The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1881-04-08
The IDEAL Cat OF Tradition.

The New York World of Sunday introdu-
ces cat to its readers that devotes her days
to the development and education of success
sive broods of chickens. The World says:
large room up stairs at the: Brooklyn Museum
is lined with cages containing cats of all colors
and descriptions, varying in weight from q few
ounces TO twenty-eight pounds and In age from
three days to thirty years. In the centre Of the
room ia large cage wherein mOttled cat reclines
on a nest of cotton covered with scraps of an old
army blanket. Three little chickens strutted yes
terday around the nest on the floor Of the cage
picking up crumbs OF bread and corn meal and
seeds, and n fourth was perched on the cats back.
Pretty soon Of the chickens began peepiug as
II IL had not had anything to eat for lifetime.
'Tibby," the Australian cat raised her head in
stautly and carefully left her nest disclosing i've
eggs beneath her She went &c the distressed
chick and with her left fore pa " gradually brought
II by the n0pe of the neck as she would a kitten,
carefully lifed It into the nest The other chicks
were getting noisJ by this time. and one hy
they brought into the nest as the first had
been. Then the eat stepped back herself cauti-
ously avoiding the eggs. and lay down, covering
both the eggs and the chicks. The latter soon got
restless and she began licking them with her
tongue and rubbing them with the back and sides
OF her pave in the mos HfectiOnate fashion. Fin
ally one of them got out OF the nest again and
1ihby began mewing to il in a short, low tone not
unlike the clucElng ot 4 hen. The chick evidently
understood the call and obedIently returned
''IIbby,' raid Mrs. Annie Leonard, Der owner. "is
about three old My brother, whOi IL sailor,
brought her to me when she was about six months
port. You see she is differently marked from any
American eat white beneath. black back, motted
spots on her side. Isn't il strange that the four
chicks she has now correspond with her colors2
One is white. one black. one motted and one ma
roOu-brOwu. Two Of them are two weeks old; the
other two were born yesterday afternoon. When
the little brown got its head through the shell
II c9oin get no iurther ana set up terrible Ilt,
70 libby broke che shell between her teeth and let
the little thing out Then she tucked J under her,
licked IL all Of got it dry and warm and then
Lee II ont. Isn't it a beauty? When TiUby had
been with us about six months she had couple Of
kittens, but before they two days old she Kill!
Ell them by biting their Threats. She would never
associate with cats after That. Some months after
that got some hens libby seemed very tond Of
store eSgsI got Tor her; ne ncNtday ll3ny Pltch-
ed into the hen. scratched her eyes out drove her
from the nest aud took her place. didn't know
what to make OF it. but kept watch Of the eggs and
.Ound that the eat never let them get cold. So l
let them be and she hatched out seven OF the hf-
teen eggs. The next day she took the little things
one by one IN her mouth and brought them from
the barrel in which the nest up under the
porch by the house and mewed around until we
got them something to eat. The next DAY she
brought them up pair OF steps into the kitchen,
and cared Tor them az old hen would for several
weeks. The chickens knew her and would follow
her around inaNy she seemed 10 understand
that that brood did not need her services any long
er, and began picking up white bite of cloth and
paper anu taxing them 10 corner o. thc room,
where she would lie on them. We did not under
stand her at 1rst. Ny husband suggested that
she wanted eGgS. so l got some fresh ones and put
one on .he 1opr in the middle OF the room. libby
spied il and rolled IL cautiously to hcrnest
Then she came after another and another. But
the seventh egg she would not take. She brought
ont the brood all right. and since then she has been
setting most OF the time. She has set on twenty
bToods aud brought Of their shells about seven
{-uVe chickens some OF them have died, but
thirty Of them still alive and can be where
W W usSd 70 I'VE 40. 20 IittehIn stISet' SSutu
Brooklyn. put three fresh eggs under her to-day.
The other two under her will he out next week
She has never through carelessness or intention
killed one Of her chtckeus. We feed her on raw
and cooked meats and milk chiefly. but she eats
good deal Of this meal which give the
chickens, and is always in good health, notTith-
~ ne q