The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1875-04-15
Among the Lower Animals.

LAST summer l was witness to a scene
showing that the horse possesses a strong
sense of humor. l was walking through
BarfreystOn, a village near Dover, and
saw over the rather high wall of farm
yard couple of horses careering about
madly. The wall was so high that only
their heads could be seen and occasion
ally a whisk of their tails Finding an
aperture through which / could look
without being seen l found that the
horses were amusing themselves by
chasing. a pig, hunting it round and
round the yard, driving it into corners
and occasionally flinging their heels into
the air as if to express their delight
They scarcely gave that wretched pig
any rest. Sometimes, when tired with
their exertions, they would lie still for a
few minutes and the pig would get away
as far as possible from his tormentors.
But no sooner did the poor animal settle
down to cabbage leaf than the horses
would be at him again, driving him
about and putting him in such a state of
perturbation by chasing him from diff
ferent directions that he had not the
least idea where to run so as to escape
his tormentors.
Many OF the lower animals not only
show their playfulness in such tricks as
those which have been mentioned, but
are able to appreciate and take part in
the games played by children. When |
was a boy l knew little dog, a King
Charles spaniel, which was an accom-
plished player at the well-known game
called tag or touch. The little animal
displayed quite as much enthusiasm as
any OF the human players, and would
dart away from the boy who happened
to be touch" with an anxiety that al
most appeared to be terror. of course
to touch the dog was an impossibility
out he was generous little creature,
with strong sense of justice, and so
when he thought that his turn ought to
come he stood still and waited quietly to
be touched. His mode of touching his
playfeiiows was always by grasping the
end OF their trowsers In his teeth; and as
it was impossible for the boy to stop
when so seized in full course the dog
often got jerkei along the ground for
some little distance
A lady told me lately that when a girl
she had PONY which would play hide
and seek with the children. Hiding was
necessarily only pretense on the part of
the pony; but the animal would go to
some corner, hide its head, and make be-
lieve that it was entirely concealed.
Hide-and-seek seems to be game
which can be learned and enjoyed by
many animals. One of my correspond
ents has sent me an account of favor
lite cat which was an adept in the game
She was white cat with yellow eyes,
and went by the name of Daisy" She
was gwen, when quite little kitten, to
her mistress, who was then a young
child, and the two became inseparable
companions, joining in their sports, one
of which was hide-and-seek.
One of the most curious points in this
animal was that when she became a cat
and had kitten of her own she taught
her young one the game which she had
learned from her mistress, importing in
to the game an element which | have
over and over again seen in the same
game when played by children The
kitten went and hid itself, or rather pre-
tended 10 hide, and the mother went in
search of it. She would pretend not to
see the kitten, and pass close to H. hid
ing place. Then, as if startled, she
would spring back, the kitten would Jump
put at her, and the two would rush about
in high glee.-Hdrper's Weekly.