SOLDIERS' PETS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 76, 22 December 1917, Page 14

SOLDIERS' PETS

A VARIETY ON MANY FRONTS

FROM CAT TO "(JOANNAS"

(By "Gunner," in the "Manchester Guardian.") Only a census would reveal the moiloy collection of creatures that are sharing tho affections of our soldiers Somowhore in France, -Mesopotamia, Egypt, or in the many lands whero the Briton is fighting. On the Western front pets are more or less oi the conventional type —dogs, cats, and other well-known animals—and in a measure they lack the individuality of tljo_ pets in more tropical or far-di3tant clime,s. Dogs simply swarm in the deserted country of the Western war zone. Cats, homeless and otherwise, are to be found overywhore. They, too, have been left behind when the enemy poured over tho stricken country, and often made friends with the British soldier,' orperhaps snatched an existence from his bounty, but otherwise lived the lite of a wild creature. These animalshavo all at one time been domesticated, and aro just like cats and dogs all the world over. The cats meet and fight with the cats next door, and settle their affairs on No Alan's Land. Dogsbehave much as they do in other lands, lighting and hunting, making journeys on ammunition wagons, .and even gaily welcoming the advance to givo them a chaneo of rushing forth and enjoying tho strange medley of a fight betweon human beings. In other and hotter lands even dogs tnko on a different character, banding together to hunt the jackal when that creature enters the sacred precincts of the camp, and many a soldier signs as he hears the sound of the hunt passing over the sandhills and knows that lie cannot be in at the kill. _ Ihe hyaena's wild, weird laughter will set the camp dogs barking for hours, and without the sound of warfare tho camp is noisy enough with the outcry of dogs baying defiance to the marauder. He. too, is limited by an eager pack. But perhaps the liveliest of tropical pets is the little jerboa. The Anzac insists on calling them kangaroo rats, because, they are exactly like his own

familiar friend of the Nevor-Never Country, out hack in Australia, and, like the kangaroo rat, tho jerboa makes a delightfully impish pet. always call their pets by tho personal pronoun —is full of. tricks, and is guaranteed to got into more mischief than any other pet, bar a. crow or a jackdaw. One called Moses, because ho was captured outside the Holy Land, was an extremely funny little beggar, and absolutely hatod to see a covered pan. A "billy" with a lid on simply fired his curiosity so much that he would spend hours in the evening trying his level best to get under the lid. He always contrived to accomplish what he _ set out to do, and if food was contained in the "billy" then Moses stuffed until ho could hardly crawl. Truth to tell, Moses was a greedy little beggar, and was always ready to eat in season and out of season. He was usually tied up, for a jerboa is capable of digging himself in in record time, and his owner was always afraid that one day the order to move on might come suddenly and Moses not to be found. If left alone he always turned up safely in tho evening. Moses hated being tied up, and it was a sight for the gods to see master and pet sprinting for all they were worth through the camp, tho jerboa being intent on seeking a hidingplace where slender chains and the tiniest of collars were unknown. 7dis powers of sprinting, or jumping, were so tremendous that, tho raco was not always won by the Anzac, although that individual generally managed to he in at the death and contrived to catch Moses's hind legs just as tliey were disappearing amid a fountain, of sand sent up by the energetic jerboa. In spite of what their owners may say, tortoises and mud turtles aro extremelv uninteresting pots. They are generally self-centred, and, like young crocodiles, rarely display any affection. Tortoise races are a mild form of dissipation dear to the soldier, perhaps because anyone can start a tortoise, but no one knows where he will go, or whether he will go' at all. , The tortoise Kas absolutely no fiinbition, and nothing will persuade him that it is necessary to overtake tho tortoise in front of'him. , The owners could only set the reptiles in a row and then prog them on to do their duty. . ■ "Goannas," as the Anzac insists oil calling iguanas, is another extremely uninteresting reptile, and can _ue joupled with lizards, as far as affection roes. I have only seen.one iguana that displayed any affection, and that was not for his owner, but for a total itranger. The "liisardy" creature crept ill over the stranger and then caressid his face with a long thin tongue. Plie owner of the "goanna" promptly iraded the reptile away .for a toraise, in 1 sheer disgust at its beliavijur. Snakes, even when harmless, do lot seem pleasant companions, but one soldier had a boxful of writhing replies. His tent-mates never grew rc:ustomed to the "brutes, and by ;ome strange mischance the snakes ,'anished, one by one, and the grieving iwner declared that they had been ilain by the rest. Chameleons are 'avourite pets, and do their level bes 0 keep down the number of flies, but hoir constant changos of colour , are, lorhaps, their chief charm. It is amusng to watch this varying tint under lifferent circumstances, although aftei 1 time the chameleon declines to coninue the display and retires to some :onvenient "height' and catches flies, i-ith aii air of not wanting to he bothred bv any huiuan being. The'largest number of unusual pets, ,owever; consist of. birds, and the ,uaint, ungainly attitudes and wend lancing of tame storks and cranes lways raises a good laugh. 'Theordin--5 wild bird life of Greece comes so oadily to the camps anol is so easily amed that it would be co ™; >ile a list of weiythmg™ iathad bee vetted Then the finding of nests or he larger birds of. prey generally «ult- in tho addition of more pets Wis ea"lasl and hawks are brought jtei its 101 „ -vjrfoptlv motionless Qai n or hours y won the h on its ileasurc at being noticed.