The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1901-11-15
HOW DO THEY N o
Animals Seem to Have a Senss Of Day,
and Hour.

DO animals aud birds have within
them some instructive consciousness
Of timer N~aturalists believe that
they do, and many w~cll.known facts
observed by different men in diff
fereni places lend color to that view.
says the Youths Companion.
The oriole arrives in Massachusetts,
every year about the tenth day Of
May, paying little attention to differ
enccs OF weather. lie may have his
late seasons and his carly seasons. but
the very large number Of years in
which his arrival has been noted ON
the tenth day indicates that his
chronological machinery, like tina, Of
a cuckoo-clock. pops him into view at
a given moment.
Birds which migrate southwark
early, not waiting for frost or cold
winds, also seem to be aware when the
date has arrived for their departure.
Many king birds. for instance. may
be seen in Massachusetts, ON the last
day Of August. but very few are seen
after the fret day Of September.
The woodchuck knows when the
time has come for him to "dcn up"
lie not only feel. the necessity Of roll.
ing himself up in his own sustaining
fat and going 10 sleep for the winter.
but he feels il at u particular time,
quite regardless Of the state Of the
weather. Woodchucks have been do
mesticatcd, and allowed TO sleep IN
a warm place. with all the food they
needed, yet they "denncd up when
the regular time came for them to
do so.
They awake in the spring with
much the came regularity. Tho
"ground.hog day" legend i, ridicu-
lous. II il. Of course. unreasonable
TO suppose that in a country like ours,
with II range Of climates from the
scmitropical 10 the completely arctic.
a creature will come out Of his hole
everywhere on the second day Of
February. and then regulate hi fu-
ture conduct according to the wealth.
er on that day, staying out il Il be bad,
and going back il it be good.
But the legend belongs properly not
to the woodchuck but TO the badger,
and TO the European badger, at That,
aud, moreover, the Germans give us
a version. exactly opposite to that
which Is most current. They say that
the badger peeps out Of his hole on
Condemns day, and draws back when
he finds snow shining-not the sun,
The persistence Of the woodchuck
legend may thus be traced TO the reg.
ulariiy Of the chuck's European rela,
tive.
A naturalist who has studied thi,
interesting Characteristic Of animal,
tells n story, from hi. own obserya,
tion, which seems to show that som,
creatures may have a still more exacI
sense Of time than is indicated by IN,
regularity of their migrations and hi,
FORMATIONS. lie oncc enjoyed the ac.
quaintmcc Of a mouse which. at ex.
actly a quarter before four o'clock ey.
cry afternoon, vas in the habit OIL
coming out along a wainscoting and
making his way TO a pot Of paste OIL
the table, the crust Of which he then
proceeded to nibble. No Suburban.
ite," having his train in mind, could
be more regular in arriving at hi
breakfast-table than this mouse wa,
in coming for his daily nibble of paste
How did the mouse know when il
was a quarter before four: Tie nat.
u%ralist could not answer The question
but he is certain that the little crea
ture had some way of measuring time
Some people are as hard to get rio
Of as an old habit.-Atchison Globe.