New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-27
DO ANIMALS TALK?
INSTANCES OF INTELLIGENT COMMU-
NICArION BETWEEN DIFFERENT
MEMBERS OF THE BRUTE
CREATION
From The Spectator.

From The Spectator.
If animals talk, as we are convinced that they
DO. to the extent OF conveying wishes or facts
10y sounds, their speech ought TO conform to The
divisions Of human speech There must, in fact
be an animal grammar" in the terms of whicl
they express themselves 1t is no bad test of tho
assertion that animal speech exists to apply Tho
old formal divisions Of the arammarians to thu
thoughts and ascertain by trial whether tho
forms into which the human speech has beer
divided fit the latter. The timc-hOnored divl-
sions of speech are % statement of fact; ~ re-
quest, including commands; 90 question. 1t is
not To be supposed that the very limited range
and simple character Of animal wants and ideas
would necessarily bring into play the whole OF
this category of articuatc speech. Eut, as +
fact they do need to use all three forms or OK
preston. but omit the last. Unlike children
animals do not ask questions. They only look
them. and though they constantly and anXiously
inquire what is to be done. how it is to be done
and the exact wishes Of their masters, and oc-
casOnally even of other animals. the inquiry Is
made by the eye and attitude. 4 terrier for In
stance almost transform his whole body
into an animated note of interrogation.
THE NOTE OF WARMING.
OF the two remaining forms of specch-state-
mcnt and rcquest--thc animals make very
large use but employ the latter in
far greater degree than the former. They
use sounds for request, not only In par
tcuar cases in which they desire some
thing to be done for them, but also In a
great number of cases in which the request is
a form Of warnng-"Come| Bc ~, careful;
Look OUT" eco ahead" Help The speech
which indicates danger is sufficiently diiferen-
tated Birds for instance. have separate notes
OF warning to indicate whether the danger Is
in The form Of u hawk or cat, or OF a man III
a hawk cat or owl is on the move the birds
especially blackbrds always utter gathering
note, constantly repeated, and chickens have a
special sound 10 indicate the presence OF n hawk
But when disturbed by man the blaclbirds have
.,,,it. Il a
ems also. Animals on the march are usually
silent; but the hamadryad balloons use several
words Of command, and the cries of cranes and
geese when flying in ordered Hooks are very
possibly signals or orders.
BRUTE REQUESTS.
Specific requests are commonly made by a
sound. which the animal intends to be taken as
expressing want while it indicates what II
wants by showing the object. The greatest df-
nculty is when the object wanted. or required
TO be dealt WITH is not present. The animal mas
then TO induce you to follow and see the thing,
and this often leads to great ingenuity both IN
the use Of voice and action. This FORM OF re-
quest Is practised more or less successfully by a
considerable number of the animals kept as pets
or servants of man. Various monkeys. geese. a
goat a eve with a lamb elephants, cats very
commonly and dogs nnumerable are credited
with "accoSting persons" and bringing TO theli
notice by vocal means the objects they desire
or the actions they wish done. most inSen-
iousy constructed request of this Kind was mace
q few years ago by retriever dog late one highl
in London. The streets were empty. ana the DOG
came I'D and, after waGSing his tail. began 10
bark-using not the rowdy bark which dogs
employ when jumping al horses head or when
excited. but the persuasive and confidential KIND
of bark which is used in requests and re-
proaches. He was very insistent. especially
when a small dark passage was reached, up
which he ran. still barking AS this did not
answer the dog ran back and took the writer $
hand in which he carrying his glove, In ms
mouth, and gave a gentle pull in the direction
of the passage. AS this did not meet with the
attention desired the dog pulled the glove out
Of the hand and carried it off up the passage
keeping a few yards in front and waving his tail
In n friendly way; this naturally LED TO pur,
suit when the dog, still keeping ahead, dropped
the glove in front Of a gate leading into a
butchers yard, and began TO bark again. rs
be obviously wanted the gate TO be opened ms
was done, and he uotted In without furthef
remark
Every one who has kept dogs knows the tone
OF the bark OF reQuest-a low "wouf very I'M
like'the staccdtO bark of anger, or NcXatlon' or
rernonstrance. A bulldog at the EarTs Court
Do. show made his particular part of the bench
almost uncomfortable by this form OF bark. KEEP
up (as we heard for nearly three hours without
q stop. because he was jealous oi thc AFTERNOONS
paid to the dog next him. This had won the
first prize and consequently received All the
admiration; 50 the other dog barkcd short sharp
iucpssant yelDs at him all day long, Only stop
ping when some one patled nm. we pr ,,r.. :
that lcopards are absolutely silent creatures:
but many of the feide have particular SOUND
Of request. In the cat a very low short new Is
commonly used when the object is near. ana VIII
almost certainly be granted, such as the open
ing Of a door, or the giving Of water or MIX.
Unusual food which 1t fancies it VIII not get
is asked for in another note and any request not
attended to is repeated in the different key:
The tiger uses the low NEW in some form OF
conversation with the tiSress ana the puma
when domesticated has a considerable range OF
notes to ask for food, water and society. or TO
return thanks; the latter being as in the case
OF the cat and tiger, a kind of purr.
.,rL.,tENTc'' or ANIMALS