, 1890-08-20

ones Though Meg went cat one fell swoop.'
Bnt 10 resume "Meanwhile secure under a
stone wall into which no dog can penetrate
the destroyer turks. And Of course the
mOngo0se j. a convenient Scape goat and
ulayS tile part IN the Fowl Yard which the
eat does in the Parlor. Many eggs are
laid to his charge which he never enjoyed
the sucking Of | have been surprised to
discover that the m0mgooSe knew which
eggs were tle freshest, and again to show
how instinct may fail, Il mong0ose once
stole a neSl-egg. an artificial one, and must
have been terribly disappointed when he
rot home" He thinks that to the credit
side of the mougoose may be placed the
fact that lie will become an aid 10 the
scloolmaster by teaching habits OF careful
ness and f0rethought land in helping 10
secure the people from that SlipShcd way
of doing things which was fOstered by the
old method OF fowl keeping" He regards
it as possible that in a hundred years hence
the mongoose will be looked upon as the
Saviour of Jamaica, "and a mongOOse ram
pant take the place of the ungainly reptile
which at present spraWIs on the top OF her
shield But he is recalled from consider
ations of the heraldic exaltation of the Mon
goose, by the practical reflection that in
the meantime chickens are ninepence or a
shilling a pound, and II is difficult for
those who love roast fowl to be calmly
philosophical"
Mr.. Roberts leaves to the justice of pos
fprity the rehabilitation of the character
OF the mongOose, but from the present gen.
Grafton and for many TO come he is doomed
to general Pxecration, He ~ ofopinion that
on Sugar Estates the animal Is "a real
benpfact0r and saves hundreds of pounds
10 he planters.' But to the questions, Is
the mongOoSc Of service TO the country at
large3 Does it add 10 the wealth OF the
community Admitting that 4 few are
benefited, arc not a greater number injur,
ed Granted that a certain sun Of money
be saved, is not a far larger sum lost All
these questions the writer processes him
self as not "qulIitied to answer" Bat if he
does not answer them categOriCallY, he
enables his readers to answer them much
to the disadvantages of the ~mongOOSe by his
account OF this pest, AS to the canabillty OF
them0ngOoSe to climb trees, Mr.. Roberts as
serts that if there be slight inclination Of
the tree and the bark rough, and a tempt.
ing prey above, he will he equal to the
occasion. Mr.. Roberts thinks that the eX-
termination of the mongoose is we'll nigh i'm
possible. He humOrOuSly suggests that in
imitation of the Fox in tie Fable who got
rid of the heas by diving after they had
ell collected on his nose, his body having
been previously immersed Jamaicl might
gradually collect her mongooses and other
membranes upon Blue Mountain Peak
and then giving Il final plunge, send them
floating away. ''Only by this means he
believes can the pest be elected, unless one
cOuld be found to acttbe part of st. Patrick.
But rs Mr.. Roberts on his own authority
declares that in these degenerate times,
''SinnerS, are many and saints but few The
outlook for the eviction of this marauding
tenant is not promising. We should but
i'll represent the article it we did not add
that at the bottom of all its humOur, and
wit, is abundance of information with res.
pect to many animals acknowledgements,
displaying an intimate acquaintance with
their habits and modes of life. We cannot
refrain from giving one more extract.
Abiding to the ingenuity of the MongOose
in getting at the eggs, even of the John
Crow, who builds.i in secluded and apparent
ly inaccessible places, he says: "When
the streets of Kingston have been recon-
structed aud The ninety-nine stinks, and
several smells have been bottled up under
ground ; when the highways cease TO be
the last resting place of dead dogs and
cats, detunct fowls and ducks, of chicken
and fish entrails and all the other Omniunt
g~athcrum of the kitchen, the crow will be
less useful than he now is. But at pre-.
sent his red face aud black coat which
give him the look of a winged Stiggins,