The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-02-26
ANIMALS GOOD NATUREO.
This Seems to Be the Rule, Only
Individuals Being Of Ugly
Disposition.
Questions Of Domicile and Mates
Are Their Chief Causes
OF Quarrel.
The I~il-Te,npsred Notwithstanding
to Kindnsss Courage and Temper
In Race Horses.

LWaEEt EMHFS U@TE RI
In Race Horses.
Thu old theory that animal good temper
might be accounted for on the ground that
animals are sensible Of pleasure and pain,
but not OF advantage and disadvantage,
was only a half truth, for animals aro sub
ject to jealousy, and jealousy is the direct
result Of . feeling of personal disadvan-
tage. But. it draws attention to the fact
that occasions for Disagreement in the case
OF most animals are rare and unusual.
Questions of domicile are almost the sole
ground OF discord in the animal world.
with the exception Of the fierce ,%disssnsions
raised at, pairing time, and even in tbs last
case, says ths London Spectator, combat il
only gene raj in the case of polyqamous ami
mails. Deer Tight more fiercely than wolves,
and wild sheep than lions; and though
there is, or was, All eaRlo Mt the Zoo which
was caught locked in the talons of another
eagle when fighting in the spring. the
%fercest birds are usually friendly with their
own species, and while 1uffs ana black
game fight like eladiators for their wives,
the eagles and the peregrines, az a rule,
mate in poace. Proximity, the sever
est trial to human temper, sci
dom ruf1es the animal mind, and
different species 1.-Two in harmony to-
gether, each seeming, as in the case Of owls
and prairie dogs, or rocks and starlings,
rather to prefer than shun the society Of
the other. The choicest spots for homes
are naturally the sourcs of warfare among
birds. and other animals frequently fight
for the possession OF some ~fayorite breed
ing place, Badgers and foxes, which have
shared the Same earth during the winter,
often fight for sole possession in the spring.
whom the fox invariably wins, a result
which would hardly be expected from the
relative physique of the two animals. But
such quarrels are only for the sake of rear
ing their young. not for sclfish reasons;
and even nppreheudcd pressure on the food
supply rarely e1citss i'll will, except in the
case of the largest carnivorous birds and
animals, which require q wide range for
hunting, and drive their young to other
districts. The rodents and ruminants are
less jealous; Inc that strong social and gre
Rarious instinct which the existence of ill
temper as a permanent characteristic
would inevitably destroy keeps them to-
Rether in peace and harmony. They love
society, and net the least marked difference
between the tsmperatu.e of animals and
mon ia that animals do not by mere contact
~irritate each Others positive and MOI IN
Important compensation for the gift of
speech.
Since occasions of difference are so few,
nothing bat the assumption of an ancient
md inbred malignity in the animal minds,
such as the author Of 'sThres Men in i
Boat supposes in the case Of fox-terriers
to have been due to q double dose of
original sin, could justify the Wow so gen
erAlly that animals are. as a rule, ferocious
and lll~-tempered, a notion summed up in
MI. Burnard's conclusions in "Happy
Thoughts" that most of the creatures with
which he came in contact in the country
were, when not dangerous. always very
uncertain" The exact contrary would be
nearer the truth. Animal temper is natur-
ally pacific, equable and mild. Bad tenn
per is tbs privilege Of more highly organ
izsd natures; and the mild resentment of
the placable tiger finds its development in
the ~apoplstic fury of the mandril and the
measured malice of mankind. Horace's
suggestion that Promethsus added to the
lll-tompor of man the strength of a mad
lion must be taken literally. Tit general
law of good nature in the animal world
makes the exceptions all this more remark
able. Quarrelsome species appear among
- etADSB JA9s W. GhA IA VSAA V4O la
dividual does in a kindly species. The
luminantD are a most peaceful race, yet
deer arc savage, and SO is that handsome
Indian antelope, the nylghau. A tame stag
is a very dangerous PCT, AID even the beau
tiful loebuck has been known to kill a boy
ma wild fit Of rage. But the. ~fisrcest and
most vindictive OF all, with the exception
of the cape buffalo, is the South African
gnu, which never loses it's ill-temper when
tanned, and ALWAYS lsmains among the few
dangerous animals which the keepers at the
Zoo havs TO deal with. Hardly less ill-tem-
pcred are the zebrns n the wild asses.
which suggest that human mismanagement
lis not entirely to blame for the ill-temper
and obstinacy of mules and donkeys.
10 the ~ill-tsmpered species VS. may add
the camel and the two horned black rhl-
The last is really ferocious,
charging down on any creature, mar or
beast, without any provocation, and capa-
BILE OF ihf1icting mortal woundg even on the
lion, the elephant, or its W kind. But
among all tho larger creatures of tho mi
NAL kingdom. it is difficult to find more
than a dozen species which are. as a class,
i'll tempered, unless wo include all those
carnivorous animals which exhibit q GER
tain %feroeity in the capture Of their prey.
But it will be found that, apart from this
law of their being such animals are not,
ms a rule, either i~ll-tempcred or malicious.
On tho contrary their natu al bias is to-
W"AN ho0o AaUaAV, DIV ~ AAuy w 1uAcA4SO
the tierceness exhibited by them when
actually striking their prey is rather Il
gradual development from n particular ne
ceasity than an essential part of their ma
ture. The good humor of the lions and the
other felidae WAS we'll illustrated by IL
scene at the Zoo Il few weeks ago. The
young lion from Sokoto was much intent
on breaking in the iron shutter which sep
the house it now occupies from it's
former quarters next door. Apart from
the very proper wish to assert a right to it's
former donicile, it had the irritating slim
ulus supplied by an ill-tompered and de-
crepit old leopard which was growing on
tho other side OF the shutter, and even went
10 far as to insert ono of it's longest teeth
into the crack between the shutter and tho
wall, AZ \ reminder to the lion of what waa
for it on the other side. The lion
striking constant heavy blows Oh tho
door, and was SO intent ON it's occupation
al to disregard the call of its keeper. The
quietly attracted its attention by
pulling it's tail-and the lion at once de-
sisted, rubbed it's face against the Keepers
hasd, and lay down TO be stroked. patted, |
md have its name carsssed. A very beau
tiful puma close by exhibited all the pleas
1re OF q friendly cat ut being stroked, and
The tiger from Turkestan allowed himself
10 be fondlsd like d big dog.
That good-tempered RACES contain vsry
ill-natured individuals raises the difficult
question Of TEN permanent. A good nuthor-
ity on horses, Mr.. Mayhem, endeayors to
show that ill-temper among them is acci-
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