Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-02-08

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The family fayofite whose rnisfor-
tunes have afforded an opportunity 10
observe the workings of instinct uuder
difficulties ia noble specimen Of the
e4aus F'eiis. Dido ia his name
given for simple euphonv, without re-
gard to gender. During the four years
of his life he has nsver been known to
do anything wrong, unless 10 be 20 fighl
most desperately aQainst all feline III
truders. In some one Of bis many en-
counters, Dido met with an injury t.
one Of his feet that made surgical OPP
GRAFTON necessary, from which ne "a
covered, but shortly afterward went
totally blind. A cataract WAS formed
over each eye, by which, as repeated
experiments proved. vision WAS thor
ouphiy obJcured.
This calamity came on suddenly, and
placed the c : IN circumstances not
provided for by the ordinary gifts Of
instinct. VIVA. to do with himself was
plainly problem hard to hs solved. lie
wonid ait and new most piteousiy. ~ Il
bemoaning his cond ton; and when be
attempted 10 move about, he met With
all the mishaps that the reader Will be
likely TO imagine. He ran against walls,
fell down steIrs, stumbled over sticks
and when once on the top rail Of the
fence he would traverse its entire length
seeking in vain for n safe jumping Of
place On being called, he Wouid run
ahout bewlldered, IA If not knowing
whence the voice came nor whittier he
should go ~ find the one calling. In
short, Dido's life seemed hardly worth
living, aud We were seriously plotting
his death. when the cat himself clio ,rly
concluded that he must make his other
senses atone for the loss of sight.
It WAS very curious to watch his ex-
periments. Que of the first of these
WAS concerning the art OF going down
stairs. Instead of paving the air, ~ he
had been doing On reaching the toy
step. he went to one side till he felt the
banisters touch his whiskers, and thep.
guided thus, he would descend safely
and at full speed, turning into the hall
on gaining the last step. One by one
he made each familiar path study,
determined the exact location of each
door. explored anew all his old haunta,
and seemed bravely resolved to begin
life over again. The result was so IN.
ceived into the notion that sight had
been restored. But by placing any Oh
stacle in the path, and then calling him
eagerly to his customary feeding placs,
IT was evident that he WAS entirely blind.
for he would run with fall force against
the box or other obstruction, and then.
for some time afterward, he would pro.
coed with renewed caution.
Dido's voice is still for war" and
his blindness does not make him any
less successful in his duela with intrn.
ders. He even goes abroad in quest of
adventures, and comes safely home
again.
His luo as q mdNser does not seem
to be IN the least diminished. One of
my experiments as TO bis capacity In
this direction came near costing me
dear. | had heard the gnavinc of a rat
IN an old closet where there iay a anau-
tity of newspapers. Here is was decided
to leave DIDO over night, and while Ar
ranging for that purpose, my hand was
Suddenly caught by the claws and teeth
or what at the moment seemed like A
small tiger. Poor Dido! He really
looked ashamed of his blunder in mis-
taking my hand for / is anticipated vic
tim. Fortunately the papers served as
snleid. or the injury inflicted mie hi
have been more serious. I mav add
tnat, ON opening the closet the neat
morning. there was DIDO mounting
guard over slain rat as big AS ever
spoiled good provisions or tried house
Keepers temper.
II IL well known that the house cat
Will IND its way back from cistsu,
places to which II has been carried
p,lndfolded; and how II performs ssch
fea,s naturalists have never sa,isfac-
toriiy explained. The theory accented
by some of them is that the animal
takes note of the successive odors an
countered on the wav. that these les ga
as distinct "A series of images "a thosa
We should receive by the sense of sight
anu tnat' oy taxing them Ia the inverse
order from that in which they were re-
oeived, he traces his homeward Route,
pot' IN Tue cat now described, the
sense OF smell Is by no means acute. MS
mas been proved by a variety of meth
oos; and moreover. although, as ore
mirht say. perpetually blindfelr,ed. he
qure uniformly chooses she shortes.
road nome, without reference 70 the
pain he may have taken on leaving the
mouse. Curious to see how far tbs
nominc instinct would extend. tsnk
advantage of fall of snow that wrar-
PED under Its mantle every familiar Ok
!ect, concealed all the paths. and dead.
ened every odor aud sound. Taxirg
Dido to a considerable distance froro
tne house. and making A uunhar ~
turns to bewilder him. tossed HIM an
or, drift and quietly awaited resnIts
Inc poor creature turned his siohsless
o.os this way and that. and mswed
piteously for help. Finding. 1t lang,h
snat ne was thrown entirely on his own
resources, he stood nlotlon!ses for ahs,rt
one minute. and then, ~ NV anny,..
nent, made his way directly th-onoh
sue untrodaen SNOW TO the house door
which, 1t IL needless tn add. vas
promptly opened for tho shiveriuu mar.
syr TO scientific investigation. 70 WHOM,
consolation WAS forthwith offered in -.
Drumming bowl of new milk.
Ny conclusion, therefore, Is that Wal
lace's ingenious theory of aeeonnt,nc
Tor orientation by what ha call, ssbra,n
registration" will not explain what has
peen described; but that the mysterious
nomlng faculty is probably ia depend .nt
oI socn methods of gaming knowlsiee
as nave been ordinarily observed. and IN
analogous to the migratory instinct con-
trolling the long flights of sone species