swollen, his fur torn
off, his frolic and vivacity gone; and he sat crouching by the fire all
day. At night he was roused by the fierce defiance of his enemies; and
the contest continued till he died from his exertions.

One cat belonging to me had a curious manner of shewing her
disappointment or anger, whichever it might be; for the instant she was
affronted, she walked away and seated herself with her back to the
offending parties. A child of hers was an instance of the effect of
judicious education, for fair and gentle treatment transformed her, from
a violent, outrageous kitten, to a well behaved cat, and it was curious
to see the instantaneous effect which the voice of his preceptress
produced. Cats will learn all sorts of antics, and form all sorts of
contradictory attachments; young birds, puppies, rats and mice
frequently being the objects. My mother-in-law had both a favourite
canary and an equally beloved cat; the former lived in her bed room; and
when alone, she suffered him to fly about the room, for she could there
exclude the latter. Chance, however, discovered that puss was as fond of
the canary as she was; and, to her surprise, on raising her head from
her work one morning, she saw the bird perched upon the cat's body,
without fear, and the cat evidently delighted. After that there was no
further restraint, and the two pets were daily companions. Their
mistress, however, received another fright; for Puss gave a slight
growl, and seizing the bird in her mouth, leaped on to the bed; her tail
swelled out, her hair erect, and her eyes as big as four. The bird was
of course given up for lost: but the door being accidentally left open,
a strange cat had come in; and it was for the preservation of the bird,
that the cat had seized him, and as soon as the intruder was driven
away, she set the prisoner at liberty. Cats have often been trained to
act as game-finders, without offering the slightest damage to their
capture; they have given the alarm when thieves have been breaking in;
and manifested great proofs of reflection and thought, which may be
called reason, without degrading this act of the intellect. One
belonging to my sister invariably goes to her room when she rings her
bell; but does not offer to stir when any other bell in the house is
sounded. Another, in the service of a friend, was in the habit of going
into the garden, catching a bird, and bringing it to the cook,
appearing to ask her to dress it