Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-01-06
SPECTACLES FOR BIRDS.
The Very Latest Form of Kindness to
Animals.

, G'rom the Washington Pathfnder)
II is no uncommon thing these days to
Sc" dumb animals supplied with arti-
fetal limbs in lieu of those which ma
iGle gave and which have been taken
away hy accident. Dogs. cats and even
hlds frequently are helped along with
Il wooden leg. but it has remained for a
London surgeon to fit Il pair OF spec
tacles on a raven. This bird, made fam
Gus by Edgar Alan Poe, managed to get
4 cataract on its eye, ana after this vas
removed the surgeon decided to exam
inc its optics to see II they were all
right. He did so and discovered that
tho raven had defects In its vision, which
led MIN TO have n pair of glasses made.
which the bird now wears. the adjuncts
to sight being kept in place by means
of a hood. Thus we see that perhaps
Edgar Alan might have been all bug
horse on the raven story after all, for
Instead OF sitting there on the "pallid
bust OF Pallas." just noove his cham
Der door, with eyes that had all the
seeming OF n demon that WAS dreaming,
tho poor weather. soaked bird might have
been merely suffering with case OF
myopia or astigmatis the linplight DER
him streaming causing some optic
trouble well as casting his shadow on
the floo:. It might be well In order for
all Of liz to have the eyes Of the animals
around the house examined and glasses
made to suit, else in time "a the spread
Of knowledge goes forward. the society
for the prevention of cruelty to animals
may get after us. Certainly the cats
ought to be the better able to see rats
in the dark by The aid OF glasses IT
there Is aught the matter with their
Yisua! sense, and the watch dog could all
the more efficiently pick out the choc-
est part OF any intrudcrs anatomy if
his spectacles were properly adjusted.
This London man. realizing that II has
devo!ved upon him to widen the horizon
of lower apimal life taking his cue from
his success with the raven, examined 400
other animals in the ZOO OF his city with
the opthalnoscopc and found that near
ly all Of them could be benefited by the
aid OF specacles. He had some interest
ing experiences, however, ms is Rttested
by what tho puma did. This particular
denizcn OF the wild had been taught by
its keeper TO box, 4 fact unknown to the
puma to keep him from scratching, and
the cyc doctor thought oil was we'll UNI
III, NllcIl lc entered lNe cage, ne saw
the puma swagger up on Its hind legs
with all the professional pride Of a John.
son or kctchcll, and the first thing
he knew he got one above tho belt from
tho puma's right. lie found that the
back OF each aniilal's eye was different
from that Of any others Seals and wal
ruses have the power OF moving forward
the lens OF thcr eyes to enable them to
see under water Six lions were secure
~ fastened and the doc,Or entered the
cage In the dark. having thrown light
on the eyes OF the lion, He sat and look
cd ut tho eyes for several hours, finding
that the lions became in q maner hyp-
Noticed. Kangeroos when examined In
this way always went to sleep Croco-
dies did not escape examination, and II
was found that they do actually weep.
Onion Juice was squeezed into their
eyes and copious tears ran down inside
so It Is at least established that croco-
ollie tears are not the product Of emo
| ton. but arc merely lubricant for
| food.