A Lovable Little Animal - The Care It Needs - What It Eats

Those who are tired of the eternal " cat-dog-canary " circle of pets might vary it by acquiring a marmoset.

Though first cousin to the monkey, the little fellow has few of the vices of the organ-grinder's colleague and most of the virtues which go to the composition of the ideal pet.

The first requisite in a woman's dumb friend is that it should be "caressable." Look at the marmoset's six-inch scrap of a body, with its wee black face looking sharply out of a tuft of floss-silk hair, and you are inhuman if you can resist kissing the soft little ball of lovableness. Unlike the monkey, the marmoset is gentle, and makes friends with an appealing readiness. He will sit on your wrist and coil his tail round to anchor himself, visibly radiating with happiness.

Marmosets love nothing better than being petted - the finest possible quality in a pet, for both parties to the contract are pleased. He will play with your hair, quite gently and quietly. but the impish curiosity and mischief of his cousins are only mildly represented in his composition. He costs no more than a well-bred dog or cat - one could certainly be obtained for £2 2s.. or even less. from any good dealer in animals.

Your marmoset must have plenty of soft warm bedding to burrow in, for he is sensitive to cold. If there is the slightest chill in the air he loves to insinuate himself into muffs, pockets, the breast of a jacket, or any warm place that is nearest.

There is a wide range of foodstuffs which will suit him. Eggs, fruits, and insects all come alike to him. Nothing delights him more than a fly, which he seizes in his ridiculously tiny hand and promptly swallows.

He is an intrepid ladies' knight when there comes an encounter with that bugbear the cockroach; but, to give an idea of the range of the marmoset's dietary, he has been known to capture skilfully a goldfish from its crystal bowl and devour it.

Like many captive tropical animals, the marmoset is delicate. As a rule, the lungs are the most vital spot in this pet, and to take a marmoset out of doors on a wet day would be tantamount to killing it. One of the most attractive varieties, the lion marmoset. whose colouring, combined with the wonderful miniature mane which covers his head and shoulders, makes the name a remarkably true description, is also one of the most delicate; but it only needs common-sense treatment to secure for your pet the prospects of a reasonably long life.

Keep him warm and dry and never neglect him, for the tiny creature is apt to die from a chill, or from what is suspiciously like a broken heart if not properly cared tor.

Black-eared marmoset Photo IV S. Burridse