The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-11-23
ANIMALS WITH PEoleREEs.


Some Peculfarities Of Cats and Dogs From
Siam.
United States Minister Boyd. while
recently home on a leave OF absence
from Bangkok, said: THE American
legation at Siam was composed of very
curious membere." as he stroked the
tawny coat of his three hundred dollars
pair Siamese cats.
''You see the government makes me
no allowance for corps of secretaries
and under dignitaries like the tony
missions receive, and l had to force a
little style with the best native ma
terial on hand. So l drafted in the
service of Uncle Sam an assortment Of
cheap but sagacious assistants, who
helped to furnish dignity to the estab-
lishment without any severe strain on
its exchequer.
''You can do this sort of thing readily
in SIAM where the freest sociability
prevails between the people and the
gifted menagerie that inhabits the
island. For watchdog, in case I
wanted to. leave the house for awhile. I
had an intellectual little dog from the
kings kennel He comes of a family
trained for untold generations to play
this role. and when placed on sentinel
duty he could be fully trusted, night or
day, to cover his charge with entire
success Nobody but myself or wife
could approach my desk or anything
that he was left to guard without hav-
ing severe attack Of remorse. Then
came marvellous pair of cats. They,
too. came of lofty pedigree, and are ex-
tremely rare, but their most practical
value in Siam comes from their merci-
less warfare on snakes Bangkok is
crowded capital, a sort OF Venice, large
ly built over the water.
1.-THE entire country back Of it IS in
tested with enormous boas, from fifteen
to twenty-five feet in length. When
their country board gets unpalatable
these monsters stroll down into the
Bangkok in search of supplies. Their
pet dainties are pigs, chickens, geese
and cats No their bite is not venom
Gus, but they do swift and deadly exc
cution with their giant coils. Instinct
lively. therefore. the cat recognizes his
arch enemy, but you don't know what
a ferocious prize fight is until you. can
see one Of these small, tawny telinea
make an unerring spring and fasten
to tho back OF the boa's neck.
To this vulnerable point he holds like
grim death, scratching meanwhile with
the widest tiger-lilke fury, till the hugo
throws up the sponge. They
are gentle and good-natured, these am
ber-eyed beauties, until Mr.. Boa comes
around, when they suddenly develop
the ferocity Of ten devils. Fl was .
reptile seventeen feet long that one of
this fighting species laid out in my le-
CATION yard one day.
'sYou muse understand that Siam is
IN outdoor and opeu-window CLINE. and
this leads to sociability ON very dem
ocratic scala. You never can tell the
mixed character of angels, four-footed
and otherwise, you are liable to enter
tain at night For instance, we had
pair of baby SUM bears, gettle as kit
tens. on the legation payroll in some
position of honor.
They passed the day in the banyan
trees. and dropped down about mid
night to call upon their friends We
found them under our bed one morning,
and then Mrs Boyd tiaought the hour
had arrived to draw the line ON the
beasts We had to dismiss our pelican,
too, in disgrace, in spite Of the dignity
he maintained on the front porch, for
the royal dog made open war on his
until he resembled skirt
less ballet girl San Francisco Exam
ner