New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-11-08
NEW PUBLICATIONS..
BUCKLAND'S CURIOSITIES OF NB. rURAL
HISTORY.

&Csreton
Mr.. auckland certainly HIS few pretensicns to
the character of profound naturalist his claims IN
that limo are chiefly hereditary, depending on inc
high reputation of his late distinguished fathers ou'
he has sharp eyes, quick ears, and ready mana;
10 does not often permit any ludcrous circumstance
10 oscane his notice: he knows how to tell pleas
ant story in pleasant way; and has the secret OF
making an amusing book with slight materials. Inc
nresent volume is not good as the one which pre-
coded IT, il contains more rubbish; but it still has
a store of entertaining matter of which we Will
crafty our readers with a few choice specimens.
ABOUT CATS.
The victims in our gamekeepers museum had not
been nailed ND by chance in the first vacant place. put
arranged with certain degree OF taste, row beng
anportioned to each species OF animal.
fbe keeper's greatest enemies of course occupied the
most prominent position and in the top row no less
han fifty three cass heads stared hideously down mp
On the visitor. There was story attached 10 neary
sscb Road this cat was killed in such wood, this In
snoh a hedge-row, some in traps, some sh0t, some
knocked on The head with a stick but what was most
remarkable was the different expression OF counte-
nance Observable in each individual head.
This one had died fighting brayely to the last; men
Sy inch ii had yielded up s nine lives Caught posi-
by in trap in the early part Of the evening by one OF
it's legs il had fingered the night through In agony the
pain of its entrapped limb causrg It TO make furious
efforts TO escape and those very efforts adding add
lional torments to the wound. In the morning the
keeper had come with his gun and his dog putting hls
foot on the spring of the trap, he had let out the
wounded and exhausted animal 10 the mercy OF Ms Ter
riers what little life was left IN II the dogs worried
ont II had died martyr 10 its natural instinct
Do You doub. this Look at the head, now dried by
the heat of two Summers: the wrinkled forehead the
EXPANDED eyeiids the glaring eyebals the whlskers
extended their full stretch the speful lips exposing
Inc double row of tiger like teeth envenomed by agony
teaches us all this The hand of death has not been
powerful enough TO relax the muscles racked LOT 30
many hours with terror and PAIN.
Let us examine another head; what dnerence III
expresson do we see in this cat at the end Of the rows
she has, never been worried or tormented stealthly
creeping the tps of her beautifully padded feet along
some he row abe has within the range OF the
gUp of the concealed keeper, and IN an instant been
SLot dead: YES shot dead; her calm look, her ears
cceked well forward, the sagacons set OF the muscles
Of her face remain to this monen-so sudden was her
death that other feelings had not time to work upon
her expression and physiognomy. Her mumInied head
tells US the story Of an unexpected and instantaneous
death.
The cat has numerous muscles about her face, and
abe is CAPABLE of assuming numerous expressions. Let
Inc reader nurse cat on his lap tickle her nose, ears
ewes wLiskeTs. &C., he will see what mean. ABOVE
all. she cannot bear her whAkers 70 be touched or
pulled at the end Of each Of these still hairs IS large
bulb of nervous substance which converts then luto
me most delicate feeeIs They of the greatest use
10 her when hunting about IN the dark IN the hon
these nervebulbs at the end Of the whlskers are rs
large small peas
There Is yet another head in the museum from which
we can read another history; il is that OF poor little
mas who had died before ehe had attained the age OF
eathood Her young life had probably been knocked
out of her tender body with stick; Tor her head SUI
retains the playful look Of the ktten and there Is
sort of yhat-haye- Id0ne-look about it. az though
he had died with Submission and in ignorance of the
keepers anathema against her species
would remark that personally / have no anhpsthy
10 cats rather like them. | am now writing OF
them ONLY in their character Of yermin.
II is unfortunate for cats in general that one OF
their race once takes to poaehng their nature prompts
them TO continue these evil ways They lind out that
game is better eating than rats ana NICE they leaVe
the homestead and take to the woods; thenceor ward
becoming perfectly useless in the domestic economy OF
the farmer cottager. So strong is this passion Tor
hunting when once acquired, that it s impossible to
break them of il. We once knew of eat against
which sentence Of death had been recorded, but the
owner begged its lie condition that 1t should be shut
NJ every night and well fed. The very first night OF
IL incarceration, it escaped mp the chimney, and the
following morning astonshed the eyes of the game
keeper the soObegimed oecuper of one Of his raps
Feed the cat az much you please, make pet OF IT,
&C. you will never break il from night hunting,
though you may succeed In stopping its dtuTR0t ram
bies.
II is quite wonderful 10 gee a cat Jump down hghts
She never seems 10 hurt herself TO feel giddy with
the fall she always falls on her feet, and these are
beautifully padded that they seldom or never get
broken. i never knew OF cat DTbhhulB It's IeR from
all accident but in instance, and that French
cat which fell down stairs in the most stupid manner
WHY does not the cat get headache after her deep
Jumps why does not she get concu asion OF the bran
as man dog would, if he performed similar ac
robatic feat? II take down one OF our dry cat
heads OF the keepers museumwall, and break it up
we shall that it has regular partition wall project
ing from its sides, good way inward tow ard Tire GEN.
ter 30 TO prevent the brain from suffering concus
sion. This Is indeed, beautiful e0ntry.nce and
shows an admirable internal structure, nade in Won
deIful conformity with external form and nocturnal
habits.
1t has been said with partial truth, that cutting or
the ears of cate 10 the level of theic heads and at the
came time removing with scissors the hair all round the
exposed aperture of the ear. will keep eats out of the
woods for the simple reaeon that being earess when
they 90 out hunting among the wet bushes and grass
drops Of water will get into the internu cavity of the
ear the effect Of which If, as Ourselves know 10
cause disageeslle sensation almost en- ,unting 20
pain. Let the reader examine the cat ear she is
purrrg before the fire. he viii find that the opening to
Il ia amazingly large though partially concealed 10y
hairs which grow up from its Internal surface The
cat from experience understands the doctrine OF cause
and effect and stays az home when her ears are crop
ped. But does she always stay at home No; the
cunning creature waits for nice fine day when the
grass and hedges quite dry, and oil she goes at her
old poaching tIicks Put the intelligent sportsman in
the witness-boX he informs us that he has often shot
or trapped doctored cats in the heart Of the covert
Ia fine dry weather. bat in weather, always thoss
who have never been submitted to this mutstion. A
cat hates nothing much getting wet, and hence
we learn from High Elms," good plan to catch a
poschiDg cat. He says: In damp weather, or when
Inc dew IL rising, a cat almost invariably walks along
wall TO get 70 her hunting grounds ] have caught
many one by this means | need hardly tell yOu no
bait is required" Again: If there shoud happen 10
be a watercourse running through the plantation y
trap set in coping, where the stream goes under tho
wall, viii be very effective, az a cat will be ut the
trouble of climbing on TO the wall crossing over the
stream and jumping down again sooner than leap over
he str No IN "
than the cat in Summer when rabbit-paunches will