THE LURE OF KARTABO 31 



nated the less important incidental casement, 

 whether it happened to be feathers, or fur, or 

 scales. It is interesting to observe how the Adam 

 in one comes to the surface in the matter of names 

 for pets. I know exactly the uncomfortable 

 feeling which must have perturbed the heart of 

 that pioneer of nomenclaturists, to be plumped 

 down in the midst of "the greatest aggregation 

 of animals ever assembled" before the time of 

 Noah, and to be able to speak of them only as tJtis 

 or that^ he or she. So we felt when inundated by 

 a host of pets. It is easy to speak of the species 

 by the lawful Latin or Greek name ; we mention 

 the specimen on our laboratory table by its com- 

 mon natural-history appellation. But the individ- 

 ual who touches our pity, or concern, or affec- 

 tion, demands a special title — usually absurdly 

 inapt. 



Soon, in the bamboo glade about our bungalow, 

 ten little jungle friends came to live; and to us 

 they will always be Kib and Gawain, George and 

 Gregory, Robert and Grandmother, Raoul and 

 Pansy, Jennie and Jellicoe. 



Gawain was not a double personality — he was 

 an intermittent reincarnation, vibrating between 

 the inorganic and the essence of vitality. In a 



