The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-01-04
ANIMALS WITH PEplcREEs.
Some Peculiarities of Cats and Dogs from
Siam.

United States Minister Boyd, while
recently home on leave of absence
from Bangkok, according to the San
Francisco Examiner, said: "The Amer
lean legation at Siam was composed of
very curious members" as he stroked
the tawny coat of his $500 pair Siam
ese cats.
"You see the government makes me
no allowance for corps of secretaries
and under dignitaries like the tony
missions receive, and I had to force a
little style with the best native mate
rial on hand. So 1 drafted in the sery-
ice 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 read
ily in Siam, where the freest sociabil-
ity prevails between the people and
the gifted menagerie that inhabits the
island. For watchdog, in case I
wanted to leave the house for while,
1 had an intellectual little dog from
the kings kennel. He comes of fam
lily trained for untold generations to
play this role, and when placed on
sentinel duty he could be fully trust
ed, night or day, to cover his charge
with entire success. Nobody but my
self or wife could approach my desk or
anything that he was left to guard
without having severe attack of re-
morse. Then came a marvellous pair
of cats. They. too, came of lofty ped
igree, and are extremely rare, but
their most practical value in Siam
comes from their merciless warfare
on snakes. Bangkok is crowded
capital. a sort of Venice, largely built
over the water.
@The entire country back of it is in
tested with enormous boas, from ff.
teen to twenty-five feet in length.
When their country board gets unpal-
atable 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
venomous, but they do swift and dead
| ly execution with their giant coils.
Instinctively, therefore, the cat recog-
ognizes his arch enemy, but you don't
know what ferocious prize fight is
until you can see one of these small,
tawny felines make an unerring spring
and fasten himself to the back of the
boa's neck. To this vulnerable point
he holds like grim death, scratching
meanwhile with the widest tiger-like
fury, till the huge monster throws up
the sponge. They are gentle and
good-natured, these amber-eyed beau.
ties, until Mr.. Boa comes around, when
they suddenly develop the ferocity o1
ten devils. 1t was reptile seventeen
feet long that one of this fighting spe-
cies laid out in my legation yard one
day.
"You must understand that Siam is
an outdoor and open-window cline,
and this leads to sociability on very
democratic scale. You never can tell
the mixed character of angels, four
footed and otherwise, you are liable to
entertain at night. For instance, we
had pair of baby sun bears. gentle
as kittens, 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 on their friends. We
found them under our bed one morn
ing, and then Mrs. Boyd thought the
hour had arrived to draw the line on
the beasts. We had to dismiss ou1
pelican, too, in disgrace. in spite o1
the dignity he maintained on the front
porch, for the royal dog made open
war on his tail-feathers until he re.
sembled skirtless ballet girl"