56 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[February, 
OUR NEW PET. 
The boys ana girls who read the Agriculturist last 
year will remember the description of our pet frog, 
given in the April number. He is 
still alive, and enjoying himself as 
well as ever; at any rate he makes 
no complaint, but sits contentedly 
upon his rock, and appears to be med¬ 
itating upon the busy scenes around 
him. We have now another crea¬ 
ture, whose appearance might frighten 
many of you, but he will be quite an 
entertaining companion, we think, 
after a little longer acquaintance. It 
is a large owl, of the long-eared 
species, measuring about fifteen inch¬ 
es high. His wings, when spread, 
extend about three feet. He was 
caught at Catskill, in this State, a few 
weeks since, and is not yet sufficiently 
at home to be very communicative. 
He has the immense eyes for which 
such birds are noted, and he keeps 
them wide open to all that is going on 
in the office. When a stranger ap¬ 
proaches his cage, he gives a hiss of 
defiance, bristles up with his feathers, 
and looks quite formidable. He will, 
however, allow those who feed him, 
to smooth his head, which he seems 
to enjoy. One night lie escaped from 
his cao-e and had a fine time flying 
around the office, which is a very large 
room. Presently he spied some stuff¬ 
ed specimens of birds, and attacked 
them with claws and bill, making the 
feathers fly merrily. Upon taking 
him again, he showed fight, and gave 
our foreman a severe scratch with his 
sharp claws, which are very strong. 
He feeds on mice, when he can catch 
them, taking one at a mouthful with 
perfect ease. He relishes raw mea 
of any kind, and will take down half 
a pound at a meal with great relish. 
We tried him with a very large live 
rat the other day. He made short 
work of it. With one claw he grasp¬ 
ed the rat, held him firmly, and soon 
dispatched him with his strong bill; 
but left him after he was dead. We 
nhall study his habits, and communi¬ 
cate any thing more that may prove interesting. 
The above was written for the January Agricul¬ 
turist !, but not published then for want of room. 
Our poor pet has, since died. He was becoming 
quite tame, but the warm air of the office did not 
agree with him, and one morning lie was found on 
the bottom of his cage, taking his last sleep ; so 
we are disappointed in becoming better aquainted 
with his habits. You will, however, find a very 
interesting article about an owl of nearly the same 
description, on page 44 of this number, which 
shows how good a friend he is to man. 
HOW TOM WAS CAUGHT. 
One of our young friends, Charles L. Siewers, 
sends the following anecdote of a Maryland lady 
and her negro servant. The lady was unable to ac¬ 
count for the great consumption of butter in the 
family, and one day she followed a new purchase to 
the kitchen, in time to see the cook’s friend, Tom, 
deposit one of the rolls in his hat, and put it on his 
head. Without seeming to notice it, she sent the 
cook, who was browning coffee over the fire, on an 
enand, and desired Tom to take her place. Not 
suspecting her object, he readily complied. Pres¬ 
ently, as he stirred, a violent perspiration broke out 
on him. “ Stir away, Tom,” said the lady, “or 
the coffee will burn!” “Oh, missus,” groaned 
Tom, “ l’se so hot, I sweat so!” “ Well, you do 
sweat, that’s a fact, but stir away !” The perspira¬ 
tion now became too strong for Tom’s control, and 
noured over his face and eyes in streams. Catching 
a smile on the lady’s face, he dropped the spoon, 
exclaiming, “ Oh missus, I neber do so agin,” and 
made a dash for the door. Tom was fully cured. 
