THE HOME OF A NATURALIST. 5 



the quadruped's motive for so doing is different from 

 that of the man, and the result is tragically different 

 too. It was the Naturalist's misfortune to see often 

 a mangled minnesinger borne past him by the lithe 

 grimalkin that daily sat, sleek and gentle, upon his 

 shoulder while he dined. She shared his meals, and 

 had not the excuse of hunger for her cruelty. He 

 kept more than one cat, and the havoc wrought by 

 those house-tigers among the birds was too terrible. 

 I suppose their master received compensation in the 

 interesting indoor study which his felines afforded. 

 He was always ready to excuse the cats on the plea 

 that " it is their nature to ; " but he did not fail to 

 chastise them at the same time ; and his rebuking 

 was not without effect upon some of these bird-fanciers. 

 The house-pets knew, one and all, that the dinner- 

 bell was a call to meals, and would flock from various 

 parts of the house or fields to the dining-room door 

 and window. Some were allowed to come into the 

 room. More than once, a feminine chorus of remon- 

 strance was raised by the ladies of the family, and the 

 result was temporary banishment of the animals at 

 meal-times ; but the edict was seldom carried into force 

 for more than a week, as even those who had been 

 loudest in requiring their absence, missed their depen- 

 dents so much, that tacit permission for their recall 

 was given. A tax was levied upon every plate and 

 dish before it left the table, a process which the inter- 

 ested animals naturally regarded as the great event of 

 the hour. All dry crusts and small slices of bread 



