ay suggest--omit all picturs in next week's _Punch_,
and do not let your contributors write eny thing whatever (let them have
a holiday; they can go to the British Mooseum;) and publish my Essy
intire. It will fill all your collumes full, and create comment. Does
this proposition strike you? Is it a go?

In case I had read the Essy to the Social Sciencers, I had intended it
should be the closin attraction. I intended it should finish the
proceedins. I think it would have finished them. I understand animals
better than any other class of human creatures. I have a very animal
mind, and I've been identified with 'em doorin my entire perfessional
career as a showman, more especial bears, wolves, leopards and
serpunts.

The leopard is as lively a animal as I ever came into contack with. It
is troo he cannot change his spots, but you can change 'em for him with
a paint-brush, as I once did in the case of a leopard who wasn't
nat'rally spotted in a attractive manner. In exhibitin him I used to
stir him up in his cage with a protracted pole, and for the purpuss of
makin him yell and kick up in a leopardy manner, I used to casionally
whack him over the head. This would make the children inside the booth
scream with fright, which would make fathers of families outside the
booth very anxious to come in--because there is a large class of parents
who have a uncontrollable passion for takin their children to places
where they will stand a chance of being frightened to death.

One day I whacked this leopard more than ushil, which elissited a
remonstrance from a tall gentleman in spectacles, who said, "My good
man, do not beat the poor caged animal. Rather fondle him."

"I'll fondle him with a club," I ansered, hitting him another whack.

"I prithy desist," said the gentleman; "stand aside, and see the effeck
of kindness. I understand the idiosyncracies of these creeturs better
than you do."

With that he went up to the cage, and thrustin his face in between the
iron bars, he said, soothingly, "Come hither, pretty creetur."

The pretty creetur come-hithered rayther speedy, and seized the
gentleman by the whiskers, which he tore off about enuff to stuff a
small cushion with.

He said, "You vagabone, I'll have you indicted for exhibitin dangerous
and immoral animals."

I replied, "Gentle Sir, there isn't a animal here that hasn't a
beautiful moral, but you mustn't fondle 'em. You mustn't meddle with
their idiotsyncracies."