THE NATURALIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 2292, 3 February 1898, Page 48

THE NATURALIST.

Wild Traits in Tame Animals. Dr Louis RobinsoD, in his recent work " Wild Traits in Tame Aaimals'," says it is not yet & settled question wh6re was the piimal borne of the wild horse or the wild bss ? This, bowevir, is coacsded by all competent naturalists, that the wild horse hundreds of | thousands of years ago " took to a life in the open btoauss of carnivorous enemies which lurked in the forests and jangles of the s-watapy lands." He refers to the too common and always dangs-rous habit of the best bred and even best broken-in horses at the present day — namely, the habit of "shying," and says some horses become frantic with terror at the rustls of rat leaves, " because it was at such spots that for countless generations some of the most deadly foes of their race lay in wait for thsm," such as crocodiles, for instance. The ans also appears to have been driven forth into the wilderness by the same agency, but he sought safety in a different direction. He fled to the inaccessible hills ; and just as the horse became structurally adapted for life oa tbe plains, so he became adapted for lifa among the mountains. Let us consider the ass, and sea how ths inhsrlted " wild traits " survive, not ocly in his anatomy, but in bis natnre and habits. Tske, first of all, his coat. As Dr Robinson truly observes : —

We find that nearly all animals which are protectively coloured exhibit certain lines and other markings which seem to bo adapted for this end. The most notable exceptions are the white and tawny creatures who3e habitat; is either among the monotonous saowfields or the sandy desotts. As a rule, Nature does not present large surfaces of one colour, bufc almost; invariably mixes her tints. Hence, among ordinary surroundings the evenly-coloured animal is more likely to be diecerned by the eyes of his foes than one which imitates Nature's motley. Among the rocks dark lines, indicating angles and ccevices, are of frequent occurrence, and it seema possible that this may have been the original use of the dark stripe down the ghoulder of the ass. The coat of the donkey is more inclined to bo shaggy than that of the horse ; and this also, considering the fact that he is always found wild in warm countries, suggests a habitat in elevated regions where the air is cold. Yet be shows an extraordinary power of adapting himself to different climates, and will sband fatigue under the heat of the tropics better than a horse. Here is just one more quotation by way of illustration : —

The eyes of the donkey are not so prominent and quick as those oi the horse, nor does he so often turn his head about to sniff the air ; but we all must acknowledge fchab in development of the ear be excels his proud relation. On the sandy or grassy plains, whore the sound of footsteps is deadened, the eye ia most valuable as a sentry, and the breeze blowing evenly across the open to the nostrils of the wild horse nofc only gives warning of the approach of a foe, bufc reveals the direction from which the danger comes. But among the high rocks and gorges of a mountainous region the wind is gusby and ! fief ul ; and there are many projecting craga 1 round which a prowling enemy might crjep un-

s^en to wifchia springing distauc. Here the keenness of the auditory sonsa is much more important. The rolling of a loose stone down the slope or the sound of approaching footsteps among the hard rocks and shingle of the mountain side at once warm the gentry of the grazing herd. The long, movable eavs of the ass will enable him to judge the direction from which a sound comes to a nicety, and many a tiaie they have doubtless saved him from a violent death.

Apart from his stubborn ways (Dr Kobinson ranks him as the old-fashioned Tory of his family) let us admit that the other most' striking wild trait of the ass is his l( magnificent voice ! " — that voice, too, which poor "Elia" loved to hear, although he looked upon the fiue3t of operas as nothing less than a profanation of the playhouse. What, vmtes Dr Robinson, "could be better adapted for advertising his presence to his comrades in the neighbouring mountains, or for challenging his rivals from afar, when the echoes take up bis ' hee-haw ' until every canon and crag within half a mile rings with its repetition 1 It sounds ridiculous enough in the streets, I admit, but so do the Highland bagpipes and the yodel of the Swiss mountaineer." The far-off origin of the donkey's wilfulness — " pig-headed ass "is tha proverbial phrase — is just as easily accounted for as the length and strength of his cars and the power! ulness of his voice. Even yet in his mountain home, where pasture is scarce, only a few wiid ones, as a rule, go together. Shonld a foe appear suddenly when they are scattered in search of scanty herbaga each must decide a course for himself, for it would nofc aiways be possible to follow a leader — as in tbe case of sheep, for ine< ar.ee, of which more anon. Henca, writes Dr Robinson, " self relUnce and a disposition to act independently of his fellows would be most valuable in tbe struggle for existence," end hence the inherited stubbornness — a useful inetiact originally, but now degenerated into a vice under totally different life environments and conditions. Why, many a*k, are a>s«3 fond of thistles ? In his primal home food wag scarce, and frequently not of the best, so that the mouth of tfee ass became (as it is yet) " adapted for such m«agr<3 and prickly diefe as is found in desert; places."

Rsferenco has been made to the jumping habits of flecks of sheep, which all of onr readers must have observed many times, and no doubt have wondered at. The explanation is not new to naturalists, bub it is admirably put by Dr Rjbinson, whom we rmi&t again quote :—: —

There is another wild habib of sheep which can be observed wherever a drove is moving along a narrow or crowded road. If one gives a leap, all the others following it on re*ching the same epofc follow its example, although there maj, be no cbataele whatever for them to jump over. The whole proceeding looks erfcremely silly in the street ; bat supposing the flock to be on ifce ufttire ruouufcains, one can easily ccc the value ef such a habit. Wild cheep always appoint sentinels and Leaders, and follow them in the mesfc implicit manner. Whether the animals are grazing or are on the move, these sentinels or lenders act as the eyas of the flock. When all dash off together among broken ground, or are crarrdiog along some perilous ledge on the mountain-side, it would be quite useless for those in the middle ot the baud to endeavour to ccc obstacles at their feet. Hence each keeps an eye upon the 1-sader, or upon those immediately in front, and follows their example. If the leader thinks a 3ft jump is necessary to clear some dangerous spot, every sheep in the procession will take a 3ft jainp ; if he jumps higher, they will jump higher, and so on. They carry out this imitated action with a most extraordinary precision, even when it has fco be transmitted through a long chain of different individuals.

Dr Robinson in the general statement that "if man were to become extinct in South America, or, indeed, in any part of ths world, the domestic sheep would not survive him half a dczsn years." His reasons for this statement aie these :—: —

There are three chief reasons for this, and all of them are of peculiar interest. In the first place, a sheep is as a rule a timid and defenceless anisaal, and at the same time is neither swift nor cunning. It falls an easy prey to the meanest of the wolf tribe. A single coyote or a fox terrier dog could destroy a flock of a thousand sheep in a few days. Secondly, it is found that the lambs and their mothers require especial care -land nursing, and if they do nofc get ifc during lambing time the flockowner will lose them by the hundred.

Dr Rabinsoa has the following about the undervalued goat : —

There are some regions of the earth where his star is decidedly in the ascendant, and where it is not likely to decline for a very long period. On the exposed and parched tablelands of South Africa, where at one time antalopas innumerable found sustenance, goats, probably because of their kinship to the antelope family, thrive better than do any other imported animals. Tha thorny shrubs and brown, shrivelled herbage of the karroo, which seem to the European traveller to be of the most unpromising character as fodder, affurd the goat abundant nourishment. — Leeds Mercury.

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