The Red Cloud chief., 1897-06-11
ANIMALS SHAM DEATH
Fea~ Was Perhaps Responsible for Two
strnups Incidents.

Fes~ Wa Perhaps Responsible for Two
Strange Incidents.
Two cases are on record of foxes be-
ing discovered In hen houses. In each
case the fox not only completely de-
coived thu finder. but allowed himself
to be dragged M by the brush and
thrown down. In the one case in a field
In the other a dunghill. says the
scotsman. In each instance tho fox
then Jumped up and ran away. An
other example IL that OF a fox which
dangled across n mans shoulder as II
allowed itself to he carried along a road
for more than a mile. At last II bit
the man and was promptly dropped.
A cat was observed to carry n weasel
horne In Its mouth, the weasel dang
Inns helplessly. The door of the house
was closed and the cat. In conformity
with Its usual habit. mewed to gain ad-
-n;sAon. To new. however, 1t had to
set down the weasel, which Jumped up
and fastened on Its nose. The follow
ing instance al observed by the late
Prot. Romanes: A corncrake had been
retrieved by a dog. and. having every
appearance Of being dead, was put In
tho mans pocket. Presently violent
struggles were felt and the man drew
the bird out. To his establishment T.
again hung in his hand limp and ap-
parently lifeless. IL was then set upon
the ground and watched from behind
some cover. In n short time II raised
Its head, looked around and decamped
ut full speed. A singular fact that
must not be overlooked In connection
with this phenomenon Is that some an
ima.s have been found 70 be actually
dead which were at first thought TO b
shamming. Romanes, for instance,
found this to be the case with a SPUR
rel which he had caught In a cloth,
and with which he wanted to expert
ment with regard to the feigning OF
death. Sir T.. Tennent also relates, In
hts book on the Natural History OF
Ceylon,' that the wild elephant some-
times dies when being taken from the
corral by tame elephants. Further. he
relates a case In which, being con-
WINGED that an elephant was dead. he
had Its la3hings taken OF, he and q
friend lcGrinI against It the while to
rest. Hardly had they left II when II
rose hurric lily and. t~rumpeting vocif-
crousiy, rushed Off ia the Jungle. The
Iact. however. that a squirrel or an ell
tphant when captured unhurt will die
IS sufficient to show that a most power-
ful nervous arrangement Of some sort
Is induced. When the late Joseph
Thomson lectured on his African ex-
porience he related how the first buf-
talo he shot tossed him and how, when
ne 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 dead.
Pheasants. In flying across wide
stretches OF water. have been noticed
suddenly to fall. In this way they are
apparently drowned. 1t is perhaps dan
gorous to assert positively that fear 10
here the active cause of death yet we
are apparently justified in believing
that a paroxysm OF fear can produce
sudden death. The squirrel and the
elephant may have died in fright; Ger.
tainly 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.
II IL stated that his attention was 30
riveted that he was unable to make, OF
rather he felt no desire to make the
appropriate movements"--that he could
not help watching the rain. but felt no
terror. With the greatest d~iflculty 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 rs helpless az q baby
l was frightened enough then" This
may perhaps be taken as q cataleptt