Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-05
ANIMALS ONCE WILD
Queer Traits in Many of Our Domestic
Pets.
Why Hog Makes Such y Pig OF Him.
self and the Rabbits Tail
II White,
From Blaekwood's Magazine.

ing volume by taking in order the domestic
animals and showing us some of the traits
which mark them out as having been once
wild. While some of his instances are OBJ
vious enough, others seem almost too in
genious to be scientific. 1t is easy to agree
that, when watch dog barks,l his action
is traceable to the old instinct for guard
Ing the lair Of the pack; that the speed and
staying power of the horse were developed
in the first place to enable him to escape
from his gaunt, persistent foe. the wolf;
or that cows chew the cud because in early
times they had to get in a store of food
rapidly whenever they could, and were
obliged to masticate it afterward when
they were safe from the other beasts that
haunted their feeding We can
even accept the terms Canine political
economy" and communal canine moral
ity' as having some sort of meaning in
the dog world. But DR.. Robinson Is far
from being content with the obvious. In
the theory that the markings of tabby cats
are an instance of that protective mimic
ry' which is common enough among flying
and creeping things. but is supposed to
De almost unknown among mammals.
Eagles, he has found, are particularly fond
of the flesh Of animals of the cat tribe
this is not a discovery, though Dr. Robin
son has strong confirmation to bring for
ward; and he points out that. when a
taoby is curled up asleep, its markings
looked at from above, are curiously SER
pentine-so much SO that an eagle might
easily mistake it for it's dreaded enemy
the snake. Again, the splitting and kissing
OF cat closely resemble the sounds made
by serpents. and the head of an angry
cat, with ears pressed fiat eyes CLASSY
and staring and exposed fangs," might well
be mistaken for that Of a large snake The
deception would be heightened too, by the
nf ho tail
from these similarities DIR. Robinson de-
duces his theory.
Whatever doubt we may have as to the
protective meaning of the coneentric bands
upon the sleeping ocelot tabby, or of
the attitude, movement and utterances
which characterize a cat at bay, there can,
l think, be no two opinions as to the cause
OF origin, and as to the protective value, Of
the hiss when uttered by helpless young
creatures such as those we have been dis
cussing. And If the latter part of the case
be admitted do not see where the skep-
tic Is to draw the line and say, This may
De De true protective mimicry, but this must
be accounted for on other grounds
Or. Robinson would be pleased If he
could regard the fluffy white tails of rab-
bits as emblems of altruism on the part
OF these engaging little creatures. He has
no doubt that the tails serve as danger sig
nails when it is too dark for their brown
bodies to be seen, but he sadly dismisses
the altruistic theory chow Uncle Remus
Woulu nave appreciated IT. and compares
the arrangement of which the tails stand
as evidence to such highly civilized and
prosaic things as rates and taxes"
Certainly our rabbit or deer confers
benefit on his fellows at some expense to
himself. But We know-because of the
universal character of the above law, if
for no other reason-that he gets back from
the community every bit as much as he
gives Thus, supposing the life of
rabbit is threatened twenty times
year "a very moderate estimate) through
his rendering himself specially visible, he
receives more than twenty warnings from
the caudal danger signals of his fellow
citizens of the presence of dangerous foes
which might otherwise kill him. The re-
suit, as have said, is very much like what
one finds in civilized human communities.
DIR. Robinson Ito take one more instance
of his suggestive Illustrations is inclined
to defend the, domestic pig from the charge
Of greatness, usually laid at its door,. IIe
would have us remember that the hog in
it's wild state was obliged to devote all his
attention to food when he could get 1t,
and to put on as much flesh as possible so
as to last out through the winter upon
short commons.
You will thus see that the hog which had
amasSed within his own private bank
shilling's worth of adipose savings more
than his fellows, would in an exceptionally
protracted and Indictment winter be one OF
the few to survive. He would naturally
transmit his talents to his progeny, and
thus it comes about that in the present
day no animal SO handsomely responds to
liberal feeding as the domestic pig.