RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29273, 3 August 1960, Page 22

RANDOM REMINDER

CLEVER HEIFER

Last month was an outstanding one for the dumber animals. As reported in this column yesterday, the tui colony has been distinguishing itself with its roistering, and then there was that heifer near St Clair. That was something which should have occurred in Texas. The heifer, a Friesian only 18 months old, survived a leap of 80 feet from a cliff top, into the sea. It may be presumed that there was nothing premeditated about this athletic feat unless, of course, the beast was an entrant in the next A. and P. show and had somehow learned something of the value public relations.

But this high jumping episode was but the beginning of a story which, it must be said, was unsatisfactorily reported. After its startling high dive, the heifer set off briskly to swim round a headland to a beach 500 yards away. But no mention was made in the report of how it covered this very considerable distance. Did it use the crawl, or the breaststroke, or the dog-paddle? It would really have been something had the reporter been able to record that for periods of rest the heifer rolled over and did a gentle back-stroke. It was a magnificent feat, however it was accomplished, and it was little wonder that the heifer,

tottering up the beach like a Channel swimmer, was exhausted at the end. It is an extraordinarily accomplished animal, probably capable, had its progress not been observed, of running up some sort of rude shelter for the night. It all seems rather like the story about the horse which strayed on to a cricket field, was asked to play, and promptly ran up a brilliant century. Later in the with things going badly for its side, the horse was asked to have a bowL The horse was convulsed with laughter. Whoever, ft said, heard of a horse bowling?