Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1913-03-04
CODE OF ETIQUETTE.
Animals Have a Sort Of Rough
Moral System.
Tie Little Dog With Bone ls often
Filled With Courage In Moral Con-
seiousness Of the Justice Of
His Claim.

Every animal lover can tell numer.
ors stories illustrating the devotion of
an mails to their human protectors |
Anecdotes Of one animal risking its
ue to save another are rare, but still |
sufficiently numerous and authentic to
cave no doubt as to the occasional ex-
istence of a deep love between ami
mails. But any close observer of ma
ture will know that there exists
throughout the brute creation sort
Of rough moral system which, in the
case Of domestic animals, translates
Itself into what really amounts to a
code of etiquette.
The old proverb, "The dog with a
bone has many friends" is nothing
else than recognition Of canine eti-
quette, says Tit-Bits II does not mat
ter how small is the dog with the bone.
It may be a Pomeranian surrounded
by mastiffr. The mastiffs will still re-
main friendly. They will hover round
the Pomeranian, perhaps whining for
a morsel (Which is never offered), and
eagerly picking up any splinter that
may be dropped, when nothing would
be easier than to bowl the little dog
over and seize the bone.
You will notice, further, that the lit
tie dog becomes filled with new cour-
age, presumably in the moral con
seriousness of the justice of his claim.
and will growl and even snap at a. dog
he otherwise fears If the latter should
come too close.
But the moment a dog drops his
bone a new rule of, etiquette operates,
for it becomes the srty of the first
dog which cares to pick 1t up. True,
dispute will sometimes arise as to
whether the bone has actually been
dropped within the meaning of the
act" But once this is clear the law
of the bone will be observed by all
save the exceptional "hooligan" dog
met with occasionally, which outrages
all the laws of dogdom, even to the
biting of his master.
Another rigid social law is that no
gentleman dog must ever. in any cir
cumstances, offer violence to lady
dog. 1t IL not the slightest use to
plead that "she began It." II a fe-
male should SO far forget herself, as
not infrequently happens, the mere
{ male has no alternative to enduring
her snaps save seeking safety in
flight
OF course a dog, being only canine
after all, will sometimes, under severe
provocation, break this law. But If he
is one Of a pack it is ten to one that
the other males will set upon him and
! hnete out severe punishment for his
r grave offense.
Moreover, although dog is quite en-
titled % rush suddenly upon a foe and
take him unawares, he may not do
so ii the other is eating or drinking.
Dogs are by no means the only ami
mails that have a distinct sense OF
property The squirrel regards his
tree much as the dog regards his bone
He has a definite. right to it, both as
dwelling and means of subsistence,
and on the rare occasions when anoth'
er squirrel disputes the right or blum
ders accidentally on his tree he will
! fight fiercely In defense of that which
the law of the woods allows him to
regard as his own. II he wishes to
forage afield, he must choose a tree
that has not been appropriated by one
, of his tribe.
Foxes, too, have a clear knowledge
: of the difference between mine and
} thine" Farmers may not have no
ticed it, perhaps. but this is probably
because it only applies to other foxes.
Nearly all breeds have their own
areas, and refrain from trespassing
on those of their neighbors.
Mr.. Thompson Seton, the we'll
known naturalist and hunter. has stat
ed that among particular breed of
foxes, the blue foxes of Alaska, which
are homogeneous, there exists such a
respect for the marriage tie" that II
a female loses her mate she will prac-
tically never take another He tells
the story of a hunter who, in all Sc
robustness; remarked: until we can
break down the high moral standard
: of these foxes our profits will be great
3 ly curtailed."