OUR FOUR-FOOTED COMPANIONS. 215 



His mirrors being all set in pieces of furniture, and an ob- 

 stacle being thereby put in the way of the animal's investi- 

 gations, he bought for her especial use a toilet-glass, and 

 placed it in the middle of the room. Pussy discovered it, 

 walked up to it, and thus assured herself that it resembled 

 the others. Next she rushed behind it repeatedly, each 

 time running faster than before. Not catching a cat in 

 this manner, she went to the edge of the mirror, and looked 

 first along the rear and then along the front. 



12. Her conclusion evidently was that, as this strange 

 creature which she had seen was neither before the glass 

 nor behind it, it must be inside. Sitting up on her hind 

 legs, she stretched out her fore paws, and carefully felt the 

 thickness of the plate, until she had satisfied herself that it 

 was too thin to contain anything of the bigness of the cat. 

 This fact established in her mind, she seemed to come to 

 the decision that here was a phenomenon which was be- 

 yond the circle of her ideas, and which it was therefore 

 useless for her to investigate ; and, giving it up with a 

 common-sense promptness worthy of the imitation of many 

 human philosophers who have got beyond their depth, she 

 walked away from the mirror, and never after was seen to 

 look into one. j_ m j) e Forest. 



OUR CANINE SERVANTS. 



1. Amoxg all the lower animals, the dog has ever been 

 considered the most genuine friend and faithful servant of 

 man. Bred in the household and fed from the family 

 table, he has apparently absorbed many human attributes, 

 and in his domesticated state he is more widely different 

 from his wild progenitors than any other animal. He has 

 shown himself capable of instruction in a very remarkable 

 degree, and the instruction of one generation has been 



