Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-03-31
SATURDAY, March 26.
TEMPER OF ANIMALS.
The CarnivOrous by Means the Most
Vindictive of Beasts


Animal temper is naturally racifc,
equable and mild. Bad temper is the
privilege of more highly organized natures
and the mild resentment of the placable
tiger finds its development In the apoplec-
tic fury of the mapdril and the measured
malice of mankind. Horace's suggestion
that Prometheuf added to the ill-temper of
the man the strenth Of mad lion must be
taken literally. The general law of nature
inthe animal world makes the exception all
the more remarkable. Quarrelsome spe-
cies appear among friendly tribe just as
an individual does in kindly species.
The ruminants are most peaceful race,
yet deer are savage and so is that hand
some antelope in the nylghau. A tame
stag is very dangerous pet, and even the
beautiful roebuck has been known TO kill
boy in wild fit of rage. But the ferc-
est and most vindictive of all, with the
exception Of the Cape buffalo, is the South
African gnu, which never loses its Ill
temper when tanned, and always remains
among the few dangerous animals which
| the keepers OF the Zoe have to deal with.
| Hardly less i'll tempered are the zebras
, and the wild asses, which suggests that
| human Encouragement Is not entirely
| Obstinacy Of mules and doakeys. To the
| i'll tempered species we may add camel and
| the two horn black rhiuoceros. The last
| is really ferocious, charging down on any
creature, man or beast, and capable of in
flicting.mcrtal wounds, even on the lien, the
| elephant, or its own kind.
| But among all the larger creatures of
the animal kingdom it is difficult to find
more than dozen species which are as
a class, Ill tempered, unless we include
| ali those carnlVorous animals which ex
hibit certain ferocity in the copture of
their prey. But it will be found that,
apart from this law OF being, such AMI
mails are not, as rule, either i'll temper
| ed or malicious. On the contrary, their
natural bias is toward good nature, and
it may be inferred that the ferceness ex-
hlbited by them when actually striking
their prey is rather gradual develop.
ment from particular necessity than an
essential part Of their nature. The good
| humor Of the lions and other feline was
well illustrated bya scene at the Zoo few
weeks ago. The young lion from Sokoto
was much intent On breaking in the iron
| shutter that separates the house it now
occupies from It's former quarters next
door. Apart from the very proper wish to
assert It's right to its former domlclle, it
had the irritating stimulus supplied by an
i'll tempered and descripit old leopard
; which was growing on the other side of
| the shutter, and even went so far as to
insert one of his longest teeth into the
crack between the shutter and the wall, as
a reminder to the lion what was waiting
for it on the other side. The lion was
striking constant heavy blows on the door,
and was SO intent on its occupation as to
disregard the call of its keeper. The
keeper quietly attracted its attention by
pulling its ail!-and the lion at once de-
sisted, rubbed its face against the keepers
hand, and lay down to be stroked, patted,
and have its name caressed. A very beau
tiful puma close by exhibited all the
the pleasure of a friendly cat at being
stroked, and The tiger from Turkestan al
lowed itself to be fonded like a big dog.
London Spectator.