40 
HABITS OF CATS. 
can exceed their patience when so em¬ 
ployed/’ 
“ I know that!” interrupted Sidney. “I 
have seen old Punch sit for hours at a hole 
where he had seen a mouse go in.” 
“ Oh, Sidney, not for hours!” said Annie. 
“ How many hours ?” 
“I don’t know how many, but I know I 
have seen him watch for hours at a time,” 
persisted Sidney. “Haven’t you, aunt?” 
“Yes, Sidney; I do not think your state¬ 
ment at all exaggerated; and, as you may 
observe, they return to the same place again 
and again, and seem to feel very much dis¬ 
appointed if they do not find something to 
reward them. If they catch a sight of their 
prey at a distance, they crouch close to the 
ground, and, as it were, flattening their 
bodies and lowering their heads, they ad¬ 
vance with rapid but silent steps till they 
are within reach, and then spring forward 
with a quick bound, which rarely fails to 
secure their victim.” 
“There is one thing I don’t like about 
cats,” said Bichard. “ I mean the way they 
play with poor animals and torment them 
