he horse died in 1753, the cat sat upon his carcass until it was
buried; and then, creeping slowly and reluctantly away, was never seen
again, till her dead body was found in a hay-loft."

Henry Wriothsly, earl of Southampton, having been some time confined in
the tower of London, was one day surprised by a visit from his favorite
cat, who must have reached her master by descending from the chimney of
the edifice.

The following instance of a cat's courage and maternal affection is
recorded in the Naturalist's Cabinet: "A cat who had a family of
kittens, was playing with them one sunny day in spring, near the door of
a farm-house, when a hawk darted swiftly down and caught one of the
kittens. The assassin was endeavoring to rise with his prey, when the
mother, seeing the danger of the little one, flew at the common enemy,
who, to defend himself, let the kitten fall. The battle presently became
dreadful to both parties; for the hawk, by the power of his wings, the
sharpness of his talons, and the keenness of his beak, had for awhile
the advantage, cruelly lacerating the poor cat, and actually deprived
her of one eye in the conflict. But Puss, not at all daunted by this
accident, strove with all her cunning and strength to protect her little
ones, till she had broken a wing of her adversary. In this state she got
him more within the power of her claws, the hawk still defending
himself, however, according to the best of his ability. The fight
continued for a long time. But at last victory favored the mother; and
by a sudden movement, she laid the hawk motionless beneath her feet,
when, as if exulting in her victory, she tore off the head of her
vanquished enemy. Disregarding the loss of her eye, she immediately ran
to her bleeding kitten, licked the wounds inflicted by the talons of the
hawk, purring, while she caressed the little one, with the same
affection as if nothing had happened to her."

Here is an instance of the ingenuity of a cat. Tabby was in the habit of
visiting a closet, the door of which was fastened by a common iron
latch. A window was situated near the door. When the door was shut, the
cat, as soon as she was tired of her confinement, mounted on the sill of
the window, and with her paws dexterously lifted the latch, opened the
door, and came out of the room. This practice she continued for years.

A cat belonging to a monastery in France was still more ingenious. She
was accustomed to have her meals se