144 



THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY, 



farther to illustrate this curious subject. It was recorded in 

 my diary some years ago. 



At my boarding house in Albany, there is an old family 

 dog, called Cesar. This animal seems to have a special and 

 violent antipathy to all swine: the moment a hog makes 

 his appearance in the street, or in the extensiveyardattach- 

 ed to the house, Cesar will dash upon it, and worry it in 

 the most violent manner. Among the servants in our esta- 

 blishment, we have a littleFrench barber named Ferdinand: 

 now Ferdinand and Cesar are almost inseparable friends; 

 Cesar espouses the cause of his master, right or wrong, on 

 alloccasions; and Ferdinand protects his canine friend, with 

 the enthusiasm of his countrymen, from all the assaults of 

 cook, scullion, or lackey. In process of time, Ferdinand, 

 by the consent of our host, established a piggery in the 

 yard, and who, but Cesar, has undertaken to watch over 

 his little herd, which are permitted occasionally to roam 

 about in the streets of the city. Ferdinand's hogs are all 

 entirely white, and often after their excursions abroad, they 

 are accompanied home by a host of acquaintances of the like 

 colour; but Cesar never suffered one of the strangers to re- 

 main on our premises. He knows his master's property 

 much better than he does himself; and should he not be 

 present when they are fed, he isalwaj's called to ascertain 

 if any strangers are present, and it is surprising with wliat 

 quickness and certainty he discovers, and unceremoniously 

 ejects them. 



It is well known that our Indians keep their various 

 troops of horses, which are pastured in the wilds of Florida, 

 separate from each other, by means of dogs trained up for 

 the purpose. These dogs differ, however, from Cesar, in- 

 asmuch as lie is self-taught, and this when eight or nine 

 years of age. Bartram in his Travels relates the story of 

 an Indian dog who kept his master's horses together on a 

 wide plain, about ten miles distant from his wigwam. The 

 dog when hungry came home for his food, but never re- 

 mained there during the night. — See Bartram's Trax'cls, 

 pp. 222-3. 



While noticing the sagacity of the dog, I will state two 

 other facts, which, though they have been frequently wit- 

 nessed by sportsmen, are perhaps worth recording. 



On a shooting party the other day in company with some 

 friends, we killed a rabbit, and our pointer slut, Venus, 

 while fetching the rabbit in her mouth, came to a dead 

 point at a pheasant about twenty yards distant. 



My friend, J. B., informs me, that when hunting with 

 three dogs, it frequently happened, that when one of his 

 dogs pointed a bird, the second dog would point the 

 first, though out of scent of the bird, and the third dog, pcr- 

 liaps not seeing the first, would set at the second; thus 

 forming a kind of telegrapli of two or three hundred 

 yards to the sportsman. J. G. 



INSTINCT OF THE SPIDER. 



The wonderful ingenuity frequently exercised by most 

 animals, in securing the means of sustenance, must be fa- 

 miliar to every observer of nature. In no class of animals 

 are the instincts resorted to for the purpose of obtaining 

 food, more surprising than it that which is considered the 

 lowest in the scale of animal life. For this end we often 

 find many insects endowed with a kind of foresight, and 

 apparently exercising a degree of philosophic induction, 

 and a knowledge of the laws of mechanics, which are not 

 surpassed by all the boasted powers of man. Tlie little pit 

 falls constructed by the Lion-ant, and the ingenious means 

 used by many of our common insects to entrap their prey, 

 must be familiar to most of your readers. The following 

 instance of ingenuity and mechanical skill used by a small 

 House-spider in lifting the carcase of a large fly a footortwo 

 from the floor, may be depended upon. 



Some days since a little Spider was observed under an 

 arm chair, running to and fro, and exhibiting marks of 

 great bustle and anxiety. Upon watching its proceedings 

 its nest was soon found under the bottom of the chair, and 

 the dead body of a fly, mucli larger and heavier than itself, 

 was seen lying on the carpet below. It was evidently the 

 intention of tlie Spider to raise up tliis lieavy load and to 

 deposit it safely in its storehouse for future use; but how, 

 with its strength, could this be effected? He commenced 

 his tedious and singularly scientific operation by attaching 

 aline, or strong fibre of his web, to one of the legs of the 

 chair about four inches from the floor, and then fastening 

 the fibres to the body of the fly, he extended the line to the 

 opposite leg of the chair, and there fastened it about the 

 same height from the floor as in the first instance. As 

 the fly lying on the carpet was much nearer the one of the 

 legs of the chair than tlie other, the two lines which formed 

 an angle with the body, were of different lengths. As the 

 Spider now slowly moved along the longest end of the line, 

 the weight of the fly was thus overcome by a mechanical 

 advantage, and raised a little distance from the floor. 

 Every one knows that the lever is the most simple of all 

 the meclianicalpowers, and one to which all the others may 

 be referred. In the contrivance of the Spider it will be 

 noticed that that form of the lever which is used where the 

 fulcrum is atone end, t\\e.poioer at the other, Andiheweight 

 between them, the Spider, having ascertained that portion 

 of his lever which, when depressed, would lift his prey 

 to the greatest altitude, fastened it in that position, by aclue, 

 which reached from that part to the floor. By repeating 

 this same operation several times, the fly was at last safely 

 deposited in his nest above. I must not forget, however, to 

 mention that when each new lever was constructed, the 

 weight was carefully detached from all the fastenings below. 



J. G. 



