NONDESCRIPT ANIMALS AS PETS.
[TO THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR."] Sra,—I can give you an illustration of the mischievous capabilities of the kinkajou, and also of its very amusing antics and demeanour as a pet if its owner can possibly keep it in subjection. About fifty-five years ago, in 1845 or 1846, the late Mr. Vernon Wollaston, then residing at Jesus College, Cambridge, kept a kinkajou in his rooms. Mr. V. Wollaston is well known from his great book, " Insects Maderiensia," and from his accomplishments as a naturalist. One evening he invited the undergraduate members of the then Cambridge Ray Society to his rooms. There were present on this occasion besides myself Mr. Frederick Towns- end, well known as a botanist and artist; Mr. Charles Woolley Dod, the distinguished botanist and cultivator of rare plants, and in those days, like Mr. Wollaston, a " beetle " collector. These three are now, I believe, th ) only survivors of the party. Others present were Mr. Babington, Professor of Botany at St. John's College; the late Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks; and John Wolley, afterwards distinguished for his enthusiasm in seeking out and discover. ing the nesting-places and eggs of rare birds, such as the jacksnipe, the fieldfare, and many species of eagles. Collins, the Lord of Sark, was of the party, and his cousin Lukis, whose father wrote a very interesting account of that queer fish, the hippocampus, that is published in Yarrell's "British Fishes." Well, after discussion and coffee, Sze., the kinkajou was let loose for a ramble round the rooms. He used to be kept in a large tinned-wire cage, with shavings scented with cajeput oil to keep it pleasantly fragrant. As soon as he got out he began to investigate the guests, biting their fingers gently, nibbling their hair, and so forth. Then he suddenly became excited and apparently possessed by a demon of mischief. He clambered up the bookcase and scat- tered several volumes on the floor, then he ran up the curtains, Upsetting coffee-caps and small impedimenta as he tried to evade his pursuers, as we were all now eager to get him back into his cage ; he tore Babington's coat with his hind claws, and really gave a great deal of not wholly amusing excite• went for twenty minutes or so. Finally, he twisted his tail tightly round a tall lamp and brought it with a smash to the ground. This, I believe, was the most exciting experience that Mr. Vernon Wollaston had of the capabilities of his pet to prove a domestic annoyance, but I do not think any of the
then young members of the Ray Society at Cambridge will forget the kinkajou's evening out. Mr. Wollaston gave his animal soon afterwards to the Zoological Society, and I often saw him in the Gardens when in company with my late dear friend, R. Temple Frere, who was also one of the party.—
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