quapruj?i;ds, 251 



CAT AND SQUIRRELS. 



A boy has taken three little young squir- 

 rels in their nest, or drey qis it is called in 

 these parts. These small creatures he put 

 under the care of a cat who had lately lost 

 her kittens, and finds that she nurses and 

 suckles them with the same assiduity and 

 affection as if they were her own offspring. 

 This circumstance corroborates my suspi- 

 cion, that the mention of exposed and de- 

 serted children being nurtured by female 

 beasts of prey who had lost their young, 

 may not be so improbable an incident as 

 many have supppsed ; and therefore may 

 be a justification of those authors who 

 h^ve gri^vely mentioned, what some have 

 ^epiR§4 tp b^ ft wild and improbable story. 



So many people went to s^e the little 

 squirrels siicWeiJ by ^ ^^t, that the foster 

 mother beqame jealous gf her chgirg^, and 

 in pain for tb^ir safety ; ^ncj therefore hid 

 tbim ov?r the g^iling, wherfi one 4iQ4. 



