THE CAT AND THE CANARY. 201 



acquaintance at one time with a puppy, a rabbit, and a game cock, and for the time 

 was very affectionate in her conduct towards these strange allies. 



She had curious tastes for a Cat, preferring well sweetened tea to milk, and bread 

 crust to meat. Moreover, she would not eat her meals unless the dish were placed 

 near her mistress, and if this wish were not gratified, always sniffed contemptuously 

 and turned away. She was an enthusiastic mouser, but her greatest talents were dis- 

 played in the capture of sparrows. She was accustomed to creep quietly into the 

 garden, and to seek concealment under the thickest foliage that she could find. Being 

 thus hidden from the watchful eyes of the little birds which flock in such numbers and 

 with such easy impertinence to the suburban gardens, Pret would imitate the chirping 

 of the sparrows with such wonderful success that she repeatedly decoyed a heedless 

 sparrow within reach of her spring, leaped upon it, and carried it off in triumph to her 

 mistress. While engaged in this singular vocal effort, she used to contort her mouth 

 in the strangest manner, forcing her lower jaw so far from side to side, that it appeared 

 every moment to be in danger of dislocation. On such occasions the distortion of the 

 features was so great as to make her absolutely ugly. 



She was one of the most playful Cats that I ever knew, and, even to the very last 

 hours of her existence, would play as long as she had power to move a limb. Although 

 the mother of several families, she was as gamesome as a kitten, and delighted in get- 

 ting on some elevated spot, and dropping a piece of paper or a handkerchief for the 

 purpose of seeing it fall. More than once she got on a chest of drawers, and insinuat- 

 ing her supple paw into a drawer that had been left slightly open, hooked out every 

 article of apparel that it contained and let them drop on the floor. 



When any one was writing, Pret was apt rather to disconcert the writer. She always 

 must needs try her skill at anything that her mistress did, and no sooner was the pen 

 in motion than Pret would jump on the table, and seizing the end of the pen in her 

 mouth, try to direct its movements in her own way. That plan not answering her 

 expectations, she would pat the fresh writing with her paw, and make sad havoc of the 

 correspondence. 



Clever as Pret was, she sometimes displayed a most unexpected simplicity of 

 character. After the fashion of the Cat tribe, she delighted in covering up the remnants 

 of her food with any substances that seemed most convenient. She was accustomed, 

 after taking her meals, to fetch a piece of paper and lay it over the saucer, or to put her 

 paw into her mistress' pocket, and extract her handkerchief for the same purpose. 

 These little performances showed some depth of reasoning in the creature, but she 

 would sometimes act in a manner totally opposed to rational action. Paper and hand- 

 kerchiefs failing, she has been often seen, after partly finishing her meal, to fetch one 

 of her kittens, and to lay it over the plate, for the purpose of covering up the remain- 

 ing food. When kitten, paper, and handkerchief were all wanting, she did her best to 

 scratch up the carpet and to lay the torn fragments upon the plate. She has been known, 

 in her anxiety to find a covering for the superabundant food, to drag a table-cloth from 

 its proper locality, and to cause a sad demolition of the superincumbent fragile ware. 



Some of her offspring have partaken considerably of their mother's soft fur and gentle 

 nature, but none of them are so handsome as their parent. One of her kittens, called 

 "Minnie," was removed, and conveyed to another household, where was a young canary 

 which I had bred. The Cat and the bird were formally introduced to each other, and 

 for a time all went well. One day, however, the kitten, then three parts grown, was 

 seen perched on the top of the wires, her paw being thrust into the cage. At first, the 

 Cat seemed to be engaged in an attack upon the bird, but on a closer inspection it appeared 

 that Minnie was simply playing with the little bird and was stroking its head with her 

 soft paw, the canary seeming to comprehend the matter, and to be rather pleased with 

 the caresses of the velvet paw than alarmed at the proximity of its natural enemy. 



After a while, Minnie herself became a mother, and I conveyed herself and kitten 

 to her former home. Although she had not seen the house since her early kittenhood, 

 she recognized the locality at once, and, pulling her kitten out of its basket, established 

 it in her accustomed bed on the sofa. One of her offspring is now domiciled in my 

 own house, and there was rather a quaint incident in connection with its departure. 



