THE HAPPY FAMILY. 
39 
His liking overcame his sense of right, and he invariably 
nibbled out the plums, leaving the rest for his master. Ikey 
acted as a famous guard to the provisions ; for whenever any 
of the idle vagabonds, who always lounge about the public- 
houses where the omnibuses bait, attempted to commit a 
theft by running off with the bundle out of the boot, he 
would fly out at them from under the straw ; and the villains 
would run as if his Satanic Majesty were after them ; and 
he thus saved his master s and other property. 
The Ha^opy Family. 
Having given a variety of well-authenticated facts respect- 
ing t^me rats, and incidentally adverted to the Happy 
Eamily," a further description of that interesting group may 
be acceptable to those who have never seen it ; and with 
this I shall wind up the present chapter. 
The " Happy Family " are confined in a large cage about 
six feet by four, arid about four and a half feet high. The 
whole is surrounded by wires ; and the vehicle is drawn 
about like a truck. The interior is plentifully supplied with 
soft clean straw, and at night illumined with candles, for the 
sake of public inspection. 
In this singular group you see jackdaws, magpies, hawks, 
owls, starlings, and pigeons — a white cat and five white kit- 
tens — six-and-thirty white rats, in addition to others purely 
black and purely brown ; to which may be added a host of 
piebald young ones of various colours. There are also guinea- 
pigs, a monkey, and rabbits ; and, to crown the whole, 
there is a magnificent white ferret, and a black-and-white 
dog. There they all are, snoozing, sleeping, and rolling over 
each other in one harmonious concord ; and nothing in the 
shape of discord among them. Such a motley group I never 
saw before ; and taking into consideration their opposite 
natures, some of which are of the most deadly carnivorous 
character, it was one of the most interesting sights I ever 
beheld. 
The monkey is very kind to his companions ; but, like 
most other monkeys, extremely mischievous. Nevertheless 
he has formed an extraordinary attachment to one of the 
young white rats, and is never happy but when it is within 
