12 
NATURE NOTES 
He showed wonderful sharpness. He knew the maid’s step 
coming to put him to bed, and he would run away and hide, and 
then, when she found him, he kicked her with right good will. 
I had a very determined tabby who seemed interested in Jack 
Bunsby. Generally she and he were very good friends, but 
sometimes she used to jump on him, and seize him by the ears. 
At first I was afraid she would hurt him, perhaps even kill him, 
but as he did not seem injured and was not much frightened I 
took matters more philosophically, and I cannot remember that 
he ever seemed the worse for her rather rough play. At last, 
one bitter March, to my great regret, he died of a cold. I found 
him one day sitting huddled up in the garden in the snow. He 
had got a chill to which rabbits are very subject. I took him in, 
put him in a warm box, but in vain, and as I have said above, 
he died. 
The Rev. Thomas Perkins, of Turnworth Rectory, Bland- 
ford, is the proud owner of a large white rabbit named Peter. 
He is not so intelligent and affectionate as was my Jack Bunsby, 
but Peter Perkins is a dear fellow, quite one of the family, 
coming to be petted and showing a great deal of character. 
Like my rabbit he delights in the drawing-room. He knows his 
own quarters, finds his way there, and delights in being at 
liberty. He enjoys his food, and I fancy makes free with his 
kind master’s garden. So far he has escaped the common fate 
of pets, and has not been hurt. But Turnworth is not much 
frequented by dogs and boys. 
The Rev. T. Perkins has favoured me with a few notes 
relating to his much beloved rabbit : — 
“ As you have taken in hand to write an account of the 
sainted Bunny, I will send a few notes for your use. He was 
born in 1897, and when several months old he was allowed one 
Sunday afternoon to have a run in the garden. There he saw 
Patrick, my well-beloved monster cat, and went up to examine 
him, and was particularly interested in the great length of 
Patrick’s caudal appendage, so much longer than his mother’s, 
the only tail he had as yet seen. He now passes much of his 
time indoors, coming in to breakfast : Patrick makes a great 
fuss with him, licks him, rubs his head against him, and the 
Bunny often returns the compliment, licking the cat all over. 
They lie for hours together on the hearthrug : the rabbit runs 
upstairs and explores the bedroom : he runs after Mrs. Perkins, 
pulls her skirts if he wants anything, gets very excited if she 
goes to the cupboard, where the biscuits and cake are kept, sits 
up and begs for food at meals, and if kept too long waiting, 
bangs with his hind legs. The other day he wanted to go out, 
found the door shut, so came to Mrs. Perkins and pulled her by 
the skirts to drag her to the door. He laps milk out of the cats’ 
saucer, sometimes simultaneously with them. The other day, 
when some cakes and biscuits were brought for five o’clock tea 
into the drawing-room he examined the stand thoroughly, and 
