American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-04-10
Popular Misconceptions OF the So.
called Lower Animals.

The following is from areview in the
New York San of recently published
work, mind in the Lower Animals y
by DIR. w. L. Lindsay:
1t is amazing to note how signallyth
conclusions of vulgar observers have
been vitiated by their indifference OF
imagined superiority to the so-called
lower animals--how widely, in othel
words, the regulations popularity as.
signed to certain species fail to repre-
sent their real moral or intellectual
qualities. We hear a great deal, fol
instance. of the lion as the king Of
beasts, and of its alleged bravery. But
African travellers and sportsmen have
exposed the pretensions of this animal,
describing cowardice as its true char
acter rather than courage, and showing
that it will run away like whipped
cur under circumstances in which the
tiger will boldly attack and kill. The
ideas generally associated with the last
named beast are those of ferocious
courage, bloodthirstiness, untamea-
bility; but according to Jamrach, the
well-known wild animal dealer of Lon
don, the tiger can be tanned, If taken
| young, and then forms harmless COM
Partnerships with dogs or other animals.
Next to the tiger, the common hyena
bears the most decided character for
| ferocity in the popular mind. Its
laughter is supposed to be of the kind
that we call fiendish, and which we
ascribe to the typical demons of opera
I or pantomine. Nevertheless, the hyena
may be trained to act in place of q
watchdog; it becomes attached to mai,
and is sensitive to kindness. Again,
we are accustomed to think of the wolf
in connection with incorrigible voracity
and bloodthirstiness, yet numerous
authors of unquestioned competence
describe it as capable of being
tanned, as being afectionate and
emotional, moved equally by joy and
sorrow. Frederick Culver gives the
case of tame one that was tractable as
dog and as fond of its master. droop-
ing in his absence and making demon
strations of delight ON his return,
planting its fOrefeet on his shoulders,
and licking his face. Such companion
ships, with all the affection they en-
body or illustrate, must be borne in
mind in judging of the probable verify
of various stories current at the pres
emit day in India about the upbringing
by wolves OF human children. To cite
another instance of misconception, we
mean that he is gruff or rough, stupid,
callous, cold and cruel. In reality,
however, the Arctic bear, with which
species we should be most familiar
through accurate description, is intelli-
gent, ingenious, affectionate, compan-
ionable and tractable. Their whelps
frequently become not only amusing,
but harmless playfellows of children,
and they will also mess amicably with
cats, dogs and birds. There is, in fact,
a rarity of bad humor-of any loss of
temper-in bear whelps brought up
with human infants; even teazing by
the latter is borne with wonderful
equanimity, and, in some cases, de-
cided affection is contracted for some
child companion, whom the bear cub
may even feed, protect and caress. It
is no popularity of the Arctic bear that
it is sometimes unhappy. sullen and re-
vengeful. In this case, as in that of so
many other animals, it is under the in
tiuehce of mans persecution of their
cubs that such moral or mental qualities
are developed.
1t would seem, too, that the cat has
been quite as much maligned and mis-
understood as it has been petted. Its
apparent affection is often described as
a cupboard love; it is said to be at
tached to places, not to persons, and it
is associated with ideas of greediness,
spitefulness, and calculating cruelty.
The truth is that the cat is singularly
unselfish and generous animal, capable
of great self-sacrifice. In one anthem
ticated instance it was accustomed to
feed a jay twice a day with mice, and
another cat always laid at her MASTER
fna ha oh ho6 hof
she would eat them, making use of
them only when they were given back
to her by her master. The attachment
of the cat is frequently as great to per-
sons as to places, such fondness, how
ever, naturally depending on how well
she is treated. Cases are cited of cats
following their masters from place to
place as unconcernedly as the dog, and
it is certain that they may be trained to
guard and defend like the last-named
animal.
Passing to the dog, we are reminded
that in the East his name is a term of
profoundest contumely when used by
man toward his brother man, and in the
Turkish domininns, where the poor ami
NAL is either utterly neglected or cru
ely ill used, it unquestionably possesses
evil qualities that are not developed in
happier circumstances! We ourselves
use the word s.dogged' in contempt
GUS sense, as synonymous with stupid,
hopeless obstinacy. But such self
willedness, or perversity, is no more
feature of the natural character of the
dog than it is of that of the ass, mule,
or pig. When it exists it is usually the
fruit of mans training or usage. Even
the bulldog. which is popularity sup
posed incapable of anything but feroci-
treatment. companionable and good
tempered; he may be taught tricks or
feats like those performed by
the poodle or other dogs, and
he often shows attachment to
his master. There is an authentic ac-
count of bulldog that died of grief ON
being transferred to new owner, and
another is recorded to have saved
human life by carrying a rope ashore
from shipwrecked vessel, fact the
more remarkable because animals of
this species are not water dogs. BY
another careless and erroneous meta
phor, we speak of Unmatched spouses
as leading a cat-and-dog life. The fact
is that when left alone, cats and dogs,
SO far from quarreling with each other.
form the closest companionships or
friendships, and their fights, when they
do occur, are commonly the direct re-
suit of mans Intervention, of his cruel
propensity for what he calls sport. The
alleged mutual antipathy of the dog
and cat are shown by number of veri-
fed facts here cited to he one of man = |