i857-1862 291 at Ardingly, and at his special request was buried at Cheriton Bishop in a solitary grave, and not laid in the family vault. One day whilst I was sitting before my fire, down the chimney came tumbling a bat. It fell on the hearth-mat. I picked it up and put it in a worsted stocking, which I nailed up beside the fire-place, and there it lived quite happily. Every day at one o'clock it descended and took its place under my chair, where it waited till I came from dinner in the hall, whereupon it would crook itself on to my trouser, crawl up on to my knee, and sit there, whilst I fed it with milk. It became tame, and loved to be caressed and talked to. Sometimes it would mount to my shoulder and sit there ; and when I went to my class, would remain there immovable, to the great amusement of the boys and distraction from their lesson. On my return I put the little creature back into the stocking, where it slept, till hungry. The boys called it my Familiar ; and thought that it whispered strange secrets into my ear. Alas, like all pets, it came to a bad end. On a nefast day at one o'clock my little imp had left its nest, had come down and taken up its position under my chair, when the maidservant came in to put coals on my fire, and not noticing it put her broad foot on it. When I arrived there was remaining only the flattened body of my dear little flitter-mouse. That bat understood me, and I understood it. I feel sure that a familiarity exists between man and the lower creatures, if only a sympathy and association exists between them. How certain that is between the dog and man, and in a less degree between man and the horse, even the cat. It exists also between man and the birds. I mourned my bat, as I did for a friend. A sympathetic link certainly does exist between the domestic animals and man. What bounding joy does the dog exhibit when its nursery friends return from school ! How it gambols and frisks about them in their walks, and how it mopes and refuses its food at the end of the vacation, when they depart, as Dr. Blimber would say " to resume their studies." The cat furls its claws when dragged about in rough and tumble fashion by the babe. It escapes, if it can, but does not resent the rough treatment to which it has been subjected. I have read of prisoners forming friendships with mice, even with spiders. But a line must be drawn somewhere.
