Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-18
Cow and Supercow
Continued from page 7

Ough in her instruction; but to have nv
little daughter Blackspot return to me
after school hours with a mouth so sore
and jaw SO lame from carrying stones
around the pasture that she was unable
to eat, seemed rather OVERRIDING the thing,
and it was borne in upon me that it
would hardly improve the race if Black
spot should die of hunger in the effort
to become a supercalf. 1t didn't seem
fortunate result, and l began to think
that dexterity of hoof and facility of
jaw might be acquired by the supercalf
in some other way.
l couldn't help wondering what would
happen to Norman-poor little calfl-shut
off by the blindness of maternal affection
from all progress and higher growth. He
could not but fare i'll in the struggle
for existence when he would have to COM
pete with our own better-ftted super
calves who understood wall-buildine and
the habits of the primitive COW sacrificed
to his mothers ignorancel
After the study of that product of
civilization, the fence, came naturally
the study of the animal whose almost
bovine intelligence and industry had
produced it-man. Through this nature
study should be awakened sympathetic
interest in the habits of animals, with
reference to their uses, and they had
the Hired Man as type easily studied
and often obtrusively in the way The
Spotted Heifer pointed him out one day
to the calves and showed them his I'M
likeness to themselves.
"See!" said She THAT animal is called
man. In what does he differ from the
cow"
l was glad to hear Blackspot answer:
1.-TWO legs" and the Spotted Heifer
looked at her approving1y.
Yes, Blackspot," she replied, man
is so unfortunate as to have only two legs,
instead of four which the normal cow
possesses. Those other members which
you see attached near the upper part
of his body are called arms They are
of no use to him in locomotion You
should pity the poor man, two of whose
limbs are of so little use to him. But
there is also lesson to be drawn from
man by which every calf should profit,
for in spite of having only two legs, he
is industrious and affectionate and al
ways anxious for the welfare of the
cows whom he serves and to whom
he is attached. His use and chief
happiness is to serve the cow 1t is well
to understand the habits of man, and
we shall begin with study of his foot
prints.
The Spotted Heifer led the calves over
to where his footprints were clearly
visible in the mud at the edge of the brook,
and after studying their form and size
they began to track him around as if
he was a beast of the forest The calves
soon became expert at this and got to
considering it in the light of play, and
whenever that Hired Man entered the
pasture they would fly after him to study
his footsteps. He seemed to find this
extremely disconcerting, and l noticed
that while he accelerated his steps
whenever he was within the confines
of our field he frequented it less and
less
One day the Spotted Heifer desired
her pupils to study man at close range,
and SO she enlisted our help to capture the
Hired Man as a specimen. Of course we
were careful not to hurt him-we just
waited till he crossed the pasture, and