Animal Anecdotes 
but in less than an hour the widow returned 
triumphantly with his successor. He likewise 
was promptly killed, and so were the third mate 
and the fourth, and so on until sixty cheerful 
volunteers had been ensnared to their death 
through the charms of the equally cheerful widow. 
Of course, the ornithologist claims that he did 
this execution purely in the interests of science !”’ 
Ny 
In Brazil rats have multiplied to such an extent 
that the inhabitants are obliged 
to train a certain kind of snake to 
exterminate them. This snake is 
the Giboa, or Boa Constrictor. When night 
comes on it makes its way to every part of the 
house with great caution and cunning. It even 
manages to creep up between the rafters of the 
roof, and under the floor. If a rat appears it 
is doomed. With one bound the snake is upon 
it, catches it by the nape of the neck and 
erushes it. As snakes seldom eat, even when 
at liberty, the giboa does not kill the rats on 
account of hunger, but solely from instinct, and 
in this way is of incalculable service. 
oy 
An old Indian, says Mr. Joaquin Miller in his 
“True Bear Stories,” was terribly 
frightened by an old monster 
grizzly and her half-grown cub 
one autumn, while out gathering berries. It 
seems that, while he had his head raised and 
was busy gathering and eating berries, he almost 
stumbled over a bear and her cub. They had 
eaten their fill and fallen asleep in the trail 
on the wooded hillside. The old Indian had 
only time to turn on his heel and throw himself 
headlong into the large end of a hollow log, 
which luckily lay at hand. This was only a 
temporary refuge; but he soon saw, to his 
delight, that the log was open at the other 
end, and, corkscrewing his way along toward 
the farther end, he was about to emerge when 
he saw the old mother sitting down, quietly 
waiting for him. After recovering his breath he 
elbowed and corkscrewed himself back to the 
place at which he first entered. But lo! the 
bear was there, sitting down, half smiling and 
waiting to receive him. This was repeated time 
after time till he had no longer strength to 
struggle. He turned on his face, whereupon 
the bear thrust her head in, touched the top of 
his head gently with her nose, and then drew 
back, took her cub with her, and shuffled away. 
A Sense of 
Humour. 
395 
Ar the New York Zoological Gardens one of the 
: alligators suffered so severely from 
evans _ corns that an operation was 
deemed necessary. As a prelimi- 
nary the water was drawn from the tank and the 
animal coaxed on to the operating-table, to which 
he was bound securely with ropes, while a great 
canvas sack was drawn over his head. Three 
ounces of chloroform were administered before he 
became submissive and showed no feeling of 
pain; then the corns (which weighed about half- 
a-pound each) were extracted, and an antiseptic 
dressing used for the wound. It was ten minutes 
before the alligator regained consciousness, and 
then he set his feet down squarely for the first 
time in weeks, surprised and bewildered, but 
happy. 
ae 
To the corner of a disused pigstye filled with straw 
a cat once brought one by one 
her tiny kittens, a few hours old. 
When the cat left the kittens a 
hen left her nest and sat on the kittens until the 
eat returned, when the hen immediately got out 
of the way. This went on for a fortnight, when 
the hen refused to leave the kittens; but the 
kittens went to the mother when she came at 
intervals to see them, though the old hen objected 
pretty loudly when the cat came anywhere near. 
Of course, when the kittens grew up they left 
tieir faithful nurse. 
Partners. 
ws 
A TRUE story is told of a hen that drove a cat 
A Hen ana ®W2y from her kittens every day 
her Foster=- and took entire charge of them 
children. for several hours, looking after 
them carefully and guarding them even against 
their own mother, who naturally resented this 
intrusion into her family affairs. The kittens, 
however, were quite satisfied to remain with 
their foster-mother, and played round her 
unconcernedly. They even mounted her back, 
as they might have done in the case of their 
own parent, and the group formed a thoroughly 
happy family. 
ee 
THe extraordinary strength of snails was first 
discovered by two young French 
schoolboys. They kept snails 
for racing, and derived much 
pleasure from the pastime, until one of them 
became possessed of an animal which invariably 
romped home an easy winner. Like true young 
The Snail’s 
Strength. 
