578 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



through it, jumped to the nearest chair, from that to the sofa, the 

 table, somebody's lap or shoulder, the mantel, the top of his cage, 

 or the piano, and so made the circuit of the two parlors, without 

 touching the carpet. After thus going the grand rounds, he gen- 

 erally jumped to the floor, and ran all about under the furniture. 

 His sharp nose nearly touched the carpet, and his back (owing to 

 the four inches difference in length between his fore and hind 

 limbs) sloped up at an angle of forty-five degrees to the tail, which 

 stood straight up like a banner over his back, the tip sometimes 

 curling forward like a dog's, sometimes backward like a hook. 

 During the whole performance he constantly uttered a contented 

 single grunt like " woof ! " 



If any movement in the room startled him, he broke into a 

 grotesque gallop, bringing his feet up closely beside his hands at 

 every leap. This gallop, which was rapid and light, always ended 

 in a sudden spring to somebody's lap, or a scramble to the top of a 

 tall easel, where he looked around to see what had frightened him. 

 But if not disturbed, when his tour of inspection was over he 

 usually went to the open fire, placed himself, sometimes on the 

 toe of a lady's slipper if it were conveniently near, sometimes on 

 a little three-by-five-inch cushion on the arm of an easy-chair. 

 Here he sat up like a cat with tail hanging out before him, or fell 

 eagerly to dressing his peculiar woolly fur, which stood out all 

 over his body, washing his face by licking the outside edge of his 

 hand and rubbing it back and forth over his face, and wiping his 

 mouth on a chair as a bird wipes its bill, first one side and then the 

 other. Especially did he labor over his eighteen-inch-long tail, 

 scraping up the fur till it stood out round and gave that member 

 great apparent size. The tool with which he accomplished so 

 much was his curious row of lower front teeth, which ended in 

 points of almost needle sharpness, and projected at an angle that 

 prevented their being used to bite, but made an effective scraper 

 for the skin, or a comb for his own gray wool. 



Warmed and dressed, the playful fellow began his evening's 

 amusement. If the master's quiet game of cribbage was going 

 on, he often began by marking his prey from his seat on the chair- 

 arm, and without warning springing to the middle of the table, 

 scattering cards like chaff, upsetting cribbage-board and sending 

 the pegs flying, slapping cards out of the hands of the players, 

 and biting needle-like holes in them. 



To make a great commotion of any sort was his delight. Sit- 

 ting peacefully on my lap, or lying flat upon his stomach, every 

 limb stretched out, apparently the most innocent and harmless of 

 pets, he would often quietly rise to his feet and, before I suspected 

 him, snatch my book out of my hand or spring over it into my 

 face. If I started at this rough salute, as I was tolerably sure to 



