96 General Notes. (January, £ 
sons and things. Of the contrary we had proof. One summer i 
during our absence, the house and pets being left with a faithful 
the cat, and attempted, with a hatchet, to cut her head off. For § 
tunately for Kit, the edge was dull and the aim poor, 80 only a 
little fur was cut, and she escaped for dear life to the barn. From | 
that time on, only faint glimpses of puss were seen for nearly a | 
month, despite kindly calling, and coaxing morsels, but on olf | 
came inso delighted to see and welcome us. From that day til | 
two years after when she died, every time the deathly hatchet | 
was taken up by the girl to split kindlings, pound steak, or W 
proached, we found him at our door begging entrance. Like om 
who had gathered up some grains of wisdom, he immedi a 
accommodated himself to his new surroundings, and we re 
scarcely get rid of him at all, but when spring came, and tt 
family, now absent three years, returned, Tip was missing and at 
found him safely ensconsed in his former home, nor has Der 
back to us but once, seemingly, to bid us good-by. Was it E 
consciousness that he was old and infirm, unable to stand, j 
aided, the severities of the approaching winter, or had our © 
told him of their kind home that he thus applied at our doot 
support and protection? It was surely memory of persons, a 
than mere place which induced his final return to his rig 
owners, 
Notwithstanding our old mother cat was usually so careful att 
_— 
Finally, as the winter of ’81-2 (which proved so very cold 
rarely disobeyed, one Sabbath we left her alone by mistake if i 
room where were some freshly mounted birds. 
cause. She had torn and chewed the poor skins into a h 
low a supply of fresh lard and white of egg, and succeeded © 
overcoming the poison so that she recovered. Her appetite a 
poor, and she seemed to have difficulty in eating. After 
