James Johonnot

“ The sheep is much smaller than a cow, and in size is like a large dog. Its nose is more pointed, and its ears are smaller, than those of a cow. It has small, cloven hoofs, and it eats grass and chews its cud in the same way that a cow does.
3. Its jaws are like those of a cow, with no teeth in its upper jaw in front, and with broad, flat chewing teeth back. Like a cow, it feeds upon [88] grass in the summer, and upon hay and grain in the winter.
4. The rams have large horns that twist about in a very curious way. ”

“ When Lion, the old bull-dog, gets his grip on anything, the only way to make him let go is to open his jaws with a bar of iron.
5. The cat uses both its claws and teeth in catching game; but the dog can bite so much harder, that he does not need sharp claws to help him.
6. When a dog eats, he swallows large pieces of meat without chewing, and he will crush a bone [48] to get all the meat and the marrow inside. After he has eaten off the meat, he often swallows the bone. ”

“ He can not climb a tree, as his nails are not sharp enough, but he can dig a big hole in the ground when he is after a rabbit or a squirrel.
6. The bottoms of his feet are harder than those of a cat, and he can run all day in rough places without hurting them.
7. With his hard feet and long nails he makes more noise when walking than a cat; but then it is no matter, for he does not have to catch mice and rats.
8. Rover can not open a door, but he raises his paw and raps or scratches until somebody comes and opens it for him. ”

“ Next back of the large teeth there is a place where there are no teeth, and this is the place where the bit of the bridle goes when we ride the horse or drive him in a carriage.
5. Next back are six broad, flat teeth, on each side of each jaw, and with these the horse grinds his food before he swallows it.
6. In summer, if our horses have not much to do, we turn them out to pasture, where they eat grass. In winter we give them plenty of hay and oats, and, when they work, we always feed them with grain. ”

“ The rag-man, in the city, picks up a load for him out of the gutters; and the tinker, who [76] goes about mending old pans and kettles, loads him down with heavy tools.
3. There are people that have no homes, but rove about and drive donkeys in queer little carts, and camp by the way-side, and sleep out-of-doors.
4. For them a donkey is better than a horse, for he can live upon coarse food. He eats thistles and weeds that a horse will not touch; and he will pick up enough to eat where a horse would starve. ”

“ When pussy runs up a tree, her sharp nails hold on to the bark, and she uses her hind claws as well as the fore ones. This is what I read in a book a little while ago about a cat’s claws, and I thought it very strange:
9. “The claws of a cat grow very fast, just as our nails do, and, if the cat did not rub them off, they would grow so long that she could not use them. So, when the cat feels that her nails are getting too long, she scratches something hard until she wears them down to the right length. ”

“ Cattle do not hunt rats and mice like the cat, nor watch like the dog, nor do we ride them as we do a horse or a donkey; but in some ways they are more useful to us than any of the others.
2. When Johnny sat down to breakfast this morning, a cow gave him that bowl of fresh, rich milk, which he ate with his bread. Then, when we drank the nice cup of coffee that mamma had made, the cow gave us the cream which we put into it. ”

“ An endeavor has been made to present the pleasant side of animal life. To this end the affection, the intelligence, and the uses of our servants and friends have been dwelt upon, and ideas of violence have received but a passing notice. That we should be kind to animals is a necessary inference from observed relations, and this obviates the necessity of a formal exhortation or a cut-and-dried moral. ”

“ Patch was a fine old cat that lived in a farm-house, and looked after all the rats and mice that came about. She wanted to visit all the rooms where there were mouse-holes; so she learned to open doors for herself.
2. When she wanted to go out, she would jump up and [19] hold on to the handle of the door with one paw, and with the other raise the latch; then she would drop down and push the door open.
3. One evening, as the lady of the house was sitting at the fire before the candle was lit, Patch came into the room with a live mouse, and began to play with it. ”

