308 PRANKS OF URSA MAJOR. 
poultiy, and would boldly abstract fowls from a 
Japanese covered basket left for a moment in liis 
way. He once escaped witli one screaming bird in 
each paw, was forthwith pursued, and, not without 
an indignant j)rotest, was made to relinquish his 
prey. On another occasion, seizing his opportunity, 
he clawed a favourite bantam out of his coop, and 
immediately consumed it on the spot. He would 
walk down the accommodation-ladder, enter a canoe 
alongside, and seize an albicore nearly as big as him- 
self. He once jumped overboard, and swam to some 
native boats lying off the ship, into one of which he 
climbed, to the consternation of the old women in 
possession, who held up boards behind which they 
hid themselves in terror. He was brought on board 
and tied up for his bad behaviour, not, however, 
without remonstrances and cries in a jDoevish voice, 
like that of a cross boy exclaiming, “ Don't ! 
don't!” He was partial to sweets, and vdien the 
mouth of a jam-pot with which he was presented 
proved too small for him, he seized hold of the cox- 
swain's hand, and made of it a cat's paw to abstract 
