National Republican., 1883-07-18

they in than the tiger took EN-, one after the
other, rolled over with 'em, and laid 'em open
before you could say Jack Robinson. There's
another thing about lions that amt generally
known, aud that is they're nearly all inbred.
The consequence is they get running sores
and golfers in their neck, like this lioness of
ours, which was married to her own brother,
| must tell you one thing more about tigers,
too. There amt a tiger that has ever been
begotten and born in the United States.
Circus men may tell you otherwise, but they
can't prove il ; there have been whelps born
here, but they always come TO this country
with their mothers It's pretty nigh the same
thing with the monkeys, Let monkey run
around as they used to down at North Beech
and they'll breed but keep them in the cage
and they won't. I've only seen three little
monkeys born in twenty-five years"
els it true that the badger has shorter
legs on one side than on the other?' asked
the visitor, pointing to specimen of that
lurching animal.
mo more true than il is that the porcu-
pine lets fly his arrows. Most people don't
know, however, why it is that "A dog has such
hard work with a badger The reason is
that he has hard flesh, but such loose skin
that you can almost wrap it twice around his
body. The dog thinks he has the badger, but
instead of that the badger doubles up Oh
himself slips round and tastens his teeth In
him like wise. About the porcupine now
You see this one can raise his quilts when
stir him up, and when they stand up like that
they'll come out at the least touch, and what
they stick to they'll bore into like that gras:
boys call teaser We were talking about
animals having fits just now, and of all beasts
to have 'em these here wildcats are the
worst"
"What has become of your camels2"
"We've got one left, that big fellow ovei
there. There's history about him. Hi!
mother was sent over to British Columbia by
the British government twenty-one year
ago to pack the mails, but the experiment
proved failure. This camel was born there
and was valued at $1,000 as soon as he wa
born. We used to have dromedary here
and some time ago professor from the uni
versity came over with lot of young stu
dents. He was pointing out this and that
and finally he came to this yard. You see
young gentlemen he says, this is the malt
camel with two humps, and this is the female
with one.' 'Neighbor,' says l, drawing hin
to one side, that one-humped camel is
dromedary.' For Gods sake don't mentor
| it, he says, OF tho regents would have mi
out quicker'n lightning So of course won
say anything about it, and Pm sure you won't
| But it's a fact"
| So the conversation went on, with od
| items of information drawn from a practica
experience of over thirty years and with stor
enough to fill a boys book. Then Prof, I
Gruber, the curator of the museum, joine
the party, and under his care it was seen tina
there are humming birds so tiny that the
might literally make their nests in a athimbl'
that the French taxidermists surpass tn
world in the spirited lifelikeness of thei
stuffed animals; that Brazil has birds wit
claws as long and slender us a knitting needle
to enable them to live on the leaves of tn
giant water lily; that the bell and organ bird
are not myths and that if the shot albatros
were slung around the neck Of Coleridge's sc
hero he must have carried bird almost as bi
as himself, Flaxman and Gustave Dore to tn
contrary Notwithstanding.