Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-01-11
Associated Habltual Movement in the

Dogs, when they wish to go to sleep |
on carpet or other hard surface, gem
orally turn round and round and scratch |
the ground with their fore-paws in a
senseless manner, as if they intend to !
trample down the grass and scoop out q
hollow, as no doubt their wild parents
did, when they lived on open grassy
plains or in the woods. Jackals, fem
macs, and other allied animals in the
Geological Gardens, treat their straw in
this manner but it is a rather odd cir
eumstance that the keepers, after OBJ
serving for some months, have never
seen the wolves thus behave. A semi
idiotic---and an animal in this condition
would be particularly liable to follow a
senseless habit---was observed by a
friend to turn completely round on
carpet thirteen times before going to
sleep.
Many carniverous animals, as they
crawl toward their prey and prepare to
rush or spring on it, lower their heads
and crouch, partly, as it would appear,
to hide themselves, and partly to get
ready for their rush and this habit in
an exaggerated form has become heredi-
tary in our pointers and settlers. Now
1 have noticed scores of times that,
when two strange dogs meet on an open
road, the one which sees the other first,
after the first glance, always lowers its
head, generally crouches little, or even
lies down that is he takes the proper
attitude for concealing himself and for
making q rush or spring, although the
road is quite open end the distance
is great. Again, dogs of all kinds,
when intently watching and slowly ap-
preaching their prey, frequently keep
one of their fore-legs doubled up for a
long time, ready for the next cautious
step; and this is eminently characters
tic of the pointer. But from habit they
behave in exactly the same manner
whenever their attention is aroused. /
have seen a dog at the foot of high
wall, htening attentively to sound on
the opposite side, with one leg doubled
up and in this there could have been
no intention of making cautious APP
proach.
Dogs scratch themselves by rapid
movement of one of their hind-feet;
and, when their backs are rubbed with
a stick, so strong is the habit, that they
cannot help rapidly scratching the air
or the ground in useless and ludicrous
manner.
Horses scratch themselves by nibbling
those parts of their bodies which they
can reach with their teeth; but more
commonly one horse shows another
where he wants to ber scratched, and
they then nibble eacn ouner. A friend
whose attention l had called to the sub
ject, observed that when he rubbed his
horses neck, the animal protruded his
head, uncovered his teeth, and moved
his jaws, exactly as if nibbling another
horses neck, for he could never have
nibbled his own neck. If horse is
much tickled, as when curry-combed,
his wish to bite something becomes SC
intolerably strong that he will CHATTER
his teeth together, and, though not
vicious, bite his groom. At the same
time, from habit, he closely depresses
his ears, so as to protect them from be.
ing bitten, as if he were lighting with
another horse.
A horse, when eager to start on 6
journey, makes tine nearest approach
which he can to the habitual movement
of progression by paving the ground
Now, when horses in their stalls are
about to be fed and are eager for theil
corn, they paw the pavement or the
straw. Two of my horses thus behave
when they see or hear the corn given K
their neighbors. But here We hav,
what may almost be called true ex
! preston, as paving the ground is uni
versally recognized as sign of eager
ness.