The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1877-02-22
DO Animals Understand Human
Speechf

From Bayard Tay Iora intere ting article in
| the February Atlantic we take the following
| extract.
| Animals have much more capacity to under
stand human speech than is generally sup
| posed. The Hndoos invariably talk to their
| elephants. and II is amazing how much the lat
| ter comprehend. The Arabs @oTorn thcit
| els with few cries, and my associates in the
African desert were always amused whenever
| addressed a remark to the big s,rolnedary who
was my property for two months yet At the
end OF that time, the beast evidently knew tn e
| meaning OF a number Of simple sentences
| some years ago. seeing the hippopotamns in
| Rarnum'S Museum looking very stold and de-
| lected, / spoke 10 him in English, bat he did
not even move his eyes Then went TO the
opposite corner OF the cage and said in \ arabic,
| 81 know YOU; come here TO me ~ He instantly
| turned his head towards NE; 1 repeated the
| words, and thereupon he came to HE corner
where / was standing, pressed hi huge. IN
| calmly head against the bars OF the cage. and
| looked up in my face with touching delight
while stocked his muzzi6 | have two or three
| times found a lion who recognized the same
| language, and the expression of his eyes for All
| instant, seemed positively human.
know OF nothing more moving, indeed SEMI
| tragic. than the yearning helplessness III the
| face of IA dog who understands what IS said TO
! HIM and cannot answer. We often hear it said
| that no animal can endure the steady gaze of
| the human eye; but this s a superstition An
| intelligent dog or horse not only endures, but
] loves it. The eye of beast is restless from
natural habit, but hardly more so than that OF
savage men. CATS birds and many other ami
| mails seek, rather than avoid, friendly human
| eye. II is possible that tigers may have been
| turned away by an uninching gaze, but sils-
| pect the secret lay III the surprise OF the beast
| at so unusual an experience, rather than in d-
| rect intimidation. Thieves are said to have the
belle! that dog, for the same reason, will not
attack naked man, hut do notremem3er any
| account OF Il burglary where they have tried the
experiment.
Cattle, however, are easily surprised. Once
| in 1919, on the Salinas Plains in California,
escaped exactly the same onset of vast herd
| Of wild cattle as Mr.. Harte describes in his
Gabriel Conroy," by sitting down upon the
ground. They were SO unaccustomed to seeing
a man, except on horseback. that the position
was an absolute bewilderment to Them The
foremost halted within a hundred feet, formed
line as regular as a file Of soldiers and stared
stupidity, until Il team, luckily approaching at
| the right time, released me from my hazardous
| situation.
| Few persons are aware of the great effect
which quiet speech exercises upon the most
| savage dog. A distinguished English poet told
| me that he was once walking in the country
with Canon Kingsley, when they passed II
| lodge where an immense and fierce mastil
| confined by long chain, rushed out upon
| them. They were just beyond his reach. but
| the chain did not seem secure; the poet would
| have hurried past, but Kingsley, laying hand
| upon his arm, said, "Wait Il moment, and see
me subdue him!' Thereupon he walked up to
the dog, who, erect upon his hind feet, with
open jaws and glaring eyes, was the embodi-
ment of animal fury. Kingsley lifted his hand
and quietly said, you are wrong. You have
made mistake: you must go back to your
KENNEL" The dog sank down upon his fore
| feet, but still growled angrily; the canon re-
| peated his words in firm voice, advancing
step by step rs the dog gave way. lie contin-
| ued speaking grave reproof, as to a human be-
ing, until he had forced the mastih back into his
kennel, where the latter silently, and perhaps
| remorsefully layed down.
| cannot now tell whether remembered this
| story, or acted simply from sudden instinct.
| in avery similar case. was in San Francisco.
and went to call upon gentleman of my ac-
| quaintance, who lived upon Rincon Point The
house stood little distance back from the
| street, in q beautiful garden. | walked up be-
| tween clnmps of myrtle and fuchsa TO the
door, and rang the bell Instead of answer,
| there was Il savage bay; g ant dog sprang
around the corner of the house, and rushed at
| me with every sign Of furious attack. faced
| him, stood still, and said 81 am friend of Mr.
| -, and have come to visit him. You must
not suppose that ! mean any harm. shall
wait to see if the bell is answered; you may
| stay and watch me. | am not afraid of YOU"
The animal paused, listened intently, but was
| ed, and showed his teeth in rather an alarming
manner. Then said, II shall ring once more !;
| if there il no answer, shall 60 away. He fol-
| lowed me up the steps to the door, glared
| fiercely while | rang, and would undoubtedly
have dashed at my throat had | made suspi-
cious gesture. AS no one came to the door, |
| finally said, II see there is nobody at home, SO
l shall go, as told you l would His growl-
| ing ceased; side by side We went down the
walk, and when l had closed the gate he
turned away with single dgnitied wave of
| the tail, which ! understood as Il combined
apology and farewell,
| Brehm, the German naturalist, gives very
| curious account of a chimpanzee at the ZooIog-
zeal Garden in Hamburg. He satisfied himself
that the animal understood as much human
speech as an average child of two and half
| years old. For instance, when he asked, "Do
you see the ducksF' the chimpanzee would look
| about the garden, passing over the geese and
swans, until he found the birds indicated. At
the command, $50 and sit DOWN." uttered with
out any infection of voice or glance towards a
chair, he would promptly obey; on being told
You are naughty" he would hang his head.
soon learned tn express his affection by kisses
and caresses, like the children whom he saw.