228 



THE GENESEE FAKMER. 



Instinct ok Pigeons. — On the 6th or 7th of October, 

 IS50, S'r John Koss dispatched a joiing pair of pigeons 

 from Assistance B;iy, a little to the west of Wellington 

 Sound, and on the 18th of October a pigeon made its ap- 

 pearance at the dovecot in Ajrshire, from whence Sir John 

 bad the two pairs of pigeons which he took out. The 

 distance direct betweeh the two places is about 2,000 miles. 

 The dovecot was under repair at thi« time, and the pigeons 

 belonging to it had been removed, but the servants of the 

 house were struck with the appearance and motions of 

 this stranger. After a short stay it went to the pigeon- 

 house of a neighboring pr'>pr!etor, where it was caught 

 and sent back to the lady who originally owned it. She at 

 once recognised it as one of those which she had given to 

 Sir John Koss : but to put the matter to the test, it was 

 carried to the pigeon-house, when, out of many niches, it 

 directly went to the one in which it had been hatched. 

 No doubt remained in the mind of the lady of the identity 

 of the bird. By what extraordinary power did this bird 

 find its way, and by what route did it come ? 



Peohfic Goose. — The Boston Cultivator states that 

 " Da. Eben "Wight, of Dedham, Mass., has a goose — a 

 •ross of the Bremen and large Chinese (sometimes called 

 the Hong Kong) — which, from the middle of February to 

 ^6 middle of May last, laid sixty-five eggs. She laid 

 about the samo number last year. The greater portion 

 were disposed of by being set under hens and other geese, 

 but when the goose in question showed a disposition to 

 attend to maternal duties, the proper number of eggs were 

 •.Ilowed her. and in due time she brought out her annual 

 brood. It should be noticed that this goose is a hybrid 

 between two very distinct varieties. Some naturalists 

 have even contended that the stock to which the male pa- 

 rent of this specimen belongs, is a different species from 

 other geese. We have rot rooin to go into the merits of 

 the case, but will simply remark that several members of 

 the same brood as the goose mentioned, have shown the 

 same prolific character, and we offer the fact for the con- 

 sideration of persons who hold that crossing tends to 

 aterility." 



"Scientific." — The Plough, the Loom and the Anvil 

 has a " Scientific " Department. The editor. Prof. Nash, 

 in publishing an article on guano, says : " We place it 

 under the head of Scientific, as it illustrates the science of 

 spunging, an 1 that is certainly a great science." We are 



sometimes asked, " Is the editor of the as great 



a scientific man as he pretends ? " We are always glad to 

 »peak vvell of our contemporaries, and, taking Prof. Nash's 

 view of the subject, shall for the future answer i/es, — as 

 we can do so with a good conscience. 



D^.sioNS FOE Houses, Barns, &c. — We shall feel 

 f^reatly obliged to anj' of our readets who will send us de- 

 signs for farm houses, barns, &ic., especially of those which 

 have been erected and which prove convenient. Let. us 

 have a sketch of the outside — no matter if it is a rough 

 one, we can get it drawn over — Jnd an accurate ground 

 plan, with a full and detuled description of the interior 

 ammgemsnts, with such hints in regard to the construc- 

 tion as may nrove usefui to those who raacy wish to build 

 firom the design. 



Sagacity of Rats. — The Lojidon Qunrteily Revhw, 

 speaking of the sagacity of rats, says : '• Incredible as the 

 story may appear of their removing hens' eggs by one fel- 

 low lying on his back and grasping tightly his Ovoid bur- 

 den with his paws, while his comrades drag him away ^J^ 

 the tail, we have no reason to disbelieve it, knowing as vr« 

 do that they will carry eggs from the bottom to the top of 

 the house, lifting them from stair to stair, the first push- 

 ing them on its hind, and the second lifting them with its 

 fore legs. They will extract the cotton from a flask of 

 Florence oil, dipping in their long tails, and repeating the 

 manceuvrc until they had consumed every drop. We have 

 found lumps of sugar in deep drawers at a distance of 

 thirty feet from the place where the petty larceny waa 

 Committed ; and a friend saw a rat mount a table on which 

 a drum of figs was placed, and straightway tip it over, 

 scattering its contents on the floor beneath, where a score 

 of his espectant brethren sat watching for the windfall." 



«•« 



Portuguese Cattle. — The King of Portugal has re- 

 cently sent over to England a present of cattle of a very 

 peculiar breed to Queen A'"ictor!a, consisting of a bull, 

 two heifers, and a bull calf. The animals are of the most 

 perfect symmetry, and very diminutive, standing ecarcftly 

 forty inches high. They are of a dun color, and in fine 

 condition. The cows are very docile ; but the bull, on 

 being driven from the station to Prince Albert's model 

 farm at Frogniore, where they are now installed, exhibited 

 a disposition rather the reverse of that of his companions, 

 by tossing an unfortunate donkey about his own size, which 

 happened to come in his way These Lilliputian animals 

 much resemble the Alderney or Jersey breed, but appeaj- 

 to be scarcely more than half the size. 



The Plough, the Loom and the Anvil. — This excel- 

 lent monthly commences a new volume this month. The 

 price is $2 per annum, but the publi-shers say that ** for 

 the purpose of bringing the future volumes into accord- 

 ance with the year, the tenth volume will comprise bnt 

 six months, ending with January, 1858. It will be oom- 

 plcte in itself, with title page and index ; will contain 400 

 pages, (half the usual number,) and will be sold at $1 t« 

 single subscribers, and 7<5 cents each to clubs of four." The 

 P., L and A. is edited by Prof. J. A. Nash and M. P. 

 Parish, and is an instructive, interesting and reliable ag- 

 ricultural journal. Give it a trial for sis months. 



Cure For Ringbone. — The editor of the London 

 Field says there is nothing so likely to cure ringbone as 

 an ointment composed of two drachms of biniodide of 

 mercury and one ounce of lard. On the following da; 

 apply soft soap, rubbing it on gently with the hand ; leave 

 it there until it falls off itself. Be sure to purchase the 

 biniodide at a first-rate druggist's, and keep it in a glass- 

 stopped bottle. 



Sheei" for California. — A. Austin, of California, 

 has purciiased four French Merino sheep — tv/o rams and 

 two ewes — from J. I). Pattehsom. Westfield, Chautanque 

 Co., N. Y. They were talen out in the last California 

 steamer from New York. We hope to hear of their safe 

 an'ivuL The price saiU to have been paid for them waa 



