204 Nr.\MM.\I,T.\. 



wheel runninLi;- with all his mig'ht, and the next he is scatetl on a 

 shelf at the opposite end of the cag"e, the wheel whirlini!;- behind 

 him .... Thouo'h iisnalK- ver\' (piiet they arc! not alwa)s 

 displeased with noise, if it ])e a li\eK- one ; for instance, the\- tlrop 

 a nut in the; wheel and then as it rattles when the; wheel moxes 

 they are hi^-hl}- dt;li^hted, sometimes more so than some; of the 

 other listeners. ( )ncc; when a i)utterniit thus became ([uite a trouble 

 to me I remoxed it. but no sooner had 1 lc;ft the ca^e than the\- nut 

 it back and set it rattling louder than ever, leaping- over it as it came 

 near them and jumping about as if performing a war dance, and this 

 they repeated over and over again till, fmall)-, the nut was removed 

 from the cage. Now and then the freak takes one or the other to 

 leave the wheel altogether tor several days, and in the meantime 

 they relieve their over-buoyant feelings by executing a brilliant 

 series of somersets with an agilit\- and daring that would excite the 

 envy of the most skiltul acrobat. The)- ahva\-s turn backward, going 

 completely over. and alighting almost exactly upon the spot from 

 which they started. Now they run a few steps before going over 

 and now stop and turn around as if a spit ran through the centre of 

 the bod\- on which it turned. These gyrations are often extremely 

 ludicrous, especiall)-, wlu;n turning side b\- side, they seem to be 

 racing .... TIk^v are exceedingU' incjuisitive, prying iiito 

 everything that comes in th(.;ir wa\- ; and, if watched and fc;arful lest 

 they are to be interrupted, the\- assume; a most impudent and reck- 

 less air, glancing out of one eye, and sliaking their hc;ads and sniffing 

 every now and then for an instant, and then rt;turning to their in- 

 vestigations with renewed energy, pulling away desperatel\- at any- 

 thing that can be laid hold of, and if anxone starts toward them to 

 drive them away, they wait till tlie \-er\- last minute, when, with a 

 twinkle of the e)e, a toss of the lu;ad, and a jerk of the tail, they are 

 off and across the room in a trice, perhaps stopping to chatter their 

 disapproval of the whole proceeding as soon as safel)- out of reach 

 . . . . When the actions of an animal are so suddenl)- varied, so 



