Animals as Prophets.

Hokitika Guardian, 1 March 1924, Page 4

Animals as Prophets.

e The senses of animals differ enor 11 oiouslv front those oi human being-, n |.' or in-iane, a cuckoo, five month e „ld. which has never been live mile s from the place where it was hatched l) can find its way unaided, from -Eng " hind to .Africa. As all fishermen know, trout go of 1 i heir feed before rain. They caunol ’ see the skv, yet they know bouts it 1 advance when a change in the weatlu-i 1 is coming. 1 Animals can tell in advance when a ! had earthquake or volcanic eruption - is about to occur. In Sicily dog--1 showed great uneasiness two day- be- ' fore the eruption of Etna. Cats ear--1 ried their kittens away Koni houses, ; and hares seemed stupefied by fright. Similiar knowledge was exhibited by anii rials boftte the great Valparaiso earthquake of 1903, but in this ease ' horses and cattle as well as dogs were desperately uneasy for twentyfour hours before the big shock. Doghowled all .night, and cattle lowed. Before the Ale-sina earthquake of January. 1915. birds were noticed to

l H > living in tlocks, evidently greatT I di.-turhed, but it is an odd fact, tbai there were no such signs before tin sudden and dreadful earthquake which destroyed San Francisco. One explanation of this sense possessed by dumbb animals may lie that animals, having finer powers of hearing than man, may desect undering than man, may detect underground rumblings and quiverings which man cannot sense. Dr it may he that there is some electric tension which affects them. At any rate, there is no doubt that they do know many hours beforehand when an j earth convulsion is about to take j place. j