96 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [13:3— Mar., 1917 



to frighten one into turning him loose. I thought to teach him 

 to go into my pockets for food but found that impossible for he 

 always took the shortest route by trying to tear through the cloth 

 with his teeth. It was then with some difficulty that he was made 

 to release his hold on the pocket. He did learn to sit up for food 

 and even hold that position while disposing of a small piece, doing 

 this apparently to save the trouble of making the effort to sit up 

 again. 



As De Sachet grew older the instinctive shyness of the young 

 kitten was lost and he came eagerly toward me in expectation of 

 food. After being well fed he was always ready for a playful 

 romp. He would seize my hand with teeth and feet, clinging 

 to it and clawing it in much the same manner of a playful kitten. 

 This was varied by jumping back three or four feet and going 

 through all the actions employed in fighting a real enemy, such as 

 raising the tail to throw scent, dancing up and down stiff legged 

 with tail held high in the air, then forward in hops. This was a 

 most comical performance and one always enjoyed by both 

 parties. 



In order to give De Sachet as much freedom as possible a small 

 cat collar was placed about his neck and thus he was leashed to the 

 end of a light chain. The chain was always tied from a point 

 overhead to prevent dragging as much as possible. At night he 

 was kept in an old feed bin and later with a change of residence, 

 a large box was substituted. During October and November he 

 grew exceedingly fat, was always hungry and in fact ate as much 

 as most dogs. As cold weather came on he gave evidence of 

 needing more bedding and remained curled up most of the time; 

 head and tail being tucked under so that all one could see was a 

 round black ball of fur with two small white stripes at one point 

 to indicate the head end. If I disturbed him after he had spent 

 a cold night in this hibernating position, I was greeted by a sleepy- 

 eyed, much mussed up and damp, matted black head, caused by 

 breathing in such a restricted position. 



De Sachet took his departure into a hostile world on the night 

 of December fifth, having slipped his collar which had been 

 loosened to accommodate his growing size. He was seen but once 

 afterward but has with the coming of continued cold doubtless 

 settled into more extended hibernation under some building on 

 the Cornell campus. 



