DO BEASTS HAVE IMMORTAL SOULS?
Here follow some good illustrations of this point of animal character:— ““I have heard of one instance where the man in charge of the cows would not allow the ‘ganger,’ as the head cow is often called, to go out first. The result was that she refused to go out at all; and, in order to get her out of the yard, the man had to drive all the other cows back again, so that she might take her proper place at their head.”” ““One of the most striking characteristics of the mule is his aversion to the ass, and the pride which he takes in his relationship to the horse, which instincts are met with obtrusiveness in the ass and by indifference in the horse. If an ass at any time, urged by the vanity peculiar to its race as related to the mule, happens to fall in with a drove of mules, he will, in all probability, be kicked and lamed by his proud relations. A horse, on the contrary, takes a distinguished position in a drove of mules. The latter crowd around him and follow his movements, exhibiting a violent jealousy, each striving to stand nearest to their distinguished relative.”” ““This instinct is employed to keep together a drove of mules on a journey or at pasture, by putting a mare to the drove, with a bell around her neck, and called the “Bell Mare;” by the Mexicans, “Layegua Madre,” i. e., the mother-mare. This animal is led day and night by a cord, and the whole drove is thus kept under control, and will not leave their queen. It is, therefore, very difficult to separate the drove. The man who leads the mare is instructed, in case of an attack from the Indians, to leap instantly upon the back of this animal, and take refuge in the wagon encampment, whither the drove is sure to follow him.”” ““Any one who has seen a peacock in all the glory of his starry train will recognize the intense pride which the bird feels at his own splendor. He does not only display his magnificent train for the purpose of attracting the homage of his plainly clad mates, but seems to be just as proud of the admiration bestowed by human beings as of that offered by his own kind.”” ““Nor does he despise the homage of birds whom he considers his inferiors. Only a few hours before writing these lines I saw a peacock, with his train fully spread, displaying all his grandeur around a dozen barn-door fowls. He stalked majestically among them, scarcely deigning to look at them, but turning round and round so as to display his grandeur to the best advantage, and apparently as satisfied with the effect which he produced as if he had been surrounded by his own kind.”” ““Then there is the turkey, whose movements are so grotesque when he is strutting about in his nuptial plumage, and who surveys himself with ludicrous complacency. Taking the well-known whidah-bird (or widow-bird, as it is often called), we see this trait of character highly developed. He is wonderfully proud of his beautiful tail, and, as long as he wears it, loses no opportunity of displaying it to every visitor who approaches his cage. But when the moulting season comes, and he assumes for a while the plain, tailless suit of his mate, his manner is as changed as his appearance, and, instead of exhibiting himself in all his pride, he mopes about with a dull and listless demeanor, and seems absolutely ashamed of his mean condition.”” ““Jealousy is of two kinds, one connected with the love of some other being, and the other depending on the love of self. The former is thus defined in Webster’s Dictionary: ‘That passion or peculiar uneasiness which arises from the fear that a rival may rob us of the affection of one whom we love, or the suspicion that he has already done it.’ The latter is thus defined: ‘The uneasiness which arises from the fear that another does or will enjoy some advantage which we desire for ourselves.’ We will only deal with the former of these traits of character.”” ““In the first place, it is evident, from the definition which has just been given, that jealousy implies the power of reasoning, and that any creature by which it is shown must be able to draw a conclusion from premises. Perhaps the animal is wrong in its conclusion; but the process is still one of reasoning, however incorrect that process may be.”” ““The power of jealousy and anger is well shown by the following anecdote of a pet dog. I knew the animal well, and his mistress wrote the little history at my request:— ““One of our pet dogs, of a mixed breed, with long white hair, was, in common with most pets, of a very jealous disposition, always showing displeasure if any other living thing obtained a share of that attention which he considered exclusively his own.”” ““One wintry morning a poor little infantine duck that had been injured was brought into the house to be nursed and tended. The dog watched all the attentions bestowed upon it, was evidently annoyed at the intrusion of a rival where he had ruled supreme, and vowed vengeance.”” ““After a few days the duck mysteriously disappeared. The dog was suspected, but neither dog nor duck could be found. Just before dark a more minute search was made in the house and garden, and at last something was visible under a large rose-tree. There stood the culprit, shivering with cold, his nose and paws all covered with mud, and at his feet was a half-filled grave, in which was deposited the body of the murdered duck.”” ““His long hair had become entangled in the thorns of the rose-tree while he was engaged in burying his victim, and fear of detection and reproof had caused him to remain a silent captive for so many hours. His pitiful condition disarmed our censure, for he was so firmly fixed that the gardener had to cut off the