DO ANIMALS TALK?

Bruce Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 3030, 24 January 1899, Page 6

DO ANIMALS TALK?

. In attempting to answer this question, the "Spectator" is convinced that animals do ta|k,>to the extent of conveying wishes or facts by sounds and says their speech ought to conform to the di visions of human speech. I'Kere must, in fact, be an " animal gramjnai 1 ," in the terms of which they express themaelveß. It ib no bad test of the assertion that animal speech exists to apply the old formal divisions of the grammaiians to the instances of which they appear to " voice " their thoughts, and ascertain by trial whether the forms into' which the human speech has been divided tit the latter. The timehonoured divisions of speech are (1) statement of fact; (2) request, including commands: (3) question. It is not to be supposed that the very limited range and simple character of animal wants and ideas would necessarily bring into play the whole of this category of articulate speech. But, as a fact, they do need to use all three forms of expression, but omit the last. Unlike children, animals do not ask question b. They only "look" them, and. though they constantly and anxiously inquire what is to be done, tuny it is to be done, and the exact wishes of their masters, and occasionally even of other animals, the inj quiry is made by the eye and attitude. A terrier, for instance, can almost transform his whole body into an animated note of interrogation. Of the two remaining forms of speech — statement and request — the animals make very large use, but employ the latter in a far greater degree than the former. They use sounds for request, not only in particular cases i a which they desire something to be done for them, but also in a great number of cases in which the request is a form of warning — " Come!" " Be caroful!" " Look out!" "Go ahead!" "Help." The speech which indicates danger is sufficiently differentiated. Birds, for instance, have separate notes of warning to indicate whether the danger ia in the form of a hawk or cat, or of a man. •Specific requests are commonly made by a Bound, which the animal intei-ds to be taken as expressing a want, while it indicates what it wants by showing the object. The greatest difficulty is when the object wanted, or required to be dealt with, is n3t present. The animal has then to induce you to follow and see the thing, and this leads to great ingenuity both in the use and voice of action. This form of request is practised more or less successfully by a considerable number of the animals kept as pels or servants of man. Various monkeys, geese, a goat, a ewe with a lamb, elephants, cats very commonly, and dogs innumerable are credited with " accosting " peisons and bringing lo their notice by vocal means the objects they desire or the actions they wisli done. A. most ingeniouslj constructed request of this kind was made a few years ago by a retriever dog late onu night in Lond.m. The streets were empty, and the dog came up and, after wagging his ' tail, began to bark— using notthe rowdy bark which dogs employ when jumping at a horae'a head or when excited, but the pertmasive and confidential kind of bark which is used in le quests and reproaches. He was very insistent, especially when a small dark pasßago was replied, up which he ran, still backing. As this did not answer, the dog *an back, and took the writer's hand, in which he was carrying his glove, in his mouth, and gave a gentle pull in the diiection of the passage. As this did not meet with the attention desired, the dog pulled the glove | out of the hand, and carried it off up the j passage, keeping a few yards in front, and I waving its tail in a friendly way; this Datur- ! ally Jed lo pursuit, when the dog, still keep- ' I ing ahead, dropped the glove in front of a | giil c, leading to a butcher' t. yard, and began ito bark again. As it obviously wanted the i gate lo be opened, this was done, and it • trotted in without fuitber remaik. I Everyone who has kept dog-5 knows the | tone of the bark of request — a low •' wouf," very unlike the " staccato " bark of anger, jor vexation, or remonstianco. ... In the cat a very low mew is commonly used ! when the object is near, and will almost certainly bo granted, such as the opening of a door, or the giving of water or milk. Unusual food which it fancies it will not get ia asked for in another note; and any request not attended to is repeated in the different key. The tigur uses the low mew in some form of conversation with the tigress: and i the, puma when domesticated has a cousidi rs | able range of notes to ask for food, wateri and society, or lo return thanks; the latter being, as in the case of the cat and tiger, a kind of purr.