ANIMALS AND EARTHQUAKES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 240, 16 November 1909, Page 1

ANIMALS AND EARTHQUAKES

Whenever a t,,,...;i,i , l '-'-«> ">"';•'C'-s;;!,, 1 "" 1 H «'»«ui.. ; , 11 .n.; , i 1^ ,1 f , - 11l „5; ' A- a iiialu-r ot fnw. :11 ,i mi il- arc v ,-rv I s:"" 1 "* 1 " 1 ' ».^ 'rii.-i-.. £ ,■■.. portion-, ~f thl- world's ,m- ■' "•';"•'•■ -'TIaH., which ,„■, ,|is Ul ,l„.,| 1,, ™»l'<l»»k" will) .!„,„,„f,„,.,),;,. ~,,„,, ', »y; parts „f Moxi,,, | l; ,i,. n.,,,1, Anullra. and notably Japan. : TKK'lillvll who ALWAVs YIXLKD. i Among U„ Kurunean ivs,,iciu, N .,„.',. I saki, the g,,.„ L ,)a [m nesc SUil|)ul . t ' "j'll imiiarl.v known a. "Karthouakc 'town." | Us nothing at all out uf tJit- or.linarv I or from ,imc lo twelve ~,11,1 shocu's ' o be lelt there during the twcnly-four hoiuw. 11ns condition of affairs, wim .

a lew niliTuiissions of 5U > great lem'th prevails throughout,the year " ' Its initial effect upon Kuropeans is to produce a ■feeling oj profound nausea, the native |,opulatiou are, one and all. serenely indifferent to it. But the more domesticated animals and birds seem never to become used to what tho poets call "the vexed and uneasy earth." Moreover, they appear to be gifted (or cursed) with a ton-knowledge of the coming "quake," which j s most uncanny.

J I had a little Irish terrier that used « to lie on a mat in my olliec. He would I be curled up, fast asleep; then, sud- ♦ denly, with a sharp yelp, he would I spring up, and immediately dive under I his mat. A minute later the house t shook, and 1 knew the dog had been a I true prophet. The .shock over, "Jin," ♦ -would emerge, shake himself, and curl t up and go to sleep again! 1 In his waking hours he invariably ♦ barked and crawled under a chair or I table just before the, "quake" came. | I have seen a dog, trotting contentedJ I}' aloiig the street, stick his tail be- ♦ tween his. legs, and race at break-neck ♦ speed for tho nearest doorway, without J the slightest apparent reason. But the 4 animal instinct was never wrong. Anf other would lie down Hat, put his head I 'between liis paws, and howl dismally. i The shock always followed within a J minute or. two. 1 Dogs seem to be more frightened of ♦ earthquakes than any other pets (cats I are unaffected), and their fear never I A FOWL'S AMUSING ANTICS.

ilcrses tremble violently, and become covered instantly in ;i complete lather, neighing loudly and incessantly before,' diir.ng, and for a short while alter the shock. But, like humans, they become used to the inevitable in time, although it never ceases to affect thcf? entire system, and makes them irritable arid restless. The antics of the feathered creation supply an amusing side to the situation, I have seen a most respectable fowl, the mother of a large family , suddenly squat down in the dust on'the roadwav. with her wings, spread out to their fullest extent, "squawking" in a most ludicrous manner. The majestic rooster, meanwhile, was running lylulu aml round, in aimless circles. When the tn-tuor had passed, and she was shaking the dust ~lf her 'leathers, her lord and master seemed to be instantly struck with the loss of dignity which had occurred. .Male-like. >//rowing all the blame on her, he chased her for about sixty yards, peeking at her viciously in unmistakable rage. A- tb, cat is the onlv domesticated

animal which is unall'cctcd by earthquakes, so, on the other hand, the snake seems, to he the sole wild thing which views them with alarm. Its terror is exhibited in loud hissing, and an attempt to envelope its head i u its ow:i coil-.

During a -ei>mic convulsion the snake wil' not bite. and. even if it should, its poison bag will not disc-barge iu deadly tluid. being temporarily paralv-cd. Kabbits retire precipitately' i„ their burrow- just previuu- to a -bock, and do nut emerge f,„- ~ ~ time after it. I »iiit* 1..0k up with a sort of qiie-tiouhg air. Inn are not otherwi-e iiueivsted ill the phenomenon occurring under their fiet. and continue brow.-iug with the utmost nonchala.ice.

cil'ect on the morals of Ijinl pets. A friend »f mine possessed a line cockatoo, which had evidently sojourned in tincompany of sailors. It was supposed lo lie u «ood talker. but for a lon;,' time alter Us purchase it prccrvcd an impenetrable silence, jfrcatlv to tile chagrin of its owner, a lady of ratlier rigid principles. Then, one day, tin; Hood-gales were opened unexpectedly, and the result was disastrous. A severer shock than usual aroused the bird out of his impassivity, and he swore, fluently and decisively! for [uly ten minutes, 'l was assured liv the scandalised lady herself that .his language was awful. After that little hurst he relapsed into his wonted speechlessness, which untiling could tempt him to break, The sequel was tliat t'tie lady was so afraid that another shock would some, day lead to a repetition of his shocking behaviour, and the suspense, of fearing it would, and waiting for it, so got on her nerves, that she actually bribed her Japanese "bov"to take it 'some distance into the country and let it lly away! ■StJUKK-EUS Tl'ltX SOMERSAULTS. Perhaps the most extraordinary cJl'cct which the earthquake has on any living ilnn" is to be observed in the ease of the -qiiirrcl. It causes that little animal to turn somersaults! This is well known to hunters and backwooduicii. and 1 have myself seen squirrels in the open turning over and over just after a shock, as if in a state of vertigo. This lasts for about two minutes, after w'hiclt tiny stop dead, and then scamper for the nearest tree.

Lite in earthquake latitudes is trying for the nerves of both animal and human beiui!-. aad it is a standing joke in Nagasaki that no cook dare include a blancmange in the menu, because its instability i- too marked a reminder of prevailing conditions.