6 FANCIERS’ JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 

but seldom serve...... They are too fast, too migratory 
in their habits to learn anything which needs perfect fidel- 
ity and vigilance. ..... They are the musicians, and we 
might almost say the sensuous poets of the animal world ; 
but musicians and sensuous poets do not conduce to progres- 
sive knowledge and ethical culture.” 

i 
ITEMS 
INTERESTING AND AMUSING. 
Tue proprietors of the Liberté, of Paris, established a 
pigeon express between the office of the journal and Trianon, 
to carry the news of the proceedings of the Bazaine court- 
martial. The proprietors had a pigeon-house constructed 
on the roof of their premises, and every morning a man 
starts for Versailles with a certain number of these birds. 
The reporter attaches his account of the proceedings toa 
bird’s body, portions of the report being so brought as the 
carriers are successively let loose. The average time these 
winged messengers take for the transit is six minutes. 
Discovery.—A few days since, while workmen were en- 
gaged in digging and making an opening in the sewer on 
Sixth Street, Philadelphia, in front of the Odd Fellows’ Hall, 
to connect with a smaller one on Oresson Street, a large-sized 
hog made its appearance at the opening, endeavoring to get 
out from its dark pen. The laborers hauled the animal out 
after considerable trouble, and it is at present in the posses- 
sion of the Hall Association, who are puzzled to know what 
to do with it. How it came into the sewer and how long it 
had been there is not known. 
Somx months ago a Lithuanian lynx escaped from a tray- 
elling menagerie at Altona, Holstein, and $20 reward was 
offered for its capture, but in vain. Not long ago a sentinel 
at Kiel observed a strange cat-like animal coming out of the 
mouth of a large cannon on the ramparts, and after a short 
time returning with a duck in its jaws. The man got assist- 
ance; a net was spread over the muzzle of the gun, and the 
missing lynx was recaptured, together with a domestic cat 
and a litter of three young ones. These curious kittens have 
been transferred to the botanical garden of Hamburg, where 
they have been visited by many naturalists. 
AN expert lays down the following rule for telling the 
age of eggs: Take an egg carefully between the thumb and 
the forefinger of the left hand, carry it to the further end of 
the back yard, look carefully around to see that no one is 
watching you, tap the ege gently with a knife or other 
edged instrument held in the right hand, and jump back 
with alacrity. Then take the others one at a time and try 
them ina like manner. After a little practice in this art, 
a quick ear can detect the difference in sound, the one that 
pops the loudest being the oldest egg. 
A PRINTER was boasting the other day about his wonder- 
ful ability to set type. ‘I know what you can’t set,” said 
acomrade. ‘* Whatisit?’ ‘Two hens on one nest.” 
AN AFFECTIONATE Rat.—The Whitehall (N. Y.) Times 
relates the following story of affection in a rat: There is in 
Whitehall village a family who have a little daughter 23 
years old, who has formed a singular attachment for a rat. 
Every day this little one goes into the wood-shed adjoining 
the house, where a large, venerable-looking rat makes its 
appearance, when the innocent-looking child proceeds to 

feed it from her chubby hand. The parents have caught 
their little one feeding its protégé several times of late, yet, 
on the approach of any other than the little girl, the rat 
scampers off to its hole. Several efforts have been made by 
the child’s parents to despatch the singular companion of 
their darling, for it was feared that the child may get bitten 
by it. Last Sunday the rat showed its affection and guar- 
dian care of the little one’s comfort, as the following will 
show: The child’s mother put it to sleep in its cradle in 
the kitchen, going to another room in the house, leaving 
the sleeping child alone. She was gone some time. On her 
return she cast her eye at the child, when she was surprised 
to observe the rat standing perched upon the top of the cra- 
dle, moving its tail over the little sleeper. The mother, 
wishing to see what the “‘varmint was up to,’’ stood and 
watched its movements, peeping through the door, which 
was only partly opened. She observed a number of flies 
above the child’s face, when two lit on the little one, whereat 
the kind rat whisked them off with its tail. Wishing to 
make sure, the lady quietly called her husband, and the two 
stood watching the proceedings for at least ten minutes. 
Every time that a fly dared to alight on the little one’s face 
that old rat’s friendly tail would brush it away, like the 
guardian angel hovering about us, who, we believe, is con- 
stantly brushing away dangers that threaten us poor mortals. 
It was thought safe by the child’s parents to leave the child 
in charge of its singular nurse, and for one hour the little 
one slept. When it awoke its mother went to take it up, 
and the rat jumped from the cradle and sped away through 
the half-opened door to the wood shed. Since that time the 
child has been put to sleep in the kitchen to ascertain if the 
experiment would be repeated. Each time, when left alone, 
with the shed door partially open, the old rat would enter 
and take up its position over the top of the cradle, watching 
the little sleeper and brushing away the flies who dared to 
trouble its precious charge. 
THE DaAuLiA, now a common flower, easily cultivated, 
and as pretty as common, commanded a large price when it 
was rare. A gentleman sending home a few bulbs, was 
astonished to find them served among his vegetables, at din- 
ner. The curious fact about this mistake is that it was a 
repetition of the blunder which introduced the flower into 
Engiand. An English lady sent a bulb from abroad home 
to her gardener, supposing it to be an artichoke, and intend- 
ing it for the kitchen garden. ‘ When a beautiful flower 
came up, instead of a succulent vegetable, she gazed on it 
with a feeling akin to that of the fox hunter, who complained 
that the smell of the violets spoiled the scent.’’? The offer of 
thirty guineas for a root, made by a London florist, recon- 
ciled her to the disappointment. 
—— —+—~» «<> 
TEXAS RABBITS. 
In the vicinity of Austin, and throughout a large portion 
of Central and Western Texas, there is a small gray rabbit, 
which is probably Lepus sylvaticus of Bachman. We say 
rabbit (although English authors tell us that hare is the cor- 
rect and proper name), because hare is never used in speak- 
ing of this animal in Texas. These animals are very de- 
structive to young fruit trees, and also rose bushes, especially 
those which have been recently planted and have branches 
near the ground. The damage is done in the winter-time, 
not generally by gnawing the bark from the body of the 

