Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-19
How Quadupeds Ask Questions and
Make Statements.
CONVERSATION AMONG TIE CAT KIND
Bird Language is Varied. Flexible
and Comprehensive.
TRICKS OF SPoRTSMEN
From the London Spectator.

Is TO be done, how II is 10 be done and the
exact wishes of their masters and &C.
casionally even Of other animals. the in
CURRY Is made by the eye and attitude
terrier for instance. can almost transform
his whole body into an animated note of
Interrogation.
VI the two remaining forms of speech
statement and request-the animals make
very large use. but employ the latter in a
tar greater degree than the former They
use sounds Tor request, not only in partic-
ular cases in which they desire something
10 be done for them. but also in a great
NUMBER or cases n which the request Is a
forEl Of warning-"Comer' Re carefulr'
Look OUT" Go ahea6r' ''Heipr' The
speech which indicates danger IS safsc,ent
oinerentiated. Birds. for instance have
separate notes OF warning to Indicate
whether the danger is In the form of n
naWk or cat, or OF a man. III a hawk. cat
or owl is on the move. the birds especially
plackDlr6s. always utter a gathering note.
COZ s.aEuy repeated. and chickens have a
special sound to indicate the presence of a
hawk But when disturbed by man the
piackbirds have quite different sound OF
"a nm ana the chickens also. Animals on
me marcn are usually silent; but the ham,
aaryad balloons use several words OF com
mand: and the cries of cranes and oaesa
when nying in ordered fiocks are very pos
sib0 signals or orders.
n Wise Dog.
various monkeys geese. a goat a eve with
lamb elephants. cats very commonly. ana
oCgs innumerable are credited with ..ac-
costing persons, and brir ging to their no.
tice by vocal means the objects they desire
OF the actions they wish done. A most In
geniolsiy constructed request of this KIND
was made a few years aeo by a retr,e,,.r
dog late one night in London. The streets
were empty, and the dog came IN and
after wagging his tail. began to bark using
not the rowdy bark which dogs emnIay
WREN jumping at a horses head or When
eHcited. but the persuasive and confidential
KIND or bark which is used in REQUESTS and
reproaches He was very insstent. espe-
ciaily when a small dark passage was
reached, up which he ran still barking As
this did not al swer. the dog ran back. and
took the writer's hand in which he was
CARRYING his glove. in his mouth and gave
gentle pull. in the direction of the mas
sage As this did not meet with the at
tentlon desired. the dog pulled the glove
CUT OF the hand and carried II of IN the
psssaee. Keeping few yards in front and
waving lta tail in friendly way. This
naturally led to pursuit, when the dog. still
keeping ahead. dropped the glove in front
OF gate Leading into a butchers yard and
ed the gate to be opened, this was done
and II trottei in without further remark
EVERY one who has kept dogs knows the
tome or the bark of request-a low '.wouf."
Vexation, or remonstrance.
Cat Ideas.
A bulldog at the Earrs Court dog show
made his particular part of the bench al
most uncomfortable by this form of bark.
Kept up Gas we heard for nearly three
hours without a stop. because he was jeal-
Gus of the attentions paid to the dog next
him. This had won the first prize. ana
consequently received all the admiration:
SD the other dog barked short sharp inces-
SAINT yelps at Rim all day long. only Stop
ping When some one patted him. We be-
iieve that lecpards are absolutely silent
creatures; but many of the feiidne have a
particular sound of request. In the cat a
very low, snort new Is commonly used
when the object is near. and will almost
certainly be granted, such as the opening
OF door, or the giving of water or milk.
Unusual food which IL fancies IL will 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
tigress; and the puma. when dopesticated,
has considerable range of notes to ask
for food water and society," or to return
thanks, the latter being. I'm the case Of
the cat and tiger. a kind of purr.
statement in animal speech is mainly
confined to indications that the creature
has made a discovery. good or bad For
the former the cock has. perhaps, the most
distinct set Of sounds; they are quite unlike
any OtnSr note ne lSeS ana confined
to the assertion that he has found some
thing good to eat. Cock pigeons do the
same. and We imagine that geese have an
equivalent sound.
Bird Notes.
Dogs have two forms of sound to state
a discovery. elephsnts only one The dog
berks loud and sharply over something
new. or merely surprising. We have seen
dog barking in this way when couple
OF geographical globes were placed in a
window-objects he had never seen and
wished to call attention to- But a painful
discovery, such as that of a dead body or
a dangerously wounded man. is sometimes
communicated by the dog bowling; which
marks different form of speech. A prac-
teal acquaintance with shore shooting and
the men who have learned to initiate the
rotes of shore BIRDS discloses some curious
the talk" Of different species. The great
er number have a particular note, which
signifies Come and this note seems al
ways to be understood and generally obey
ed. almost instantly, by the birds Of the
same species, though no bird OF another
species pays the slightest attention to it.
But the few shore birds which are really
laxative" namely, the wild geese, the
redshank and the green plover, pay very
little attention to the calls either OF their
own species or Of any one who can initiate
them. We never heard Of any one who has
ever tried to cali wild geese. Green plov-
Though redshanks can sometimes be
whistled within shot, this is rarely done.
Calling Wild Fowl.
The difference between the notes OF invi.
tation made by various shore fowl-stints.
gray piover. golden plover, ringed plover.
knots and sandpipers-is so slight that no
one but fowler would notice them. Yet to
these men the difference is as great as that
between the sound OF French and English.
really fifst-class gunner will sit in q
creek in August and call the birds up. IL
within hearing and inclined to move. I'm
any order you like to name. Even such
closely allied birds as the curlew and the
whfmt el have different notes. We once
saw large mixed flock Of gray plover.
knots ard stints flying past on the muds.
at distance OF some ninety yards. A
gunner noticed that there were two or three
golden plover amongst them. The gunner
whistied the golden piovers' note. and from
the big Dck Of some sixty birds the pair
instantly new out. wheeled and passed with
in fifty yards, answering the call in their
own language. Perhaps the best instance
of the aptness OF the gunners- In learning
bird language was recently recorded ta the
Westminster Gazette. 1t IL credited to q
fowler who shot the only specimen OF fha