The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1871-08-31
The Instinct of Travel.

| the French ''plgeOn-pOSt has recalled al
| tenton to 4 subject that has long had a
| deep interest for naturalists-the power OF
instinct animals exhibit of finding their
way back to Il spot from whence they may
have been taken, by road never before
traversed by them.
Pigeons carrying messages orreturnlng
| long distances to their ''coteS' most GER
tainly find their way back by means OF
| sight This is evidenced hy the fact of the
long training required, and their inability
or disinclination to fly during a fog But
this means of finding out 4 distant locality
can nut apply in the eases we are about to
| record.
| AT Nancnuver's Island gentleman had
4 house on one side of ESluimault harbor,
| wherein he and his family resided They
had tavoritc cat, which was always made
4 great pet. 1t 50 happened that the owner
of the house mad occasion to change his
| residence to the other side OF the harbor.
| The distance IN \ straight line was quite 4
mile while to reach the house hy making II
circuit OF the harhor, 4 distance of quite
four miles must he travelled, and that
| through u dcncr forest ot pines, thickly
| UndergroWn with hushwoOd. When the
| family removed from one house to the
other, Pussy was fastened securely into II
| basket and taken in Il boat across the har-
Dor, aud was not let ont OF her prison until
| She was secured in a room at her new res
| idence
| IT is quite clear in this case that the eat
| could not have seen any thing of the route
followed by wafer from house to house
| Strange rs il may seem, sh" made her es-
| cape during the night. and when, on the
| day following her removal some Of the
| family returned for articles left behind,
there was pussy, somewhat dirty amt
| tired, but IN perfect safety. Now size could
only have reached the residence in two
ways-cither hy swimming the harbor,
which is Ivy no means probable, or She
found her way through the forest, where
She had never been before, and through
thick undprhush, without any trail or
path to guide her; and what makes the
matter fur more wonderful is the fact that
the eat must have passed close to IN indian
| village, around which u number of half
wild dogs were always prowllng.
There is another story of somewhat sim
liar character told of a eat, which is, be
lievp, we'll authenticated. "When living"
says the writer. "at Four Paths, Clarendon
Jamaical i wanted eat, and had one given
NIll('l1
brought from Morgan's Valley estate
where it was breads and had never been re-
moved from that place before. The dis
tapce WA, five miles. 1t was put into a
canvas ha~ and carried hvam man on horse
back. Between thr two places there was
two rivers. one of Them EIGHTY feet broad
ana two feet and Il half deep, running
stron~. thc other is wider and more rapid
but less deep. over these river, are no
| bridges. The eat was shut up ut Four
| paths for SOME days, and when considered
to be rcconcilcd to her dwelling. She was
| allowed to 90 about the house.
The day after obtaining her liberty She
was missing. and, upon my next visiting
the estate She was brought from was
quite amazed to learn that the eat had come
boc}z aroin. Did She swim over the rivers
III the lords where the horse came through
with her. or did she ascend the banks Tor
4 considerable distance in search ofa more
| shallow place, where the stream was less
powcrflj AT AL events She must have
| crossed the rivers in opposition to her
natural habits.
| myself once had a favorile spaniel
called Snort. He WA, lent to a friend, who
came to fetch him Sport WAS placed in II
doe-cart and driven 10 my friends resi-
, acnce, Il distance of over twenty miles
The cart was Somadc that air could freely
oct i'm for the dor to breathe, but 10y no
possibility could any part of the road I've
Seen ,lnrinu the tourney. On his arrival
SPORT was fled ND with IL rope under the
manrcr in the stable. During the night
tJ,r inr rnolyeJ his Iopc. made his escape
throurh \ broken window, and was discov-
cred early in the morning succeeding his
departure sitting weary, hungry and be-
lracpled outside the door of my own resi-
dcnce. Now the question which naturally
presents itself is how did the doc find its
way back alone Il road not one foot OF
which he had ever been before? The re-
membranes of particular object, noted by
the WAY could not have Guided the dog,
simply because he had no opportunity
afforded him of seeing them.
| once while living in the tan West, rode
\ horse from nv camp across u prairie to
an encamppent of sqnatlers, Il distance ol
mnrn than twentymiirs. A river OF some