The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1883-02-14

The family favorite whose misfortunes
have affored an opportunity TO observe
the workings of instinct under dill.
cuties Is noble specimen Of the genus
Felis. "Dido" Is his name given for
simple euphony, without regard TO gen.
der. During the four years of his life
he has never been known 10 do anything
wrong, unless il be to fight most des.
peratcly against all feline intruders. In
some one Of his many encounters, Dido
met with an injury in one Of his feet
that made surgical operation ncces-
sary, from which he recovered, but
shortly aiterward went totally blind.
A cataract was formed over each eye,
by which, rs repeated experiments
proved, vision was thoroughly obscurcd.
This calamity came on suddenly, and
placed the cat in circumstances not
, provided for by the ordinary gifts Of in
slinct. What to do with himself was
plainly a problem hard to be solved.
lie would sit and new most piteOusly,
AS if bemoaning his condition; and
when he attempted 10 move about, he
met with all the mishapst that the reader
will be likely 10 imagine. lie ran
against walls, fell down stairs, stumbled
over sticks, and when once on the top
rail Of the fence he would traverse It's
entire length seeking in vain for a safe
jumping.Off place. On being called, he
would run about bcwildered, rs il not
knowing whence the voice came nor
whittier he should 90 10 find the one
calling. In short, DidD's life seemed
hardly worth living, and we were seri-
Ously plotting hi, death, when the cat
himself clearly concluded that hc must
make his other sense5 atone for the loss
Of sight.
IL was very curious 10 watch his ex-
periments. One Of the first of these
was concerning the art of going down
stairs. Instead Of paving the air, as he
had been doing on reaching the top
stop, he went TO one side till he felt the
banlsters touch his whiskcrs, and then,
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 Il study, de-
tcrmined the exact location Of each
door, explored anew all his own hannts,
and seemed bravely resolved to begin
life over again. The result was 80 un.
expecledly successful that we were de-
ceived into the notion that sight had
been restored. But by placing any OBJ.
staclc in the path, and then calling him
eagerly TO his customary feeding place,
II was evident that he was entirely
blind, for he would run with full force
against the box or other obstruction,
and then, for time afterward, he would
proceed with renewed caution.
DidO's "yOice is still for war; and
his blindness does not make him any
less successful in his dues with in
trudcrs. He even goes abroad in quest
OF adventures, aud comes safely home
again.
His value rs mou,er does not seem
TO be in the least diminished. One Of
my experiments rs to his capacity in
this direction came near costing me
dear. had heard the gnawing of rat
IN an old closet where there lay ullan.
tity OF newspapers. Here it was decided
10 leave DIDO over night, and while ar.
ranging the papers Tor the purpose, my
hand was suddenly caught by the claws
aud teeth Of what at the moment seemed
like Il small tiger. Poor Dido! He
really looked ashamed of his blundcr in
MISLEADING my hand for his anticipated
victim. Fortunately the papers served
as shcId, or the injury inflicted might
have been more serious. lmay add that,
on opening the closet the ncNt morning,
there was Dido mounting guard over n
slain rat as big rs ever spoiled good
provisions or tried housckceper's
temper.
1t Is well known that the house-cat
will find its way back from distant places
To which il has been carried blindfoldcd;
and how it performs such feats natural
lists have never satisfactorily explained.
The theory accepted by some of them is
tnnt the animal takes note Of the sue
ceSSlyc OdOrs encountered ON the WAY,
that these leave rs distinct Il scre, Of
images ~ those we should rccGivo by
the sense OF sight, and thai, by taking
them in the inverse order from that in
which they were received, he traces his
homeward route.
But, in the cat now described, tho
sense of smell is by no means acute, rs
has been proved 10y II variety of meth
ods; and, moreover, although, rs one
might say, pcrpctuaily blndioldcd, he
quite uniformly chooses the shortest
road home, without reference to the
path he may have taken on leaving HE
house. Curious TO see how far this
homing instinct would extend, took
advantage of Il fall of snow hat wrap.
ped under its mantle every familiar OBJ
iecl, concealed all the paths, and dead
Gned every odor and sound. Taking
Dido TO n considerable distance from the
house, and making u number Of turns to
bcwildcr him, ! tossed him upon drift
md quietly awaited results. The poor
creature turned hi' sightlcSs orbS this
way and that, and mewed ptcously for
,cIp. Finding, at length, that he was
brown entirely on his own resources,
w NI''u hlpli'lll'N' WI uUull Vllt lillU-
tie, and then, to my amuzemcnt, made |
lis way directly through the untroddcn
now to the house door-which, it is
needless to add, was promptly opened
or the shivering MARTYR TO scientific in.
'estlgation, to whom consolation was
forthwith offered in trimming bowl of
new milk.
My conclusion, therefore, Is that Wal
lacc's ingenius theory of accounting for
oricntatlon by what he calls "brain
registration" will not explain what has
been described; but that the mysterious
homing facalty is probably indepcndcnt
of such methods OF gaining knowledge
rs have been ordinarily observed, and is
analogous to the migratory instinct con.
trolling the long flights of some species
of birds.-H G. Horcy, IN Scientific
american.
"A cash boy in one of the largest drv
goods stores in Chicago was suspected Of
having stolen ten dollar bill, but yigor.
ously denied the charge. The money
was nowhere to be found but ns tbe how