586 
FANCIERS’ JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 

bird or rat come within his reach,.and woe be unto it. It 
is needless for us to say that we are not troubled with rats, 
and have no fear of them while Tabby, Topsy, and Sambo, 
like faithful sentinels, keep guard over our house and yards. 
W. EH. FLOWER. 
SHOEMAKERTOWN, Pa. 
ro 7 oe 
ADVENTURE WITH A WILD CAT. 
THE stories of peril and adventure in early New England 
life are now repeated in the West, with almost the same de- 
tails. The San Luis Obisjo (Cal.) Tribune says: 
‘An unusual and very exciting contest took place at the 
ranch of Mr. Ramon Feliz, on the Morro -Creek, about 
fourteen miles from this place, one morning last week. It 
seems that Mr. Feliz in the morning went out to feed his 
stock, and soon after was startled by the cries of his wife 
and family. Running to the house, he found that a large 
wild cat had seized his youngest child, an infant, by the 
back of the neck, and was making off with it. After a severe 
struggle he succeeded in rescuing it, the cat making its 
escape. 
“Some time after the excitement had subsided, an Indian 
boy, about eighteen years old, went out to bring in some 
horses that had been staked out over night, some distance 
from the house. Hehad been gone but a few minutes when 
the family was again aroused by the cries of the boy, who 
came rushing toward the house, yelling like a madman, with 
the identical cat that had caused the first disturbance firmly 
seated upon his back, with his teeth imbedded in the back of 
his neck. 
‘¢ Another desperate battle ensued, which resulted in favor 
of the cat, who successfully defeated the whole Feliz 
family, killed their two dogs, and retreated in good order to 
the house of Mr. EK. M. Howe, under which he ensconsed 
himself, defying all efforts to dislodge him, until night, 
when he escaped unscathed. 
‘¢The wounds received by the Indian boy were quite se- 
vere, and the people fearing that the cat was mad, thought 
best to scarify the wounds, which they did by heating a 
crowbar, the only implement about the premises that would 
answer the purpose. Considering the ordeal of scratching, 
biting, and singeing the boy passed through, he is doing re- 
markably well, and will be all right again in a few weeks.”’ 

PRAISING CATS. 
Tue following story of a cat, which illustrates the fond- 
ness for praise which certain animals possess, comes to us 
from a correspondent: 
‘A lady came in possession of a small gray kitten, three 
weeks old. Being an invalid, she often amiused herself by 
teaching this kitten various little freaks. She was always 
spoken to in the way and manner a child would have been. 
When food was placed before her, she was taught not to 
touch it until permission was given; and it often stood for 
hours without being molested. She was taught to roll over 
for all she wished. She at length became so well trained 
that whatever she desired, whether food or drink, or to enter 
a room in the house, she would run to her mistress, fall at 
her feet, roll over several times, then get up and start in the 
direction of the desired object. If she did not succeed in 
getting her attention the first time, she would repeat her 
experiment until she made her understand what she wished 
for. 

‘One remarkable thing about this cat was she would never 
taste of the game she caught until she had been praised for 
catching it. If caught at night she would always bring it 
to the door, and lay it upon the mat, then begin to mew 
most piteously. If heard by her mistress, a word or two 
was sufficient to silence her. As soon as the door was 
opened in the morning she would begin to roll beside her 
game, and after receiving a few words of praise she would 
commence devouring it, apparently gratified.” 

AFTER AN OSTRICH. 
WE find in an English magazine the following account of 
hunting the ostrich, and the manner in which ostrich feath- 
ers are procured : 
From the top of a little hill, if you could call by that 
name a height of about ten yards above the bottom of the 
wady, we saw the ostriches. I suspect they had some 
knowledge of us before we were visible. They had already 
started at full trot, and seemed to skim along without any 
exertion, flapping their small downy wings to help them 
onward, and, like horses in full career, kicking up stones 
behind them. We went after them at a canter. Had we 
tried at once to catch them in a gallop, our horses would 
soon have been blown, and the birds would have got out of 
reach. Our plan was to follow them as closely as might be 
without frightening them into their quickest pace, and to 
keep them in view. 
The birds soon parted, two going together one way, and | 
the others starting each in a different direction. We fol- 
lowed a single ostrich, a fine male, the feathers of the male 
being more valuable. 
Noon passed, and the sun was rapidly declining. We 
had been following our ostrich for more than four hours: 
but not in a straight line, since these creatures have a whim 
for running in large circles. One by one the horses of the 
Arabs dropped behind. Sidi Etcetera, two of the Arabs and 
myself being the best mounted, alone kept up the hunt. 
Our aim was to turn the ostrich, and so drive him back to 
our companions. The two Arabs pricked their steeds into 
a full gallop, one to the right and one to the left, and tried, 
by makingsa circuit, to get ahead of him. Sidi did not like 
the idea of being outdone by the other Arabs, so he made a 
dash at the game on his own account. His horse had a little 
spirit left, and a few long bounds brought him alongside. 
The bird saw that he was outrun and outwitted. Witha 
little stick; such as we all carried for this especial purpose, 
Sidi tapped him on the neck, turned him, and drove him 
back to me like a tame creature. Our two companions now 
rejoined us, crying out, ‘‘Sahait, sahait, Allah yatiek es-saha!”’ 
which means, ‘‘ Well done! Well done! God gives you 
strength !”—Arab equivalent for ‘‘ Hurrah! Hurrah! Go it 
again.’’ : 
One by one we came up with our beaten companions; 
and we then surrounded our bird, caught him, and cut his 
throat, with the pious words, ‘‘ Bismillah Akhbar’’ (In the 
name of the great God). It would have been simpler to tap 
him on the head and strangle him, for then there would 
have been no fear of damaging the feathers with the blood. 
But such a death is not in accordance with the Moslem 
creed concerning holy and unholy food; and of an animal 
so slaughtered, the flesh could not have been eaten. 
Ladies, I trust, are satisfied with the amount of trouble 
taken to get them their court plumes. But it is a pity that 
each feather that costs them a guinea, scarcely brings a shil- 
ling to the Arab sportsman, 
