March 3, 1882.] 



• KNOWLEDGE 



331 



1 1 throw the food from the pouch into the* mouth, then thrust hi8 

 iKir.'l into Tadpole's mouth, and take out the half-chewed food, 

 » liiL-li he at once transferred to his own. 



One day, while off the Cape of Good Hope in a prale, with a heavy 

 sea running, our ship was close hauled under the lower topsails and 

 fore-topmast staysail, when Smiler escaped from his house and ran 

 aloft, perching himself on the fore-topmast cross-trees. Fearing lest 

 he might be blown overboard, I sent a man aloft to catch him. 

 When Smiler saw the man coming after him, he slipped down the 

 jib halliards just beyond reach. The man shook the halliards, with 

 a view of making him slip down to the jib-boom end, where another 

 man was stationed to catch him, but Smiler losing hia hold was 

 blown far to leeward, and for the time disappeared. 



We were all anxiously looking to leeward for him, but he was 

 nowhere to be seen, when the cook rushed to windward, and putting 

 his head over the rail saw him abreast the fore-rigging, and within 

 (leaving distance. An iron bolt was bent to the log-line and thrown 

 to the little fellow, who immediately seized hold and waa success- 

 fully hauled on board, smiling grimly. 



Again, in the year 1869 I got a retriever pup in Yokohama, which 

 I used to drill during the dog-watches at sea, by throwing articles 

 ;iIong the deck for him to fetch back. Among other things ^vns a 

 '"ft felt hat, with a rather tall crown. At first this hat perplexed 

 him much, as he usually seized it by the rim, and in running along 

 he deck with it, tripped himself up by catching his fore-paws in 

 ■lie crown. After repeated trials with the same result, he laid the 

 I It duw, and with his fore-paws and mouth rolled it up, and carried 

 :t in that manner. OcR.\.\. 



A CARNIVOROUS PARROT. 



THE remarkable bird, the Nestor nofabili', or Mountain Kea, of 

 Xew Zealand, is a parrot of strong frame and powerful bill 

 and claws, which were used, like those of all parrots, for obtaining 

 a vegetable diet, until the colonists introduced sheep and pigs, .\^s 

 soon as this was done, the Kea seems to have abandoned vegetable 

 food, and to have taken entirely to flesh eating. He attacks sick, 

 or dying, or disabled sheep, and, with his powerful cutting boak, 

 opens a passage through the back, and eats the intestines. Even 

 healthy animals are sometimes assailed by the Xestor notahilis, and 

 there are sheep-runs in New Zealand where considerable losses 

 have been incurred through these strange birds. The specimen in 

 the Zoological Gardens gave as much trouble to capture a.8 an 

 eagle, tearing the clothes of the shepherd, who knocked it down 

 while pouncing on a lamb, and lacerating his hands. The 

 Kea scorns cooked meat, biscuits, fruit, or seeds, and likes raw 

 mutton better than any food. He will tear the skin and flesh 

 from a sheep's head after the furious fashion of a vulture — ■ 

 leaving nothing but the bare skull. He at one time holds the 

 morscla in hia lifted claw, after the style of parrots, and at another 

 grips them under his feet while rending with his feet like a hawk. 

 This is a curious example of change of habit, for there is every 

 reason to believe that before sheep and pigs were introduced into 

 New Zealand the kea was as frugiverous in its meals as most, if 

 not all other, parrots. He will now eat pork and beef as well aa 

 mutton, and has become, in fact, utterly and hopelessly carnivorous. 

 It is to be feared, after this example, that temptation is often fatal 

 to birds and beasts, as well as man. Had it not been for Captain 

 Cook and the English sheep flocks, the Awtor notahilif would have 

 lived and died innocent of crime; but now its bloml -stained carcase 

 u suspended outside many a sheepfold near Otago, — From the 

 Daily Telegraph. 



t I 1 . 



JACKO : A BABOON'S BIOGRAPHY. 



MANY years ago, when stationed at an outpost on the Great 

 Fish River, in the eastern frontier of South Africa, I was 

 presented by the oflicer I relieved with a youcg baboon, which, 

 when captured, was so young that it had to be brought up by hand. 



From the first, I took a great deal of notice of it, and it became 

 »ery much attached to me. It made great progress and grew up a 

 healthy, strong animal. 



Jacko waa mischievotis beyond expression, and the first time that 

 I discovered that he had a temper of his own waa on the following 

 occasion ; — 



I had given him a saucer of bread and milk, and my wife, seeing 

 that he had emptied the saucer, stooped, and put out her hand to 

 remove it. He immediately flew at her, and tore her collar, making 

 a hideoQs noise. I said, "This will never do, Master Jacko, you 

 must be taught manners," upon which I handed my wife her riding 

 whip, and desired her to whip him, holding him, myself, firmly. Ho 

 howled and screamed loudly, lottking round the while in search of 



something to fly at, but never attempted to touch either myself or 

 my wife. 



