ANIMAL FRIENDSHIP.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 209, 3 September 1932, Page 12

ANIMAL FRIENDSHIP.

Friendship amongst animals ia by jno means unknown. This week reference was made to a friendship between a sheep and a goose, but rarer and stranger affections than this are often seen, for geeee are lonely when deprived of their own relations and' often, take up queer chums. One of the' 'most ■ remarkable affinities which came under the notice of the writer was that between a dog und a cat. The dog was a long-haired collie, of the lovely old type of rich brown with white collar—the working collie of the Southern Alps. The cat was a half-bred pale blue chinchilla, which had been given to the fariper when full grown and came from Banks Peninsula. With the change in surroundings, which involved a long train journey, the cat's nerves gave way and it became semi-wild and would not allow a hand to touch it, but it built up a friendship with the old dog. The dog, old and stiff with work, was pensioned off, and he lay about in the wintry sunlight, and for warmth curled into a round ball. Right in the middle of the dog'e back, and well in the thick fur, coiled the cat and thus they spent much of the day, but if anyone tried to approach the strange pair, there was a flourish of grey blue fur and nothing else.

Who was it said first, "as silly ae a goose." It must have been a town dweller, for a goose not only has a fine sense of matrimonial morality but ateo a keen sense of humour. When this old dog stretched himself in the sun and fell asleep the farmyard geeee would be feeding near by, and the gander, raising his head, saw the chance for a practical joke. Ho softly advanced from the rear, his long neck stretched out till he could take up a beak full of long hair. Then both feet were planted in the ground and it was a long pull and a strong pull on the part of the gooee and a hoarse yelp on the part of the dog, who, dazed from sleep, looked wildly round for the enemy, but eaw nothing but the gander walking loftily and innocently away till he reached his family, who all put their heads together and gabbled. Evidently they too saw the joke and gave praise. Another queer friendship was that between a carriage horse and a cat. The horse, one of a pair of cheetnuta when pairs were fashionable, always wore a thick rug in his stall and. on this was perched his cat friend, which slept on hie broad back all the time he was in the stable, nor would, he begin hie evening feed unless his friend had arrived and was visible. Perhaps the most touching of all was the love borne by a young collie for an old friend, who, too old and stiff to follow hie master any more into tlio ranges, had been given to a young girl near the town. Whenever the shepherds from the hills came down to the plains this young dog would arrive, panting with haste, at the house. There would be a flurry of shingle as the young dog shot under, the gate and threw himself on the older one, Hcking his face and rolling over with delight. The old dog looked pleased and wagged his tail in a sober serious manner and looked benignly down on his young friend, whose transports would continue for a short time. Then they evidently told each other the news, for shortly after the young dog would disappear and rejoin'his owner, who was quenching the drought of the hot summer in the nearby township. Who could eay that such _a friendship did not reach human standard?