RAILROAD ANIMALS.
VO THE EDITOR OE TILE SPECTATOR.") Szn,-,-In an article entitled as above in the Spectator of June 8th attention is drawn to the expectant coyotes on the Canadian-Pacific waiting to see what would be thrown out of passing cars for deserving prairie dwellers. This recalls an occurrence that came under my notice some years ago when in charge of the Mauritius Government Railways. Trains of sugar-canes, loaded in open-sided trucks, were worked over a section of the line from the plantations to the usine centrals some miles distant, and the three first miles of the single-line railway passed through a forest with trees quite close to the rails, up a very steep gradient, and round sharp curves. When the first down passenger train from Port Louis had passed the crossing station the loaded cane train was de- spatched towards the summit. In the meantime, some monkeys in the forest had timed the passage of the descending pas- senger train, and had fixed sentinels who signalled to their expectant comrades on trees the approach of the cane train. As the train went crawling up the incline a troop of monkeys sprang upon each waggon, ten forming the train, and threw off quite a goodly number of canes, which were gathered up as the train slowly passed onwards. These depredations became so serious that the planter appointed a watchman to patrol this " length," but the " malgaches " have a super- stitious dread of killing a monkey, which they term "di monde meme " in Creole. The looting of these trains by these marauders was, however, ultimately stopped by other means.—I am, Sir, &c., WALTER H. SCOTT. Park Road, East Molesey, Surrey.
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