UNCOMMON PETS.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12646, 6 November 1905, Page 8

UNCOMMON PETS.

Part of the pleasure of keeping as pets animals not generally chosen for that purpose is the chance wkica it gives of getting oi terms of acquivintanoe, and sometimes of friendship, w:ih minds as yet untried, the calibre of which is almost unknown. The vvajs cf ibhought of a dog, or even of •- n otter or a tome snowTleopard, are by this time familiar enough. But there is a pteasari, .novelty' in establishing close relations *with the mind of a tame boa-constiicjlor which becomes a confidential iriend, or t<he daily life of birds seldom •kept under ©lose observation, srch as «muß, or of some foreign rodents, of w"hich the jerboa and praire dog are •examples. There is always a chance, though never a corfrainty, of discovering ■some curious mental quality in *Ik-s© Hess familiar beasts which is v 'vv-'jud for much trouble 'and anxiety in koej--fing them, or of observing h-un's f« v.d •ways of life shown by them v rcvnfhujd In a fairly natural environmeut. which' Ihave not becu recorded beiu'e.

A mine of information, suggtat'ons.' and stories about various ftiiimUs owiicd fby Mr Richard Bell, of Jostle om\ in Dumfriesshire, will be founJ in his nott« of ibis private menagerie,— "'. .NJv Strange QPefcs, and otter 'Memories t>[ Country Life" (London: W. Blackwrod ' unu Sons). Had he cared (.Uwote rare time to tohe form of its pi-eseiration, record would have b/'<;n mare attractive, for as it stands it !s both <lisjointed. and discursive. Hut many of tbbe facts and experiences given are q-'iite mew; and incidentally it throws some light on tlhe amusing relations beiwec-n 'owners of private menageries in Ergland and Scotland. Their common interests, odd exchanges, and /cry " casual" taking of risks for themselves and ftiheir neighbours with "doubtful specimens are set out with amazing frankness. (Mr [Bell has so mamy stories i\,nt we may fairly quote some samp'es, ;visile many of (his Observations of the native •birds and mammals of EngHnd and Scotland suggest that, carefully as they siave been studied, there is moro to learn.

Among his menagerie pets the most interesting eeem to lhave been the emus, loniurs, large snakes, deer, foxes, and uerbain birds in the aviaries. The emus laid and 'hatched chicks regularly; and though the pair cost £20 in 1874, Mr

Bel! sold thirty-one young ones at an average of from £8 to £10 a pair, and eleven years later sold the first pair for £18. In addition, the eggs not used for hatching were sold, so the emu farm was quite :<• good investment. The female had nothing to do but to lay the eggs." The cock bird, not the hen, passed into the curious physical state by which birds for a time are transformed into hatching automatons. But what aai automaton! For sixty days it never touched food or water, though both were set near it. Yet after this long fast it at once took over the little birds wihen haitehed, and looked after them most carefully as they grazed like goslings. This may not have been difficult ; but it is surprising that it has the strength to lead them about. This long fust may be commended to students of the life of salmon in fresh water.

The ring-tailed lemur, a common pet .in India and Madagascar, was kept, not in the menagerie, hut in the houso, and was as {fanning as the " Madagascar cat" usually is. though it died from an accident. Mr Bell's experiences in keeping the larger siiakes ? notably pythons and boas, are interesting, especially the notes on the "wonderful quickness of the boa's stroke. Describing an instance when a boa killed a rabbit, he says: — " It struck tJhe rabbit with a motion as quick as the crack of a whip. This stroke, >and the subsequent working round the body of the rabbit, were so rapidly performed that the eye could scarcely follow the movements." A long extract from a letter written by Dr Mann, an enthusiastic lover of snakes, shows that the larger kinds may have far more character and emotion than tlhey are generally credited with: — " My present boa," he writes, " always sleeps in my bed round any feet. He is perfectly clean, lies still, and very seldom disturbs me j occasionally he crawls to my face to lick it. I frequently take & python to bed; but at present she is timid, and if she cannot find my feet, crawls out of the bed and curls herself on the floor. . . . Ido not myself believe that any python or boa is savage. But they are dreadfully timid, especially from the ill-treatment they received when first caught, and the misery and terror they endure on the voyage. There is another thing. They have no eyelids, and on being suddenly uncovered and dragged forth to the light, suffer from the glare very acutely. It is best, therefore, to hide their heads in your hand, or under your coat. Handle them of ten, and give them water, pressing their heads gently into it. I feed my boas frequently from my hand. But the last time I offered a python a guinea-pig the prey escaped, and the <pytlhon took in the whole of my hand instead. He soon discovered his mistake, and was greatly distressed, ruibbed his head against my hand, and. seemed to fear some sort of punishment. Since that time I have had great difficulty dn persuading him to eat unless I ■nurse 'him or take him to bed, when he will lie the whole night with hie head in my (hand." If sometimes new traits of character, such as these unsuspected emotions and susceptibilities in the constrictor snakes, reward the keeper of a strange pet, it must be admitted that as a rule experience is right, and that creatures which have ibeen failures in the past do not reward further experiment. Such, for instance, are alligators, wolves (for keeping <whiich there is a craze just at present), male deer, and bears, which, are stpid and always dangerous. There are several country houses where bears are now kept, while escaped wolves and jackals have done much mischief both in Northumberland and in Kent; and at no great distance o time a whole litter of youn prairie wolves were sold to turn out as fox cube in Essex! One Irish Peer kept a tame bear because it was his crest, and subsequently obtained another .when he sold the first representative of the family "totem" to Mr Bell. Another bear, a cub, was sent as a present from Canada ■to-a statiomnasber at Longholm. Not knowing what to do with it, he kindly let it go in a wood near. Nothing fur<ther-; was heard of it. But the story ■.accounts for,.unwelcome visitations like kthat >.. of the. Aliandale wolf..- . :

: Endlessii?. pleasure may be obtained from a carefully managed aviary, especially .if :the inmates .are: tihe brightly, coloured small birds of the su'b-tropdeal countries. They will nae"ed' ■fflbout 6"ne-thdrd" of H "man's time to manage, and keep them clean and well; but the return in (beauty, movement, ami d unfamiliar habite is great. ■Moefc •aviai'ies are fao1' too large and lofty, for. Vstoall birds, and large birds" are itnsatisfaotbry inmates as a rule, ttihough not always. Birds are , most sociable creatures, and the extent of their amiability ds only fully seen in an aviary or flying cage. In the New York Zoo, for instance, the pelicans play with a small species of duck by picking . them lip in their pouches, "chucking" them into the air, and catching them again. Mr Bell's aviary presented quite as pretty an evidence of mutual confidence among birds. A pair of Java sparrows lived in a compartment with a " bleeding heart pigeon." The latter fell in love with them, and at night always cuddled a sparrow under each wing. When seen by tihe light of a lantern, the pigeon seemed to be cuddling two babies, one under each wing, from whiich the cheerful countenances of the little sparrows looked with blinking eyes.