Jacko was always secured by a leather strap round his loins, to 

 which was attached a strong steel chain, the end of which was 

 secured by a strong padlock, which clasped an iron ring. This 

 ring traversed freely up and down a pole, some seven feet in height, 

 on the top of which a board was nailed, which, of course, kept the 

 iron ring safely on the pole. This board was Jacko's favourite 

 seat and post of observation. He was perfectly aware that the 

 padlock and the board were his detainers ; for he was constantly 

 either picking at the padlock or working at the boanl, to trj- and 

 loosen it, and, incredible as it may seem, he actually succeeded in 

 disengaging the iron plate from the padlocks, compelling me to 

 renew them frequently, 



Jacko's pole was always erected close to my quarters, and I 

 could watch his procoe<lings from my window unknown to him, and 

 they were always most amusing. It ia the custom in barracks for 

 the pioneers to go round and sweep up the barrack square. One 

 morning I saw a man, with a wheelbarnjw full of straw and other 

 rubbish, sweepings of the square, put down his barrow near Jacko's 

 pole while he was sweeping in the immediate neigh l>ourhood. Jacko 

 was seated upon his high perch, apparently taking no notice of 

 what was going on. Presently I saw the pioneer di.sappear to 

 sweep round a comer. Jacko was down like lightning, capsized 

 the barrow, and with his long and powerful arms scattered the 

 contents in everj- dii'cction, and when the pioneer appeared, 

 was up on his perch again with wonderful celerity, looking in quite 

 a different direction, with a face of the most ludicrous innocence. 



One morning, from my look-out window, seeing Jacko come 

 down from his jjerch very demurely to the ground, and slacken hi.s 

 chain, and then lie down, as if innocently basking in the sun, I felt 

 fully aware that mischief was brewing. Presently 1 saw a fat little 

 puppy appear on the scene, and Master Jacko's sleepy-looking eye 

 fixed upon it most intently. When the puppy had strayed within 

 reach, Jacko's chain was quietly tightened, and with his hind leg ho 

 seized it ; and immediately clasping it in his arms, he clambered 

 with it to the top of his high perch. For a short time the puppy 

 was nursed and dangled in his arms, just as a woman would nurse 

 a baby; then he began a careful search tor fleas, with which tho 

 poor little thing was tormented. All at once a bright idea seemed 

 to strike him, for, grasping the puppy by the tail, and holding it 

 out at arm's length, and, looking, with an expression of most inno- 

 cent demureness, in the opposite direction, he quietly opened his 

 hand, and down fell the poor little animal, with a "thud," to the 

 ground. I ran out to succour the poor little brute, and scolded 

 Jacko vigorously for his cruelty, which, however, was perfectly 

 useless, for he instantly assumed a pre-occupied air, and was appa- 

 rently intensely interested in some imaginary object in the 

 distance. 



One morning I perceived that Jacko had loosened hia perch, and 

 witnessed his triumphant lixik when ho had succeeded in throwing 

 it to the ground. He now had nothing but the small top of his polo 

 to stand on, and thus standing, he pulled up the chain, and brought 

 the ring close to the top, but found his feet in the way. This 

 puzzled him for some little time. At last a happy thought struck 

 him, and seizing the ring with both hands, he jumped into the air, 

 and the next minute waa scouring the barrack stjuare. 



The rattle of Jacko's chain, and the crj- of " Jacko's loose," was 

 always the forerunner of a race for refuge and a slamming of doors 

 among the female members of our community. 



It was perfectly useless to provide him with any place of refuge 

 or shelter, as his energies wore at once at work to destroy it, in 

 which he succeeded uncommonly well ; so, at night, a sack waa 

 suspended from the top of his pole, into which he nestled himself 

 with great comfort ; and it is a singular fact, that at night I could 

 go up to his pole and touch his sack, and he nevor attempted to 

 move, but would give me an affectionate grunt of glail welcome, but 

 if any other individual approached within a yard of his pole, Jacko 

 was out of hia nest in an instant, screaming, and prepared for 

 battle. 



On a cold, wet, rainy niglit I used often to take him a bowl full 

 of hot coffee, and knowing there was sugar at the bottom of tho 

 bowl, he could not resist the temptation of plunging his hand into 

 it to search for the sugar, although the coffee was so hot that he was 

 obliged to cry out with the pain. 



Had I not witnessed what I am about to relate, I could not have 

 believed it, I have stood within thirty yards of his pole with my 

 bow and arrow, and taking deliberate aim, have launched an arrow 

 at him. Jacko would invariably catch the arrow in his hand, 

 holding it until I went up and claimed it, when he always gave it 

 np readily. But it ia nuist remarkable tliat if any other person took 

 the bow and fired at him, Jacko, on catching tho arrow, always 

 broke it in pieces. I need not say that on these ooooa-ona I inva- 

 riably gave my woret arrows to my friends. 



