ite, yellow and black,
set on anyhow, sticking out in odd tufts, one side of their heads white
and the other black, their eyes just like boot buttons, they _were_
captivating; and a pair had to be chosen forthwith, and packed in a
basket with a tortoise and a huge Egyptian lizard, and with these spoils
I was not sorry to leave this place of varied noises and smells. The
lizard was about fourteen inches long, a really grand creature. He came
from the ruins of ancient Egypt, and looked in his calm stateliness as
though he might have gazed upon the Pharaohs themselves. When placed in
the sun for a time he would sometimes deign to move a few inches, his
massive, grey, scaly body looking very like a young crocodile. I was
greatly teased about my fondness for "Rameses," as I called this new and
majestic pet; there was a great fascination about him, and as I really
wished to know more of his ways and habits, I carried the basket in
which he lived everywhere with me indoors and out, and studied all
possible ways of feeding him; but alas! nothing would induce him to eat.
After gazing for five minutes at the most tempting mealworm, he would at
last raise up his mighty head and appear to be revolving great ideas to
which mealworms and all sublunary things must give place. Jamrach told
me that the lizard would drink milk, so a saucerful was placed before
him, and once he did drink a few drops, but generally he walked into and
over the saucer as if it did not exist.

I believe the poor creature had been without food so long that it had
lost the power of taking nourishment, and to my great regret I found it
grew weaker and thinner, and at last it died, and all I could do was to
send the remains to a naturalist to be preserved somewhat after the
fashion of its great namesake.

The odd little guinea-pigs were named Fluff and Jamrach, and were a
source of much amusement. As they could not agree, and as the fights
grew serious, Jamrach was banished to the stable and Fluff occupied a
cage in the dining-room. When let out it was curious to see how he would
always keep close to the sides of the room--never would he venture into
the middle, the protection of the skirting board seemed indispensable,
and when let out under the tulip-tree he ran round the trunk in the same
way, only occasionally making an excursion to the edge of the branches
which rested on the ground, the space beyond was a _terra incognita_
which could not be explored by th