Morning journal and courier., 1881-12-30
Cranks Among Animals.


 - Cranks Among Animals.
 Instances of Great Excitement Causing Strange Behavior.
 From the New York SunJ
 Insane animals3 P Why, certainly p the ] possessor of a fine collection of birds said. "I have three or four birds that are cranks and one that is as mad as March hare p
 Is that one?" the reporter asked, as a
 hen ran by with her tongue hanging ont No" the owner replied. t'All signs fail
 in dry weather. Her tongue certainly has
 slew to the left, but there's no congenital Il conformation of the brain, and, D confiden- | tialiy, she's got the pip. But if you want to see bird that IS 8 moral monstrosity, and always has morbid project on hel1 ' just walk through this coor '' .1e one
 that contained r-llea- asa gspae baa-
 tans- tans-
 I sn. stl, chscfs,-s st..1s-6.. -..h ares sEcel- E134 to e-a aIl5ls .ypse. Eh'a sze.eptiou was
 4 tadae @az sa lar |. ss55sa.s.zed pi.,
 s. "-a is- eo4srTr a yeIys re5s ss4 .igsE
 5s-.- ' s'-7, ar-,t most rcrli"0 ,,ars
 lsoz sal fas i,.;z 'a .-s$ oovasr said. as ttf 5lsssE -ouer came &uear in a most ! tE-.z-iy hammer. The warning h~as not tos soon, as when within foot of tn Ae reportA
 the bird made a rush, caught the leg of haa I with it's spurs so that the blood came before ! 1t could be pulled of. Its little red eyes biazed with fire, and as the reporter pulled ! 1t off by main force and tossed 1t away it ! rushed again to the attack, until a retreat to \ the outer yard was ordered.
 There's moral ooliquity for you," the l owner said, laughing.
 The reporter suggested that it might come under the head of .'pure cussedness.'' 'No," he said, ''the birds not responsible. | One would think that the bird was a good 1 fighter, but he won't stand up before a bird of his own size. He turns tall and runs I bought him from man down town who raises game birds. He wanted to get rid of l this one, as he wouldn't fight, but sometimes l he'd get cran1Sy and chase him all around the room, so that he'd have to take broom and beat him of. Sometimes the little crank would get up on the boxes, and the first thing he knew the bird would be on his head picking and hammering away like madnlan. Therefore, had no trouble in getting it. He seems to be down on all mankind, and will attack you in the meanest and most under l handed way. In fact the birds good deal off on one subject
 'Now, here's a hen," he continued, point ing to fine speckled Polish. For the last two weeks she has been trying to crow, and has succeeded quite well, and I have no doubt labors under the delusion that she is roost- CT. In fact, among chickens you can find all grades of mental trouble. My brown Polish birds are the most nervous, and very peculiar in their habits. They always run alone, and when caught seem perfectly crazed with fear. Leghorns are nervous, while these Plymouth Rocks are phlegmatic, never disturbed by anything, and are very cheerful, singing all day long-in the summer. But here's bird, ? moving toward glass faced cage, "that is hopelessly insane It beautiful crea- ture of gorgeous blue and red color, with long yellow legs and a beautiful mild, brown axrn p1o Call nnlo Florida, and it actually went insane f fear. It had been bio wing heavy nc
 for several days, and many birds were blown ashore. They took refuge in moat that surrounds Garden Key. got out my boat and caught several, the wind blowing too hard for them to rise but this one gave me Q long chase, diving, trying to climb up the high wall, and turning it's head and body into every possible position as if demented, and finally it rushed at a tin drain pipe and got into it. But when hauled it out, it acted as if it was half dead, curious spasms passing over it's body, but it came to after put it in box For long time it seemed to go crazy when alarmed, and, in fact, has never gotten over it. Just watch it now"
 Taking small paper bag, he blew it up and exploded it in front of the bird. It dropped as if dead, but soon came to, and ran round in most aimless way, twisting its neck and jumping into the air. That this was not done from fright altogether was ev- ident from the fact that it was taken with the same fits at any and all times withoas. ...., least provocation. Mir. George Ord, of Philadelphia, tells of a similar in & common rail The bird had concealed itself in drain near his house during heavy rain storm, and was discovered by him the next morning. The bird was placed in a small room on case and he was amusing himself with it when, in the act of pointing his fin ger at it, it suddenly sprang forward, appar- ently much irritated, fell to the floor, and stretching out it's feet and bending it's neck until the head nearly touched it's back, be- came to all appearances ifeless. Thinking that the fall had killed the bird, he took it up, but in few minutes it began to breathe, but it was some time before 1t had perfectly recovered He placed the bird in 8 room where there were canaries, resolving to find out if it were not a passion of anger that had produced the fit. On entering again the bird retired to the corner in sullen humor, and as soon as he pointed his finger at it it's feathers became immediately ruffled, and it sprang forward as before, hav- ing fit as in the first instance. MT. Ord adds Some time after as I was shooting among the reeds, I saw 8 rail rise few feet from the batteau. The bird had risen about yard when it became entangled in the tops of @ small bunch of weeds, and immediately fell. Its feet and neck were extended, and before it had time to recover killed it." A few days afterward friend and himself were shooting in the same place, and rail was killed, and near 1t was seen another in fit. He took it up and placed it in his hat, where it soon came to, and he adds: ''These facts go to prove that the rail is subject to gusts of passion, which operate to so violent de- gree as to produce disease similar to epi- lepsy in it's effects"
 'Do you think peculiar temperaments are hereditary among the lower animals ?" the bird fancier was asked.
 GAS much so with man," was the re- ply. s'Here's Q cross between a brown Polish hen and Plymouth Rock cock. It's as wild as hare, taking after the hen On the other hand, there are some chickens of a hen that was great pet" and as he spoke he shook box of corn and called the chickens, that flew through the air, one handsome spangled Polish alighting on his shoulder. 'If there is any peculiarity about the parent on either side it is sure to crop out in nearly all animals. There is very little general difference between man rushing down the street, slashing at every one with knife, and Q dog when it is mad. They are both insane beyond 8 doubt. Certain animals often worked into an uncomfortable frenzy by causes that have similar effects upon mankind. Dogs and cats have been thrown into seem- ing fits by noises of certain kinds. HeFe's a dog" whistling to little black spaniel re- ioicing in the name of Moltke, that rushed up to him, and on being asked what the dogs in the circus did, stood on his hind legs and danced round. "He is morbidly jealous. If anyone pets a cat while he is around it throws him intosthe greatest excitement. Even any token of affection between any member of the family worries him so that he howls, whines and turns his head away when he cannot prevent it by tugging at their clothes; and if it is continued, at times the dog seems to lose his head and snaps and snarls at those he likes the best"
 The reporter was able to cite @ case among fishes that are common on the Gulf coast, and related to the mackerel family, only larger. They run in shoals and when sar- dimes are in season they often entirely sur- round a school and drive them in shore, and when they are fairly in the sport commences. The large fish dash into the solid mass of smaller ones with resistless force, jumping high out of the water, rushing far up on the beach, so that hundreds may be seen dancing around, snapping their jaws, and finally reaching the water again to renew the charge. In fact, the whole vast school is for the time mad with excitement, and the noise of their splashing and rushes can be heard a mile away and if there are fishermen near, they rush to the spot, and with club or