Animal Anecdotes. 
saw the ostrich chasing a negro. The fellow 
had come to the pheasants’ quarter to steal, and 
had been discovered by the bird. When he 
tried to get over the fence the bird struck him 
a blow on the thigh which cut his leg to the 
bone, and it was only the ensuing noise which 
saved his life. 
Wa 
Ar one of the zoological gardens on the 
Continent a cage of white rats 
pane Moneys: stands quite near a cage of 
monkeys. The monkeys had 
always shown so 
much curiosity 
about the rats that 
the keeper decided 
to put one of the 
rats in with them 
to see what they 
would do. They 
screamed with 
delight when the 
rat entered, and 
began to make 
friends with him. 
The rat was in- 
clined to run away 
from them for the 
first day or two, 
but seeing they 
did not intend to 
do him any harm 
he lost his fear 
and permitted 
them to fondle 
and caress as 
much as they liked. 
This they did con- 
stantly, stroking 
his fur, holding 
him in their arms, 
and offering him 
part of their food. 
One day a new idea 
occurred to the 
oldest monkey. 
He had the rat in 
his arms, and putting it down gently on the 
floor of the cage he very cautiously sat on it. 
The rat did not move, nor did it seem to object 
to the queer use to which the monkey was putting 
it. After sitting there for awhile, the monkey got 
up so that the others might try it, and they were 
all as pleased as he had been. From that time on 
The Ostrich chasing a negro. 
251 
the rat was in daily use as a cushion, and as the 
monkeys were inyariably kind to it, the keeper 
allowed it to remain in their eage. This strange 
performance became one of the sights of the garden. 
ie 
Aw ox is about the last animal which would be 
looked upon as a performer of con- 
siderable activity, and yet, as the 
following proves, it can be taught a certain amount 
of agility. A lieutenant of a cavalry regiment in 
Berlin succeeded in so training an ox in six months 
that it would obey the word of command like a 
cavalry horse. At 
arecent trial of its 
powers, which took 
place on a drill 
ground, the ox 
trotted, galloped 
right, galloped left, 
and imitated the 
horse in almost 
everything except 
vaulting, which 
was beyond its 
capacity. The 
officer was highly 
complimented on 
his perseverance 
and success in 
training so un- 
promising an 
animal. 
Wa 
An agile Ox. 
A REMARKABLE 
story of the venge- 
ance wrought by 
pigeons is told by 
a paper at Zurich: 
“Two pigeons built 
a nest in a tree 
situated in a well- 
stocked garden of 
flowers and vege- 
tables, and there 
raised a brood, of 
which they were 
very proud. One 
day the old birds left the nest, and in their absence 
someone captured the young ones. 
On their return the hen was much 
upset at her loss. The cock, however, went and 
fetched about fifty other pigeons, which actually 
devastated the garden, the vegetables and flowers 
being destroyed in wholesale quantities.” 
Vengeance. 
