The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1885-08-04
ANIMAL LANGUAGE.
The Power OF Communication Between
Animals a Cultivable Power.

Animals a Cultivable Power.
This subject of animal language In
:ere>ts me more and more, for 1 find il
is not merely power they have. but a
very cultivable power. If you will talk
with the creatures in your barn-yard,
they soon get not only to understand
your general meaning. but to reply with
notifications of sound that are meant
for you in particular. One or two hens
in a flock will show particular
aptitude in telling you what they think.
Some horses have, or can have, an
octave of sounds and express very nice
gradations of dislike and pleasure, even
up to very defined laughter. Other
animals laugh. notably birds, with ar
ticulate sounds. Some years since /
owned horse, with which undertook
to drive to neighboring town over the
hills in winter. 4 spot of hidden ice
suddenly tripped her, and for a time it
was impossible for her to get up. But
by effo$S that entirely exhausted me
finally got her on foot again. Size never
forgot it. But my approach to the
stable was invariably welcomed BY cor
dial neighs, and that not sufficing. she
would put her head affectionately on
my shoulder or under my arm. On an
other occasion a pet Morgan called me,
while i was engaged fifty rods from the
barn, with loud and persistent calls that
/ instantly understood meant trouble.
Going hastily 10 the stables, found the
10 L n
having a big frolic where they were
capable of doing mischief. As soon as
i approached the horse gave satisfied
whinny, followed by long sigh of re-
lief. and went to eating quietly.
But for real vocal.Zation the fowls
surpass both animals and birds / have
had one rooster that had a remarkable
power of laughing. No one could pos
SHY hear him without doing as he
would when Cough laughs-laugh with
him. Now, a dog has diffuSed laugh
all over, but especially concentrates
chuckle in his tai The dogs tail is
the most cultured tail among animals.
1t not only laughs, bit it talks. The
tail of n cow his no more sense than an
oX-gad, and horses tail is not much
wiser. They even lash flies in q ,ooSe
way that SHOWS they don { know, except
in a general way, where the fly is.
The ROSTERS tail belongs 10 the or.
namental class. The gobbler manages
TO make himself very ridiculous W tn
his. But | shall write an essay on tails
some dav. The point now is that my
Rooster didn't laugh with his tail. but
W. Is 81 10 l.,
IS approached the barn. and, calling
lis en-, marched ahead Of all to tie
feeding place, with a chucklc tat
would break out into occasional down.
right rippleS OF laughter that set every
one VINO heard him into doing tie same
thing. So off we marched as jolly
as crew OF college boys on the way to
class supper. Laughter is cat hing.
and | always found myself hilarious 1T
cho"e time as long as Dan was alive.
Dan was a LeEhOrn and Hamburg
cross, bat his flock was mostly Brah-
ma, and most unsuitable for mothers.
1t became necessary, when i wished TO
set e--gs, TO borrow smaller hen of
neighbOr. Among those that were
kindly loaned for this purpose was one
little biack tOpknot or no special breed;
one of those independent creatures that
care little for ancestry and haven't any
very sc tied ways. She was Just sprv,
hoae~t, bright little Biddv. She under
stood setting to n dot, got oil ct the
right time; went back in season; turned
over her eggs: stepped carefully among
them; never got excited, and was all in
all commendable bird. Now Plym-
outh Rock always wants to SCI, but
knows no more about il than my broth
er john, who was caught broOding q
nest in corner of the NOW on a time.
Neither does Brahma understand it.
She i too fat, and her blubber rolls the
eggs in and breaks them; and when she
gets tired she sits fiat down, seven
bounds avoirdupois, on the brittle
shells and gets up every day with a
week-old chicken sticking to her feath-
erS. A Leghorn has no patience; will
sit for couple of weeks and then quit.
If you want a model mother. get a
brown game or one of my black top
knot. Louis GLOje-Democrat.
O