The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1897-06-17
ANIMALS SHAM DEATH,
Tale of a Clever Fox That Came to Life
and Escaped.

Two cases are on record of foxes
being discovered in henhouses. In
each case the fox not only complete
ly deceived the finder, but allowed
himself to be dragged out by the
brush and thrown down, in the one
case in field and in the other on
dunghill. In each instance the fox
then jumped up and ran away. An
other example is that of fox which
dangled across mans shoulder as
it allowed itself to be carried along
road for more than a mile. At last
it bit the man and was promptly
dropped. A cat was observed to car
ry weasel home in its mouth, the
weasel dangling helplessly. The
door of the house was closed, and
the cat, in conformity with its usu-
al habit, mewed to gain admission.
To new, however, it had to set down
the weasel, which jumped UP and
fastened on its nose.
The following instance was OBJ
served by the late Professor Ro-
names: A corncrake had been re-
trieved by dog, and, having every
appearance of being dead, was put
in a mans pocket. Presently violent
struggles were felt, and the man
drew the bird out. To his astonish-
ment, it again hung in his hand
limp and apparently lifeless. 1t was
then setupon the ground and watch
ed from behind some cover. In a
short time it raised its head, looked
around and decamped at full speed.
A singular fact that must not be
overlooked in connection with this
phenomenon is that some animals
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
squirrel which he had caught in a
cloth and with which he wanted to
exp eriment with regard to the
feigning of death.
Sir E. Tennent also relates in his
book on the Natural History of
Ceylon" that the wild elephant
sometimes dies when being taken
from the corral by tame elephants.
Further, he relates a case in which,
being convinced that an elephant
was dead, he had its lashings taken
off, he and a friend leaning against
it the while to rest. Hardly had
they left it when it rose hurriedly
and, trunpeting vociferously, rushed
off in the jungle. The fact, however,
that a squirrel or an elephant when
captured unhurt will die is sufficient
to show that most powerful nerv-
GUS arrangement of some sort is
induced.
When the late Joseph Thomson
lectlred on his African experiences,
he related how the first buffalo he
shot tossed him, and how when he
came to himself and tried to sit up
he found his antagonist glaring at
him few yards away. He told how
he recollected that a buffalo does
not try to toss a creature which
shows no signs of life, and how he
let his head sink slowly back and
Lay shamming death.
Pheasants in flying across wide
stretches of water haYe been noticed
suddenly to fall. In this way they
are apparently drowned. 1t is per-
haps dangerous to assert positively
that fear is here the active cause of
death, yet we are apparently JUST
fed in believing that paroxysm of
fear can produce sudden death. The
squirrel and the elephant may have
died of fright; certainly death in
man can be produced by sudden
fear, and although man has much
more sensitive nervous mechanism
the lower animals have an extreme
iy instinct of fear.
Professor Lloyd Morgan mentions
the case of surface man working
in the Severn tunnel who was near
ly killed by train. 1t is stated that
This attention was so riveted that
he was unable to make, or rather he
felt no desire to make, the appro-
PIRATE movements" that he could
not help watching the train, but felt
no terror. With the greatest diff
Guilty he managed to shake himself
free of his fascination. In describing
his feelings when the danger was
past he is reported to have said: II
came over all cold sweat and felt
as helpless as baby. 1 was fright
ened enough then" This may per-
a 70 %ol AL 4