ceed each other. Suppose some one family had
for two hundred years carried on continuous experiments in breeding
any race of animals. What remarkable results would have been attained!
Behold what remarkable results are attained in raising varieties of
plants, where the swiftness of succeeding generations enables man to
accomplish what he seeks in a very short time. Observing the
difficulties that confront the animal breeder and wishing to see in my
own lifetime certain results that might ordinarily be expected only in
a duration of several lifetimes, I sought an animal which came to
maturity rapidly, whose generations succeeded each rapidly. At the
same time, I wanted an animal comparatively highly organized, a
mammal, not a reptile."

At this point, his instructive discourse was interrupted by the
reappearance of the monster, which charged into the yard with its nose
to the ground, following some scent, sniffing so loudly that the sound
was plainly audible despite the closed window. After having hastened
about the yard for a few moments it was off up the road to the
eastward, still with nose to the ground, until coming to the push cart
left at the roadside by Nora, it examined it carefully and then with a
sudden access of unaccountable rage, fell upon it and demolished it,
beating and chewing it into bits.

Whatever celerity this terrible beast had exhibited before, was now
completely eclipsed, as with nose to the ground, it rushed back to the
yard, straight to the house, and rearing on its hinder quarters,
placed its forelegs on the porch roof, which gave way beneath the
ponderous weight. Not disconcerted by the removal of this support, the
monster continued to maintain its sitting posture, looking in the
window at the terrified persons beyond, snapping and gnashing its huge
jaws in a manner terrible to hear and still more terrible to
contemplate. Nora was partially reassured by observing that the
animal's head was too wide to go through the window, but the hopes
thus raised were dashed by Klingenspiel moaning:

"He'll gnaw right through the house, he'll chew right through the
roof. He'll get in. He has smelled that big cabbage and he'll get in."

"In that case," remarked Nora, with decision, "I'll not wait for him
to come in to get the cabbage, but throw it out to him," and raising
the window, thrust out the cabbage, which having caught with a
deftness unexpected in a creature of its bulk, the beast retired a
sh