River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-12-25
PROTECTED BY TABBY.
One Instance In which Virtue Trlumphed
Even In Feline Nature.

Even IN Feline Nature.
In the mountain districts OF Pennsyl-
vania two wrens had built their nest
lnder the caves of an old farmhouse.
They lived together tremendously and
caught the early worm. and in the
course of time had family. Among
the attaches Of the farmers household
was a white cat, and, when the wrens
became so tame that they used 60 hop
around the piazza in search of crum bs
that were daily thrown to them, the cat,
in a murderous spirit would lie in wait
for them. and several times came within
an ace of catching the old birds. When
/ the old farmer noticed this he kicked
the cat whenever she was detected in her
murderous work. 1t didn't take the cat
very long to learn thatit wasn't healthy
/ TO fool with those birds and that they
were as much a part of the family as
she was Toward the middle of the
summer. when the baby wrens in their
nest under the caves were big enough
to place themselves in peril by clam
bering around the nest one of them
one day fell out and in spite of its
frantic fiutterings came to the ground,
]
to fly, lay helpless in the grass. The
cat saw the accident and, following the
first instincts of her kind, ran rapidly
to seize the bird. Before she got to 1t,
however, she seemed to remember that
this was a part of the family which she
was taught by the farmers foot not to
touch. and so when she got near the lit
tie helpless thing she touched itdaintily
once or twice with a paw in which the
claws were sheathed as though in
viting it to play, and then lay down and
watched it, A yellow garden snake had
seen the bird come down, and came
wriggling through the grass toward it
Its head-like eyes were cleaning, it:
forked tongue protruded, and when il
got within two feet of the bird it curled
itself and got ready for a spring. Now
the cat was old, and when she knew
that she must not eat the bird and tina
the bird was too young to play with she
had dropped off into dose. She was
awakened by some thing fiutterine
against her face. The little bird
alarmed at the approach of the snake
had fed for succOr to the cat The frs
thing that attracted the attention o
the cat when she opened her eyes was
the appraised head of the snake. She
realized the situation instantly, and, ris
ing to her feet, she spat and struck at tbs
reptile with her paw. This was an enc
my the snake didn't appreciate, but still
it was hungry and was bound to have
the bird, so 1t darted forward and at
tempted to seize il under the very shel
ter of the cats head. Like flash th'
cat seized the snake Just back Of the
head and with one bite killed il. Thi
happened along in the afternoon, anC
after supper the farmer came out to feeC
the cat He stood on the piazza an'
called it and heard the cat reply; h,
called again, and again heard the cat
He went down to investigate, and Their
found the cat crouching in the gras
sheltering the bird. and ten feet ava,
was the dead snake. This made il clea
that the cat had carried the bird away
from the snake. The old wrens wer,
lowering around in the air in a yer.
anxious state of mind. The farmer re
stored their baby to its nest N. Y. Sun