The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-19
AnImnI Affection.
From the london speotator.

From the London Spectator.
The monkeys who drown the objectiona-
bly, sick by showing them off trees into the
river are certainly rather worse than the
Greeks who "marooned Philoctetes for the
same reason. But with this should be con-
trasted Brehm's story Of the rescue of the
young baboon from his dogs by a patriarch
of the troop, and the encouragement given
by an Older stag to young one which
feared to jump fence. Lord Lovat gives
an admirable description of this scene in
the volume of the 'Badminton Library"
on "Deerstalkng. The old stag reached
over toward the young one at last, and
actually kissed him. but the youngs ter
would not jump Animals are so "help-
less" themselves when anything goes "a
miss especially in cases of accident, that
they can hardly be expected to do much
for others But the impulse is often there
in the related kinds though il is not ex-
tended to non-related. Otters run around
a trapped otter all night Cats and foxes
visit the bodies of their dead. and so do
stoats and weasels Ii is a rule with trap
pers to leave these near a trap; so we may
conclude that these animals probably visit
their fellows when trapped. The writer
once saw an odd instance of this ineffec-
tual concern-probably not very deep, for
The actors were sparrows. A brick trap
had been set in a yard, and a sparrow
caught. All the sparrows in the neighbour
hood had learned of it, and were sitting in
crowds on hedges, cucumber frames, sheds
and buildings, discussing the situation, or
staring moodily at the trap where the cap
tive was imprisoned, but quite invisible
Next day robin was caught but me
apauows showed no concern whatever.
This tendency among the wild races
finds definite expression among the domes-
ticated animals, though Instances are not
very common. We have seen small pig,
stuck in a palling through which it had
tired to sQuee re, assisted by an elder one
inside. Attracted by its cries, it took the
small pigs head in its mouth and tried to
pull ii through, IN doing which It almost
pulled the suffers head off. In another
case a eat deliberately fetched its owner 10
assist al other cat which was lying help
less in a iii. Moreover, domesticated ami
mails are 10 some extent progressive"
and have realized the notion of common
good among other creatures than their
own stock. There is a good deal of ser
vice ana beneVoience among very different
domestcated animals. especially in the
form OF protection, sharing of food and
forbearance Specialized instances IN
which dogs or cats have taken food to
others could doubtless be authenticated
though the writer has not witnessed a
case But there is the strongest OF all evil
dence that they have a tendency to per-
form these and other services TO other
animals, because the domesticated crea-
lures voluntarily offer these services of
benevolence TO man. How can any one
doubt that animals lin domesticaion) are
willing to feed each other, when there
are cats all over England and Scotland
which delight in bringing food as presents
10 their owners? We need not go back to
the historic cat which caught a pigeon
every day and brought il to its master
when a prisoner in the Tower.