Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-07-18
LEARNING TO KNOW
THE WILD ANIMALS
By Being Composed and Quiet,
q Naturalist Was Able to Get
Close to Birds and Beasts.

IMAM q Meeting glimpse OF wild animals.
The first thing to know is that all wild
creatures. although naturally shy and a
bit timid. are not governed by fear. as
we have been led to suppose. 1t is doubt
fui II anything to which we can definitely
give the name OF fear is ever born in an
animal or Matched out OF an egg. Ger
tatnly the ordinary fears OF the wood folk
are the result of example and experience
rather h of inheritance.
The second thing to know is that every
Wild animal hates to be watched, and be-
comes alarmed the moment he finds eyes
liked intently upon him. There is an ex-
cellent reason for this. When a wild ami
NAL sees any living thing that he wants to
eat. ne crouches. hides, r.vets his eyes
upon his victim. When he finds other eyes
fixed intently upon himself. he knows that
a rush Is sure to follow, and he antici-
pates the rush by taking to his heels.
Looked Into the Eyes.
Whether this knowledge is a matter OF
deduction or OF instinct. is here of no
consequence. The fact, not the eXplana-
ton. Is important.
And the fact grows eloquent when you
observe the eyes of a stalking cat. or even
when you put on the gloves with an I'M
trained boxer. Looking intently into his
syes. you can always see his blow coming
berore he starts a muscle. 1t Is this sim
pie fact. that an animal hates to be
watched, which gives force to the rule
That you must look an animal "squarely in
the eye " you think he Is going to at
tack you. The rule is good and welt
rounded. although 1t does not always work
with domestic animals that have lost
many of their Wild Instincts.
The third thing to know Is that practi-
cally all wild animals are intensely curl
: Gus. and that In moments when they are
not feeding or playing or sleeping. they
get most of their fun out of life by in
II 0lIRln0 their CIrtNoitV Gn Strnnr 10 fInf~
inquisitive instinct-for 1t Is an instinct
and is the basis OF all education-that
they will give over their feeding or play
ing to satisfy their curiosity. Their first
attitude toward them with evident hos
tility, is invariably one Of curiosity rath-
eli than OF fear.
Bears Not Curious.
Young animals are naturally more curl
GUS than the old. having more to learn;.
and a bear seems to me the least curious
OF all. possibly because he has such a big
stomach and feeds on such little things.
IKE ants and berries. that he Is always
hungry Yet l once had a wild bear so
near me that l could touch him; and sew
eral times since then. when watching in
the berry fields, bears have discovered
me and nave approached rather too close
for my own comfort.
The one thing to do, in view of this
knowledge. Is to keep still. physically
and mentally still. and to so take advan-
tage OF the animals curiosity. After he
once sees you, never move directly toward
him wncn is looking. II you must move,
do SO gently. IL your game yanishes stay
where you are: for he Is probably hiding
and watching you, unless you have fright
ened him Better than roaming the woods
Is TO sit quiet In n good place and let the
animal come to you. Then observe him
casuall. yelling your keen interest and
never looking at him i%ntently. You are to
keep physically quiet lest the animal a
alarm; and mentally quiet. because excite
ment OF any kind Ia AS contagious as fear
OF amy other disease of mind or body.
Run From q Nervous Man.
When l am alone In the woods the wild
animals rarely show alarm. A thousand
times ] have had them near me. large and
small. and watched them indulge their
curiosity and then move slowly off. turn
Ing their heads for a last look; but let
mo take another man with me. who grows
mentally excited at the sight OF game,
and almost invariably the same animals
are nervous and fidgety. and end by run
ming away.
This feeling OF being watched, by the
way. Is very real and dependable. Many
times SINCE, in the northern Wilderness.
when trout-fshing or holding lonely vigil
by an unnamed lake. I rave suddenly felt
that something unseen was following or
watching me; and Invariably the feeling
was true to the fact.
Once the feeling was SO urgent that \
sprang up and startled a big bear that
had crept concealed within a few feet of
me. Again, l was sitting at twilight on
the shore Of a lake. watching a bun
moose that l had called to the open, when
tho same feeling said. Get away
did so. And out OF a fr thicket behind
me charged another bull-a morose, ugly
brute that had lost his fear Of man and
that had previously attacked my Indian.
such a f~eeling-whfch seems hardly to- de-
pend on ordinary senses, though 1t NAV
possibly he a finer development of one OF
them-is not unique at all. but is common
among Indians. and Is often found in
white men who spend much time in the
wilderness. 1t depends. ] think. largely
on the faculty OF Keeping ones mind open
and responsive to every subtle impress
sion. When the mind IL fixed on work or
worry or calculation. then even the or
binary senses are dulled and the finer
Impressions have not the ghost OF q
chance for recognition.
Animals Would Approach.
Later. when s or 9 years old. l used to
go alone to the berry pastures. When INV
big pail would hold no more I would fil
my hat with the most luscious hl,e-
berries.
These with a generous slice of bread
made an excellent lunch. which / always
ate near q birds nest, OF the den OF n
FOX. or some other good place in the
woods. And again the birds and animals
would approach as fearlessiy as when I
was too small to harm them. One could
see more of wild life in that hour Of rest
than would be possible in a week OF
roaming the woods.
Honor for All.