lapped
his wings excitedly, and a little raccoon laughed so loud that he had to
be sent away in disgrace.

"Now, Ann," said J. M., "give us a poem about your cat."

"Not a wild cat, I hope," put in the parrot hastily. "That kind of a cat
has such bad manners--far, far worse than the raccoon's--that it is not
allowed round here at all. If it's a polite kind of a cat, go on, Miss;
not otherwise."

Little Ann was very red in the face. "But I can't go on," she said. She
intended to say also, "There's nothing to go on with," but just as she
said "There's," a little nickel clock called five very clearly, and she
remarked, instead:--

"There's the snow-white cat, the pearl-gray cat,
The brindle and the brown,
The cat with stripes around himself,
The cat striped up and down,
The plaid cat and the buff cat,
The tan, the tortoise-shell,
The bluish sort, the reddish sort--
More tints than I can tell.
But the finest of the whole fine lot
(There's no disputing that)
Is the jet-black chap with one white spot--
And that's our kind of cat.

"The tiny cat is cunning,
The long, lean cat is fleet,
The nimble one is made for fun,
The fluff-ball one is sweet,
The Persian pussy's splendid,
The Maltese kitty, too,
But the special kind I have in mind
Is best of all the crew.
He's not too quick and frisky,
Nor is he slow and fat;
He's soft and warm and fits my arm,
And he's our kind of cat!"

Ann's recitation was well received. The parrot said he was very familiar
with the kitty kind of cat--in fact, had instructed a good many of them.

Amos remarked that, with so many beasts coming to learn, the place would
soon be filled to overflowing.

"Oh, no," said the parrot. "The same train that brings in a crowd takes a
crowd away."

"_Train?_" Amos repeated, his eyes round with curiosity.

"To be sure--train," the parrot answered. "You don't mean to tell me you
never heard of the Wild Beast Limited?"

Then he preened his feathers with pride and chanted the song of the Wild
Beast Limited.

"The Wild Beast Limited pulls out
With bustle and with fuss.
It's hard to seat the porcupine
And hippopotamus.

"The ants demand a special coach
If one ant-eater goes;
The dormouse wants a sleeping car;
The chickens shun the crows;

"The camel wil