New-York tribune., 1905-06-25

! !. . !. /. !. ! !. !. ! J !. !.
of vocal wild-animal Ian fBFs -.l
guage Through countless ~
generations the noisiest ami
mails have been sought out t1RRsSnI11p1
and killed by their enemies, E&XNE22XH
and only the more silent &1&xy fS&f9l <,
species have survived. Yet RH11 III
all the higher animals, as we Ea ftf1
call the higher vertebrates, ~
have the ability to exchange =
thoughts and convey ideas ~
and that IS language.
At the threshold of this
subject we are met by two interesting facts. Ex-
ceptng the songbrds, the wild creatures of to-day
have learned through instinct and accumulated
perienCe that silence promotes peace and long life.
The bull moose which bavls through a mile of
forest and the bull elk which bugles wisely but
too we'll soon find their heads hanging in some
Eastern dnng-r while the silent Virginia deer,
like the brook, goes on forever.
Association with through countless genera
tons has taught domestic animals not only the
fact of their immunity in speech, but also that
often there is great virtue in vigorous cry. With
a peculiar staCCato neigh, the hungry horse jars
the dull brain of its 1aggard master and prompts
him 70 feed and water the stock" But how
different Is the cry of lost horse which calls for
rescue from afar. 1t cannot be initiated in printed
words; but every Plainsman knows the shrill and
prolonged trumpet-cal of distress that be heard
a mile understandingly.
And think of the vocabulary of the chicken!
Years OF life in nominal security have developed
crediable vocabulary of calls and language cries.
The most important, and the best known, are the
following:
Beware the hawkl" "-"Coori Coort'
'Murderl Help!' -'Kee-o1pkt Kee-O7ck! Kee-oa'k!'
Come on CluCki Cluckl Cluck!'
Food here! Foodi' -"Cook-cook-cook-cookl'
Announcement -" Observation-Disclosures
But does the wild jungle-fowl, the ancestor of
our domestic chicken, indulge in all those noisy
expressions of thought and feeling? BY no means.
l have lived for months in jungles where my hut
was surrounded by jungle-fowl, and shot many OF
them for nv table; but the only vocal sound ever
heard from their small throats was the absurdly
shrill bantam-like of the cock. And even that
led to several fatalities in the ranks OF GdAHS
stdHleJT.
Domestic cattle, swine and fowls have each
language of their own and as far they go they
are almost as clear-cut and understandable the
talk of human beings. Just how much more IS
behind the veil that limits our understanding
cannot say; but no doubt there is great deal
But It IS with the language of wild animals that
We are most concerned As already pointed out,
wild creatures other than song-brds do not care
to saw much, because of the danger of attracting
enemies that will exter1ninate them. Herein lies
the extreme difficulty of ascertaining how wild
beasts communicate In the Annallai Hills OF
Southern India l hunted constantly for many
weeks through forests actually teemlng with big
game There were herds upon herds of elephants,
bison and axis deer, many Sambar deer, monkeys
bv the hundred and a good sprinkllng OF bear,
wild boar and tiger.
We saw hundreds upon hundreds of animals; but
with the exception OF the big black monkeys that
used to swear at us, l can almost count upon my