National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-10-10

Mr. Benjamin Taylor, of Taylor, Dun
away Il Brothers, lumber merchants,
on Eighth street, relates an Incident oi
which he was IN eyewitness at his lum-
ber-yard, that strongly illustrates that
universal feeling, mother-love, WHICH
so pervades all animal life.
In removing the last boards OF n stack
of planks, a rats nest, with nine young
ones, was found underneath The lit
tie rodents were about the sizo of mice,
aud were able to crawl about at n lively
rate. An old fashioned wire trap was
procured the young rats put into it, II
weight put on the top. and 1t was left
on the nest and watched. The trap
was semi-sphere with funnel shaped
entrance in the top and lifting -dooi
IN the side.
After waiting some half hour the mo-
ther rat made her appearance, showing
evident anxiety about her lit.
ter. She hesitated some time before
approaching the trap, but finally her
affection prevailed, and she boldly ven
tured out within twenty feet, and
in full view of the watchers. She ran
several times around the prison that
contained her young, tried the wires
with her teeth, and made many demon
strations of solicitude and dis
tress. At length, finding that
she could ffot get in to the young
ones, she determined TO bring
them out to her The manner In which
she accomplished this showed some
thing akin to that reason of which man
is wont to boast that he is the only pos.
SCISSOR.
Placing herself close against the
wires she made peculiar noise-a kind
OF gentle squeak-which Immediately
attracted the attention of her young,
and they came to the familiar call
FIRST one little fellow put his nose be-
tween the wires, and being little en-
couraged and helped by the mother,
who pressed her own nose between the
same wires, thus spreading them lit
tie wider apart, he squeezed his head
through. In an instant she caught him
by the back of the neck, and in spite of
his squealing and crying under the
painful process, she pulled him forcibly
through the wires and ran off with him
under pile of lumber near by. Prob
ably a minute elapsed before she re-
appeared, having deposited her rescued
young one in safety. She was evidently
encouraged by her success, and en-
boldened by the fact that she had not
been molestod, and proceeded to rescue
one after another of her young, and in
the samo manner, until she had taken
out eight.
The watchers then half-bured the
trap in the loose dirt, and for while
the devoted mother was in great dis
tress about how to get out the last Of
her litter. But she soon found that
the little fellow couldn't reach her
through the top, and she commenced
digging down to him, throwing out the
dirt eagerly as if melted to extra exer-
tons by the lamentations of her young
one. She burrowed just in front Of the
lifting-door, on reaching which she i'm
mediately entered, and to her surprise,
found herself a prisoner. She had sac
rificed her own liberty to her mother
love, and, as the event proved, her life
also, for she was killed, though her la
bors and courage in behalf of that feel
ing which is instinct in all, and which
is probably the most sacred impulse of
the human heart, should have won
mercy from her captors, and secured
her from harm. COvington (Ky.) Jour
nat