The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1893-01-18
FRIENDLY ANIMALS.
ODD FRIENDSHIPS THAT DUMB
CREATURES CONTRACT.

The particular friendships occasion
ally formed by animals among them
selves are characterized by the virtues
and failings incident to human attach
nents. We are frequently reminded Of
mans selfshness and Inconsistency in the
ways of the brute creation, nor is it
peculiar to animals that they sometimez
enter into alliances of curious kind
Naturally enough, horses often make
friends and comrades among their own
race, as dogs do still oftener, but a 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 positive dread of soil
tude, aud when this happens to be IN
| avoidable will make friends Of the most
unlikely creatures. The hours which
| carefully tended favorite passes in his
box are often relieved by the companion
ship of the stable cat, which the noble-
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, a
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 it's teeth,
putting it down in the Manager, careful
| ly placing it ON the ground again after
awhile. and then repeating tho opera
| tion."
There is an interesting record of the
strange dislike entertained by pony
for particular horse with which it was
brought into daily contact, and the ex-
| traordinary friendship formed by it for
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
eyinced the utmost jealousy and resent
ment Gilbert White relates how a
horse and hen, spending much of their
| time together in lonely orchard, also
became the fastest Of friends THE
fowl would approach the horse with
| notes OF colnplacency, rubbing herself
gently against his legs, while the horse
would look down with satisfaction, and
move with the greatest caution and cir
cuInspection lest he should trample on
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 af the most unlikely BIRDS
and for the most inexplicable reasons.
No doubt some temporary alliances are
formed for the attainment of particu-
lar object, not always OF a creditable
| kind. Attachments between members
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 out of their
way in quest Of it. The numerous
friendships formed between dogs and
geese, and even poultry in general are
quite remarkable. II is not generally
recognized that the goose is bird Of ex-
| traordinary sagacity--it has even been
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 as the
gray lag" is especially remarkable for
its strong and frequent attachments to
the dog. One that was rescued by
| mastif from the insidious attack of
fox showed q consciousness Of its obliga-
tons and a desire to return them that
were touching in their obvious feeling.
The goose entirely abandoned the soci-
| iety Of it's kind, roasted in the dogs ken
mel and followed it in its daily wander
ings over large farm and through the
neighboring village. The dog happen
ing to fall i'll the goose would not leave
him night or day, and would to all APP
pearsnce have been starved had not
pan Of corn been placed for 1t every day
near the kennel.
The French naturalist Houzeau also
relates how u Chinese goose made friends
with dog ut first sight, uttering threats
OF vengeance against any person or an
imal offering to interfere with its favor
lite, in whose occasional absence it was
inconsolable. Dogs and fowls also enter
into amicable relations for reasons much
less apparent to onlookers than to them
selves. A hen and retriever became
10 strongly attached that the former
laid her eggs and Matched her chickens
In his kennel, an interesting observer
remarking how, OH the hen leaving OF
entering her nest, the dog would move
from the threshold to make way, while
any attempt to touch the eggs In the alb
sence of the hen was INST by his imme-
date dispprobation.
| Another remarkable friendship grew
up between q spaniel and young cock,
| which was for some reason perfectly os-
tracized by his fellows and not allowed
TO feed with the other poultry In the
farmyard. The spaniel was constantly
observed keeping the fowls away, in or
der that its prosecuted friend might OBJ
tain food, the cockerel obviously recog-
nizing and reciprocating the good will
shown by ito four footed protector