Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-12-17
LANGUAGE OF FOWLS.
Other Animals, Too, Have Modes OF
Expression.

Domestic fowls are able to make a
least 90 different notes or cries, all of
which convey distinct meanings. besides
others observed but not yet classified or
explained This is the conclusion of Ed
ward Carpenter and George Merrill, who
contribute an account of their investiga-
tions to the Humanitarian. If tame birds
have so respectable a vocabulary, they
saw. wild ones must have a very large
one. especially as the ordinary hen is not
noted for intelligence Probably, they
think domestication, in this case at any
rate, has actually diminished alertness
and resource in the fowls and cores
pondingly restricted the range OF their
speech" Messrs Carpenter and Merrill
preface their paper with a WORD ABOUT
language in animals They say
"Our words, highly articulate and diff
erentiated, mostly define objective Things
or actions-the sun, the moon. tree,
man. to kill, to eat, and so forth. IL Is
chiefly by combinations of them that we
express our feelings. But with animals
their Language from the beginning con-
sists of cries which express their sup1ec-
tive feelings directly, for example, the
kissing or purring of cat. 1t is only III
a secondary way that these cries soine-
times indicate an objective thing-as
when hearing a cat splitting we surmlse
the presence of a dog. Thus animals
have primarily a language of the emo
lions. and their emotional states they
convey to each other with extraordinary
rapidity and distinctness-as when
flock of rocks in a 7seld is suddenly
INV
but secondarily, their languages do no
doubt in cases convey distinct images,
as when the sentinel rock by some infiec-
ton of the voice is able to indicate that
the particular course of alarm is man
with a gun OF course in many cases
movement combined with a cry will give
definite definition to the meaning-will
Define for instance, the direction of dan
ger or of attraction. When hen utters
a quick squeal and Immediately crouehes
in the grass, she says as clearly as
words could do: There is hawk over
head We have heard a hen utter this
cry, and instantly the chicks-only two
or three weeks old-have rushed in all
directions and hid themselves motionless
in the grass. Or, in cases there may be
no voice or cry at all-the hen may just
sicply crouch 'down-and with the same
result; the chicks hide themselves, know
ing we'll what she means. Or, again,
wasp may bring the smell of straw
berry lam to another wasp. and then at
once fly away with such a whiz as says
Enthusiastically. Come this way and you
will find strawberry jam. In all these
cases there is language in sense; def1n-
tie acts or sounds having definite mean
ings.
r-he cries or notes, which are given In
tabular form. with annotations, include
such sounds as cackling, grumbling'
seolding, clucking, grooming. purring and
growing, besides many others that nave
To be defined rather than named. Inc
authors coment upon them runs as fol-
lows
"rhese % cries or notes, are all very
distinct and convey distinct meanings,
and must denote a considerable degree
of intelligence. As we have said, there
is a good deal to show that the sureness
and precision of their instincts have, In
the case of domestic fowls, been adverse
ly affected by their long dependence on
man Their reasoning power Is also very
weak. though whether this has been I'm
proved or deteriorated by the influence
of man, we do not know. Fowls on the
outside of a large pen, when they see the
others being fed inside. will almost in
rush violently against the wire
netting in vain endeavor to reach the
food-though they have been round hun
dreds of times by the usual entrance,