JOHN BRUNT AND HIS FRIEND “SHARPY” 
John Brunt was an orphan boy, who lived with a 
farmer and worked for his board and clothes. He 
had no relatives living that he knew. His father 
and mother had died of ship fever in the City of 
New-York, a few weeks after coming to this coun¬ 
try from Holland. At that time John was but five 
years old. When his parents died, they were at a 
public house, where they had stopped for a few 
days only, expecting t^ go to Iowa and buy a farm; 
but death overtook them, and John was left alone 
among strangers. They were not his friends; for 
they took the trunks and money of his parents, and 
gave John to a man that came to the boardinghouse 
to sell vegetables. There was no one to interfere, 
and John was not old enough to understand any¬ 
thing about it. This man had no children, and took 
John home as company for his wife, who was quite 
lonely when her husband was absent at market, 
for they lived nearly half a mile from the nearest 
neighbor; and as he raised vegetables to 6ell in 
New-York, he was away from home very often. He 
also thought that as John grew older he would be 
able to help him with his work. He was a very 
selfish man, and his wife was much like him, and 
poor John found living there, very different from 
being with his own parents. They gave him 
the poorest food, clothed him in tho coarsest gar¬ 
ments, and kept him busy at whatever he was able 
to do. But having a good constitution, he grew 
rapidly even under such treatment , and before long, 
seemed as tough as an oak knot. 
He was naturally of cheerful disposition, but like 
other boys he could not be happy without compan¬ 
ions. Sometimes he was sent upon errands to the 
neighbors, and occasionally he met lads of his own 
age ; but he was allowed little time to play with 
them. As he grew older, he made 
companions of the animals around 
him. The cows, the pigs, and the 
chickens all came readily at his call, 
and seemed to love him, for he al¬ 
ways treated them kindly ; he often 
talked to them, as though they could 
understand him, and thus he passed 
many pleasant hours ; but still he 
longed for some more companion¬ 
able playfellow. When he was about 
twelve years old, he went out late one 
evening to unload the barrels from 
the wagon which had returned from 
market. As he set one of them upon 
the ground, he heard a whining noise, 
and looking within, found a poor, 
rough, shaggy puppy, which some 
mischievous boy in the City had plac¬ 
ed there, while the wagon was stand¬ 
ing in the street. He took him out 
carefully, and as the little fellow crept 
close to him for protection, John felt 
almost as happy as though he had 
found a brother. He thought of the 
day when he himself was brought 
there in the same wagon, and with 
tears in his eyes he said “You shall 
have one friend, my little fellow, as 
long as John Brunt lives.” He did 
not dare take him to the house, fear¬ 
ing the woman would order him to be 
killed, but carried him to the upper 
room of an out-building, made a bed 
for him of an old sheep-skin, and left 
him until after supper. Ho contrived 
to take part of his own allowance of 
bread and meat, to his new friend, be¬ 
fore retiring, and then lay awake a 
long time contriving how he might 
keep him. The next morning he in¬ 
troduced the subject by saying how 
much trouble the hens made in the 
garden, and how nice it would be to 
have a dog trained to keep them 
away, and finally gained the consent 
of his mistress to keep one if he 
could obtain it. This was an easy 
matter, and very soon, under John’s 
management, Sharpy, for that was the name he gave 
the dog, became a very useful little fellow. He 
kept the pig6 and chickens from mischief, drove the 
cows home, and scared away all the rats (tom the 
premises. But he was especially dear to J ohn, who 
spent most of his leisure in playing with him and 
teaching him amusing tricks. The picture repre¬ 
sents him as engaged in this. How intently the 
boy and dog watch each other, as if there were a 
perfect understanding between them. 
John was more than repaid for his sympathy for 
the poor animal, in the pleasure he had with him. 
But he was the means of still greater good to his 
benefactor. One day, as John was amusing himself 
by the roadside with Sharpy, a well dressed man 
riding by, stopped to see the dog’s tricks, and began 
talking with John. Being pleased with the boy’s 
appearance he asked him several questions, and 
finally learned his history. 
“ You are the very boy I have wanted for months ” 
said he, when John had finished. He was a law¬ 
yer, to whom John’s friends in Holland had written 
inquiring after the fate of his parents, and request¬ 
ing that if they were dead and the boy could be 
found, that he should be sent back to their care,, 
for they were quite well off in the world. The rest 
of the story you can easily imagine. In a few weeks 
John was on his way to his friends in Europe 
where he arrived safely, accompanied by his beloved; 
Sharpy, who was now more dear to him than ever. 
So you see, that even a poor friendless brute may 
accidentally prove an angel in disguise. 
