Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-02-01
Strange Philippine Pets.

One sees strange pets in these new
possessions of ours in the tropics.
One that amused us all very much
during recent visit was baby
rhinoceros that was brought up by
hand.
"Master, what happens when one
finds little rhinoceros that had no
mother?" was what the native who
had the little one asked my friend.
"Who is there that has killed the
mother of the young one?" was the
guarded reply.
1t is a misdemeauor to kill these
animals except under certain circum-
stances, and the natives had probably
been playing high jinks in the Jungle.
OF course, all knowledge of the de-
mise OF the mother was absolutely
denied, but the possible suspicion that
If the circumstances were found out
somebody would suffer brought the
price OF the baby down to the very
lowest limit.
The animal was the personifcation
of ugliness. The horns on its hugo
upper jaw were just about forming
and its legs looked for all the world
like those of an old-fashioned square
piano. Two teeth had already made
their appearance, and there were evil
dences OF others about to come. The
daily diet was supplemented by leaves
that the young fellow chewed in great
shape.
But he dearly loved his bottle of
milk, and the fuss he made about
it was truly laughable, Then, too,
another interesting thing he did was
to set up terrific whining whenever
those who had visited him walked
away.
The drollest creature of all was
Malayan sun bear that was perfect
running river of harmless merriment.
He had been picked up in the Jungle
as very small cub, and when on all
fours, his most infrequent position
was about yard long and half as
high. He was q admirable perform
er as a biped, and the first sight of
him was enough to upset most
peoples gravity as he came forward
to greet the stranger with rolling
lurching gait and most absurd re-
semblance to miniature mariner in
an overcoat of black fur and slightly
the worse for liquor.
No stranger could ever be per-
suaded that the extraordinary per-
formances of the animal were not the
| results of teaching instead OF being
solely the work of native genius.
He possessed he quite under
stood 'meum," if not ''tuum'-a
rough wooden ball about the size of q
Dutch cheese, and with this he would
constantly practice a series of feats
with as serious and solemn an air as
if he were training for a gymnastic
championship.
He will deliberately stand on his head
for some minutes, the ball balanced
on the soles of his hind feet. Then
he wouli drop it into his front paws
and shuttle along to the edge of the
veranda, climb the posts hugging the
ball with one arm, and in some way
| contrive to lie on his back on the top
rail, about two inches broad, while
he kept the ball necessarily rolling be-
tween his fore and hind paws. An
other trick was to clasp the ball with
both arms, and in this position to turn
slowly heels over head the whole
length of the veranda. These and
other tricks he did at his own will and
pleasure, refusing steadily to learn
from man any accomplishments.
He was the most inquisitive beast
imaginable, and woe to the storeroom or
wardrobe that was ever left open. In
two minutes Bruins long, sickle-
shaped claws would drag it's contents in
a heap on to the floor, while his flexible
snout would be roofing it in every
corner. On one occasion he was dis
covered in the act of carrying off q
clock for investigation at leisure, and
on another, icing accidentally shut
into the ''go down." or storeroom,
he entirely ruined brand-new
saddle and gnawed into shreds .
quantity Of floor mating. New York
| Times.