Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-02-13
A "HAPPY FAMILY"
Cats. Birds and Mice Living Together In
Peace and HARMONY

CAts' BIRDS ana Mice Living Together Ia
Peace and Harmony.
Have you ever seen happy family9'
not Of boys and girls l mean, but OF
cats, birds and mice?
"Why, you may exclaim with scorn,
''the cats would eat the others up" No,
not in the happy family" OF which
am now going to tell you.
Some times and in some places in the
streets of London, and also at the sea-
side resorts, may be seen such a family;
and the birds. do not peck at the mice.
and the cats keep their claws from bothi
IL is called happy family"
what birds are tbese9 Well. in one
such family which ! have seen there are
pretty paroQuets, a couple OF green
tinches, and sometimes brace Of gay
Java sparrows There are one or more
white mice and couple Of eats.
The birds chirp and twitter and hop
about in cage, on the top of which two
sleepy cats stare around them, appar-
emily quite obliyious OF the feathered
creatures beneath. while when wanted
the mouse or mice make their appear
ance. sometimes from the masters
pocket, sometimes from the cage or .
little box. And SO tanned are the cats
that have seen the little white mouse
run up slight pole and down again
through cats paws, and it was actually
placed once on a eats for a sec
ond or SO only, it is true but the cruel
jaws made no snap at the little creature.
The mouse seemed quite safe.
But these creatures perform. The
Exhibition-if we may give it that
grand name takes place on little
wooden platform or board supported on
two pairs Of legs which can be folded up
like two pairs OF gigantic scissors. And
II you were 20 meet Mr.. Snowman and
his companion. who is sometimes little
girl and carries small bag for the
money, on their travels as they make
their way TO different places. you might
not perhaps think they had Happy
Family" with them. The cage Is
shrouded in cloth cover, the cats are
shut up in fat-lidded basket, and tho
platform, taken of its legs which are
folded up, looks little else than a paint
cd board
But now the show is to begin! The
board is placed on its legs, the cage OF
twitterers uncovered and stood at one
end, with the two sleepy eats upon it.
The little pole is fixed in its place with
a little flag on the top When required
couple Of small ladders leaning TO.
gether like the sides Of a pyramid are
produced, and up the sloping sides Of
this the twittering birds moye-up one
side and down the other--and the white
mouse crawls A tight rope is also
stretched for them. and along this the
little performers also pass.
Perhaps the mouse hopes TO find food
at the end Of its journey, for have seen
it hurry into the cage, the door Of which
is open opposite the end OF the second
ladder, and look after the bird -seed lying
there. Another trick performed by
Java sparrow is to hang from the tight
rope with his head downwards like .
piece Of meat in butchers shop; and
the red color of the bird Of course assists
the imitation Then another little
feathered creature pretends to be a dead
bird. 1t lies on its back in the show
mans hand with its legs apparently
stiff, for all the world as though life had
really departed
And while the little performance is
proceeding Mr.. Snowman can keep up
pretty patter or running talk Of his own,
in which you may hear such names as
Champagne Charlie. Mrs Candle and
Girl OF the Period. Presently two Of the
birds shall we call them Mrs. and Mrs.
Caudle? taken out for a driYel
Dexterously their master catches one OF
the greeninches and hooks around II
sort OF little cloak, perches small hat
on It's head, and tucks il into little
open carriage Very funny looks the
pretty little head with it's beak aud
bright eyes turning about
The other greenhnch 10 treated in =
similar manner. Then paroquet Is
caught possibly one Of the largest and
strongest-an placed between the
shafts. These appear like two wires
conyerging toward each other and
Joined at their ends by ring placed up
right between them, like a loop The
bird stoops its head, pops il through
the ring, and hops away, drawing the
coachful behind Very probably IL you
watch, YOU viii see Mr. Snowman lift
up his platform slightly so that the
coach may run more easily down the in
cline The ring seems 10 resto on the birds
wings and apparently does il no harm,
though it will probably get out Of the
circlet as soon as possible.
Sometimes greater brilliancy is given
20 the performance by bird firing of =
toy cannon The master lights ths
match and places il in little apparatus
behind the small piece Of artillery.
The bird jumps upon the apparatus,
when down goes the match and OH bangs
the cannon,
One OF the eats aud sometimes both,
NAV be supposed 10 hold up the little
pole for the mouse to climb. The stick
Is fixed ia the platform but the cats
paws are placed around II. The littlo
white animal craMis between the paws
without, apparently, the slightest fear.
A cat too will jump over the masters
outstretched arm, something as its big
cousins, trained tiger or leopard, will
spring through a hoop in show
Now how is IL, YOU may ask, that
these cats are thus tanned with regard
70 these birds and mice Wen, the 50
cret is said to be this, that they are
brought up together That is the rea-
son that the cats do not attack the
birds. When kittens the cats are intro
duoed into a large cage wi'd the birda.
and there they live together Happy
Family,
Certainly the method seems simple
enough Moreover the cats are said moi
20 touch other birds afterwards Spar
rows are to these paragons Of pussies an
unknown delicaey And the owner has,
on occasion. sold eats to persons desir'
ing such harmless specimens Of the TO-
line race.
As for the teaching Of the creatures
for the show. a little time and patience.
says the man, will train them ! should
be inclined to add kindness and flrmnesa
but no harshness or frightening. l
know little canary which will perch
on a ads shoulder AL tho time he IS
working at his lessons and wrestling
with that dreadful Latin and arithme-
ticl Every now and again the small
creature gives little tickling pecks At
his neck and presently II you crack
hemp seed and place it between your
lips ii will come and peck IL out in the
prettiest and most delicate manner In
short. if you choose to be kind and pa
tient and firm. you may teach fairly
intelligent canary a number OF pretty
little tricks.-F. NJ Holmes, In Little
Folks.