•Jftff RURAL NEW-YORKER 
59 i 
Nature Notes 
Cats and Catnip 
Can you tell me why cats are so ex¬ 
travagantly fond of catnip? I have just 
seen a city cat which probably never saw 
the country or a green thing growing, 
given a chance to eat dried catnip. This 
stray pounced upon the dried plant, ate 
it greedily and rolled about in it. Where 
did this cat learn to like the catnip, and 
what effect did it have upon him? 
w. w. H. 
We sent this question to Dr. W. T. 
Ilornaday of the New York Zoological 
Park as one most likely to know about it, 
but his answer is disappointing: 
I heartily wish I could tell you why it 
is that all the big cats, and small ones, 
too, for that matter, love catnip. But I 
can’t. If I knew a man who could tell 
you, or me, I surely would ask him. 
Really, I think there is no accounting 
for the love of man or beast for a par¬ 
ticular perfume or food or sound. All 
that we know is that we like it, we don’t 
like it, or we hate it. Of course the 
smell of catnip is soothing to the cat’s 
nerves, and probably stimulating also, but 
we cannot tell just why the pungency of 
it is so agreeable. W. J. horkaday. 
The U. S. Dispensatory states that cat¬ 
nip is used as a domestic remedy in va¬ 
rious nerve diseases and in flatulent colic 
of infants. In its operation on the sys¬ 
tem the plant is tonic and excitant. 
A Plea for the Cat 
Various men and women have taken a 
band in this discussion of the cat and her 
economic value. The friends of the cat 
seem to have the better of the discussion 
thus far. Now comes the following to 
represent the cat’s own feelings in the 
matter: 
A CAT’S MONOLOGUE 
I’ll admit that I do kill a bird, now and 
then, 
But you slay your thousands, you “sport” 
loving men ! 
You “bag the limit,” then brag about it— 
You boast of your killing and dare one to 
doubt it. 
You, too, eat their corpses. When I do 
the same 
You make blatant the air in denouncing 
my shame. 
I have noticed your wife wears a bird on 
her hat, 
Which thing I do not though I’m “only 
a cat.” 
And perhaps you don’t know that one 
little “toy” gun 
Kills or maims 50 birdies where I silence 
one! 
Then in your arrogance you blame me 
That the birds build no longer in bush or 
in tree! 
—Our Dumb Animals. 
Breaking a Gun-shy Dog 
In looking through The R. N.-Y. I see 
an inquirer has a gun-shy dog, and would 
like a few good points on breaking him. 
I will state my method in breaking a 
gun-shy dog. First let him get a little 
hungry, then select the food he really 
likes best. Then draw the shot out of a 
half dozen shells. Get a light rope, tie j 
the dog to a tree, place the meal at rope’s 
length, then have your gun handy when 
he makes for the meal. Let a shot go ; 
then he will jump. Place the gun on 
the ground and make a big time over him 
by patting him, and fuss quite some with 
him. He will then start eating again. 
I >o that three or four times, and try it a 
few days, giving him the best of kind¬ 
ness. Then if there is any chance of get¬ 
ting a crippled rabbit, get him started 
on it, shoot it ahead of him, but not too 
close, and if this is not enough, take him 
about 20 miles from home, where he does 
not know the way back, and start hunt¬ 
ing. I guess he will not leave you; if he 
does not know the way home he may stay 
with vou. If not, all hopes are lost. 
W. KNOWLES. 
Dogs Do Reason 
We have a collie dog which always has 
been very intelligent. One of the things 
lie has enjoyed most is going with me to 
the back lot for berries. For five years 
since we had lived here he would always 
be on hand when I took my pail and 
started in the direction of the berry patch. 
There are rabbits and squirrels in abun¬ 
dance to chase, and then he always en¬ 
joys a trot with me anyway. 
One year after we had made several 
trips to the berry patch I started out to 
pick a pail of peas for dinner. To reach 
the peas I had to go for a short distance 
in the direction of the berry patch. When 
we reached the peas and I stopped and 
began to pick them the dog stuck his head 
and tail down just as he would have done 
if I had scolded him, and started for the 
house. He looked so ashamed I had to 
laugh. He had thought we were going 
for berries. MRS. E. M. C. 
New York. 
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Knoxville, Tenn. 
“On 15 acres of corn, I 
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104 i 
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If we have a law showing what material goes in¬ 
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