i6o HOME LIFE ON AN OSTRICH FARM. 



immediately in the wake of the dog, as closely as the 

 latter follows master and mistress. Even a good long 

 walk does not seem to tire his strong little legs, or, at 

 any rate, if it does he is too plucky to give in and 

 turn back, and as long as the dog keeps going on, he 

 valiantly follows every detour of that animal's erratic 

 course. Often, when starting for a ride or drive, we 

 have been obliged to shut up our meerkat, so deter- 

 mined was he to come with us. 



The astonishment of dogs in England at a meerkat 

 brought home by us was most amusing. They would 

 run after him, apparently taking him for some kind of 

 rat ; and when, to their amazement, instead of running 

 away, he boldly ti'otted up to them, and, calmly and 

 somewhat contemptuously surveying them, began to 

 beg, they would hang their heads and draw back, with 

 looks plainly expressive of their opinion that he was 

 " no canny." It was fortunate for him that he inspired 

 them with such awe, for otherwise he would certainly 

 have died the death of a rat on one of the numerous 

 occasions when he got away and wandered on his own 

 account through the Kentish village where we were 

 staying. The human natives whose cottages and shops 

 he invaded, and to whom, with patronizing coolness 

 and colonial absence of ceremony, he introduced him- 

 self, were scarcely less puzzled than the dogs at the 

 queer animal we had brought from " foreign parts." 



Every meerkat is an inveterate little thief ; and if 

 you leave him for one instant where a meal is prepared, 

 you are sure on returning to see him jump guiltily oflf 



