and vanished in the thick shrubbery. 

 The men were then disposed in line like beaters 

 and advanced, but in the end the creature escaped 

 from the park and was lost. This animal deserves 

 honourable mention on account of the splendid 

 -courage and resource he displayed ; but the 

 injury he had caused and the desperate and 

 successful fight for life he made against such 

 tremendous odds show that cats ought not to be 

 .allowed in the parks. The loss of the pair of 