“ If they can not get away, they place the lambs in the center of the flock, and the old sheep face outward, the biggest rams in advance.
6. When the fox or the dog is within a few yards, the rams rush at him, and they are nearly always successful in killing or driving him away.
7. The ewe has so strong a love for her lamb, that she will face any danger to protect it. ”

“ Horses, when they do not work too hard, love to play and have fun. They will race after each other, kick up their heels, and have a merry time. Here are two stories which a man tells of the kind of fun that the horse seems to enjoy:
2. “One of our horses, ‘Billy,’ used to give us a great deal of trouble, he knew so much. He had found out how to untie his halter, and open the stable-door, and so would get out when the [68] door was not locked. One day Billy came out, and found little Harry in the yard. ”

“ I will now tell you a story of a cat that made good use of his claws and teeth.
2. In a country place by the sea-shore an old eagle used to sail around in the air looking for something to eat.
3. If she saw a rabbit or a hare, or a little lamb or kid, she would pounce down and seize it in her strong claws, and fly away with it to her nest high up among the rocks. ”

“ My kitty loves to sleep in the day-time on the nice bed in her basket, or on the rug before the fire. In summer she likes to go out and get a nap on the grass in the shade of a tree.
9. In the night, when she can see so well, she goes out to hunt and to make visits. When visitors come to see her in the night, we often hear an awful squalling, which I suppose is a “cat’s concert.”
10. In cold, winter nights, kitty mews to be let in, and she then likes to curl up on my bed.
PUSSY’S VISIT.
“Pussy-cat, pussy-cat! ”

“ Horses will eat grain of any kind, but they seem to like oats best. We sometimes feed them with corn-meal instead of oats.
8. The teeth of a horse change in looks every year until he is eight or nine years old, and men who are used to horses can tell how old they are by just looking at their teeth.
9. The horse does not lap his drink like a cat and dog, but he puts his mouth into the water and swallows whole mouthfuls. He will sometimes drink two or more large buckets of water at a time.
[63]
LESSON XXIV. HOW THE PONY GOT SHOD.
1. ”

“ When the dog is well, his nose always feels cool; but if he is ill, his nose gets warm.
10. It is funny to see how old Rover will act when some one comes around whose looks he does not like.
11. He just stands up straight and his hair begins to rise. Then he raises his upper lip so as to show his long teeth, and gives a very low growl.
12. Next he steps forward a little and gives two or three short and snappish growls, and then somebody would better look out.
13. One day my mother was coming up the lane, and met a tramp, who made a motion to take hold of her. ”

“ One way the dog gets about is by swimming. Last summer little Harry fell into the river when no one was near by, and Rover swam in and brought him out.
3. The folks made a great fuss over him then; but he did not mind it, only he seemed glad that Harry was not hurt.
4. I find my dog has just as many toes as a cat. [44] His nails are longer than those of the cat, but not so sharp. They are big and strong, but he can not draw them back into his foot. ”

“ When a pig is caught, or is hungry, it sets up a fearful squeal, which is worse to bear than the bray of a donkey.
7. When the pig runs out in a pasture, it roots up the ground so much that a ring is put through the thick edge of its snout ”

“ When horses work, or travel over a hard road, they have iron shoes nailed to their hoofs, so that they will not be hurt by striking the stones.
13. The hoofs have no feeling on the outside, and it does not hurt the horse to have these shoes nailed on. They grow like our nails, and must be pared once in a while.
14. The horse can paw with his fore feet, and kick with his hind ones, and, when he kicks hard, he breaks things. He has a tail covered with long hair, and this he uses as a switch to keep off flies in summer.
[59]
LESSON XXII. THE HORSE AND ITS FRIENDS.
1. ”

