The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-05-02
AGES OF ANIMALS.
The Years of Life Allotted to Wild and
DOmesticated Creatures.


DOmesticated Creatures.
Sir John Lubbock, the great English
scientist, in one of his interesting lee.
lures on ants, tells US that he kept a
queen anti for fourteen years. On the
other hand, he speaks of some small in
sects that live but day, which shor,
period seems as long to them probably
as our three score and ten years. Gill
bert White records the tradition of a
tortoise that lived for one hundred
years and of another which, to his per-
sonal knowledge, died at the advanced
age of thirty.
In the Geological Gardens of Phila-
delphia there is a cockatoo that is still
lively and cross at the age of eighty
five, the venerable bird being a uni
versal pet with the keepers of the gar
dens. Parrots have been known to
live to the age of one hundred
years, while ravens have still better
record for clinging to life. l had pet
skylark, which lived for ten years in a
cage, and died finally from old age. But
since its death / have heard of another
one that lived for twenty-four years in
confinement, and of ring-dove that
died after being Gagged for twenty-six
years. Those who have Gagged birds
should note the ages, and at their death
send a record of their life to some repu-
table scientific paper or magazine, such
information often being of great impor-
lance to bird fanciers.
The ages of fishes are more difficult
to get at, except when kept in globes.
Carp are considered the patriarchs of
fresh-water fish, while pike have been
known to live to extreme old age. One
was captured in Germany short time
ago wearing ring through its lower
jaw, on which the. date 1913 was
scratched; but evidently somebody put
the wrong date on, either accidently or
Intentionally, as very few scientists give
much credit to the story.
The ages of our domesticated animals
are more easily determined than those
of wild ones. 1t is very seldom that q
horse is good for much hard work after
he is fifteen or twenty wars of age, and
few have reached forty to fifty years of
age when carefully cared for. The
oldest horse in New York died short
time ago in his thirty-eighth year, while
a famous barge-horse died at Warrington
sixty-two years old. Mules hang on to
life a little more tenaciously than horses.
About year ago one died in Philadel-
phia forty-six years of age, while one
has been known to live to nearly
seventy.
Lately short paragraph appeared in
the papers to the effect that water
spaniel died at the age of twenty-eight.
In the same place cat died in its
twenty-second year. But by far the
best of all these is the history of the
old Cromarty donkey, whose age could
be traced back to l779. 1t was known to
be at least one hundred and six years
of age, still hale and hearty, when it
was killed by kick from horse.
These are all extraordinary ages for
domesticated animals, and they show
merely how well they can cling to life
If properly handled. The duty of kind
ness to animals is now being generally
taught, and nothing is more instructive
in this respect than to see some old
horse, mule, or dog quietly living out its
few remaining years in peace and rest
on its old masters place. 1t should be
our duty to care for our four-footed
friends in their declining years, remem-
bering that they have worked for us SO
long and faithfully, that they deserve
some little reward in return.-Treasure
Trove.