The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1880-10-13
Cow Nature.

That COWS acknowledge individuality
among themselves is evident from the
fact that in every herd there is sure to be
one master COW who domineers over AL
the rest. w latch the thirsty herd going
to drink at a pool on q sultry summer
day, and you will see the master cow
enter first, unopposed by the others,
who, should the pool be small one,
will not presume to join her in it, but
will wait patiently on the bank till she
leaves the water, even though she may
choose to remain there, swishing her
tail at the flies and enjoying the cool
bath for her legs, for some time after she
has finished quenching her thirst. To
the human spectator it would seem that
she il selishly and needlessly prolong
ing the thirst of her friends; but they
do not resent her self-indulgence, nor
attempt to hurry her, but only humbly
wait till it shall be her pleasure to make
room for them to go and drink. For is
not she their undisputed chief, and shall
not q chief have privileges?
A contributor to an English journal
tells the following story of the "top
boss" in his herd, named Dulas: She is
neither the biggest, nor the strongest,
nor the longest horned of the party, and
how she has acquired her supremacy we
know not, but we imagine that it must
be through sheer force of character and
will. We one day had an opportunity
of watching her lead her companions to
q place of mischief, which they all quite
evidently knew to be against the laws
of their human superiors, and therefore
to be done on the sly, if possible. The
COWS were in a field adjoining a rick
yard, and in the rickyard was an out
stored. The field was separated from
the rickyard by hedge, in which was a
hurdle; and twice in one day had the
COWS broken through the gap, got at
their beloved mangels, and been driven
out again ANONYMOUSLY. Undaunted
by this, they made third attack, and
we happened to arrive just in time to see
| it done. While the men who had
driven them back to the field were still
near, the COWS all pretended to be graz
| ing in tranquility as though no higher
ambition than grass had ever entered
| their innocent minds. But No sooner
| did the coast appear to be clear, than
off set Dulas toward the hurdle, with s
\ quick and resolute step, shaking hel
! head with most defiant and jaunty all
| as she walked. Inst ntly every othel
COW left off eating, and followed her, al
| evidently perfectly aware OF WnaL Sn'
meant to DO. Sticking her horns skill
fully under a bar OF the hurdle, anC
heaving up her head to extract the hur
die from the ground, she very soon man
aged to remove the obstacle, and theI
proceeded triumphantly to the man
gels, with all her companions at bel
heels. Now, in this case, Dulas seem!
to have used some reasoning power; to-
there was no attempt made to batter
down the gate by brute force, and she
had discovered the necessity of liftin:
it upward. She has talent for open
ing gates with easy fastenings which i
rather troublesome, putting her horn
in and working head about until sh
gets the fasteuings undone. And in this
also, she seems to show reason or oh
servation, for else how would she know
which part of the gate TO striker