Year: 1873

MT. Benjamin Taylor, of Taylor, Dun away & Brothers, lumber merchants, on Eighth street, relates an incident of which he was an eyewitness at his lum- ber-yard, that strongly illustrates that universal feeling, mother-love, which so pervades all animal life.

 In removing the last boards of stack of blanks, rats nest, with nine young ones, was found underneath. The lit tie rodents were about the size of mice, and were able to crawl about at lively rate. An old-fashioned wire trap was procured the young rats put into it, Q weight put on the top, and it was left on the nest and watched. The trap was semi-sphere with funnel-shaped entrance in the top and a lifting-door in the side.

 After waiting some half hour the mo- ther rat made her appearance, showing evident anxiety about her lit ter. She hesitated some time before approaching the trap, but finally her affection prevailed, and she boldly ven- tured out within twenty feet, and in full view of the watchers. She ran several times around the prison that contained her young, tried the wires with her teeth, and made many demon strations of solicitude and dis tress. At length, finding that she could ffot get in to the young ones, she determined to bring them out to her. The manner In which she accomplished this showed some- thing akin to that reason of which man is wont to boast that he is the only pos sessor.

 Placing herself close against the wires she made peculiar noise-a kind of gentle squeak-which immediately attracted the attention of her young, and they came to the familiar call. First one little fellow put his nose be- tween the wires, and being little en- couraged and helped by the mother, who pressed her own nose between the same wires, thus spreading them lit tie wider apart, he squeezed his head through. In an instant she caught him by the back of the neck, and in spite of his squealing and crying under the painful process, she pulled him forcibly through the wires and ran off with him under pile of lumber near by. Prob ably minute elapsed before she re- appeared, having deposited her rescued young one in safety. She was evidently encouraged by her success, and en- boldened by the fact that she had not been molested, and proceeded to rescue one after another of her young, and in the samo manner, until she had taken out eight.

 The watchers then half-buried the trap in the loose dirt, and for while the devoted mother was in great dis tress about how to get out the last of her liter. But she soon found that the little fellow couldn't reach her through the top, and she commenced digging down to him, throwing out the dirt eagerly as if melted to extra exer- tions by the lamentations of her young one. She burrowed just in front of the lifting-door, on reaching which she inn mediately entered, and to her surprise, found herself prisoner. She had sac- rificed her own liberty to her mother love, and, as the event proved, her life also, for she was killed, though her la- bors and courage in behalf of that feel ing which is instinct in all, and which is probably the most sacred impulse of the human heart, should have won mercy from her captors, and secured her from harm.-Covirgto'a (Ky.) Jour-