The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-10-30
A MOUsE-CATCHING BABY.


a MOUSE-CATCHING BABY.
The Feline Accomplishments Of an Infantile
fHF Pennsy lvanian.
A singular gheaomenon is Just now Great.
ing d sensation few miles south of this city,
in the shape OF a mouse catching infant, slr.
passing In expertness the agility of the best
canine or feline mouser in the country. The
report Of this singular freak of nature reach.
ed me SO well authenticated that | concluded
to crafty my curiosity, and possibly be sold,
as had often been. But, to my surprise, tnc
facts turned out more remarkable than the
report represented, and the most astonishing
natural wonder ever Witnessed. The Little
girl in question is a trifle over a year old, and
can Just begin TO run about the house and
yard. The moment she wakes and gets out
of her crib she goes to the old kitchen fire.
place, which is infested with species of
small house mice, and sits down Ivy ~ hole in
the corner, very much like a cat, with her
eyes intently fixed on the burrow. She some.
times occupies this position for an hour with
out moving, till a mouse makes lis appear
ance when by sudden start, apparently
without any effort she seizes her victim by
the neck As soon as her prize Is secured,
she seems to be electritie;! with joy, aud 'rcm'
bles from head to foot, tutoring akind ofwild
murmur or growl, resembling the half snar
of a wildcat On arriving at the house, and
making known the object OF my visit, the
mother expressed a willingness to give mt an
exhibition of the strange peculiarly 81 the
baby, providing would promise not to make
their names public, as she seemed TO dread
the notoriety already given TO the affair. l.,
of course, made the required promise, and
had the privilege of witnessing with my own
eyes performance so wonderful and novel
,I,at I 10 b. M eipp M 1a
The babe was asleep when l arrived, and on
awaking she started at once on her strange
mission. She is beautiful little blonde, of
delicate features and bright blue eyes, and
her hair hes all over her head in exQuisi,ely
formed golden curls, about the circle Of a
dime. There Is nothing unusual about the
countenance of the child, or different from
that of any pretty featured baby, except while
stalking her game. Then her eyes become
glistening and fixed, sparkling like gems,
and her face and hands turn pale as wax,
while she appears TO hear or notice nothing
going on around her, but keeps her eyes
steadily centered on the burrow whence she
expects her game to sally forth. The moth
cr, an elder sister Of the child and myself sat
in semi-circle around her. silent as if in a
spiritual seance waiting for the signal of de-
parted spirits Had no mouse made Its APP
gotteD-,he deathly'pale face of that motion
less child, and the rivited, sparkling eyes
concentrated for thirty minutes on that mouse
hole in the brick hearth. During that Half
hour we neither moved nor spoke above
whisper, when suddenly, like the springlng
of trap, the little things hand went down
on the hearth followed by the fine squeak of
the mouse, and that strange, low growl, and
the singular tremcr of the body OF the child
As usual, she had themouse in her right hand,
while 1t squirmed desperately to get away.
She then pressed 1t up against her bosom, and
felt of it gently and softly with her other hand
then would dexterOuslyJ change hands, care.
fully keeping her grip on the neck to avoid
its bite, though her mother told me she had
been frequently bitten, and while sensitive to
pain and crying at the least ordinary pam
and crying at the least ordinary hurt, she
never was seen to vince or show the least
pain from the bite of a mouse. examined
her fingers and found them SCARED in many
places where she had been bitten, | tried TO
but it was done so suddenly there was no time
to analyze 1t. Yet was assured by the fam.
lily, who had taken frequent observations, that
the mouse, whom onCo out of It's hole, seems
TO become charmed or magnetized and has
no power, or at least shows no disposition to
escape till caught, when It is to late If any
one approaches the child to take the mouse
away from her, she will utter shrill scream
and then try to conceal her prize by putting
il into her mouth, .r .,. .l. ,. a
| have heard OF snake and bird charming
but guess this IS the first mouse
catching baby yet developed. 1 wonder how
Darwin would explain this abnormal instinct
by the laws OF Revolution and natural selection.