The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-04-29
Pride Among the Lower Animals.

Pride Among the Lower Animals.
Pride, or selfesteem, Is developed a.
fully in many animals as it can be In the
proudest of the human race. This is
shown most conspicuously in animals
which herd together. There is always
one leader at the head, who will not suffer
any move to be made without his permis-
sion, and who resents the slightest inter-
ference with his authority. Especially is
this the case with the deer tribe, the
horses and the oxen. Even when these
latter animals are domesticated and the
habits of their wild life are materially
changed, the feeling of pride exists to the
fullest extent.
l have often amused myself by watching
the inhabitants of farm yard, and seeing
how the cows have their laws of prece-
dence and etiquette as clearly defined as
those of any European court. Every COW
knows her own place and keeps it; she
would not he allowed to take a higher.
When a wly-bought calf is first intro
deced to the farm yard it is treated just
like new boy at school. The previous
inhabitants of the yard come and inspect
it contemptuously, they decline its society,
they crowd it away from the hay-racks,
and newcomer in a farm yard has
| about as much chance of approaching the
rack at feeding time as a new boy has of
getting near the fire on a cold winter day.
However, as time goes on, the young
calf increases in growth, and is allowed to
mix with her companions on tolerably
equal terms. Then, if a younger animal
than herself be admitted, it is amusing to
see with what qualification she DULLES the
newcomer, and how much higher she
seems to rank in her own estimation when
she is no longer the junior. Should the
fates he propitious, she arrives at the dig
nifty of being senior COW, and never fails
to assert that dignity on every occasion.
When the cattle are taken out of the yard
to their pasture in the morning, and when
they return to it in the evening, she will
not allow any except herself to take the
lead. I have heard of one instance where
the man in charge of the cows would not
allow the "ganger," as the head COW is
often called, to 60 out first. The result
was that she refused to go out at all; and,
in order to get her out of the yard, the
man had to drive all the other cows back
again, so that she might take her proper
place at their head.
In great portions of this country VIC
make little use of the mule, and its real
disposition is not generally known. Those,
however, who have been forced into long
companionship with this animal have al
ways observed some very curious traits Of
character in it. Judging from popular
ideas respecting the mule, we ight think
that the animal had no pride in its com.
position; whereas it is in reality a very
| pro,,I animal orA fr~1 Of oc1I
as is shown by the following extract from
Froebel's "Seven Years in Central Amer.
ica:"
From drivers and muleteers we may
pass to mules, which are in many re-
spects far more interesting than the for
mer, and whose natural disposition is an
attractive subject to the observer of ma.
ture.
Zone of the most striking characteris-
tics of the mule is his aversion to the ass,
and the pride which he takes in his rela-
tionship to the horse, which instincts are
met with obtrusivcness in the ass and by
Indifference in the horse. If an ass at any
time, urged by the vanity peculiar to its
race as related to the mule, happens to
fall in with drove of mules, he will, in
all probability, be kicked and famed by
his proud relations. A horse, on the con
trary, takes distinguished position in q
drove of mules. The latter crowd around
him and follow his movements, exhibiting
q violent jealousy, each striving to stand
nearest to their distinguished relative
"This instinct is employed to keep to-
} gether drove of mules on journey or a
pasture, by putting mare to the drove
with bell around her neck, and calico
the bell mare;' by the Mexicans, 'Laye
qua Madre,' !. g., the mother-mare. Thi.
animal is led day and night by a cord
and the whole drove is thus kept under
control and will not leave their queen. I
,, is, therefore, very difficult to separate til,
drove. The man who leads the mare is in
structed in case of an attack from the In
dians to leap instantly upon the back o
this animal and take refuge in the wager
encampment, whittier the drove is sure tt
follow him.
even if the Indians succeed in sep
arating any mules from the drove they
find it difficult to carry them off. Thu
animals necessarily attempt to turn bacl
and the travellers are thus enabled to over
take the robbers and recover the stolel
animals. The Indians, in consequence
use every means to get possession of tn
mare, and if they succeed in this tn
"AOAC uAoNV 10 lOSG W tllC O"uCAS. IL SCN
eral horses are in drove of mules tn,
danger is that the latter become dispersed
and this is the reason that, in these jour
neys, saddle-horses are not allowed to e,
loose, but are led by a cord"
1t is rather curious to trace among TIN
lower animals feeling which bears a very
close resemblance to pride of birth anon!
mankind. Pride shows itself in man,
ways, both in men and animals. Here W,
have pride of rank and love of precedenc,
among cows, and pride Of ancestry among
mules. Sometimes pride takes the form
of sensitiveness to ridicule. There il
nothing so CALLING to proud man as t.
feel himself the object of ridicule, ant
precisely the same trait of character is tt
be found in many animals. AS may bt
expected, this form of pride is mostly de
veloped in the domesticated animals; o.
perhaps it is in those that we have mos
opportunities of observing it,
My cat, Pref" for example, was pecul
iarly sensitive to anything approaching
ridicule. He was quite conscious if We
spoke of him in disparaging manner
and testified his disapprobation after hi
own manner. But to laugh at him wa
an insult which he could not brook, and
if we continued to do 80, he would arcl
his tail, hold himself very stiff indeed
and march slowly out of the room. How
sensitive all high-bred dogs are to ridicul'
is so we'll known that we need not occupy
space by citing examples.
The Siamese ape, "Ungka," a part o
whose history has already been given il
connection with the subject of humor
possessed keen sense of ridiculc. TIT
animal was exceedingly tame, and at meal
times always came to take his share, a cor
ner of the table being appropriated K
his use. "When, from any of his hdi
crous actions at table, we all burst out il
loud laughter, he would vent his indigna
ton at being made the object of ridicul'
by uttering his peculiar, hollow, barkin!
noise, at the same time initiating the air
sac, and regarding the persons Laughing
with most serious look until they hat
ceased, when he would quietly resume hi
dinner"
Pride in personal appearance, or vanity
Is often to be seen among the lower ami
mails, more especially among those bird!
who ara notable for hri rhf nr ohnnlan