The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-19

chance. They knew right from wrong,
but were simply examples of the criminal
element in animals grown predominant.
Among hunters there is a saying, Be
ware of animals that are isolated from
their herds" They are always the most
dangerous and these banished law-breakers
are found among all the large, as well as
the small, game; bison, elk, deer, in this
country; the rhinoceros and the hippopo-
tamus in the hot climes.
There are many criminals among dogs,
especially among shepherd dogs. One in
Australia, valued especially for his
strength and for his fidelity to his own
sheep, was finally discovered to be guilty
of killing the sheep on a neighborhing
ranch. At night, he would sneak off,
break into the other fold, and kill and suck
the blood of sheep until he was satisfied.
Then would come the cunning part of the
the performance. His coat would betray
him, he knew, and so he would make a
long circuit to a pond, and wash and lick
himself clean before he went home
There seems to be a set form of trial
among crows and biackbirds. The mem
bers of the colony gather in a circle around
the culprit, and actually try him. Some
times he is evidently acquitted but gener-
ally he is condemned, and is pecked to
death.
In addition to these laws. by which an
animals duty to his neighbors is regu-
Tense. When flock of ducks are feeding,
one is always left on guard. While their
heads are under water, the sentinel is sup
posed to be listening and watching and
on the first signal of danger he gives the
warning note, whistle; or, if the danger
be imminent, he gives a cry that means
fly at once" This is true of birds, too;
they all have sentinel, and he never eats
until his watch is up.
Two instances may be cited to show that
animals sometimes think on matters not
at all in the line of their instincts. One Is
that of Cowpers dog, Beau. The poet
was one day walking with the dog on the
bank of a pond when he saw lying on
the water a lily that he tried to reach and
pull in shore with his stick, but though he
trled again and again, he failed and so
walked on.
On their way back, when they came TO
the spot Beau stopped looked at his mas
ter and then at the lily, and finally jumped
INTO the water, tore up the lily by the root,
and brought it ashore and laid it at his
masters feet.
The second case is that OF dog that T
knew named Rex. He was a huge mastiff,
ana was pet with every one on the place.
lt was a common remark in the family
that Rex understood every word that
was spoken in his hearing"
Unfortunately, when Rex grew old he
sion as to chloroforming him took place
while he was in the room. He sat and
watched his mistresss face, while she, for
getting that he understood" said:
Poor Rex! We must do it,"
AT that Rex got up and walked out of
the room, and never returned; nor was
he heard of afterwards Did he UNDER
stand what was said? He had been lis
teninG to English for sixteen years, and
ne certainly knew every expression of the
faces of those he loved.
Let me add one stray fact-which think
very beautiful-Dlustratng the love that
one animal sometimes bears another. In
France. where oxen are usel a great deal,
there is saying, zone OK dead. the pair
lost"
This saying is true. These great beasts
work side by side all their lives, in pairs,
and Will not work with strange oxen. If
one of the pair dies, the other usually re-
fuses food and water, and literally dies
of a broken heart; it cannot, or will not,
outlive its lifelong friend
From what has been said, 1t appears
that animals have certain traits, or char
acteristics with which they are not gem
orally credited:. First, they have a con-
science, making them individually good or
bad. as judged by their code; second, they
have regular community laws; third, they
think and act, in some cases. where In
stinct does not guide them; and, fourth
they are capable of, and feel, the greatest
fidelity and friendship for each other.
Do not be rash, then, IN thinking of AMI
mails as only dumb brutes, but be observe
ant, and try to discover some new trait
IN them.
Thomas Mexican of Philadelphia, who
has given 100000 for the new law school