The following letter was in reply to one from Mr. Hindmarsh, to whom Mr. Darwin had written asking for information on the average number of animals killed each year in the Chillingham herd.
— from More Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 1 A Record of His Work in a Series of Hitherto Unpublished Letters by Charles Darwin

right in front of me and looking through a square of glass, and apparently wondering what it should do next, was the ugliest little wretch of a kitten ever you saw in your life—a long-nosed, blear-eyed, pingey-wingey thing.
— from The Domestic Cat by Gordon Stables

Arthur could not forbear smiling at the thoughts of a king, eighty years of age, broken down with misfortunes and beset with dangers, who yet amused himself with walking in an open parapet, and composing poetry in presence of all such of his loving subjects as chose to look on.
— from Anne of Geierstein; Or, The Maiden of the Mist. Volume 2 (of 2) by Walter Scott

right in front of me and looking through a square of glass, and apparently wondering what it should do next, was the ugliest little wretch of a kitten ever you saw in your life—I marched up to it as brave as a button, and it had the audacity to come and meet me.
— from Aileen Aroon, A Memoir With other Tales of Faithful Friends and Favourites by Gordon Stables

Billy Banks seen him a-buyin' pork up to the store, an' he handled his pouch ez ef 'twas eggs instid of gold dust—poured it out as keerful ez yer please, an' even scraped up a little bit he spilt.
— from Romance of California Life Illustrated by Pacific Slope Stories, Thrilling, Pathetic and Humorous by John Habberton