252 RABBITS, CATS, AND CAVIES 



and we did not like the idea of having her destroyed, and 

 she lived to a good old age. 



The same cat formed a close friendship with a cocka- 

 too and a brindled toy bull terrier, which then formed 

 part of our household ; although the dog was a sworn 

 enemy to any other cats, he and this cat would lie 

 together on the hearth-rug, and when the cat was foraging 

 at the stand forming the base of the cockatoo's perch, for 

 anything to her liking dropped by the bird, cockie would 

 slide down her pole and caress the cat with her beak, 

 and it was a favourite practice of hers on these occasions 

 to take hold of the cat's tail and run it through her beak, 

 doing it very gently, and as a sort of friendly recognition 

 of the relations between them. 



We lived for many years at Laurel Bank, Downend, in 

 Gloucestershire, where we had seven or eight acres about 

 the place, and our nearest neighbour was a Mr Samuel 

 Rogers, who kept a number of prize-bred poultry, princi- 

 pally Black Hawburghs, Bantams, and Silkies, which used 

 to be running in a paddock adjoining part of our grounds. 

 Amongst our cats, at that time, was a very large and 

 handsome black Persian, a great winner of prizes, and 

 whose private name was Gipsy. 



I suppose there must have been something irresistibly 

 fascinating about the chickens of the poultry I have men- 

 tioned, as on several occasions Gipsy made his appearance 

 with one of them in his mouth, to our intense annoyance, 

 as we felt there were likely to be "strained relations" in 

 consequence with our neighbours. 



I went in, taking back the chicks, which were always 



