Many of the instances of animal sagacity with which we have been
familiar from our youth have had but slender foundation of fact, upon
which is erected a terribly airy superstructure of fiction. In Mr.
Shepherd's "Animal Actualities," and in the present article, however,
the anecdotes about our lower friends are authentic--vouched for, in
fact, by their various owners--while the photographs from life are
indisputable evidence of their truth.
The dog, as is to be expected, from his occupying a position which
places him under constant observation, forms the subject of more
stories than any other animal; yet it is not known how far his
intelligence extends. Some enthusiasts aver that instances are on
record where a member of the canine race has committed suicide through
grief; but this certainly requires verification. Let us listen to Mr.
G. C. Grove, however, who tells the story of "The Inseparables." He
says:--
"I cannot refrain from telling the following story, which is vouched
for by my most intimate friend. On paying a visit to his uncle, who
is a farmer in Scotland, he noticed a handsome young collie and a
goose with a broken wing, constantly about together; indeed, they
were well-nigh inseparable. On inquiry he elicited the fact that,
when a puppy, the dog had flown at a gosling and had broken its wing;
ever since, it was noticed that the dog was not only cognizant of the
mischief he had done, but became so repentant, that from that time
forward he had taken that one bird under his special protection, though
his feeling towards geese in general remained unchanged; and now,
wherever the dog goes, there follows the goose, and _vice versâ_. It
is a pretty instance of contrition, and may be recommended as a useful
example."
[Illustration: "THE INSEPARABLES."]
One would have thought from stories that have come from Australia that
dogs and kangaroos were inveterate enemies. In our illustration we
seem, however, to have a direct refutation of such an erroneous belief.
We have here five dogs and a kangaroo, the Australian placidly munching
some carrot-heads. There has been no posing about this picture: the
subjects settled themselves together in the most natural fashion.
[Illustration: KANGAROO AND DOGS.
_From a Photo. by A. J. Johnson._]
The dog has not only proved himself to be man's best friend, but he
seems to show a great deal of affection for other animals with which
he may happen to come in contact, either as occasional friends or more
often as constant companions. We have here, for instance, a number
of photos. showing the marvellous way in which animals fraternize
as though they belonged to one family. Professor Lorenzo, of 5,
Crowndale Road, N.W., has a most extraordinary collection of animals
of all kinds. It includes dogs, cats, tame rabbits and wild rabbits,
kangaroos, bantams, pigeons, cockatoos and parrots, and other pets.
Among these we find a friendship which is of many years' standing. A
spaniel and bantam are not often seen together, yet we have them here
in thorough good-fellowship. The dog is a lovable creature, and the
bantam knows it.
[Illustration: SPANIEL AND BANTAM.
_From a Photo. by A. J. Johnson._]
That very bantam, by the way, is the most cheeky fellow in creation.
He does not believe in roosting in orthodox fashion; but chooses, in
preference, some soft, velvety surface whereupon he can settle at ease
and remain as long as he pleases. As shown in the next picture, a cat
is another friend of his. Puss is almost crushed by the weight of
this most unblushing intruder, yet she does not move, lest she should
interfere with his comfort.
Cats and rabbits next come under notice. It may be interesting to quote
a pretty story told by Miss Hamond, of Cheltenham. She says: "The
following incident occurred under my own eyes during my residence in
Spain. The province of Jaen, in sunny Andalusia, is rich in minerals,
and the quaint old country town of Linares may be called the centre
of the lead-mining district, where a goodly number of Englishmen have
settled down with their wives and families and household gods, to make
the best of life under conditions very different from those to which
they were born.
"The children--as children do all the world over--used to keep a
good many pets of different kinds, and in one household which I
often visited--that of Mr. Romer, manager to one of the mining
companies--their name was legion. One afternoon when I came in to tea
there was a great commotion in the yard; obviously something important
had happened. I knew at once that it must be a new kind of pet which
somebody had given them.
[Illustration: BANTAM AND CATS.
_From a Photo. by A. J. Johnson_]
"'One of the miners has brought us some infant rabbits,' said Conchita,
the second girl, hardly able to speak from ill-suppressed excitement.
'They are such babies, they can't feed themselves; do advise us. They
will die if they are not fed soon.' A piece of rag dipped in milk
seemed the only way out of the difficulty; the infants took to it at
once. Indeed, they soon began to nibble at the milk in the saucer.
This problem was evidently solved, but the weather was very cold, and
they had doubtless been accustomed to a warm fur cloak about them. So
Conchita said, 'Might she take them to bed with her?'
[Illustration: CATS AND RABBITS.
_From a Photo. by A. J. Johnson._]
"'Take them in to Molly, and see if he will adopt them,' I suggested,
not intending to be taken at my word; but Conchita thought it an
excellent idea, and acted upon it at once. We all followed her. (I
must explain here that Molly was an immense tom-cat, fat and amiable;
he lived in the schoolroom in a wadded basket, which just fitted him
comfortably.) 'He will eat them up at once, of course,' remarked one of
the bystanders, 'and perhaps it is just as well that he should.' But
he didn't. That excellent cat allowed the mites to be stuffed into his
lap; they at once nestled down and Molly went off to sleep again. Some
of us looked in later in the evening to see what had happened. That
excellent cat was sitting up washing the rabbits! It was the funniest
thing in the world: he evidently remembered his own nursery days, and
was doing his duty according to his lights by his strange charges.
