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THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



he extended his travels was not known, 

 but one day he sedately walked into the 

 office at Albany, rested for a few days, 

 was fed on soup and beefsteak saved for 

 him from the clerks' dinner, and then 



FIG. 1. "OWNEY," WHO TRAVELLED 



WITH MAIL BAGS IN ALL PARTS OF 



THE WORLD. 



vanished. As he pretty regularly re- 

 peated these movements, he soon became 

 known as a traveller and the Albany 

 clerks supplied him with a collar and a 

 tag on which they asked that his travels 

 be recorded. The name "Owney" was 

 given him probably because he appeared 

 to be his own owner, and independent 

 too after he had once "found himself." 



For several years he continued to 

 travel from place to place, always using 

 the mail cars and never on any account 

 entering a passenger coach. For eleven 

 years his life was thus passed and the re- 

 cords show that he saw nearly all parts 

 of the United States, some of Mexico 

 and of Canada. At one time he was de- 

 tained in Montreal and the postmaster 

 there refused to release him until a board 

 bill of two dollars and fifty cents had 

 been paid. This the clerks in the Albany 

 office contributed and forwarded to Mon- 

 treal, when Owney resumed his travels. 

 He followed the mail pouches aboard 



ocean going steamers and visited various 

 points in Europe and in Asia as well as 

 other parts of the world. On one occa- 

 sion, on his arrival at Washington, Post- 

 master General Wanamaker saw him 

 and had made for him a harness to 

 which he attached the tags and the vari- 

 ous medals which Owney had received 

 from admiring friends. Some one in 

 Mexico had given him a silver dollar ; 

 the Mikado of Japan presented him with 

 a silver medal bearing the Japanese na- 

 tional coat of arms. Finally the harness 

 with its weight of medals and souvenirs 

 became so much of a burden that it was 

 removed and is now preserved in a case 

 in the Washington post office. 



In 1897 he visited Toledo, Ohio, and 

 was confined in the cellar of the post 

 office there until a photographer could 

 find it convenient to calj on him 

 for his picture. The confinement and 

 the delay were so irksome to Owney 

 that he gave vent to the expression of 

 his irritation and bit the hand of a clerk 

 who attempted to soothe and caress him. 

 The frightened man spread the report 

 that Owney was mad. This frightened 

 the post master, a policeman was called 

 and Owney 's career was ended by a 

 bullet. 



Fig. 1 shows a portrait of the remark- 

 able animal ; Fig. 2, his body, with its 

 harness and medals, as preserved in the 

 National Museum at Washington, 1). C. 



FIG. 2. OWNEY WITH HIS MEDALS IN 

 THE POSTAL MUSEUM AT WASHING- 

 TON. 



