Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1890-06-02
Brief Stories About Animals.

A clergyman in Turkey, having
passed through part of the country
where the plague was raging, wa:
obliged to remain in village fol-
some DAYS. The place was very
wretched time hung heavily on his
hands, and everybody kept at dis
;, lance from him through fear of in
lection. One morning, while al
breakfast, a woodpecker flew in at
the window of his room, and soon
made itself quite at home, hopping
on the table and picking up the
crumbs. 1t had belonged to little
girl she was just buried, and by a
singular instinct, it had left the house
of the dead and flown into his room
Its habits were so curious, and it was
so familiar, that the clergyman was
quite pleased with it. 1t climbed up
the wall by any stick or cord near it,
devouring flies. 1t sometimes began
at his boot, and at one race would
run up his arm or leg, or round his
neck and down the other arm, and
so to the table. It would there tap
with it's bill as loud as a hammer
when it did so it would look intently
at the place, and dart at any fly or
insect it saw running.
THE FRIENDLY SPARROW.
A lady had a canary who was a
great favorite, but the loudness of
his note obliged her often to put him
outside the window among some trees
which were trained up in front of her
house. One morning while the cage
was thus placed sparrow was OBJ
served to fly round and round it, to
stand on the top and to twitter to the
bird within as if DESTROYS of forming
a friendship. After a few moments
he flew away, but returned in a short
time, bearing a worm in his bill which
he dropped into the cage. Day after
day the sparrow continued his friend
ly acts, and at length the two birds
became so intimate that the canary
very often received the food thus
brought into his own bill from that
of the sparrow. Some Of the neigh
fn hoE for fbn
sparrow's generosity would go, hung
out their canaries also, when he like
wise brought them worms, but his
first and longest visit was always paid
to his earliest acquaintance.
THE IMPRISONED DUCK.
A young duck, by some accident,
had its leg broken, and the wounded
limb having been put in splints, the
duck was placed under small crate,
or rallied coop, to prevent it, for a
time, from running about. The poor
prisoner looked very forlorn in this
cage, and was evidently an object of
pity to it's brothers and sisters around.
They tried to release their companion
by forcing their necks under the
crate and so lift it, but the effort was
beyond their strength. On ascer
tanning this they held consultation
and then they marched away in a
body. Presently they re-appeared
with all the ducks belonging to the
farmyard, amounting to about forty.
After great deal of !quacking, they
surrounded the crate, and every neck |
was inserted under the lowest rail
they then made united effort to
raise the crate, but alas in vain,
their strength was not sufficient. An
other consultation was now held land,
after another storm of quacking, the
whole of them came to one side of |
the crate as many as possible could
now thrust their necks beneath the |
rail, the rest pushing them forward
from behind. This time they sue
ceeded, the crate was raised, their |
imprisoned friend was liberated, and |
noisy were the greetings she received
as she limped, once more free, into
their midst.
A TRAVELLING DOG.
Mr.. Edward Cook, after having |