rose-branch, so that it might be more leisurely disentangled in the house. Before this event the gardener had not been a favorite with the dog, but ever afterward it seemed to feel itself owing a debt of gratitude to its deliverer.”” ““The dog in question lives at Canterbury, where his intellect and accomplishments have made him well known.”” ““We see in the behavior of the animal, not only jealousy, but memory, hatred, and revenge, and a sense of moral responsibility. The remembrance of the favors lavished on his rival rankled in his memory, and the result was hatred culminating in revenge when he found an opportunity. Then he knew that he had done wrong in killing the duck, and, just as a man would do who had committed a murder, tried to conceal the evidences of his crime by burying the body of his victim. So deeply was his conscience pricked, that when he found himself arrested by the bush, he ran the risk of dying of cold and hunger rather than allow himself to be discovered.”” ““Take the following story, which is related in Bennett’s ‘Wanderings in New South Wales,’ transform the actors into human beings, and see how exactly the birds acted like human beings, and how the plot of a powerful drama might be constructed from the story. The birds in question were the beautiful little ‘Mandarin’ ducks, which even in China are exceedingly valuable. They are proverbial for their conjugal fidelity, and in marriage processions a pair of these ducks are carried about as emblems of the love which ought to animate the newly married couple.”” ““The following circumstance of fidelity was mentioned to me as having occurred in two birds of this species:—”” ““A drake was stolen one night, with some other birds, from Mr. Beale’s aviary. The beautiful male was alone taken, and the poor duck was left behind. The morning following the loss of her husband, the female was seen in a most disconsolate condition; brooding in secret sorrow, she remained in a retired part of the aviary, pondering over the severe loss she had just sustained.”” ““While she was thus delivering her soul to grief, a gay, prim drake, who had not long before lost his dear duck, which had been accidentally killed, trimmed his beautiful feathers, appeared quite handsome, and pitying the forlorn condition of the bereaved, waddled toward her, and, after devoting much of his time and all his attention to the unfortunate female, he offered her his protection. She, however, refused all his offers, having made, in audible quacks, a solemn vow to live and die a widow if her mate did not return.”” ““From the day on which she met with her loss she neglected her usual avocations, forsook her food and usual scenes of delight, where she loved to roam with him now absent, and to excite his brave spirit to drive away all the rivals that might attempt even to approach them. But those fleeting hours of enjoyment had passed, perhaps never to return, and no consolation that could be offered by any of her tribe had the least effect. Every endeavor was made to recover the lost bird, as it was not expected that the beautiful creature would be killed.”” ““Some time elapsed after the loss, when a person, accidentally passing a hut, overheard some Chinese of the lower class conversing together. He understood sufficient of their language to find out that they said, “It would be a pity to kill so handsome a bird.” “How, then,” said another, “can we dispose of it?” The hut was noted, as it was immediately suspected that the lost Mandarin drake was the subject of the conversation. A servant was sent, and, after some trouble, recovered the long-lost drake by paying four dollars for him. He was then brought back to the aviary in one of the usual cane cages.”” ““As soon as the bird recognized the aviary, he expressed his joy by quacking vehemently and flapping his wings. The interval of three weeks had elapsed since he was taken away by force; but when the forlorn duck heard the note of her lost husband, she quacked, even to screaming with ecstasy, and flew as far as she could in the aviary to greet him on his restoration. Being let out of the cage, the drake immediately entered the aviary, and the unfortunate couple were again united. They quacked, crossed necks, bathed together, and then are supposed to have related all their mutual hopes and fears during the long separation.”” ““One word more on the unfortunate widower who kindly offered consolation to the duck when overwhelmed with grief. She, in a most ungrateful manner, informed her drake of the impudent and gallant proposals he made to her during his absence. It is merely supposition that he did so; but, at all events, the result was that, on the day following his return, the recovered drake attacked the other, pecked his eyes out, and inflicted on him so many other injuries as to occasion his death in a few days. Thus did this unfortunate drake meet with a premature and violent death for his kindness and attention to a disconsolate lady. It may perhaps be correctly written on his grave, “A victim to conjugal fidelity.”” ““The very same feelings which would have actuated human beings under similar circumstances influenced these birds. There is conjugal love affected by sudden and violent separation; there is conjugal fidelity in absence; there is sorrow for the loss of one who is loved; there is joy in reunion; there is jealousy at an attempt to steal the affection of a partner; and, finally, there is revenge swiftly taken upon the offender. There also is the power of language, as, without a very definite language of her own, the duck could not have told her partner of a particular drake, and so drawn upon him the vengeance of her husband.””