230 
NATURE NOTES. 
over-mastering passion), one tabby kitten and, alas ! a swallow, 
which must have been very young on its wings to have allowed 
itself to be caught by such a clumsy four-footed animal as a 
It may be thought that this distressing catalogue reflects no 
great credit on the owners of the dog. But after sparing neither 
rod nor exhortation, they have at last come to the conclusion that, 
short of the sobering effect of time, there is no cure for pure 
animal spirits in either dog or man ; and after all there is some- 
thing very infectious in a vitality that occasionally overflows a 
little. 
Sometimes as I wait for Bardolph on the outskirts of his 
favourite hunting-wood, and listen to his excited yelps, I do not 
feel at all sure that it is not I who am in the wrong to be “ limply 
hanging over a gate, yearning for the impossible,” when such 
glorious possibilities of happiness lie within rabbit holes only 
a few yards away from me ; and when there comes a quick 
rustling in the bushes, and the animal for which I have been 
waiting rushes out — clay-coloured and panting with excitement — 
I have no longer any doubt in my mind, and I feel quite small 
and apologetic in the presence of so much energy. 
It is very disappointing to have such limited sympathies, and 
that they are limited I realized the other day when the dog brought 
me his first rabbit. He watched me pick it up with eager excite- 
ment, and then his face changed and said as plainly as possible, 
“ There now. I’ve taken all this trouble to bring you a rabbit, 
and you are so dull and apathetic you won’t even exert yourself 
to play with it.” 
That he has our welfare very much at heart is shown by an 
attempt he has lately made to expurgate our literature. The 
daily papers have come to our hands with the police reports 
carefully gnawed away ; and the other morning we came down 
to breakfast to find a rather nice edition of Racine's Selected 
Works scattered in little bits on the floor. We think he must 
have mistaken the very correct Racine for some other French- 
man — possibly Zola — but the intention is what we must look at 
and try to respect, though it is a little hard to see our library so 
roughly handled. 
One last remark as to his name of Bardolph. To a casual 
observer nothing could be more unlike Shakespeare’s “ malmsey- 
nosed knave ” than our keen, alert-looking terrier. But the one 
blemish to his very well-marked face is a small red spot on 
one nostril, and here lies his resemblance (and I hope the only 
one) to Falstaff’s bibulous companion, of whom Prince Hal 
remarked that “ His zeal doth burn in his nose.” 
ISIary L. Congreve. 
