The midland journal., 1896-11-20
COMEDIANS IN ANIMALS.
Grotesque in Appearance and Clownish
in Their Manners.

Grotesque in Appearance and Clownish
in Their Manners.
Pigs, especially happy pigs, when not
too fat, but only "well liking" and free
to wander in big yard and forage for
themselves, are almost the most comic
of animals. Almost all the necessary
elements are present-fat bodies and
fat checks, twinkling eyes, tightly-curl-
ing tails, short, turned-up noses, voices
capable of expressing in a grunt in
tense greedy self.caa:Sfaction, curiosity
and all forms of squeaks and squeals
for surprise, fear and panic. The writer
recently watched family of young
pigs, about IS inches long, just turned
out to spend the morning in a meadow,
and returned convinced that there was
not a moment at which their appear
ance and behavior was not too conf
cal for description. Each flower and
weed was tasted by the little pigs with
the air of connoisscur trying new
dish, and when they found a horse ly-
ing asleep taking it's Sunday rest the
whole litter stood in semicircle round
it's head as if grouped to sing in
chorus.
Pigs are so funny, and everyone so
thoroughly recognizes the fact now that
il seems rather odd that the discovery
should be so recent. There is plenty
of allusion to the pig as a filthy, ugly
creature in the east, and many old Eng
lish anecdotes Of their cunning and
knowing ways about weather and food,
but except the pig-selling scene in the
Acharnians, which is sadly wanting
in humor, there is hardly any early
recognition of the comicality of pigs.
The reason is that it is only the mod
cal. His alone are the round stern, the
curly tail, the short nose, the dump
ling cheeks and the fine, high spirits.
The wretched greyhound pig of the east
or of the unimproved breeds of Europe
has not an atom of humor in him. Even
Il young wild boar is a glum little fell
low, only growing lively as he grows
hungry. We owe the "comic pig" to
the encouragement of the Smithfeld
show and the Royal Agricultural So
ciety. But there is room for difference
as to the humorous side of animal life
| in creatures which are not domesti-
Gated and have never changed.
The owl is a case in point. The Greeks
looked upon him as a grave and wise
| bird and assigned him to Athene. We
| think his appearance comic, and in
common talk the owl represents @ be-
wildered, rather dense person, who can
h. IL, h. o1r
reyered the owl, the Hindoo feeling is
exactly the same as ours, To call q
stupid servant "ooloo" ('you owl'')
would convey exactly the same meaning
in India as it would here. A physical
| explanation is just possible. We and
| the Hindoos think of the night owl,
| bird bewildered by light. Athene's
owls, which are now sold in large num-
| bers in London as pets, are little, wide
| awake ground owls, able to see by day
as well as by night, Most people who
| have watched penguins hopping on the
| ground will own that when moving
about they are irresistibly funny. Their
| little wings, like fat hands without
arms, round, white waistcoats, short
| necks and short legs with little, fat,
| black feet, make them O. bird edition
of Mr.. Picl<wick. Their only movement
| is a series of hops, with the head bent
nervously forward as if they were afraid
of falling-which they are-and their
| little wings stuck out on each side to
| balance them. Of course, the penguin
| has not the least notion that it is funny
or amusing, and is as uncomfortable as
Chinese lady trying to walk across
rice field. Puffins rank high among
the comic birds. Their makeup"
HANGED by the big red and yellow bill,
WHICH is set en- like q Guy FRwkes' maaakk. maaakk.
| Young puffins, which have not devel-
oped this adjunct to ''facial expression"
are far less ludicrous to look upon and
have none of the exaggerated, inspector
like air of their seniors. The japanese
artists, who have fine sense of the lu.
dicrous in nature, but usually read in
some portion of human wit into their
studies OF animal life, show q proper ap-
probation of the comioality of the crab.
They cast bronze crabs in all attitudes,
J the most effective being the enraged
crab sticking up it's pinching claws in
u position of defense. If their mechan-
! ical skill also allowed of a clockwork
movement, by which the crab could
be depicted retreatipg sideways, with
his claws raised and swapping, these
works of art would be perfect illustra-
tions of the comic side of submarine
life.-Loudon Spectator.