The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-05-04
Intellect in the Lover 4RlmaIs-Cu
rFrom tie Philadelphia ledger


T From the Philadelphia LeIgeT.I
: 1t is a curious question whethe
, animals take notice of the event;
; which are passing around them, bu-
: which nevertheless are outside of the
sphere Of theirlinstinct. N TheOphilt
Gautler, the well known French jour
nalist and writer, has raised this
, question in regard to the animals
: which were in Paris during the siege,
and he brings forward several facts
which he says came under his own
observation, to prove that they not
, only took notice of passing events, but
regulated their movements according
. ly. He observes that the dogs took
. notice from the very first day, of the
abnormal condition of Paris. The un-
usual movements of the Inhabitants,
the almost universal change from civ
IL to military costume, the exercise
ing Of mobiles and the national
guards on the public parade, the con-
tlnual sounding of trumpets and
beating of drums, kept them constant
ly excited and uneasy, and set them
rejecting. Some of them. refugees
from the suburbs with their masters,
visibly lost their power of finding
their way about; they hesit1ted in the
choice of streets, were uncertain of the
traces, scented their path, and at ev-
cry corner consulted some dog living
in the neighborhOOd. These suburbin
dogs were scared at the noise of pass
ing vehicles, and ran from them,
while the city dogs scarcely took the
trouble to get out of the way of tine
wheels. Every morning. says NJ.
Gautier, there assembled before our
door what appeared to be a council of
dogs, presided over by broad backed,
! bandy-legged, brown and yellow ter
rier. The other dogs paid him
great Difference and listened to him
attentively. It was evident that
/ he spoke to them not after the
/ manner of men, in an articulate Ian
/ guage, but by short barks, varied by
muttering, pursuing up the lips, move
ments of the tail, and expressive play
of the physiOgnOmy. Every now and
then a new conner seemed 10 bring
news, and the council commented on
it, and after a while dispersed. This
went on the first month or two of the
siege when bread was plentiful, the
stock of beef was still considerable,
and the dearness of forage rendered
horse meat abundant. The animals
did not suffer then, but soon things
began to change, and their rations di-
minished as those of men did. The
poor creatures could not understand
it, and gaZed at their owners with
wondering eyes when their meagre
pittance was placed before them. They
seemed to ask what they had done to
be so punished. Many masters aban-
doned their dogs, not having the cOur-
age to kill; and these animals were to
be seen at night, wandering, like
shadows, near the walls, and trying
to induce kind looking persons to
have pity on them. NJ. Gautier says
he was continually followed by them,
they uttering faint cries all the while,
and sometimes venturing to put their
noses to his hand. Soon they began
to perceive that people looked at them
in strange manner, and, under pre-
tence of caTeSsing them, felt their
flesh, as butcher would, to ascertain
if they were in n good condition.
The cats perceived this sooner than
the dogs did, and became exceedingly
cautious as to whom they allowed to /
touch them; on the least quick move |
ment they fled to the roof or the eel |
lar; but at length the dogs "smelt a
rat" and ran away when any one |
called or whistled to them. The |
canine council before mentioned, |
diminished daily, and there very
soon remained no one of its members /
but the dreaming terrier, who,
however, was only dreaming in |
IN 1,n
always on his guard, scenting danger /
afaT of, and showing his heels at the |
approach of any one at all suspicious, I
especially of anyone with a stick or /
sack. Birds, but especially the spar
rows, for some time visited the city as |
usual to pick up crumbs and worms, |
but after finding themselves always /
made targets of they disappeared and /
returned no more.
NJ. Gautier considers this as evil |
dence that animals think. Had be |
Darwin's Descent of Man he would /
have found some remarkable instan- /
- Vr slaSia Ia.t~lIieS.-NN -s-s>>,A \ a
They have the five senses, as man has,
and generally in fuller development /
the sense of smell. They /
have similar passions, affections and .
emotions; they feel wonder and curl
Osity; they have the faculties of i'm
itation, attention, memory, imagina-
ton, las shown in their dreams), and
though in different degrees.
They are sociable with each other in
their tribes, and recognize certain So
cial qualities as useful to them and
Others as injurious. Some of them
have the sense of beauty; this is not
ably the case with several kinds of
birds, as pheasants, macaws, birds Of
paradise, and the like. They can COM
bine for attack and defense; they can
distinguish between poisonous sub
stances and medical plants, avoiding
the one and using the other when
needful. They can partially trans
NIT acquired habit, and many of them
can become civilized, that is to say,
fit to live with human beings. To do
these things it is necessary that they
should possess some power of reflec-
ton; but that involves the possession
Of the power of comparing ideas, or,
in other words, of thinking though on
ly in limited sphere and chiefly di-
rected to matters relating to their bod
lily wants. We have yet to learn that
they can form abstract ideas, or eX-
press them to each other.
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