The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-10-07
The Intellectual Cow.

We believe that each cow has her own
separate characteristics and peeuliar,ties,
just as surely as each human being has,
and that the popular idea of her as be-
ing merely a food machine is both mis-.
taken and unfair. From what the pres.
ent writer has noticed about the COW
very limited as that knowledge is--the
conclusion is warranted that she has
never vet had full justice done to her;
that her mental and moral good quail
ties have not been developed, as they
might have been, by cultivation; and
that-though less highly gifted with
brains than the dog-she yet possesses
enough intelligence to entitle her to a
more respectful consideration than she
usually receives. That COWS acknowl-
edge Individuality among themselves is
evident, from the fact hat in every
herd there is sure to be found n mas
ter-cow, who domineers over all the
rest. Is not this clear proof that that
particular COW is endowed with an I'M
usual amount of talent, strength of char
acter, gifts of leadership, decision, or
some such distinguishing quality which
her companions are capable of recogniz-
ingl
The stop boss in the present writer's
herd is a COW named "Dulas." She is
neithe: 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
a piece of mischief which they all evi.
IDENTIFY 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 joining a rick.yard,
and in the rick-yard was an clubhouse,
wherein some mangels were stored. The
field was separated from the rick-yard
by a hedge, in which was a gap stopped
by 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 a third attack, and
we happened to arrive just in time to
see it done. Whilst the men who had
driven them back to the field were still
near, the cows all pretended to be graz
Ing as TRANQUILITY as though no higher
ambition ta.lan 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 a
quick and r%esolute step, shaking her
head with a most defiant and jaunty air
as she walked. Instantly every other
COW left off eating, and followed her, all
evidently perfectly aware of what she
meant to do. Sticking her horns skill
fully under a lar Of the hurdle, and
heaving up her head to extract the hur-
die from the ground, she very soon man. !
aged to remove the obstacle, and then
proceeded triumphantly to the mangels,
with all her companions at her heels.
NOW. in this case, Dulas seems to have
used some kind of reasoning power; for
there was no attempt made to batter
down the gate by brute force, and she
had discovered the necessity of lifting it
upward. She has a talent for opening
gates with easy fastenings which is
rather troublesome, putting her horns in
and WORKING her head about until she
gets the fastening undone. And in this
also she seems to show reason or obser-
walton, for else how would she know
which part Of the gate to attack
We have another GOV named Eithin,
whose situation, when tied up in the
cow-house, enabled her to eat out Of the
division CT the manger appointed to her
right-hand neighbor, though her own di-
vision was out of the reach Of
any COW except herself. Again and
again have 're seen Eithen, when each
COW received her allowance of decorticat-
e1 cotton-cake, turn at n "a 10 her
neighbours helping of the dainty (Eithin
being the more masterful OF the Two
animals), eat that up first, and then
polish off her own share afterward, her
understanding being quite capable Of
showing her hat it must be "now or
never if she meant to get aaouble por-
ton of the much-relished cake. We
need scarcely observe that this piratical
proceeding Of Eithin's was easily over
come, by substituting a more mastery
COW as her neighbor, who would allow
no liberties to be taken. Another proof
of the intelligence Of cows, of which