The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1878-03-07

enswathment and engirdling environ
ment Of the efilorescent possibilities Of
polysyllables. Danbssry Nes0s.
The Domestic Life Of Naturalist.
| "It's jolly little brute, and won't
hurtr' exclaimed Mr.. Buckland, as we
were about to retreat from the thresh-
old. The monkeys had seized the
jaguar's tail, and, lifting it with its
hind legs bodily to the altitude of their
cage, were rapidly denuding it of fur.
No animal with any feelings of self-re-
spect could submit silently to such hu-
initiation, and the iaguar was making
the place hideous with his yells. Hear
ing the cries of her pet, Mrs. Buckland
came to the rescue; and it was amusing
to see this child of the forest, with
gleaminge eyes and frantic yelps, cast
itself at her feet and nestle meekly in
the folds of her dress. She had nursed
1t through a very trying babyhood
when Mr.. Bartlett had sent it from the
Zoo, apparently dying and paralyzcd
in the fore legs, with a promise of Els
reward for a cure. That sum has long
since been swallowed up in damages
| for clothes and boots devoured, as the
invalid's health and appetite returned.
Hard by, laughing iackass was SPORT
lively chasing live mice up and down a
glass jar, as an appetizer before-eating
them; and below, solemnly weighing
the doctrine Of chances, battalion Of
cats waited patiently what might be-
| fon frork Iou, NJ, st.fn1l: NJ
parrot kept calling cabs from the mos
thent we entered, and was equally ready
to hail an omnibus if we preferred it.
A peaceably-disposed piebald rat WAS
enjoying gyfinastic exercises on. a
pole, until seized by his master and
told to "sing up, old boy.'' Held sud-
denly to our ear. melodious notes
were heard issuing from the diaphragm,
which Mr.. Buckland considers as
good as the carol of lark, whether
it arises from parasite in the liver or
not. All around the walls were COW
cred with the heads of curious hybrids
and horns of extinct animals; and in
deed there was everything in this Won
derful museum to fascinate the mind.
from shoe left as keepsake by Brice
the giant to lady's slipper floating
about in wine-glass of water. The
latter was beautiful little object like
a fairy glass slipper, about an inch
long, without heels, and exquisitely
fringed and finished off. 1t belongs to
the Jelly fish tribe, and was alive and
well when we saw it.
The "happy family life, of which
Mrs. Buckland is the center, is carried
on in an ordinary London house, for
merly the home of Charles Dickens
father-in-,aw, Mr.. Hogarth, in Albany
street, Regents Park. In their time
the room into which we were ushered
was probably the drawing-room. At
first, during the present tenancy, it
used to be called masters room;"
now it is termed the monkeys room,"
which Mr.. Buckland remarks is Darwin
going backward. The dining-room is
indeed the one room preserved, but
with difficulty, for the sole use of man.
1t is held, so to speak, at the swords
point against the incursions of animals
from the neighboring jungle. Some
| times the rule is relaxed in cases of
sickness, or on the arrival of welcome
little stranger like the jaguar. 1t is to
this room that all good animals expect
to 60, in stuffed form, when they die.
1t is regarded as Poets Corner for the
great; while the bodies of the less dis
tinguished are consigned to honorable
burial in the back green. Mr.. Buck
land was informed lately that there was
not room to bury so much as bird
there now.
Enjoying the rare art of imparting
his knowledge to others, Mr.. Buck
land delights in showing his treas
ures. Regardless of fearful odors, he
will plunge up to his elbows into q
deep, dark tank, and draw forth a
Shiny, dripping reptile, and ask cheer
fully "if he is not beautyp" 1t re-
quires strong stomach and no small
diplomacy to know how to act, for he
is ready on word of encouragement
to make another fatal plunge and bring
up the other seven. But another Joy
awaits you-if you can bear it-in a
jar, when he carefully hauls out a rib
bon-fsh, and tells you it is the next of
kin to the great sea-sefpeht. At that
moment you heartily wish the great
sea-serpent would bury Its own rela-
tons; but Frank does not, and any one
who would bring him the head Of the
family would be his friend for life. On
the whole, Mr.. Buckland prefers live
snakes about him; but he has not yet
succeeded in getting his household to
agree with him. A live snake is con-
siderably worse than picked snake,
seeing that the latter, they find, is not
SO likely to be found under their pi.-
lows. Perhaps the worst moments for
the family are those when the Parcels
Delivery van drives up to the door.
On these occasions there is a general
| closing of windows observable in the
neighborhood, and the only light
hearted creature within the geological
circle of Frank Buckland's home just
then is the persevering parrot, who
takes the credit of the vans arrival to
himself. The Naturalist steals out to
survey the state of things, and, if likely
to be very odorous, the man feels uneasy,
while the husband, deep and treacher-
Gus, drops propitiatory sovereign In
to his wife's hand, and recommends
her to try little shopping in some dis.
tant region.
Mr.. Buckland's housekeeping books
cover wide range; his bills for rats
and mice and other small fry exceed
the butchers. Not less peculiar than
the fare provided by his kitchen is
the company to be met at his parties.
1t is his especial delight to entertain
celebrities on view in the town. This
penchant makes him the idol of all the
children and stray waits in the neigh
borhood, who crowd round the door
when party is expected, or Chamber
up the railings to get good view OF
the giant going in or the dwarf coming
away. Nothing could have
been more appalling than what hap
pened when Mr.. Buckland was honored
at dinner by Tomati Hapiromani Wharf,
MAXI and a number OF New Zealand
Chiefs. The party had adjourned to the
monkey room to smoke the pipe OF
peace, when for their amusement the
host turned some six-and-thirty slow
worms out of box. Instantaneously
the guests were transformed; the garb
of civilization slipped off, and they re-
turned 70 the wild untutored savage.
With one frantic glance at the slow
worms on the floor, they uttered wild
yells and straightway fed. Down stairs,
the dining-room was open; through
this into the garden, helter-skelter, like
hounds breaking cover and filing the
air with tapGge denfer. Thence they
spread over the neighboring gardens,
taking the low fences ike deer. Two
Of them seeing another open window,
and at it q peaceable old lady at work.
headed for It. dashed in. and with their