. The country home. d bad ways. If we will take the trouble to get rid of bad breedsof cats, and cultivate only the best results of ani-mal evolution, I think we shall find that we havesomething better than a mere mouser. A friendof mine tells me of his cat, that enjoys nothingbetter than fishing, often landing a perch or pick-erel or bass weighing three or four pounds. Thiscat has learned to associate his fishing propensi-ties with the family larder, for he never attempts toeat the fish that he catches, but carries it home andlays it at his mistresss feet. He generally huntsalone, but sometim
. The country home. d bad ways. If we will take the trouble to get rid of bad breedsof cats, and cultivate only the best results of ani-mal evolution, I think we shall find that we havesomething better than a mere mouser. A friendof mine tells me of his cat, that enjoys nothingbetter than fishing, often landing a perch or pick-erel or bass weighing three or four pounds. Thiscat has learned to associate his fishing propensi-ties with the family larder, for he never attempts toeat the fish that he catches, but carries it home andlays it at his mistresss feet. He generally huntsalone, but sometimes starts out with the family dog,and they will occasionally return with about anequal share of game — not unfrequently par-tridges. I had myself a beautiful maltese, whowould ride on my shoulder to a pond where frogsabounded, and would leap from my shoulder andcatch a victim much more quickly than I could getit in any other way. A reliable story reaches meof a cat at Stockton, California, whose mistress has [344]. FIFTEEN] HAPPY ANIMALS a fine almond grove. In summer, when the nutsbegin to ripen and fall to the ground, the cat and itsmistress work side by side, every fine morning,gatheringthe nuts. Richelieu darts back andforth, busily picking up the almonds, one at atime, with his teeth, and dropping them into thebasket. This he continues to do until he hasmade a much more sure cleaning of the groundthan his mistress could do. When she feels agentle tug at her dress, and a loud purring as herubs against her skirt, she understands that thenuts are all in the basket. This same cat is re-ported to be quite as expert at a small churn as aNewfoundland dog. What is more curious is,that he knows just when the butter has come andshould be taken from the churn. I think the secretis very much as it is with children; train an animalto find its fun in work, and work becomes itspassion. We need to comprehend the fact that we arenot so far removed from other living is a p
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectgardening, bookyear19
