The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-05-31
ANIMAL CUNNING.
Some Remarkable Stories of Bird and AMI
NAL Sagacity.
EFrom the Danville N. " Advertiser.1


NAL Sagacity.
From the Danville On W Advertiser.1
Here is story which our veracious
Deacon E. s. Palmer relates to us, and
which we are, therefore, bound to be-
heve: "About two years ago one of his
trusted hens Matched a brood of chick
ems, and they were domiciled in coop
in the garden. Close by, in an aspara-
gus bed, rested fine old cat, the pet
of the household, with some new kittens.
One of the kittens looked upon the
chickens and loved them-loved them SO
well that it abandoned mother, and
brother, and sisters, and went to the old
hen and asked to be admitted into her
family circle and become member
thereof. Biddy clucked assent, and
thenceforward hen, chickens, and kitten
mingled together in mutual sympathy
and sweet accord It astonished the
deacon, vet did his heart good, to see
chickens aud the kitten rubbing against
each other and lying close together, and
his favorite hen brooding them all with
her wings, and the entire family acting
all day as if kitty, In spite of four claws
and her fur, had been Matched from an
egg. The curious utilization has been
kept up until this day. The kitty of two
years is now grave old cat, but from
kittenhood to the present it has lived and
roasted with the chickens and hen.
There are several witnesses to the
truth of another story. The utilization
in this case was between cat at the Hy-
land House barn and four small pigs.
1t commenced last summer and coAtin-
ned some weeks, On the grounds and
street adjoining the Hyland House. The
cat saw the pigs, went up to them, made
friends with them, and became their con-
slant companion until they were shut up
in pens. When they ate, the cat was al
ways present, and they followed it about,
running when it ran, and walking when
it walked, and each night the cat and
pigs slept together in the straw.
Just afterthe last heavy fall of snow a
man in West Sparta, while in his barn
yard feeding cattle, heard noise among
his geese, close by. He turned and saw
fox take one of them by the neck, sling
it over his back, and start across the
fields with it for Hartman gully, quar-
ter of a mile away. The man chased
with pitchfork, but the snow was so
deep that the fox gained on him. So he
called his shepherd dog and showed him
the game. The dog quickly caught up
with the fox, but the fox dropped his
goose, turned around, whipped the dog,
and then took up the goose and trotted
on again The dog was induced to
tackle the fox three or four times, and
each time the result was the same as we
have described; the goose was dropped,
the dog whipped, and a forward move
ment with the goose. The fox finally
got safely into the gully with his goose,
and probably never had a better opinion
of himself than he had when he was sat
isfying his hunger on the choice meal
that he had secured with so much risk
and courage.
About five weeks ago quail few into
one Of our village yards, and was picked
up by a kindly hand and given to Mr.
Thomas OMeara, who put him in large
cage in his store. In the same room
were two canary birds, in another cage
The canaries would sing and the quail
wOuldwhistle in response, and SO much re-
ciprocity OF feeling was manifested that
after time Mr.. O'Meara transferred the
canaries to the cage Of the quail, who re-
ceived the songsters with evident delight,
and when night came, seeing them place
themselves on o perch in the top OF the
cage, it hoped to another perch just
below and slept there. This it has done
each night since, although before, in &C
cordance with quail customs the world
over, it's roost was the bottom OF the
cage.