208 
ALMOST HUMAN 
A TRICK JUMPER. 
Topsy’s father is known in the gardens as Silas. He is a law- 
abiding citizen generally, but one Sunday afternoon he got up a slight 
sensation that was quite exciting enough while it lasted. Owing to his 
great overgrown head being most powerful for mischief should he feel 
inclined to resent any action of passers-by, the authorities built a second 
fence about three feet in from the outer one, in order that the foolish 
portion of the public should be protected from itself. By some means 
Silas managed to get between these two fences on that afternoon, and 
yet there was hardly room for the great creature to squeeze himself into 
the narrow space. There was certainly no room for him to turn around, 
and the thoughtless crowds watching and baiting him did not realise what 
danger they were in when they began teasing him at such short range. 
As soon as the alarm was raised Mr. Wilkie hastily cut a handful of most 
tempting green food and went into this dangerously confined space, hold- 
ing out the bait for Silas to follow it into the paddock through the gate 
at the end of the fence. But instead of following his leader — usually he 
would follow anyone for some luscious bamboo tops or choice lucerne — 
he backed slightly, and gave an amazing side leap over the dividing fence, 
landed neatly on all fours, and then held his head up for the reward of 
good conduct. Such an astonishing leap would probably not be so 
successful another time, for he had to take that four feet fence without 
the smallest preliminary run, or even a preparatory stoop or spring. 
A BULL FIGHT. 
There are myriads of water, or European buffaloes in Northern Aus- 
tralia, and although their flesh makes excellent eating, nothing is done 
to turn it to commercial advantage. The great creatures are slaughtered 
for their valuable hides, and the carcasses are destroyed by fire or merely 
left to decay unheeded. This species was originally a native of India, 
but was early introduced into Europe, where it became acclimatised 
and settled down so well that it eventually became known as the Euro- 
pean buffalo. It has wider spreading horns than its cousin of North 
America, the well-known bison; but does not appear to be nearly as 
strong or as savage as the Cape buffalo of South Africa. Whether this 
appearance is deceitful in all cases would be difficult to say; but it was 
decidedly so in a fight between the two at the Melbourne Zoo not long 
ago. The European and the Cape buffaloes were side by side in different 
