Animals That Laugh.

Otago Witness, Issue 1875, 28 October 1887, Page 36

Animals That Laugh.

We have several curious stories of animals that laugh, as related by the keeper of a museum and menagerie. He says :— " You wouldn't think a great big, clumsy creature like an elephant could manifest emotional weakness ; but he can, and what's more, he often does. 'There was Columbus. Years ago he went stark crazy. He tore 'round like mad, and smashed everything as though he were tussling with so much paper. Before he could kill anybody the building was cleared of the people and the doors locked. For three days he had the place to himself, spending his fury on the cages and animals. At last we trapped him in ropes and chains suspended through the skylights. The chaining process brought him to his senses at once, and what was our surprise to see him go into something like a hysterical fit. He moaned piteously, as a person will frequently when suffering some great mental torture, the noise occasionally swelling into a roar. His huge ears flapped to and fro rapidly, and for two hours and more a perfect stream of tears poured from his eyes. These manifestations even continued after he was released from the irons, showing they came from sorrow and not anger. Columbus was more than an ordinarily intelligent elephant, and seemed to realise the brutal havoc he had spread during his temporary insanity. Here is another singular t hing — the Cingalese elephants always weep in captivity. No, Columbus wasn't a Cingalese. Another time he accidentally knocked a small boy down who got too near while ho was sweeping his trunk around for confections. He pretty near scared the urchin to death by picking him up and putting him on his feet. I rushed at him with the hook, but there was no necessity for a reprimand. The tears were running from his eyes, and he absolutely appeared to be penitent. The boy had been feeding him with sweetmeats. Elephants will always cry when mortified or disappointed."

A Cat Story. — Here is a cat story which certainly is not outdone, in the evidence of intelligence it affords, by any dog story that has been told of late, and can be vouched for. Mistress Puss lives in a family as its best beloved pet and has much careful attention. Each year when the family goes into the country of course Mistress Puss goes too, and thus she has become used to travelling and its accompanying discomforts. She has become used also to the various signs of approaching migration, and knows what it means when the carpets come up and trunks are packed. This particular season Mistress Puss, being the happy mother of a promising kitten, was very anxious and nervous as the time for flitting drew near, and at last became so troubled that she attracted the attention of the family by her peculiar behaviour. She had packed her little one into a partially-filled trunk lest it should be over-looked in the moving.

A Spider's Web. — A spider's web is proportionately stronger than a bar of the most perfectly tempered steel. The thread of which an ordinary web is made will support the weight of three grains, while it is caloulated that a steel thread of the same thickness would not support a weight of two grains. A bar of steel lin in diameter has a breaking force of 50 tons ; but could a spider's web of the same thickness exist it would be capable of sustaining a weight of 74 tons. So the strength of a spider's web is one and a-half times that of steel, or nearly three times that of wrought iron.

Effect of Baths on Dogs.— By experiments on dogs, M. E. Quinquad finds that cold baths increase tenfold the rate of consumption of oxygen, double or treble the quantity of air passed through the lungs, augment the amount of carbonic acid expelled, and very much increase the respiratory combustions and the production of blood-sugar. Hot baths have a like influence, but in less degree.

Bird Languages. — Linnets are said to be capable of producing 30 distinct changes of note. Chaffinches are credited with a similar numberj whilst other birds of the ordinary and cheap type have but a few changes, the sparrow piping only one or two. These changes are readily detected by an old professional birdfancier, who has a name for every one of them.

The Mexican Lapdog.— The smallest member of the dog family is the Mexican lapdog, a creature so very minute in its dimensions as to appear almost fabulous to those who have not seen the animal itself. One of these little canine pets is to be seen in the British Museum collection, and always attracts much attention from the visitors.