The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-11-09
LANGUAGE OF ANIMALS

LANGUAGE OF ANIMALS.
Modes Of Communication Between Man
and His Interiors.
For any one who knows and loves the
slower animals" it is useless to con-
sumo ink and paper to demonstrate
that they communicate ideas by sounds
in some degree to each other, in much
greater degree to man. And this last
communication has doubtless been con-
tinuous and reciprocal ever since man,
for his use or pleasure, has held inter
course with his fellow-creatures-fo
such they undeniably are.
My canary "peeps" when he is pleased
and swears as plainly as man when
he is not properly waited on by means
OF . sharp, quick ''chirrup." He will
also mutter to himself when he feels
sulky. When he is minded to sing he
will test his voice over and over again,
and say to himself repeatedly: "that
won't dc" in three distinct syllable. II
a cat comes near he screams with ter
ror, using a sound never employed ex-
cept to express that emotion. When
close my hand around him he will not
scream, but throws himself on my
mercy by an utterance as expressive of
fearful submission as any phrase of
man.
My dog not only shows q perfect COM
prehension of at least score of differ
ent things say to him, but verify be-
ieve can communicate to me any idea
his mind can grasp. When he is tied
up can instantly understand whether
he is calling for water or merely whin-
ing to get loose. When he comes up
stairs to tell me that there is strange
man in the kitchen he by no means uses
the same phraseology as when he an
nounccs his conviction that the time has
come to take walk. He expresses
doubt or hesitancy by ono growl, a
threat by another, disgust, e. g., at my
differing with him on the walk ques-
ton, by yet another.
There is no difficulty whatever in dis
tinguishing between his bark Of anger
and his bark of joy. His apologetic
whine when scolded is used to apollo
gize and beg off, from punishment,
and for that purpose only. It's tone is
exactly that of child under similar
circumstances.
As to my cat, she has . vocabulary so
extensive, and uses it so effectively,
that am afraid to detail her converse
tional accomplishments lest I be sus-
pected of exaggeration. will simply
mention that she asks to be scratched
- % lo-slnI
crab in totally different way.
Thus far I have said nothing about
gestures Batting these, it is evident
that q man who will seriously under
take to put himself en- rapport with
other animals can exchange commune
cation with them at least as satisfac-
torily as he could with another man
who was confined to an entirely differ
emit language. My dog, who has had
no special training, understands some
half dozen of my gestures, and himself
uses the turning aside of the head to
indicate dissent accompanied often by
a plain look of disgust at being misun-
derstood), puts up paw to deprecate
punishment, turns on his back to ex-
press submission, sticks up his tail (the
warrior brandishes his weapon or
waves his flag; the dog has no weapon)
by way of defiance, lowers it for shame
or alarm.
That turning on the back, by the
way, is well understood by dogs Is
gesture of surrender. If two strange
dogs meet on the street and one shows
IL s h. <,vr l.; h., L.
will not. as rule, be molested
No, Mr. Editor, we lovers of other
animals do not need Prof Garner to tell
us that they can and do talk to us and
our talk to them. His work
is to devise symbols to represent their
words and vocauy instruct others what
sounds those symbols represent, and
ton to more.
We may thus create = class Of persons
capable Of speaking monkey talk. and,
within the limits of their vocal powers,
such animals human speech,
or developing a "Volspuk" or pigeon
English" as common ground to meet
them on.
But cui bono7 Shall we thus help
man? VIII not the sole result be TO
lower the '1ower animals? Many Of
them have already ''al the virtues of
humanity without its vices" All of
them are free from its most detestible
None of them lies by
word or gesture or manner. Already
they communicate their desires and
emotions to US with perfect ease. If we
teach them to do more shall we not run
a serious risk Of demoralizing them so
that we shall begin to find among them