Animal Anecdotes 
THE late Professor Darwin, wishing to 
test the bravery of a 
jackass penguin, placed 
himself between one 
and the water, and he relates how 
nothing less than heavy blows would 
have stopped the bird from fighting 
and driving him backwards until the 
sea was reached. Hvery inch the bird 
gained it firmly kept, standing close 
before its enemy all the time and never 
once flinching from the task before it. 
A Plucky 
Little Bird. 
Wa" 
A goop story, illustrating the courage 
Where which proceeds from 
ignorance is ignorance, appeared in 
USS. a French paper some 
time ago. It was about a Cossack who 
was hired at Moscow by M. Pezon as 
an extra assistant to clean out the 
cages of the wild beasts. The one did 
not understand a word of French, and 
the other knew no Russian; but by 
dint of vivid and practical pantomime, 
M. Pezon succeeded, as he thought, 
in thoroughly acquainting the Cossack 
with the details of the work required. 
He took the rake, broom, sponges, 
and buckets used into the cages of 
some harmless animals and showed 
how the work was to be done. How- 
eyer, in the cage of a very tame 
antelope, he brushed and sponged the 
animal, as a treat for it, but not with 
any idea of setting an example. In the mean- 
time the Cossack watched the proceedings 
intelligently and attentively, and went on with 
the work satisfactorily, his master going for a 
time into his office. Returning presently M. 
Pezon came into the tent in time to see his 
new assistant, equipped only with a broom, 
bucket and sponge, enter a cage tenanted by 
a splendid untamed tiger—the most dangerous 
brute in the whole collection. When the Cossack 
entered the tiger was asleep, but suddenly lifted 
its head and turned its fierce eyes on the intruder, 
who stood calmly dipping his sponge into the 
bucket of water. Poor M. Pezon, petrified with 
horror, saw his temporary assistant approach the 
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Sot 
147 
were grooming a quiet old horse. 
great beast and begin to rub him down as stolidly 
as if he were grooming a quiet old horse. The 
soothing application of the cold water had a very 
unexpected and agreeable effect on the tiger, 
which began to purr, laid down, stretched out its 
paws, and rolled about as if to offer every part of 
its body to the vigorous scrubbing of the Cossack, 
who went on unconcernedly. When he had 
finished grooming the tiger to the mutual satisfac- 
tion of his charge and himself, he patted the big 
beast on the head, took up his traps and walked 
out of the cage, M. Pezon only being able to 
rouse himself out of his state of stupefaction 
sufficiently to prevent the man from going into 
another cage of dangerous animals. 
