The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-11-10
FRIENDLY ANIMALS.
ODD FRIENDSHIPS THAT DUMB
CREATURES CONTRACT.

Horses and Dogs Frequently necome In
Display In Choosing Companions.
Some Remarkable Cases.
The particular friendships OCCASION
ally formed by animals among them
selves are characterized by the virtues
and failings incident to human attach
ments. We are frequently reminded Of
mans selfishness and Inconsistency in the
ways of the brute creation, nor is it
peculiar to animals that they sometimes
enter into alliances OF curious kind.
Naturally enough, horses. often make
friends and comrades among their own
race, as dogs do still oftener, but close
friendship and understanding between
horses and dogs is apparently more fire.
quent than any similar relationship
between the individuals of the same
| species Perhaps the most remarkable
attachments are those shown by animals
thrown together by enforced circum-
stances and separated from others of
their kind
Horses have a positive dread OF soil
tude, and when this happens to be un.
avoidable will make friends of the most
unlikely creatures. The hours which u
carefully tended favorite passes in his
box are often relieved by the companion
ship of the stable cat, which the nobler
quadruped speedily adopts as its own,
and to which it often becomes genuinely
attached. The absence of the cat is at
once remarked by the horse, who mani
tests impotence and plainly asks for the
restoration Of its favorite.
One of the runners in the Derby, n
colt named Galeopsis, had for some
time before the race shown symptoms
of distress and uneasiness, amounting to
positive melancholy, and not attribute
BILE to any physical cause. A goat and
kid were procured and judiciously in
troduced to the stable, the result being
thus described by an eyewitness: ga
leopsis seemed to take much interest in
them until the goat died; but the kid re-
mains, and the horse now vastly diverts
himself by lifting the little creature up
by the back of its neck with its teeth.
putting it down in the Manager, careful
ly placing it on the ground again after
|
ton"
There is an interesting record of the
strange dislike entertained by pony
for particular horse with which 1t was
brought into daily contact, and the ex.
traordinary friendship formed by it for
a calf in the Same meadow. The pony
and calf became inseparable, show.
ing their mutual regard in many divert
ing ways, greatly to the annoyance OF
the Calls mother, who not unnaturally
evinced the utmost jealousy and resent.
ment Gilbert White relates how q
horse and hen, spending much of their
time together in n lonely orchard, also
became the fastest of friends: "Tht
fowl would approach the horse with
notes of complacency, rubbing herself
gently against his legs, while the horse
would look down with satisfaction, and
move with the greatest caution and cir.
cumspection lest he should trample OH
his diminutive companion"
Dogs have so much larger share OF
personal liberty than horses or cattle
that their friendships obviously lie more
at their own disposal. But notwith-
standing this fact they constantly make
friends Of the most unlikely birds
and for the most inexplicable reasons.
No doubt some temporary alliances arc
formed for the attainment of q particu.
lar object, not always of creditable
kind. Attachments between member
of the same race are of course common
but attract the less notice on account OF
their obvious reasonableness. Dogs
however, are greatly addicted to queer
company, and constantly go ont of THEN
way in quest of it. The numerous
friendships formed between dogs and
geese, and even poultry in general are
quite remarkable. 1t is not generally
recognized that tho goose is bird of ex
traordinary sagacity-it has even beer
described as of great intellectual capaci
ty-and this mutual regard of fur and
feather may proceed on an understand
ing that overrides the distinctions of race
The species of goose known az tn,
"gray lag" is especially remarkable TO,
its strong aud frequent attachments t,
the dog. One that was rescued by
mastiif from the insidious attack of
fox showed a consciousness of its obliga
tions and a desire to return them tina
We're touching in their obvious feeling
. The goose entirely abandoned the soci
: iety of its kind, roasted in the dogs ken
mel aud followed it in its daily wander
= ings over large farm and through tn
neighboring village. The dog happen
ing to fall i'll the goose would not leav
him night or day, and would to all up
pearance have been starved had not
pun Of corn been placed for it every da
near the kennel
The French naturalist Houzeau ais
|. relates how Chinese goose made friend
with II dog at first sight, uttering threat
. Of vengeance against any person or an
imal Offering to interfere with its favol
l. lite, in whose occasional absence it wa
inconsolable. Dogs and fowls also ente
into umicable relations for reasons muc
less apparent to onloo!iers than to then
, selves. a hen and u retriever becum
, 30 strongly attached that the forlne
ie laid her eggs and Matched her chicken
in his kennel, an interesting observe
! remarsing how, on the hen leaving o
- entering her nest, the dog would NOV
L. from the threshold to make way, Will
n. any attempt 10 touch the eggs in the al
" sence OF the hen was met by his immt
date depreciation.
\ Another remarkable friendship gre,
- up between a spaniel and young cocR
y which was for some reason perfectly o:
ii TRACKED by his fellows and not Above
II to feed with tho other poultry in III
e. farmyard. The spaniel was CONSTANT
e observed keeping the fowls away, in o.
der that its prosecuted friend mightsol
: tain food, the cockerel obviously recol
nizing and reoiprocating the good wi
D shown by its -four footed PROTECTORS
x London Standard.
Protection Lesson from the Cholera Scar
~ Now that there is said to be imminei
danger of the cholera being brought
ibis country from Europe by disease il