288 



Travelling Power of Animals. — St. Johri's Wort. Vol. VIII* 



board the ship, by the name of Lord Nelson. 

 It was marked in the usual way, by having 

 certain initials and numbers burnt upon its 

 under shell with a hot iron, which marks 

 are known never to be obliterated. Owing 

 to various causes, the ship was a lonaf time 

 on her passage homeward — a circumstance 

 which caused a great many of the turtle to 

 die, and most of the rest were very sickly. 

 This was the case with the Lord Nelson ; 

 which was so nearly dead when the vessel 

 arrived in the channel, that the sailors, with 

 whom it was a favourite, threw it overboard, 

 in order, as they said, to give it a chance. 

 Its native element revived it, for, two years 

 afterwards, the same turtle was again taken 

 at its old haunt on the island of Ascension." 



There are instances of hounds having re- 

 turned from England to Ireland, and of cats 

 traversing nearly the whole island, in order 

 to regain a favourite place of abode. There 

 are also instances of dogs having returned 

 to France, across the channel. The circum- 

 stances attending one such case, are curious 

 and amusing. "An officer of 44th regiment, 

 who had occasion, when in Paris, to pas.s 

 one of the bridges across the Seine, had his 

 boots, which had been previously well pol- 

 ished, dirtied by a poodle dog rubbing against 

 them. He in consequence went to a man 

 who was stationed on the bridge and had 

 them cleaned. 



The same circumstances having occurred 

 more than once, his curiosity was excited, 

 and he watclied the dog. He saw him roll 

 himself in the mud of tlie river, and then 

 watch for a person with well polished boots, 

 against which he contrived to rub himself 

 Finding that the shoe-black was the owner 

 of the dog, he taxed him with the artifice; 

 and after a little hesitation, he confessed 

 that he had taught the dog the trick, in 

 order to procure customers to himself. The 

 officer being much struck with the dog's sa- 

 gacity, purchased him at a high price, and 

 brought him to England. He kept him tied 

 in London some time, and then released 

 him. The dog remained with him a day 

 or two, and then made his escape. A fort- 

 night after, he was found with his former 

 master pursuing his old trade on the bridge." 



It fully appears, as we conceive, from all 

 the facts which have been stated, that this 

 travelling power of animals has no necessary 

 connexion with eye-sight, smell, or any other 

 kind of perception whatever, but is a pecu- 

 liar instinct operating in a way of which we 

 can form no clear idea. This view is sup- 

 ported to our apprehension, by a particular 

 consideration affecting instinct. This class 

 of mental powers is largely developed in 

 the animals, compared with man ; but as the 



animals have a rudimental form of our ordi- 

 nary intellectual powers, so do men seem to 

 have a rudimental development of some of 

 the instincts so largely bestowed upon them. 

 These are only traceable with any clearness 

 in the savage state. The wild Indian, it is 

 well known, has all the natural perceptive 

 powers in far higher activity and refinement 

 than the civilized man. He has also some 

 faint share of that wonderful power wliich 

 enables birds, reptiles, and animals of vari- 

 ous species, to find their way over large un- 

 known tracts to particular places formerly 

 known. 



It is stated of Australian savages, on the 

 first authority, that they are enabled to re- 

 turn for hundreds of miles to their homes, 

 though totally unacquainted with the route, 

 being led by an intuitive impulse, which 

 they cannot explain. There are some in- 

 stances of Europeans finding their way home 

 at night by paths unknown to them, when 

 in a state of intoxication so great as to have 

 left them no recollection of the circum- 

 stances; and we often hear of blind men 

 getting through difficulties with a degree of 

 accuracy very difficult to comprehend. — V. 

 States Gazette. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



St. John's Wort. 



I SOME time since noticed in the Cabinet* 

 an article relating to the total disappearance 

 of the St. John's Wort, and requesting in- 

 formation whether there be a general ex- 

 tinction of this plant. So far as my obser- 

 vation has extended, I may state that I have 

 seen none in the west end of Chester county 

 for the last two years. I had a field sowed 

 with clover in the spring of 1838, which wag 

 followed by the dry summer that totally de- 

 stroyed the young clover. The next sum- 

 mer the St. John's Wort sprang up and co- 

 vered the field completely over. In the 

 early part of June, I set two men to mow 

 the St. Jolm's Wort, designing to plciugh 

 the field the next fall for wheat, and not 

 wishing the seed to ripen ; but as the 

 bunches spread very much, they were un- 

 able to cut all, and others sprang up. By 

 the time I ploughed for wheat, the field was 

 completely seeded : of course I expected it 

 would be again entirely overrun by this per- 

 nicious weed, but to my surprise, I have not 

 seen a stalk in it since. T. W. 



Stecleville, Pa. 



Whoso' by the 'plough would thrive, 

 Himself must either hold or drive. 



* See page 83, current volume. 



