West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-03-13
ANIMALS.
The sport and fastlmes OF Creatures -
Whom Reason and speech are Denied.

down upon two small back gardens:
my own. where Jack sacred sea- gull,
reigns lord Of all he surveys (pot much
am sorry to say), and my ueighbor's,
a little patch OF grass with half dozen
standard rose trees in H. Hero tha
first living thing / see in the morning
Is splendid tom-cat. now quite a mid
dle-aged gentleman, but yet apparently
enjoying game with some dead leaves
and sticks like kitten. / was con-
trasting mentally his light-hearted
happy nature with that of a certain poor
departed Jim, who, after he grew up,
never unbent in play fof moment,
when, looking again. | saw tiny
mouse steal away "A few feet from under
the cats paw, and my light-hcarted
theory burst like n bubble; though am
| bound TO say that this neNt-door cat
has very sunny disposition indeed,
often enjoying IA game OF romps with
his own dog a thing our Jim would
never stoop to. IL was nearly half nm
! hour before ! left my room. but there,
the cat was still at play with the mouse.
| which did not seem e thcr much weaker
or less able To run than when first
saw H. Now here is case of distinct
| animal amusement and waste OF time,
thc result partly no doubt of wcll-fed
idlencss. If my ucighbor himself, in
stead OF my noighOor cat, had been
| playing with the mouse, of course |
| should have felt II "a duty either TO write
60 the Times or draw the attention OF
the Society for the Prevention OF Cruelty
TO Animals, TO the matter. Az il was.
/ did neither, but 10 led me to TN. nix of
the amount OF time spent Cor wa,tei)
10y animals of all kinds in simple play
or pleasure unconncctcd i'm any way
with more material enjoy mcnt.
DogIthOus IN not able TO squander their
time over newspaper will spend
hour after hour seated AZ window.
! watching all that passes lin the street;
or, IN the evening, regarding IA mouse
hole - not with tho slightest idea OF
| gain or profit, but merely IA an agree
abe way of passing the time. Then
there are the long continued flight OF
. tame pigeons about our house,, tho
| quadrllle of the house fly across our
coling', the gamboling OF gnats, and
the ho, o,cring IN the sun of those bright
| cclored two winged flies we sometimes
call dronc7 Even the patient ass,
| that beast of many woes, is naturally
rather light-heartcd, though his ordi-
nary relaxation seldom goes beyond a
roll in dirty road when of duty; but
those who have kept aud cared for one
| know well enough mis- loud clear bray
OF honest recognition and Joy at the
| sight OF any one to whom he is attached;
while an under-worked JOYOUS donkey,
fond OF sport, has been even seen TO in
dulge IN hunting pigs round farm
yard, catching and holding them by
! the tails, until their squeals brought
the owner TO the rescue
No boy out of school shows his sense
of happiness or freedom more strongly
than horse or pony does when first
turned loose for a run at grass tearing
round the paddock, now stopping for a
moment TO snort and fill his lungs with
the fresh open air, and then with kick
up Of the heels, continuing his gallop.
These spells of play last longer with
| some horses than others depending often
| upon the length Of time the animal has
! been stable fed. a horse that is turned out
daily merely tr)ts of few yards, with
a merry laugh, before beginning 10 nib
bic the fresh sweet grass In their
stable the amusement of horses too
often take the form of wantOn misch ef
or some such "horsc-play' rs unhook-
ing stab e-jacket and tearing it up, or
biting holes i'm Their own clothing, kick
ing Their stall 90 bits, etc. viii n very
playful pony has been known % in
dulge in pulling the feathers out Of tame
| pigeons tails. Talking OF pigeons re-
minds me of the quantity of small talk,
gossip, or scandal indulged in by them
AMI certain other birds before retiring
for the night or beginning wo k for the
day HOus -SparrOWs starlings and
rocks are all very cha ~ At these times;
while birds who lead more solitary
lives, nearly always end and begin the
day with 70 song Of Joy.
Sea birds PROBABLY have their notes
OF pleasure; but they are rather Car
leylisb, If may coin an ad crtive, as n
| rule, and much given To- scOIding and
fault-iinding; reminding one in this OF
the domestic goose aud swan. The
littletame gull aforesaid Is most amusing
in this way,indulging long fits ofangry
s.oiding at iutruding cats. or bows who
chance TO stop and look through the
palings Of his back garden, and not
having a goJd word for even police
man. It's said that "a cat may look
at ng,' but no matter how respect
fully cat looks at Jack, she is sure 10
draw down upon her head storm Of
apu-c. Bul even JaCk has his pas
times, one OF which consists in making
. little nau ical experiments with any
thing that Will float such a. sticks and
Giraw- in his pan oil water.
We know that in hot weather mon
delight 20 pack Their corpot-bags and
take long Journeys TO the sea. with a
view chiefly 90 taking headers into IT,
Similarly, mutatis mutandis, porposeS
when they migrate, as they often do.
shoreward, up inland rocks and rivers.
are seized with Che desire to take lofty
almost perpendicuIar-h headers into
the air. But whether they do so mere
~ To- show their strength and power of
rising above their fellows or To get a
peep at the bearings of The land about
.hem is % mystery.
Dog do not chew or smoke But
dog nearly alway9 keeps sto-c Of
fayorIto old dry bones by him. one Of
which he loves TO bring 10 the fresdc,
~ pass away half au hour before going
10 bed guawing 90 90. while light
hearted dog win often end % spell of
chewing at their bone with gamo Of
pilch-aud-t0s with g. j have even
known % dog 90 play pitch-auJ toss
with q single pellet OF sho.
One sees more Of The dog and cat and
. fhrIr .u.ff fff .. f..nr. a. .I .r ......I..