Golden Days for Boys and Girls Part 9

STORIES OF DUMB CREATURES.

--Says a naturalist: "We came to a large piece of timber, and while pa.s.sing through it, I had my first experience with the honey-bird of South Africa. This curious little bird is, in size and plumage, about like an English sparrow, and gets his name from the fact that the little fellow, who is very fond of honey, being unable to obtain it for himself, will lead men to the places where the wild bees have hidden their stores of rich, wild honey. Whenever this bird sees a man, he will fly close to him, hovering around, uttering a twittering sound; then he will go off in the direction of the place (generally a tree) where the honey is, flying backward and forward in a zigzag fas.h.i.+on. Then back he will come, twittering in the same manner, as if to say, 'Come along: I'll show you where it is.' These actions are repeated until the tree is reached, when the bird will indicate it very plainly by flying to it and hovering around it. If the distance is great (and sometimes the honey-bird will lead a person who is willing to follow a distance of ten miles); he will wait on a tree until the follower comes up, and will then continue his business of piloting. He is very persistent, and will do his best to draw any one on; but if the party is not posted about honey-birds, and refuses to follow, or goes in the wrong direction, the bird will leave, probably in search of some person who will appreciate his efforts to provide him with sweetmeats. While the bees are being smoked out, and the honey taken up, the bird will hover in the vicinity until the job is done, when of course his reward comes in the shape of a feast on the fragments that are left. If he knows of other hives, just as soon as one is disposed of he will lead the way to another, and I have, since this time, known as many as four trees taken up by a party in one day. When the honey-bird has shown one tree, if the hunters are satisfied with that, and refuse to follow him further, he leaves them; but I have never heard of an instance in which the bird misled any one in regard to finding honey. It frequently happens, however, that a honey-bird will lead a person into very dangerous places, and unless the hunter keeps his eyes about him when following this bird, he may run right into a lion, a venomous snake, or some other equally undesirable acquaintance."

--A correspondent of a New Orleans paper writes: "d.i.c.k was only a big toad. The boys found him beside the road one day last summer when the June roses were in bloom, and triumphantly deposited him in one of the flower-beds, 'to eat the bugs and things off'n the pinks and pansies and rosemary; and, besides, you know, mamma, the other boys will throw stones at him.' That settled it, and d.i.c.k (as they gravely informed me they had named him) was left to enjoy his flowery home. Occasionally, when cutting flowers, I noticed the exceeding tameness of the little creature, and was often a.s.sured by the boys, 'Our d.i.c.k is the very best toad in town.' However, I noticed nothing uncommon until two or three weeks after they had brought him home, when I was attracted by their peals of laughter, and presently heard them calling, 'd.i.c.k, d.i.c.k! come, d.i.c.k!' I slipped out and peeped around the corner of the house, and beheld a most comical sight--one of the boys down on his knees, holding out his hands and calling to the toad, which was gravely hopping toward him, making a peculiar little noise, until he reached the outstretched hand, into which he hopped and sat contentedly blinking his bright, bulging eyes. After this I noticed the strange pet more closely, and found he would always come promptly when his name was called, and seemed very grateful when presented with a worm or bug. He would come at any kindly call, but showed greatest preference for eight-year-old, mischievous Teddy, into whose hand he would always hop, and whom he would hop around after as long as he would walk around the flower-bed where d.i.c.k made his home, but never beyond its limits. And such pansies, pinks and other sweet posies I had there!--no cut stem or bitten leaves.

d.i.c.k ate all the floral enemies up that ventured there. When the cold days of autumn came upon us, he left us, and we have seen him no more.

What is the moral of this? Nothing--only that kindness and mercy shown to even so humble a creature as a toad will bring pleasures and a sure recompense."

--Writing from Tec.u.mseh, Mich., a correspondent sends this: "A few years ago our house was infested with a large number of rats, which had taken up their abode in a recess of the cellar that had formerly been used as a landing-place for a dumb-waiter, but was now filled with odds and ends of every description. We had endeavored to rid ourselves of these pests, but all our attempts were in vain, and they held their daily matinees as usual. On hearing more of a commotion than common, one afternoon, I softly opened the cellar door, and, to my amazement, saw nine rats, one of which had mounted a box containing potatoes, while the others were stretched out in a line leading to their den--the recess before mentioned. Now comes the most curious part of my story: The rat that stood on the box of potatoes would push a potato over the edge, then the rat in line nearest the box would roll the potato to his neighbor, and so on with each one till the potato was safely stowed away. I watched them for some time, and, seeing the potatoes disappearing rather rapidly, I dispersed the earnest workers by a stamp of my foot."

PUZZLEDOM.

NO. CCCLXXVII.

Original contributions solicited from _all_. Puzzles containing obsolete words will be received. Write contributions on one side of the paper, and apart from all communications. Address "Puzzle Editor," GOLDEN DAYS, Philadelphia, Pa.

ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK'S PUZZLES.

No. 1. Calendar.

No. 2. B E S T O W E P A U L E S A C R E D T U R B I D O L E I N E W E D D E D

No. 3. Wise-acre.

No. 4. C A L A B O O S E A N I M A B L E L I M E R O D A M E N D E B A R D s...o...b..O E O L D S E E

No. 5. Mark Tapley.

No. 6. M O C H E S O T I O S E C I C U T A H O U D A H E S T A T E S E A H E N

No. 7. Good-humored.

No. 8. F A I R S A B N E T S I N T A I L S R E A L L I E D S T I L E T T O S S L I T H E R S E T E E D O R S

No. 9. Byrnehc, Pygmalion, Traddles.

No. 10. G R A T I S R E V E S T A V E N E R T E N U R E I S E R I N S T R E N E

No. 11. Cover-shame.

No. 12.

H U M E C T A T I O N P O L I A N I T E B A T T E N S S E T A E D O R O

NEW PUZZLES.

NO. 1. NUMERICAL.

When trees and fields _complete_ Their garbs of green; When birds and flowers sweet Again are seen, And airy zephyrs murmur by, My 5, 4, 3 and 6 soars high.

Oh! how I'm in a state Of agitation, 6, 1 and 2 I get An inspiration.

'Twill be in vain--in vain my lay, For spring will then have flown away.

_Villanova, Pa._ VILLANOVA.

NO. 2. SQUARE.

1. The young of the great black-backed gull. 2. To come. 3. Carves.

4. Granters. 5. To entirely destroy (_Obs._) 6. To grow smaller.

_Rochester, N.Y._ EGERTON.

NO. 3. CHARADE.

_Prime_ not, ye fair ladies, or gentlemen wise.

To disbelieve what for your fortune will prove; _Next total_, not gold, should select as a prize, _Three_, friends, to the right, and marry for love.

_Danville, Va._ ALEDA.

NO. 4. PENTAGON.

1. A letter. 2. The pulp of fruit. 3. A shrub of the genus _Corylus_.

4. The Brazil nut. 5. Deep blue colors. 6. Contrite. 7. A detached bastion (_Fort._) 8. To admit extension. 9. Rigid.

_Haverhill, Ma.s.s._ PYGMY.

NO. 5. MUTATION.

Like a hawk that pounces on its prey, Swift as lightning on a summer day, Through the stillness of the air you came, Without life, and more--without a name.

Man has called you _whole_--perhaps you are Dross ejected from some brilliant star!

But methinks the spheres their place will yield ERE TO TIME your mystery is revealed.

_Newark, N.J._ DEMOSTHENES.