6 MEMOIR OF ALFRED SMEE. [Chap. I. 



his liberty in the room where Alfred Smee and his elder 

 brother were- having their early breakfast, before the rest of 

 the family, previous to their setting off to St. Paul's School, 

 where the boys had to be, at those times, by 8 o'clock. This 

 magpie was, like his young master, partial to buttered toast, and 

 he would hop about the table, making a good breakfast. When 

 Mr. Mag had partaken of as much toast as was consistent with 

 his comfort, he would betake himself to tease the dog, who was 

 basking before the fire, by hopping up to the poor beast and 

 awakening him by a violent tug at his tail. At first the 

 drowsy dog would just raise his head, give a growl, and would go 

 to sleep again, upon which Mr. Mag would repeat the same dis- 

 agreeable operation. When, after several repetitions of the like 

 affront, the poor dog would be fairly roused from his slumbers, 

 then the magpie used to hop round the room in a state of exulta- 

 tion, crying, "Mag, mag, mag!" 



But this dog was not always doomed to be made miserable, 

 for my father and his brother were fond of taking him to bed 

 with them, although it was strictly forbidden them to do so. 

 As this anecdote is forcibly given in ' Instinct and Eeason ' as an 

 example of reason in animals, I will quote the rest from' that 

 work. 



The mamma was determined to stop the practice, went at niglit into the 

 room, and turned the dog out, and he was compelled to sneak down stairs 

 with tail between his legs. On the next night, however, the boys put the 

 dog iato one of the drawers and shut him up, so that, when the mamma 

 came, no dog was found, and the boys afterwards took him to bed. The 

 dog seemed fully to appreciate the boys' movements, and used perfectly to 

 fall in with their plans. Some nights, indeed, the dog was discovered, but 

 generally he was hid up in such an ingenious manner that he was not dis- 

 covered. If the dog was called or whistled he took no notice, but used to 

 lie perfectly quiet tiU the boys took him out of his hiding-place. 



My father always retained his love for animals, and incul- 

 cated that love in his own children. I suppose few other children 

 (if any) have been brought up from infancy with so many kinds 

 of birds, animals, reptiles, and fishes. We had pets in thrushes, 

 blackbirds, canaries, goldfinches, bullfinches, and even nightin- 

 gales; we had pets in pigeons, pheasants, godwits, magpies, 

 sea-gulls, owls, and hawks. We kept, at different times of our 

 infancy, pet dogs, cats, guinea-pigs, and, amongst many other 

 animals too numerous to enumerate here, was a domesticated wild 

 rabbit. This rabbit used to be allowed to come out at dessert- 

 time, when it would immediately jump up on the table, and glide 



