approach her, she would sit up like a squirrel, and with both fore-paws box his ears, while he sat rebuked and ashamed. As she grew older, and had children, she lost something of her beauty, but she ever had a gentle, tender, and courageous heart. She was fond of basking with her kittens on a certain sunny balcony. One day I saw her thus lie, nursing her favourite son, when a poor, draggled, wayfaring puss appeared, and looked on with sympathy and approval. The look plainly said, "What a lovely child you have, madam! Oh, if I might only embrace it!" The proud mother, with a kindly "w-r-r!" encouraged the strange female to approach; and she crept near to lick the kitten. She had, however, no sooner touched him with her tongue, than he sat up and spat at her. The strange cat drew back, humbled with the repulse; but "La Fille" turned and boxed her offspring's ears for his incivility. That same son was white, with large blue eyes; he grew to be a gigantic fellow, and was named "Don Pierrot." Moreover, he had a loud, ringing voice, which was all the louder that, being deaf—like almost all white cats—he never knew the pitch he used. In spite of his size, and his great voice, he had the heart of a mouse—(he was a gelding) and fled from the meanest thing that ran upon legs. I have seen him, when dozing in the sun with one eye half-open, start up in horror at the approach of the insect (somewhat like a black-beetle) which children call "coach and horses." The insect paused upon "Don Pierrot's" movement, when the white Don curiously ventured to touch him with a paw. Upon that the insect reared its tail, according to its habit, and rushed towards him as with headstrong ferocity; "Don Pierrot" withdrew a step in amazement at the little black demon's audacity, and as it continued to advance, he lifted away one foot after the other, till, coming to the conclusion that the little black demon was determined to kill him possess him, and eat him up, he fled wildly from the spot, and hid himself for the day. He was much persecuted by the tom-cats of the neighbourhood, and by vagrant dogs—all the more painfully persecuted that, because of his deafness, he seldom knew of their approach till they were upon him. But when they were upon him, he raised such a great and bitter cry—which resembled nothing so much as "Mother!"—that his assailant held back, and before there was time for a repetition of the attack, the little "mother" was out, with a tail as big as a fox's, clouting and scratching tom-cat or dog.
"A levee."
I could tell more of "La Fille" and of other cats I have intimately known, but it will be doubtless more agreeable if I tell of notable cats whom others have known, and loved, and praised. Of such none is more remarkable than "Pret," the cat of a lady with whom the Rev. J. G. Wood had a correspondence. "Pret" was of a fine breed. She had been brought when a kitten from France. She had a long tail and a soft chinchilla fur. "Pret's" mistress fell ill of a nervous fever, and "Pret," though little more than a kitten, found her way to the sick-room and refused to leave it. She established herself as head nurse. If the human attendant slackened in her watch "Pret" did not; day or night she knew, to within five minutes, the pro-