When he came to the long ears he paused, evidently mildly surprised at
the innovation, but those rabbits had a thorough licking before they
finally retired to rest. This sort of thing went on for a fortnight,
the rabbits feeding out of Molly's saucer of bread and milk with him
regularly, though it soon had to be changed for a soup-plate, and a
bigger bed had to be provided. At the end of the fortnight the rabbits
began to take so much exercise that it was difficult to keep them in
one room, and there were so many ferocious cats in the neighbourhood
that Conchita decided that the rabbits must be provided with a hutch
of their own, and so the pretty little comedy came to an end. It never
seemed to have occurred to the amiable Molly that they were good to
eat. We used to bring friends--scoffers and unbelievers, who went
out converted--to that schoolroom, and if Molly, the conscientious
foster-father, were sleepy and indisposed to show off, we used to put a
little butter on the infants' backs. This never failed to wake him up
and induce him to perform their toilet with much energy."
[Illustration: CAT AND DUCKLINGS.]
One of our Australian friends, who prefers his name not to be
published, but whose statements we have very good reasons to believe
to be absolutely true, sends us the extraordinary photo. given below.
"Away out in New Zealand," our kindly correspondent was able to take
this curious picture. He tells the following story in connection with
it: "Everyone knows how deficient in sense of maternal responsibility
are mother ducks, and some ducklings of mine, appearing neglected,
were put into a small box, with flannel, to add to their comfort. As
one of our cats happened to be present, and inspected them with some
interest, my wife said to her, 'Here are some kittens for you, Minna.'
Without more ado Minna jumped into the box, and there and then adopted
them as her very own. When they fell out of the box, she very tenderly
picked them up in her mouth and replaced them. When they pecked at
her after the manner of their kind, she very gently reproached them
with her paw, and seemed to try and tell them in her own language that
she had never seen well-behaved kittens behave in that way before.
Altogether they became a very happy family." Our correspondent says
nothing of their ultimate fate, but we would imagine that when the
ducklings first took to the water, the foster-mother's grief must have
been extremely touching. "On another occasion, however," adds the owner
of the ducklings, "I was standing, one evening, watching my Aylesburys
waddling home to supper and bed after 'a happy day at the seaside,'
when I noticed a little black-and-white duckling evidently not theirs,
which to my surprise was with them. It stopped and looked at me as
the others passed, and seemed to ask, 'What are you going to do with
me?' I picked it up and called the old cat. Putting the duckling in
a box, I said, 'There is another kitten for you, Minna.' Without a
moment's hesitation she once more undertook her strange maternal duty,
and took charge of the mite for some days, till she thought the little
one old enough to face a hard and cruel world by itself. The duckling,
which was called Kitty after its foster-mother, used to follow her
about the garden and up and down the veranda stairs. At last, however,
some boys--for there are cruel and thoughtless boys even in New
Zealand--killed it with a stone."
[Illustration: CAUGHT IN THE ACT. _From a Copyright Stereo Photo, by
Underwood & Underwood._]
Of foster-mothers we have indeed some extraordinary instances. They
show the truthful confidence with which little suckling animals will
approach, and regard as their mother, beasts of quite a different
species. We have here two instances of suckling pigs. In the one case
we have an amusing picture, showing how the little porker was caught
in the act, not only by the camera, but by the jolly farmer in the
background. Stealing milk from a cow, whose yield in consequence fell
noticeably short, was an injudicious thing to do, but it would not have
mattered much had piggie not been caught. The second photo., which
exemplifies a peculiar coincidence, was sent in by Mr. J. A. Hern, of
Wayne, Nebraska, U.S.A. It is a striking confirmation of the preceding
incident, with the difference that, instead of one thief only, we have
three, and already well satisfied they look.
[Illustration: WHY JERSEY LILY GAVE NO MILK.]
Another peculiar pair hail from the States. They live in Walsenburg,
Colorado, the photo being sent in by Mr. Thomas Bunker, of that town.
The mother ass in this case is a most interesting animal. Her ordinary
occupation is that of wood-carrier, as may be gathered from the load
on her patient back; but besides having to suckle her own offspring,
standing so gloomy, sad-eyed, and reproachful on the right, she also
has to nurse the exuberant little lamb seen in the very act of robbing
the little donkey foal of its natural right. The three animals belong
to an old Mexican, and the lamb was reared entirely on the milk of the
mother ass.
[Illustration: AN INFRINGEMENT OF FILIAL RIGHTS. _From a Photo. by
Thomas Bunker, Walsenburg, Colorado._]
The pretty terrier shown in the next illustration was once the happy
mother of an even happier family. Unfortunately, the puppies all died
soon after birth, leaving the mother broken-hearted. For a long while
the dog was inconsolable. It refused its food, moped, and grew thin.
