The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-11-25

fees among those of the same species. We speak now of animals in a state of nature, not domesticated. It is possible that these of one species feel sorrow when those of another are in trouble or pain. But there is no evidence what ever that wild animals ever do this. There is kind of chance association on the same feeding ground, or sometimes under stress of flood or fire; but We can
 recall no single instance, for exap'a, of
 wild animal of one species attempting
 to defend an animal of another even when they are quite competent to do so. It is doubtful if a case has been record- ed of buffaloes charging to protect a wounded antelope, though they will do | so to save wounded member of their own herd; or of elephants. or baboons, | or other creatures which live in socie- | ty, attempting to protect the wounded young of any other species but their own Among the creatures which seem to assume the role of sentries for the protection of other animals there is
 one, tte rhinoceros bird, whose beha-
 vior almost justifies the be'ief that it
 feels some duty to the antelope or buff 1 falo on whose insect enemies it is feed ing, so extrac rdirary and apparently
 organized is the war which 1t main-
 tains. But this is very restless, &C.,
 tive bird, and it is quite possible that | it's familiarity with the species on
 whose backs 1t finds food makes it iden- tlfy itself to some extent with them.
 The relations between those of the
 same species are closer, though exhibi-
 tions of helpfulness are by no means general, and instances of positive ill.,
 treatment are common. Ire monkeys
 who drown the objectionably 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
 contrasted Brehms story of the rescue of the young baboon from his dogs by
 a patriarch of the troop, and the en-
 couragement given by an older stag to a young one which feared to jump fence. Lord Lovat gives an admirable description of this scene in the volume of the Badminton library on Deer Istalklng," The old stag reached over Itoward the young one at last, and ''ac- tually kissed him. but the youngster would not jump. Annals are 90 help Hess themselves when anyth ng gees amiss 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 lit Is not extended to the non-related. lOtters run round trapped otter all night. Cats and foxes visit the bodies Iof their dead, and so do stoats and weasels. It Is a rule with traprers to lleaye these near a trap; so we may con- lclude that these animals probably visit
 their fellows when trappe1. Ire wri-
 ter once saw an odd inst ance of this in
 effectual coneefn-probably not very
 deep for the actors were sparrows A
 brick trap had been set in yard, and a Isparrow caught. All the sr arrows in
 the neighborhood had learned it. and
 were sitting in crowds on hedges, cu- icumber frames, sheds and buildings, Id discussing the situation, or staring : imoodiy at the trap where the captive , was imprisoned, but quite invisible. Next day a robin was caught, but the
 spaIrows showed no concern whatever.
 This tendency among the wild races finds definite expression among the do-
 mestlcated animals, though instances are not very common. We have seen , sn all pig, stuck in paling through which 1t had tried to squeeze assisted by an elder one inside Attracted by it's
 cries. it took the small pigs head in it's
 mouth and tried to pull it through. in ] doing which it almost pulled the suffer- } CTS head off In another care cat de-
 lliberately fetched it's owner to assist , another cat which was lying helpless in l a fit Moreover, domesticstad animals are to 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 1 vice and benevolence among very dif- lferent domesticated animals, espee' ally in the form of protection, sharing of f food and forbearance. Special zed in 7 stances in which dogs or cats hNye , taken food to others could doubtless he
 autbentie ated, trough the writer has
 mot witnessed q case. But there is the
 strongest of sll evidence that they have a tendency to perform these aud 7 other services to other animals, because $ the domesticated creatures voluntarily I offer these services of benevolence to , man. HcW can any one doubt that an- , tinals in dome stio ation) are willing to s feed each other, when there are cats all over England and Scotland which de-
 light in bringing food as presents to
 tteir owners? We need rot go back to
 the historic cat which caught a pigeon
 every day and brought 1t to it's master
 when prisoner in the Tower. It is the natural impulse. usually of male cate,
 to do this. The writer has seen it con- stantly and if references are needed we need only turn to St. John, who men, tions a Highland shepherd whose cat brought him something edible nearly every day in the year. Not the least in- teresting f act in the growth of the sense of benevolence in anin "a s is that when it is engendered, usually in a ru- dimentary form. but the same in kind as tie virtue which WE undsrs and by the word, it is at once diverted natural Ily from other animals and directed by preference to the service of man. Thus the other creatures benefit only in the smalkst degree. Proud of it's new idea of being serviceatle and beneacent, the ) animal devotes itself, not to other ami. h1It tn tS oetp WI In m