The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1867-04-26
sMistfIlaneolis tgsIsttiorls.
intelligence Of animals.

Borlase says he saw a lobster attack
an oyster, who persisted in closing his
shell as often as the lobster attempted
to intrude within it After many fail
ures, the lobster took small stone and
placed it between the shells as soon as
they we're separated, and then devoured
the fish. Mr. Gardner, in his "Curiosi-
ties of Natural History" states that he
once watched a crab charging its bur-
row on the sand /; and about every two
minutes it came up to the surface with
quantity of sand in its left claw, and
by sudden jerk threw it to the dis
tance of about six inches. Having a
few shells in his pocket, he endeayored
to throw one of them into the hole |;
three of them fell near the hole, and
the fourth rolled into it. Five minutes
afterwards the animal made its appear
ance, bringing with It the SHE'LL which
bad gone down, and, carrying it to the
distance Of foot from its burrow, there
deposited it. Seeing the others lying
near the mouth of the hole, it immedi-
ately carried them, enc by one, to the
place where the first had been depos-
tied, and then resumed its. original
labor. Gilbert White tells us of an old
hunting mare which ran on the COM
mon, and which being taken i'll, came
down into Tie village asst were, to i'm.
plore the help of man, and died the fol-
lowing night in the streets. A writer
in Frazer relates of hen, which had
Matched several broods of ducklings,
that from experience she lost all the
anxiety usually borne by these foster
mothers by the indomitable perseyer-
ance with which the young palmipedes
take to the water as soon as they are
born, and quietly led to the brink ofthe
pond, calmly watching them as they
floated on the surface, or dusting her
self on the sunny bank to wait uncon-
cernedly their return. Duges saw a
spider which had seized bee by the
back, and efectually prevented it from
taking fight; but the legs being at lib
erty, it dragged the spider along, which
presently suspended it by a thread
from its web, leaving it to dangle in
the air till it was dead, and then it was
drawn up and devoured. An individ-
ual living in the square at St. Mares,
Venice, has been in theHa habit of scat
tering grain every day attwo o'clock,
previous to which hour Cths birds as
sembled in one place on the cathedral
and as the clock strikes, they take wing
and hover round his window in small
circles, till hs appears and distributes q
few handfuls of food. This, at all
events, indicates the faculty of noting
time, and may be placed on parable.
with the story Of the dog who went tc
church regularly every Sunday at the
proper hour to meet his master. Ami
mails are prompt at using their expert
ence in reference 10 things from which
they have suffered pain or annoyance
Grant mentions an orang outang which,
having when i'll some medicine admin
istered in an egg, could never be in
duced to take one afterwards. LIE Vail
lant's monkey was extremely fond o
brandy, but would not be prevailed OF
to touch it again after lighted match
had been applied to some it was drink
ing. A dog badf been beaten while
some musk was held to bis nose, and
ever after fed whenever it accidentally
smelt the drug, and was SO susceptible
that it was used in some physiological
experiments to discover whether any
portion of musk had been received by
the body through the organs of digest
iona severe test of the dogs sense o
smell and capability of profiting by ex
periencs. Strend of Prague had ca
on which he wished to make some ex
perinents with an air-pump; but a
soon as the creature felt the exhaustion
of the air, it rapidly placed its foot OF
the valve, and thus stopped the action
A dog having great antipatby to th'
sound of a violin, always sodghtt TO ge
the bow and conceal it. Plutarch tell
of an artful mule, which, when ladel
with salt, fell, into stream, and find
ing its load thereby sensibly lightened
adopted the expedient afterwards, anC
whenever it crossed a stream slippet
.ouse into the water with its panniers
and to cure it of the trick the psnnier
were filed with sponge, under which
when fully saturated, it could barel
stagger. - 7ea j. Ia
The intelligence is most remarkabl
when experience seems to prompt
, plan of action. or where the animal dt
J vises connected schemeto effect som
desirable object; as in the case of a COW
which having strsyed into. an ope
r granary, continued its visits by draw
ing the bolt with its horn The Areti
wolves hunt together in companies an
if they meet an animal which they hay
not the courage to attack openly, the
form into semi-circle or crescent, an
, rush down upon it, till the creature
terrified by the numbers of It's enemie.
hurries over a precipice and is dashe
. to pieces, when they search out th
hoSlv ond an;ov the faast- .Halida