The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1916-08-25
HEAVY Firing
Affects Birds And Beast In
Different Way
(English Mechanic)

Some curious and interesting obser-
vations upon the psychological effect
| produced on animals by the detona-
tions of big guns have been recently
made by German veterinary surgeon
named Reuter-. The animals consider
ed are the horses and dogs used for
military purposes and the game in the
area of warfare. 1t was noticed soon
after the beginning of the war that the
latter began to migrate into Luxem-
burg, Switzerland and the portions of
France and Belgium not the seat of
hostilities. The first to fee was the
black game" "a term which includes
the wild boar, the badger and the
bear), whose senses are specially
acute. Then the roebuck and the red
deer followed; but, strange to say, the
hare, whose timidity is proverbial, con-
tinued to occupy its usual territory
The larger birds likewise, such as the
grouse, the pheasant the sea-eagle and
the wild duck, were driven away by
the heavy firing. Strange to say, the
wolf, which is famous in German folk
lore as follower on the heels of Mars,
and which was expected to regain lost
ground in the present war, has shown
itself very gunshy. Another curious
fact noted by Mr.. Reuter- is that the
song birds, such as the lark, the
thrush and the finch, have not been
driven away by the thunder of the can
non, and continue to hold their nests
and sing their songs in their accus-
toned haunts. Other birds which re-
main unfrightened are various kinds
of owls, falcons, sparrow hawks, crows,
etc.
Another interesting observation is
that animals vary in sensitiveness of
temperament just as do individuals
and races. For example,:
THE Canidae (dogs, wolves, jacals
and foxes), with their highly devel-
oped nervous systems, possess a high
degree of sensitiveness. Only the in
telligent and long.trained house dog
shows itself more resistant to the
shock of detonations. In the same way,
among horses the thoroughbred and
the half-bred are more sensitive than
the cold-blooded Animals which are
by nature easily excited, and also
those in whom there are already signs
of some malady of the nervous sys-
TEN (as neurasthenia or hyperaesthes-
ia) are less resistant. The German
warhorses, though assembled from the
most various sources and for the most
part unframed, have shown themselves
capable of becoming more quickly in
ured to the noises of battle than are,
for example, the celebrated Russian
horses
"The psychological effect of heavy
firing occasioned by the suddenness,
the fright, the strength of air-pressure
and the detonation, may be furthered
by sort of predisposition or preform-
alton without actual disease in the or
ganism of the animal. Then, too, the
power of resistance may be weakened
by overexertion, long-continued march
es, unaccustomed food, hunger, improp-
er handling, and possibly by the vi
sion of the explosion itself
with its stones and bits of shell hurt
ling through the air, causing even the
animal soul to be oppressed with hor-
ror"
Mr.. Reuter- makes the point that
even when animals have been hard
ened by custom to be resistant, this
resistance may be slowly worn down
by too long stay amid such scenes
of nerve-weakening shock; so that the
strongest will power and the most re.
, sistant organism will break down in
the end. For this reason recuperation
stations, or "convalescent homes,
have been established in the garrisons
+ for used-up warhorses and Red Cross
1 dogs; in Jena, for example, one such
/ has been prepared by the League OF
j Humanitarians' to give such nerve
worn animals chance to recover
| strength and sarviceA hIenasa