The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1897-06-03
ANIMALS SHAM DEATH.
Fear Was Perhaps Responsible for Two
Strange Incidents.

Fear Was Perhaps Responsible for Two
j: II. Strange Incidents.
Two cases are on record of foxes be-
ing discovered in hen houses In each
case the fox not only completely de-
ceived the finder, but allowed himself
to be dragged out by the brush and
thrown down, in the one case in a field
and in the other a dunghill, says the
Scotsman. In each instance the fox
then jumped up and ran away. An
other example is that of a fox which
dangled across mans shoulder as it
allowed itself to be carried along road
for more than mile. At last it bit
the man and was promptly dropped.
A cat was observed to carry weasel
home in it's mouth, the weasel dang
ling helplessly. The door Of the house
was closed and the cat, in conformity
with it's usual habit, mewed to gain adj
mission. 10 NEW, however, it had to
set down the weasel, which jumped up
and fastened on it's nose. The follow
ing instance was observed by the late
Prof. Romanes: A corncrake had been
retrieved by dog, and, having every
appearance of being dead, was put in
the mans pocket. Presently violent
struggles were felt and the man drew
the bird out. To his establishment it
again hung in his hand limp and ap-
parently llteless. 1t was then set upon
the ground and watched from behind
some cover. In short time it raised
it's head, looked around and decamped
at full speed. A singular fact that
must not be overlooked in connection
with this phenomenon is that some an
imals have been found to be actually
dead which were at first thought to be
shamming. Romanes, for instance.
found this to be the case with a souir-
rel which he had caught in a cloth,
and with which he wanted to experi-
ment with regard to the feigning of
death. Sir E. Tennent also relates. in
his book on the Natural History of
Cey1on, that the wild elephant some
times dies when being taken from the
corral py tame elephants. Further. he
1elates case in which, being con-
Vlnced that an elephant was dead. he
mac us lashlngs taken off, he and a
friend leaning against it the while to
rest Hardly had they left it when it
rose hurrledly and, trumpeting vocif-
ccously' rushed off in the jungle. The
Tact, however, that squirrel or an ell
ephant when captured unhurt will die
is su1hclent to show that a most nower-
fui nervous arrangement of some sort
is induced. When the late Joseph
Thomson lectured on his African ex-
perlence he related how the first buff
1alo ne shot tossed him and how. when
lie came to himself and tried to sit I'M.
he found his antagonist glazing at him
d 1e" yards away. He told how he
recollected that a buffalo does not try
to toss creature which shows no signs
OF life, and how he let his head sink
slowly back and lay shamming dead.
Pheasants, in flying across wide
stretches of water, have been noticed
suddenly to fall. In this way they are
apparently drowned. It is perhaps dan
gerous to assert positively that fear is
mere the active cause of death yet we
1TSA SAASAy J%aOC1ACu Ill U0llGVluS
that paroxysm of fear can produce
sudden death. The squirrel and the
elephant may have died in fright; GER
talnly death in man can be produced by
sudden fear, and, although man has a
much more sensitive nervous mechan-
ism, the lower animals have an ex-
tremely active instinct of fear. Prof
Lloyd Morgan mentions the case of a
surfaceman working in the Severn tun-
mel, who was nearly killed by a train
1t is stated that Ibis attention was Sc
rlveted that he was unable to make. or
rather he felt no desire to make the
appropriate movements"- he could
not help watching the rain, but felt nc
terror. With the greatest difficulty he
managed to shake himself free of his
fascination. In describing his feelings
when the danger is past he is reported
to have said, II came over all a. cold
sweat and felt as helpless as a baby
I was frightened enough then" This
may perhaps be taken as a catalenti,
condition without fear.