One day, however, a tiny, motherless kitten was given to it. The gift
turned out to be the dog's salvation; it took the greatest care of the
little creature, and woe betide the unfortunate stranger who ventured
too near her precious charge. These pets belong to Miss J. Dresser,
of Bexley Heath, Kent, and we are indebted to her kindness for this
interesting photograph.
[Illustration: A DESPAIRING MOTHER'S SALVATION.
_From a Photo. by A.R. Dresser._]
Mr. Edward T. Williams, of Tedworth Square, Chelsea, owns a dove and
a dog. There is nothing very fresh in this item of news; but wait
a moment: that dog will carry the dove on his head for more than a
quarter of a mile! They are the staunchest of friends, and as soon as
the door of the cage is opened, out hurries the dove. It searches for
the dog, if the latter should not already happen to be waiting for his
rider in the immediate neighbourhood, and the dog seems to consider it
as an absolute duty to carry his friend about in this comical fashion.
[Illustration: DOG AND DOVE.]
Amongst other quaint and extraordinary friendships between animals of
diverse species, one of the most interesting is that so frequently
struck up between cats and horses. Pussie loves to make a fragrant,
hay-scented stable her daily lounge and to nestle against the warm
coat of the horse, who often takes his night's repose lying in his
stall with the favoured Grimalkin snugly sleeping between his iron-shod
hoofs. It was in Brook Mews, N., that the animal in question was
"snapped" amidst the eager and excited observations of the many
bystanders, who quickly thronged to see the fun.
[Illustration: HORSE AND CAT.
_From a Photo. by J. Marks._]
The ladies who have risen to such an elevated position in life are
mother and daughter. The sedate matron is fully alive to the importance
of the occasion, and has adopted an easy, graceful pose; while the
youngster, frisky and somewhat shy, was with difficulty persuaded to
settle comfortably down. Mother cat is an animal of very self-contained
and amiable disposition. She has contracted a fast friendship with two
white rabbits belonging to the coachman's little boy. They live in a
hutch in the stables, and are often allowed a little liberty for a
frolic with puss, who chases them in and out of an empty stall.
From Covington, U.S.A., comes another remarkable instance. Mr. E. E.
Cone, of that town, has a hen that displays a remarkably perverted
maternal instinct. One of the neighbours has a cat with four small
kittens. The cat would be faithful to her offspring were she not
prevented by the following circumstance. This particular hen had
been sitting for some time when she suddenly conceived the idea that
the care of the kittens was more to her liking. She, therefore,
promptly drove the mother cat away and took possession of the kits.
No hen-mother ever watched over her brood with greater care than has
this one over her mewing, squirming litter of kittens. The kittens
offer no objection, and, with the exception of the old cat, who looks
on at a safe distance, all is serene in this anomalous family. In our
photograph the hen is shown endeavouring to cover the four kittens with
her wings, but it does not seem a very easy task.
[Illustration: HEN AND KITTENS.
_From a Photo. by W.J. Cone, Covington, Ill._]
Extraordinary as this instance may seem, we have in a way a parallel
to it. We see a cat taking under her charge some newly-born chicks in
much the same way as the mother-hen did with the kittens. Mr. C. K.
Eaton, of Melbourne House, Montpelier, Bristol, very kindly sends us
the photograph.
It appears that, through some inexplicable reason of her own, the
mother of the chicks deserted them almost immediately after being
hatched, and consequently, there being no other means of rearing them,
they were for some time kept in the kitchen, where, after a few days,
they became fast friends with puss, who proved a splendid substitute
for the mother hen. She seldom left them, and when they were able to
get about she, for a long time, followed them about the garden. The
sight, needless to add, was an extremely pathetic one.
[Illustration: CAT AND CHICKS. _From a Photo. by W. Perkins, Wickwar._]
Miss Powell, of the Grove, Bishopton, Ripon, very kindly sends us the
annexed amusing little photo, of a guinea-pig with a tame rat on its
back. Now, who would ever have thought of such a peculiar freak of
friendship? The pig is one of a pair, which Miss Powell has trained
in harness. Brutus drags fair Venus about the room in a miniature
coach. They are now being taught to sit in loving companionship at a
tea-table. The rat is a tame one, and is an adept at various clever
feats, in the imitation of which the guinea-pigs are nowhere.
[Illustration: GUINEA-PIG AND RAT.]
And now for the strangest instance in our collection. This astonishing
photograph of a collie suckling a brood of young foxes was taken by Mr.
Brown at a farm near Lanark. The little rascals were found in a den not
a hundred miles from the farm. The farmer, with due solicitude, secured
the little family, and took it to his own fire-side. But what could a
respectable farmer do with a brood of young foxes? Now, it happened
that only a day or two before this remarkable find, a fine collie owned
by the farmer had become the happy mother of a family of her own. The
little collies were speedily disposed of, and the young brood of foxes
given to the mother and left to her kind solicitude. Wonderful to
relate, the dog took very kindly to them, and actually suckled them for
five or six weeks.
[Illustration: COLLIE AND FOXES.
_From a Photo. by A. Brown & Co., Lanark._]
_Miss Cayley's Adventures._