The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-06-02
Animal Laughter.
New York rimes.l

OclenClnc persons as class have very
little acquaintance with animals. They
may know all about the bones and teeth
and organs of animals, but it is rare that
an animal admits scientific person to
friendly intimacy. What can vivisect-
ing anatomist know of the mind and soul
OF the dog whom he cuts up? Arespect-
able dog would never dream of allowing
such "a man to catch the slightest
glimpse of his thoughts and emotions.
just as one may learn the grammer OF
language, and still be unable to read or
speak it, so the scientific person may
master the grammer of dozen distinct
animals and never be able to speak with
ono Of them.
This is why scientific persons assert
that man is the only animal that laughs.
and that other animals have no sense of
humor whatever. Of course there is not
| a word of truth in this. There are hun
dreds of men who are well acquainted
with animals-men whom our leading
dogs and most eminent cats are proud to
know-who can testify that not only do
many animals have keen sense of
humor, but that they can enjoy hearty
laugh. The parrot who has succeeded
in gripping careless scientific person
by the nose or whiskers will often laugh
at the top of his lungs for the next half
hour, and show his enjoyment of his in
nocent joke by standing head downward
on his perch, and writhing In the most
fantastic attitudes. Why the scientific
person never sees the fun of the thing is
not so clear, and it is quite possible that
there exists among parrots conviction
that no semitic person has any sense of
humor
That cats laugh is evident from the
familiar proverb in regard to Cheshire
cats. 1t may be objected that Cheshire
cats are said to grin, and that grinning
and laughter are not the same. The an
swer to this is that the cat always laughs
silently. It would be folly to require an
animal to laugh aloud in the English
language, just as it would be folly to
expect the ordinary Englishman to swear
in Sanskrit. Every animal laughs in its
own peculiar way, but the silent grin of
the Cheshire cat is as true laugh as is
the roar of large German who fancies
he has discovered a joke in a Berlin
comic paper.
There was public cat-or, in other
words, cat without any private owner
living In suburban town few years
ago who was full of grim sarcastic hui
NOR. She had frequently been chased
in rude and alarming manner by a
local dog, and naturally, had no love for
her prosecutor. One day the latter was
chained up as punishment for miscon-
duct in connection with clergyman's
leg, and the cat, finding that he could
not break his chain, came and sat on the
ground just beyond his reach with a
broad grin on her face, which must have
been to the last degree exasperating to
the canine mind. Not content with this,
the cat went in search of large and
tempting bone, which she deposited
within two inches of the dog, and then
sprang up and down, balancing herself
alternately on her hind and fore legs,
with display of hilarity which drove
the dog frantic. There can be no posi-
BILE doubt that the cat was playing a
practical joke on her enemy, and that
she enjoyed it to the utmost possible ex-
tent. And yet, If we are to believe the
scientific persons, cat is wholly devoid
of humor.
A dog laughs audibly. He opens his
mouth as widely as possible, and, with
his tongue hanging out, utters sound
somewhat resembling both whine and
bark, but differing essentially from
either. The expression of his face mean
while shows that he is enjoying himself
and bears not the slightest resemblance
to the look of pathetic melancholy
which always accompanies a genuine
whine.
There is dog in Stonington, Conn,
who is born humorist. The dog dis
covered long ago, that his master had a
great dislike for snakes, and accordingly
the faithful animal, who belongs to the
pointer denomination-madei it rule to
point at every snake that came in his
way. The dog had pointed to snakes
without ever once making a mistake for
three years, when one day he accom-
panied his master on a walk through a
particularly stony field, where snakes
were known to be plentiful. Suddenly
the dog, who was walking just in front
of the huntsman, stopped and pointed
SO earnestly that it was evident he had
almost stepped on a snake, The hunts
man sprang backward with immense
alacrity-for he was a very nervous man
and in SO doing tripped and fell with
tremendous crash. The dog, merely
glancing around to see what was the
matter. resumed his point till his master
had picked himself up, Gained his mind
and resolved to kill the snake. Advanc-
ing with that direful purpose he discov-
cred, not snake, but cast-of snakes
skin at which the dog had pointed. The
moment the man discovered the trick
the dog threw himself ON his back, rolled
over and over in an uncomfortable fit OF
laughter, and finally sitting down on his
launches, laughed till the tears rolled
down his cheeks. He knew snakes
skin from a live snake perfectly well,
and his purpose in pointing at the skin
was simply to give his master a good
fright.
But what is the use of citing evidence
of what every man who has the honor to
be well acquainted with dogs knows to