The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-03
Some Curious Tales Told by Scientific
Observers.

Some Curious Tales Told by Scientific
Observers.
From the Boston Weekly Review
The instructive fear Of death manifested
by birds is shown by the following: A
canary died. was buried, the nesting estab-
lishment broken up, the surviving mate
removed to new cage. and the old cage
thoroughly cleaned and put aside till the
following spring. Never, however, could
any bird after ard endure being placed in
that cage. They fought and struggled to
get out, and il all in vain their efforts, they
moped, budding close together, thoroughly
unhappy, refusing to be comforted by any
amount OF sunshine, companionship or
dainty food. The experiment was tried
with foreign birds that had not been In the
house when the death occurred, and could
not, therefore, have known of the event by
observation. But the result WAS always the
same For the future that cage was
haunted.
1t is a common belief that many animals
see ghosts and future events. Kerner de-
clares that they are endowed with second
sight This faculty is thought to be
especially strong in dogs and horses. Storks
are known to have foreseen the burning Of
houses on which they have been won't to
build their nests, and to have abandoned
buSIll, ihhlnR up LuSlE dOOO6 Ou ObubE DuIlua
ings or on trees in the vicinity. No sooner
had the anticipated coDhagration taken
place, and new house been erected on the
same site, than they returned and built
their nests as before. The Bible story OF
Balaam Is convincing of the specter-seeing
powers of animals.
Prof Evans tells some interesting stories
about dogs in the Popular Science MonthEu
One about q SKYE terrier illustrates a crude
raiinfnna eanffuaapt IN
dog was prone to amuse himself by tossing
dry bones in the air, apparently playing
that they were alive. On one occasion a
ane thread was attached to one of these
bones, invisible to the dog, and the bone
was slowly drawn away from him.
Instantly. says the narrator, his whole
demespor changed. The bone which he had
previously pretended was alive began 20
look as il IL really were alive, aud his as.
constituent knew no bounds. He first APP
preached it with nervous caution, but as
the slow receding motion continued and he
became quite certain that the movement
could not be accounted for by any residuum
Of force which he himself communicated
his astonishment developed into dread, and
he ran to conceal himself behind or under
some articles of furniture, there to behold
at distance, the ''uncanny" spectacle Of a
dry bone coming to life, thus mAnifesting
close observation, judgment, reason, imag-
ination and superstitious fear.
This "superstitious fear' was shown on
another occasion, when apples we're being
shot out of bags upon the wooden floor Of
an apple room, the sound In the house
closely resembled distant thunder. A setter
was greatly alarmed at the noise until he
was taken to the apple room and shown the
cause of it. after which his dread entirely
left him, and the rumbling no longer dis
turbed him. 1t is added that dogs and
horses can be completely cured Of their fear
Of thunder by being present at artillery
practice. Believing they now know what
produces the dreadful roar, they no longer
fear IL.