THB EABBIT 



ptirpose I fastened it with a collar and a small chain, and thus 

 Becurely led it about. One evening the chain unfortunately 

 broke, and Bunuy was free. At first we saw it running from 

 place to place with wild delight, but after a little while we could 

 not see it, and we hunted in vain under the shrubs, calling it 

 by name, until it became dark ; we then ceased to search any 

 longer, and I concluded that my pretty pet was gone. 



" Before retiring for the night I gave a last look out of the 

 window, in the hope I might chance to see it once more. The 

 moon was then shining brightly, and I distinctly saw my Uttle 

 rabbit sitting at the door, with head and ears erect, as if 

 listening for its friends within, anxious, perhaps, for its accus- 

 tomed nice supper and soft warm bed. I hastened down stairs 

 to let it in, calling it by name, when the moment I opened the 

 door a strange cat darted forward, seized it by the neck, and 

 bore it screaming away. Of course effort of mine was useless 

 to overtake the cat." 



Only that the above-mentioned unfortunate rabbit was taken 

 unaware, and considering that it was four months old, and had 

 an ample share of wild blood in its veins, savage grimalkin 

 might have come off but second best. I know of a case of a 

 cat who lived at a house where fancy rabbits were kept. Being 

 creatures of meek spirits and much subdued, a mere glance 

 from puss towards the rabbit-hutch was enough almost to 

 make the hair of every butterfly -smut and oarlop stand on end, 

 and emboldened by these evidences of their terror, she never 

 lost an opportunity of approaching their hutches, and spitting 

 and using all sorts of abusive language through the bars. This 

 little amusement was, of course, checked as much as possible 

 by the rabbit-keeper, who, to cure the cat, was accustomed to 

 rasp her unlucky nose against the door-wires whenever she was 

 caught close thereto ; but this only seemed to increase her spite, 

 and with her smelling-organ in process of excoriation, she would 

 thrust her leg between the bars, and endeavour to maul the 

 creatures within. One day, however, there arrived at the rabbit- 

 keepers' abode a three-quarters grown wild rabbit from Lincoln- 

 shire. The animal came in a hamper, and having no convenient 

 hutch to put it in, it was allowed to remain in the basket tiU 

 the next morning ; that is, an opportunity of so doing was 

 afforded it, but it was not the wild young buck's nature to 

 submit to imprisonment while he had sharp teeth in his head, 

 and only osier bars between himself and liberty. 



He set to work, and just at daylight succeeded in gnawing a. 



