Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-05-04
UNCLE SAM'S MENAGERiE.
Animals Kept at the Department of Ar riculture For Experimental Purposes.

Animals Kept at the Department of Ar
 riculture For Experimental Purposes.
 It is not generally known that the de- partment of agriculture has menagerie ill connection with it, but such is the case. Tie menagerie is not a very large one, nor does it contain any rare or strange animals. Most of them are of the domestic variety.
 It is part of the division of animal industry, and the animals are used to develop interesting cases of disease and to illustrate the effects of an epidemic of Q particular kind which the division may wish to experiment on with view of stamping it out and to test various kinds of foods of which trial is thought to be effieacious.
 Comprised in this collection of ani- mals are rats and mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, different sorts of fowls, some cattle and sheep and few others. The larger of the animals are kept at the breeding place of the department, on the Benning road, while others are dom- iciled in the basement of the division of animal industry laboratory, near the bureau of engraving and printing.
 Down in the basement, under the lab oratory, which was visited recently by a reporter, were seen number of GOODS and cages, in which were grouped guin- ca pigs, rabbits and chickens. The animals seemed to be perfectly at home and formed Q seemingly happy family, as some guinea pigs were ill the cage with rabbits. One of the little white and black creatures was nibbling at the whiskers of a sleepy looking rabbit, which blinked contentedly, as if it en- joyed the operation or was too lazy to resist any trespass on the part of the guinea pig.
 A dilapidated looking chicken, which had much the same appearance as has q tramp who has been forced to saw wood for a meal at friendly inn, rested on top of cage The guinea pigs seem- ed to be the life of the place and ran in and out with apparently little or no concern whether "school kept or not.
 On some of the cages where the rab- bits were confined, printed in large black letters, was the word "rabies. Upon the cards also were the warnings to the attendants and others not to put their hands in the cages This meant that the animals had been inoculated with hydrophobia virus, and it was therefore dangerous to handle the ani- mals A further precaution taken in such cases, it is said, is not to inoculate animals carnivorous by nature, as they become terribly ferocious, or any ami mals whose chief means of defense is by biting.
 A cat or dog, for instance, will strive to bite when afflicted with the disease. while rabbit, which is purely vege- tarian, will simply nope and die with sut making any resistance.
 It was stated that one steer, which had the "blackleg, remained at one of the experiment stations for about eight years, and tLs persons there really became attached to it.--Washington
 wo would be glad to see a few of those miraculous applications of cleo tricity to the uses and conveniences of common life which have been promised us so long materialize in actual shape, aud we do not think we are unreason- able either.
 Why.
 ''Golightly boasts that be never changes hia mind "