Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1906-06-22
Good Trapeze for Monkeys Near Vic
toria Nyanza.

tOTld NydnZd.
The world is now so much covered
with telegraph and telephone wires
that civilized human beings scarcely
notice them. They run almost most
of the highways in England, and the
oft-announced coming of an under
ground system seems 10 have no in
fluence in the direction of reducing
the number. There is good evidence,
however. says the London Globe, for
supposine the animal world has by no
means grown so accustomed to the
wires which swing above their heads.
Cows. for example, have been stand
ing at the corner of fields listening in
strains which smite their ears as a
high wind blows across the iron and
copper strands. Birds like the topmost
wire for a perch 1t offers them ap-
parently finer view than the boughs
of trees. which are understood gener
ally as being natures device for the
purpose. Curiously enough. bird will
not sing from the wire; whether it is
silenced by the Aeolian rivalry, or
whether. on the other hand, it has
come TO see the utilitarianism of the
structure and to feel that song is in
congruous. cannot be explained with
our present knowledge.
Bees hate the wires and there are
Wcll-authenticated cases of a swarm
of bees altering their flight to avoid
adjacency to the lines Rocks show
the greatest partially for them, par
TALLY which they hold with the spar
rows. and in some of the older lines
where the wires are closer together
than is now thought to be wise, nests
are built, and the insulation of the
lines damaged accordingly. 1t has
been calculated by one of those stats.
teal persons who had time for the en-
terprse that there is a bird swinging
one of the lines each mile of the dis
lance, which when summed up gives
us a total of some 500 birds amusing
themselves in this fashion between
London and Edinburgh.
In distant countries there are anus.
ing instances of the use 10 which wild
animals put the telegraph wires. A
report has just reached England Civ
ing the details of the ideas of mon
keys in respect to telegraphy. These
animals are convinced apparently that
the wires are put up merely for the
purpose of giving them a long trapeze
+ Nyanza there is line of three wires,
along which may be seen hundreds of
monkeys enjoying themselves to their
hearts content
The authorities have tried, by shoot
ing them in considerable numbers, to
remove this disposition, but the mon
keys still run the risk, and travellers
report that they often see them in doz-
ems swinging by the tails and chuck.
ling in their own chattering fashion
with delight. This does not serve to
4 iihpio't thc dphiS oci NlCC, III
the depths of the forest the monkeys
tricks often twist the wires, and cur
rents pass from one to another, Civ
ing somewhat confusing result at
the ends.
Oddly enough, it is estimated by
experts that the earlier ideas OF the
monkeys as 10 the pleasures OF steal.
ing the wire have passed away. Now
adays it rarely happens that wire is
stolen. The idea has spread that
some kind persons, recognizing the
needs Of the monkey tribe have put
the wires up In such secure way mere
" that the monkeys may have perfect
swinging. ana the monkeys are per
fectly loyal 10 the Idea and refuse 10
steal IN" wire apparently for this rea
son.
The curiosity NJ the giraffe Ia ano'h
er disturbing element cow here al
home stare up ~ the lines when nu
slc Is being emitted horses rub them
snlge-a against The piles. but 'h<.gf two
m but li''Ie damage The giraffe
hcueVrr. has me advantage ~ beint
aoie m stretch HE lNnR Beck am
rrarh the wires them selves. He has ;
ytn1erful regard FIR Tho p,'tsry in
*Gla'fr tfs rearhss nD and selz:i
three MI 7rrr sDrcDlent dalnties am
pulls hfrn ,lrVn. drawing tho strands
NTH. them. Thn arms ~ wcrd IN
phlrh fbs jbsplairrs are Dlared ala'
sllBfe me zjrArs. ami ~bfn, .hH gel
fairy z<fflnS ~ NJ basA ~ a pole h.
fnFz rjrh smDsemtr,t HT etnple o
1Azz ffsrzinz frun NE arms AM
n,1<lise NJ M. i6zoiasfSs The lnfri
she4 vf,ieh shis hsz rf<r, ne transmits
rim ri rhfsza9he taa Pr imagined
r. 3. az fsiori>,ps Sc he influence