Evening star., 1898-11-19
LEARNING TO CLIMB
An Art at Which Not All Animals
Are Very Expert.
ACQUIRED With some DIFFICULTY
Man Has Never Shown a Tendency
to Become ArboreaL
INTERESTING INSTANCES
From ih- Spectator.

From tn Spectator
Among the fores- tribes of India there
l. one parish which elects it's chief on
principles not mentioned in the most ex-
haus,ive tr@atisc on Village communities"
1t Is set deep in the forest and in the CEN
ter # the clearing stands one enormous
trte- with branchless trunk running up
straight for some 80 feet. This giant tree
supplies what may be called the communal
fund 'f the tribe, for among its branches
III" Wild bees have built their combs for
generations, and as the tree and the VII
la2c grow older together. and the claim
ants on the fund increase, so do the num-
Der ana weight of the combs from the la
h"r Of the procreant bees. The only hu-
man work needed to gather the harvest of
wax-the honey they value little-is that
Required to climb the towering tree and
when once there. to smoke the bees and
shake down the wax. Consequently, the
election of the headman is determined in
the nrst instance by his skill a climber
and though after election he usually sue
Ceeds in investing his office with religious
or magical sanctions. and endeavors to be-
queath 1t to mis- son, there is no reason
why the post should not be put up to free
competition. and awarded at least in its
qualifying stages, TO the man who did"
thv tree in the best time on record.
Runs in Families.
Climbing runs in families. for steeple-
j. ks are often the sons of fathers who
w-rs in the business: but 1t is somewhat
Odd that man, though ne learns to swim 50
VIII that armed only with a knife he can
encounter a shark in its native element
and Judged by the extent of his mining
operations in comparison with the size of
hNT hon and .,fI
amin tls that work underground, has never
become q good climber. or shown the slight
est tendency to become ''arboreal" as he
has become aquatic ana Subterranean
roll into the sea and swim, collier boys
at foIrteen- will take pick and lamp ana
descend into the mine almost as naturally
aS young mOles; but we believe that, in
spite of the danger from wild beasts in
forest regions. and the fact that in such
places there is ten times more life on the
level of the tree tops than on the ground.
there IS no single instance of 2 tribe which
properly speaking. has become 'arboreaT'
and learnt to climb like monkeys. Though
not few make huts in trees. they ap-
rToach these by ladders: and except in the
nuts which they use as a refuge and sleep
ing place. they spend their time on the
ground. Even in forests where the upper
levels OF the trees are so closely laced to-
gether that comparatively slight adapta-
ton would enable the Indians to progress
from tree to tee, and where nearly the
whole of the fruit, and the greater part
of the birds and animals, used for food are
found only in this upper story" man is
not and always refuses to become a
climbing animal"
Characteristic of Sayages
Natural repugnance 10 this form of en-
terpriSe seems characteristic of savage
men. and even of animals which run no
risks whatever. African natives who have
only lived in one-storied huts show the
greatest dislike to going up stairs, and
have been known to cr,ep up on hands and
knees. While large dogs when required to
ascend stairs for the first time often re-
1uSe to DO so except under strong persua-
sion dnt with evident reluctance. A half
tired greyhound, now immortalized in A
weIl-kn"wn statue of Artemis. would re-
fuSe absolutely TO descend the stairs when
ne h9d once gone up. and had to he car
rl-d DOWN In the case Of the dog this dis
ike To the very modified form of climbing
needed Tor ascending A staircase can be
accounted for on physical grounds very
siSht TAN. even jump from a cart will
snap a dogs fOreleg below the shoulder
and they seem aware of the danger A fox
has not the slightest disinclination to run
these risks. 1t climbs easily and leaps down
AshtN, ana though not equipped like a
cat for 'Swarming' a trunk one was seen
by Mr. Tom Smith. when master of the
Craven hounds. sitting at a height of sew
enteen feet IN straight-stemmed beech
branches
aid the climb.
Acquired With Difficulty.
That this art was acquired by animals
with IA greater difficulty and effort than
that of swimming is evident by the limited
number in the same class which have man
aged 20 become expert climbers All the 70
dents. including even the guinea pig. are
good swimmers. The number which can
climb = far more limited. and the line seems
drawn not by lack of physical equipment
nut by lack Of experience, or possibly of
the desire to do So There is, for instance
a regular series, from the tree SQUIRRELS
through The ground squirrels TO the prai-
re dogs and marmOts. of very closely allied
rodents The squirrels are at the head Of
the second rank Of climbers though the
idck oi swinging power in their arms
puts them below the monkeys. The ground
squirrels can climb trees well enough.
though they are terrestrial Bur the nrai
rie dogs and marmots though the former
are almost as well equipped for climbing as
rat. have never properly learnt the art
ana though not afraid to try, the former
come 10 most lamentable grief in their ex-
perlnt' nts. Probably The prairie dogs which
I'VE mainly on level and treeess plains
never had occasion in their lives either TO
Jump or TO climb When loose in a house
lhey liE TO DO both. Being well equipped
with claws and very active they manage
me cllinoinE well enough. But as they have
never learnt either to jump to judge dis
~" - ti4tit SulbOtH. upright surfaces
"iter no hold on alighting they generaIIv
miss their jump. and fall Violently to the
ground This would not matter were II NOT
mat, as they have large and heavy heads
tAey usually fall on these. and either stun
themselves or break their teeth This in
stance Of climbing in the experimental stage
would be more interesting did we kn0v
now the Australian rabbits first learnt to
climb. and whether they incurred similar
'alures and accidents There Is no douh,
mat The great difficulty of the second stag
o. their requirement of the art was to learn
no" % climb dcwn again. Some climbina,
animals have even now not learnt to com,
down properly. though adopts at climbing
up The bear always descends a vertical
trunk stern foremost just as a man does:
:" 4e some Of the oDossums the racconn
x .H"It4iy). and the domestic cat though
q i'Hidrt VIII run down vertical trunk
win no more hesitation than a nuthatch
would show. A frightened cat will rim nm
int" a position from which il cannon de-
scend at all. either among the small branch
g OF tree or on buildings
From Tree to Tree.
Lateral movement In trees is for all anil
mails far more difficult feat than vertical
ascent or descent. Unless the bougbs Of
one tree touch those of another. the crea-
tur3 must learn TO jump. with the certain
" OF n fall if ii misses. either on alishtin,,
aHN