C. Black. Loki,' the cat of this book, lived with
his mother and brothers and sisters at No. 100 Egerton Gardens, with a charming young lady called "Auntie May." He was a pure-bred Persian of the "Blue Smoke" variety, and thought a great deal of his pedigree, which lie traced back to Pasht of Bubastis.' His mother, Petronilla; was a cultivated and clever cat. ' Loki' had an excellent education from her, as well as from "Auntie May " and her niece Rosamund, a very nice little girl, who took great pride in being the " cat-maid." Children and cats seem to have an instinctive understanding of one another, which is perhaps natural, as the child has not travelled so far from the East as we older people have. A thread of story runs through the book, and there are some lively descriptions of a country house in Yorkshire and its inhabitants of all kinds. Here ' Loki' does his first day's hunting, and catches three mice in the carpenter's shop. He is a delightful creature, and his autobiography will appeal to cat-lovers, as it has more than a touch of feline nature in it. Here, too, a certain Mr. Fox, who, unfortunately, turns green and faints in the presence of a cat, falls in love with "Auntie May." The reader can foresee the difficulties of this state of things, and Miss Violet Hunt skilfully works out tho situation. We must say a word about the illustrations by Mr. Adolf Birkenruth, of which there are twelve full-page ones printed in colours. They are very bright and pleasing, but tho artist is less successful with cats and kittens than he is with people and things. The one of " Auntie May " shut out of a house in Paris is charming, and so is that of her father at his easel ; indeed, they are all worth looking at.
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