“ LESSON XXVII. HOW THE HORSE SHOULD BE TREATED.
1. We see, from what Charlie has told us, how useful the horse is. We now would like to have him tell us how we should take care of horses.
2. I will do so by telling a story. Last Saturday Uncle William hitched old Major and Ben to a big wagon, and took a load of boys to Oak Hill, to pick berries and have a good time.
3. I tell you uncle knows what boys and horses want, if anybody does. Pretty soon Bobby Jones wanted to drive. So uncle gave him the reins. ”

“ When pussy is angry or afraid, her sharp claws come out of her foot, and she makes ready to scratch.
12. My pussy knows that a dog is stronger in the jaws than she is; and so, when a strange dog comes about, she gives him a scratch with both her paws, and then gets into some safe place as soon as she can.
[23]
LESSON VI. DAISY AND HER PLAYS.
1. ”

“ The hog is kept warm not by its hair, but by its fat, which lies just under its skin.
5. Swine eat almost all kinds of food, and they eat a great deal and very often. When feeding at a trough, they root each other out of the way, and seem in a great hurry to get all they can. ”

“ The billy-goat is apt to be cross, and then he runs and butts anything he meets.
5. Like the cow, the goat gives us milk, and butter, and cheese. It also gives fine leather for ladies’ shoes and for binding books, and the kid gives us soft leather which is made into gloves.
6. Goats do not live in large flocks like sheep, but they go about three or four together, and will pick up a living where a sheep would starve.
7. They are so sure-footed that they will climb up the sides of steep rocks, wherever they can find a place to put their little pointed hoofs.
[93]
LESSON XXXVII. ABOUT PIGS.
1. ”

“ Let us see what he does it for.
7. “Have you not seen a cat creep through a hole that seemed too small for him? I have, and I used to wonder why he did not stick fast.
8. “But Tom knows what he is about. He comes to the hole and spreads out his whiskers, and if they can get through without touching, he knows there is room for his body, and so he goes on.”
9. Pussy’s ears are large and stand up straight, so that she can hear the least nibble of a mouse, or the sly tread of a rat. ”

“ My pussy keeps clean by licking her fur, the hooks on her tongue brushing the dirt off. It is funny to see her wash her neck. She first licks her paw and makes it wet, and then she reaches up to her neck and uses her paw like a brush.
10. The old mother-cat licks her kittens all over, and keeps them clean before they can do it for themselves. She uses her jaws to carry her kittens about before they can walk. She takes them up carefully by the nape of their necks.
[27]
LESSON VIII. OLD TOM AND THE EAGLE.
1. ”

“ But sometimes she growls and looks cross, and then I am afraid to touch her for fear she will scratch me.
9. When she is hungry she comes and mews until she gets something to eat. Some cats will jump upon the table and steal meat, but my kitty knows better.
10. She does not like dogs. One day a strange dog came into the yard and barked at her.
11. Then her back came up, her fur stood out straight, and she growled and spit at him.
12. When he tried to bite her, she gave him a scratch on both sides of his nose, and ran up a tree out of his reach.
[13]
LESSON II. THE GRATEFUL CAT.
1. ”

“ He at once made a new one, and put it on, and then waited to see what Billy would do.
6. The pony looked at the blacksmith for a moment, as if asking whether he was done; then he pawed, to see if the new shoe was all right, gave a neigh for a “thank you, sir,” and set off for home on a brisk trot. His master knew nothing about the matter until next day.
[65]
LESSON XXV. WHAT THE HORSE DOES.
1. To-day we are to find out what the horse is good for. Charlie will tell us whether the horse is of any use on the farm.
2. We could not get on very well without horses on the farm. ”

“ One day he was taking a nap on the grass, and the chickens mounted upon his back and head, as you see in the picture.
3. This was too much for Tom; so he got up and went upon the porch to finish his nap, where the chickens would not disturb him.
[21]
LESSON V. HOW THE CAT MOVES.
1. Now, Jessie, look at your kitty’s feet and see if you can tell us how she can catch mice and birds so easily.
2. I will try. Pussy has long and sharp claws, but they are drawn back into her foot, so I cannot see them. ”