The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-03-19
CAN
ANIMALS
TALK?
Have a Rudimentary Ian
guage
How Two Dogs Got Their
D0nghnutS
tFrom the Chlcago Inter Oceanl


Sham Natural History" in the At.
lantic Monthly for March, and crit.
icises the stores in Ernest Thompson
Seton's wild Animals l Have Known"
Mr.. Burroughs admits that Mr.
Thompson Seton's stories ARE true
in their artistic effects, true in their
power to entertain the young reader"
but he adds True as natural his |
tory they are not He further says:
There are no stories of animal in.
tellingence and cunning on record |
that match Mr. Thompson Seton's."
However. he insists that Thompson
Seton goes too far when he says that
animals talk or reason. in a way, or
adapt their cunning to unusual circum.
stances.
Mr.. Burroughs does not belive that
animals teach animals; because the
young ANIMALS act on instinct, and
do not have to be taught Therefore
he says, while Thompson Seton's stor.
les "are entertaining and increase the
love Of man for and his interest in
wild animals, the artist has used an
ARTISTS privilege 90 helghten and deep
en- natural effects" and. in doing this.
has mlsled the ordinary reader.
Thompson Seton In Milwaukee on
, Tuesday. answered that part Of the
Burroughs criticism which concerns
an animal language lie insists that
animals have some sort OF language,
q and that this fact Is supported not
a only by his own observation. but by
, the experience OF woodsmen and
4 plainsmen who have studied wild AMI.
a mails In the West and Northwest far
!. more than Mr. Burroughs himself.
He gives specific cdses In which.
= after close study OF wolves and foxes
and their calls and cries, he repeated
e., the same sounds in the geological
a gardens in Cincinnati and New York
!. and they were recognized and acted
.. upon by the wolves and foxes there
10 he says In conclusion:
70 Animals can talk. Their Language
Il Is very simple and very rudimental
n Man is the only animal that can con
- verse as we understand the term
NJ but animals have means of convey
s ing ideas one 20 another by means
h OF sound"
n Incidents occur every day 20 prove
Ia
. travagant in his dellneaton Of anima
q character and intelligence. For ex
. ample, a man living In one OF the
y suburbs OF Chicago has two dogs
a large Dane and a small cur. Both are
. very fond of doughnuts
II a few weeks ago, when doughnut'
4 were cooking in the kitchen, the Dane
s was In an adjoining yard. The cuI
kept close watch on the cook and re
ceiyed his doughnut and ate IL. Then
q he went 10 the dividing fence near
d which the Dane was lying In the sun
\, ind gave two or three barks. The
q Dane went Immediately 10 the kitchen
q window. and. with his paws on the
Il window sill asked for his doughnul
and received il. Evidently the cur
told the Dane about the doughnuts
I, In the home OF the writer there are
!. several children A collie has been
q taught % play hide and seek. He goes
!, into a back room when the time comes
10 hide. and al a call returns and
q searches for the children. This is' OF
4 course explainable without entering
upon the field discussed by Mr.. Bur
roughs or Thompson Seton.
However, the father Of the child
rem has tried scores Of experiments In
which he has said In a loud tone TO
one OF the boys. Hide under the
, sofa" or Hide behind the bookcase -
and every time the dog has gone at
once to the article OF furniture named
, The unavoidable inference Is that he
, understood what sofa and hook
case" meant
|, Certainly, dogs and horses learn the
word Of command. learn 10 obey with
out question, and this is not stranger
than that crows should act on word
Of command from leader or that
wolves should talk TO one another OF
suspected danger or OF methods OF
escape.
Close contact with animals certainly
strengthens the belief In the average
man that animals not only under
stand many human phrases. but also
are wont 10 talk among themselves,