. My pets; real happenings in my aviary . My Pets He spent the most of the time on the top of thecage, but sometimes ran about the aviary with theguineapigs and birds, and always squealed loudlywith delight when I entered with fresh food. Whether he incited the others to escape fromtheir cage or not, I did not know; but one day Isaid to my father that his rats were very quiet, andhad not been eating much, also that only one per-former came out, and went round and round on hiswheel, stopping occasionally and holding on to thebars with his pink feet as if to say, Where are mybrothers ? I examine
. My pets; real happenings in my aviary . My Pets He spent the most of the time on the top of thecage, but sometimes ran about the aviary with theguineapigs and birds, and always squealed loudlywith delight when I entered with fresh food. Whether he incited the others to escape fromtheir cage or not, I did not know; but one day Isaid to my father that his rats were very quiet, andhad not been eating much, also that only one per-former came out, and went round and round on hiswheel, stopping occasionally and holding on to thebars with his pink feet as if to say, Where are mybrothers ? I examined his cage, and found only three youngones in it; the other four were running loose in theaviary, probably to the great delight of the formersolitary young one. The other three soon got out, and now I hadseven rats frisking to and fro over the earth floorof the aviary. They had a delightful time, stealingnewspapers and straw from the guineapigs made a nice large nest in a hole in the earth,and for a time were model rats. 82. CHAPTER IX FAREWELL TO THE RATS AND RABBITS I GOT a little uneasy as the rats continued togrow, and to grow, and to grow. However, Ireflected that they were not of pet stock. Theywere common sewer rats, and if they were a goodsize in the open, why should they not attain to agreater, here in this enclosure where they had nota care in the world, and had plenty of what musthave been to them delectable food. I had been accustomed to think of rats as dirtycreatures, and was surprised to find how much theyloved water, and with what determination theywashed and brushed themselves each day. They 83 My Pets were model pets in that respect, but I was disap-pointed to find that they did not grow tame andcome about me. By this time they were enormousfellows, and at night I used to take a lantern andgo into the aviary, and sit on a box and watch wanted to love them. They were my pet not grow as attached to them as to a dog or acat? I could n
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