THOMPSON'S PASSIONS OF AIIIIKA.L8.*

THE mere passions of animals, as separate from instinct or intelli- gence—the "half reasoning" of Pope—is a narrow field, and this volume embraces a much wider range of topics. Mr. Thompson has probably been led on by the attractive nature of his subject and the curious facts his inquiries accumulated, till he treated of the metaphysics of natural history, as opposed to physics. In. this he has somewhat confounded things. lustiest in various forms—as nidification, the pursuit of food, and the general adaptation of means to ends as respects the existence of the rase—is displayed, as well as those qualities which, though by no means falling under the head of "passions," result from the necessities of position, and may without impropriety of language be called acquirements. Such are the various precautions adopted by birds and other animals ex-

• The Passions of Animals. By Edward P. Thompson. Published by Chapman and Hail.

posed to the attacks of man ; which are soon acquired by the wildest creatures, and adapted with the greatest nicety to meet the Articular danger as it arises. This,.though debateable ground as regards Mr. Thompson's term, can hardly be called instinct, since it is obviously the result of experience, if it is not to 'be regarded as thought. The hereditary effects of domesticity—the physical powers or defects which flow from it—the bawler capacity which it seems to give for education—the general effects of this education in animals—all come under the head of the reason rather than the passions, and, philosophically as well as popularly developed, would form a very interesting book. The most interesting subject

i

of all to the student of mind is the display of individual sagacity, or even reasoning—the combination of ideas—the " putting this and that together," which is often so wonderfully exhibited by trained animals, in order to overcome a sudden difficulty, and the seeming rarity of which as respects creatures in a state of nature is perhaps owing to our scanty means of observation rather than to the nonexistence of the quality. That which the title of the work would lead the reader to expect in its pages, does not at all predominate. The mere animal passions of lust, lustful jealousy, rage, fear, and sympathy, or their educational counterparts of jealousy of favour, anger, friendship, and the like, are treated of, but not so fully as the materials admit, or as the subject perhaps required. To discuss with advantage the topics just indicated, good sense and sound metaphysics are requisite. Mr. Thompson makes some pretension to metaphysics, but his science is not of the highest. He introduces texts of Scripture on a subject where they are out of place ; he talks of the "imperishable faculties of the Emil," and asserts the immortality of the soul of man, and the perishable mind of animals, upon theological grounds ; he attempts nice distinctions which he cannot establish, and fre- quently stumbles over, besides contradicting himself; he often confounds instinct with some other faculty, and makes indif- ferent work with the application of Locke's principle of know- ledge and sensation, though the subject is a nice one in relation to animals. Of course, without sight, no creature can exercise facul- ties dependent on seeing; but in many eases knowledge seems ac- quired (or instinet developed) with the first sensation. And this not only in young animals, but in animals that have been artificially trained the tame ichneumon at once recognizes his natural enemy when placed before him, and though startled attacks him, with the same success as if he had been catching serpents all his life. Mr. Thompson is deficient in the highest qualities requisite for the satisfactory treatment of the subject he has undertaken, but he has produced a popular and very curious volume. He has a great turn for facts, whether observing them in nature or collecting them from books; and by pertinacious industry he has brought together a vast collection. He has the faculty of presenting them clearly, closely, and neatly ; the number he has packed up in his book without crowding or confusion is extraordinary. Though deficient in the large apprehension and logic necessary to handle satisfactorily the subject he has undertaken, he is gifted with a clear perception, which enables him to select his facts for the ap- propriate illustration of his particular chapter, although the chap- ter itself may have no relation to the professed object of the work. His book, in short, is a very curious collection of facts and anec- dotes relating to the instincts, habits, and faculties of animals, classified under particular heads. Occasionally, indeed, he recurs to very well-known authors, and sometimes admits anecdotes on doubtful authorities. Mr. Thompson is indebted, too, to the Ger- man Dr. Schluarda, which he acknowledges.

The range of the volume is extensive, reaching from the lowest animal life up to the elephant and dog. These are interesting facts in connexion with tenacity of life in the polypi.

4' Among the lower animals this faculty is the most remarkable in the polypi: they may be pounded in a mortar, split up, turned inside out like a i glove, and divided into parts, without injury to life ; fire alone is fatal to them. It is now about a hundred years since Trembley made us se- quaiuted with these animals, and first discovered their indestructibility. It has subsequently been taken up by other natural historians, who have fol- lowed up these experiments, and have even gone so far as to produce mon- sters by grafting. If they be turned inside out, they attempt to replace themselves, and if unsuccessfully, the outer surface assumes the properties and powers of the inner, and the reverse. If the effort be partially success- ful only, the part turned back disappears in twenty-four hours in that part of the body it embraces, in such a manner that the arms which projected behind are now fixed in the centre of the body ; the original opening also disappears, and in the room of feelers a new mouth is formed to which new feelers attach themselves, and this new mouth feeds immediately. The healed extremity elongates itself into a tail, of which the animal has now two. If two polypi be passed into one another like tubes, and pierced through with a bristle, the inner one works its way through the other, and comes forth again in a few days; in some instances, however, they grow together, and then a double row of feelers surround the mouth. If they be mutilated, the divided parts grow together again, and even pieces of two separate individuals Will unite into one."

These remarks on pain in the lower creatures are not merely curious in themselves, but contain the moral already grasped by the great dramatist in his " poor beetle that we tread upon." "The assertion is altogether groundless, that insects experience no sensa- tions of pain although transfixed with a pin, around which even a slight de- posit of verdigris collects, and left till they perish from hunger; for although ni all probability they do not suffer pain during the hitter period, there is no doubt but they feel acutely at the moment of the transfixion. It is only ne- cessary to watch the effect when a needle is thrust through the back of an insect, and it will be obvious that it makes many powerful and convulsive movements, indicative of pain, and not of struggles for escape. Butterflies Pierced with a. common pin exhibit these symptoms, and the spasms are re- peated if a heated pin be afterwards introduced. But still, as said before, much depends on the perfection of the organization ; and besides, the for- mation of insects is so peculiar to themselves, that we have as parallel in any of the other classes. Some of the animals in the class Vermeil may be out and divided almost ad infinitum, and each part will eventually become a perfect animal. Some insects without this reproductive power will bear di. riding, and still continue to lire, and perform most of the various functions with which they are endowed. The common dragon-fly (Libel/lila varia) will live for days without its head ; and if, instead of the head, the abdomen be taken away, the animal seems to feel no material injury. This insect is of a most voracious nature, and has been known to feed under the following extraordinary circumstances. A gentleman being engaged in collecting in- fects, caught a specimen of the common dragon-fly, which he fastened down in his collecting-box, with a large pin thrust through its thorax ' - when, to his astonishment, he observed the dragon-fly held in its forceps a fly, which was still struggling for liberty. This it soon devoured, without exhibiting any signs of pain, seeming wholly unconscious of its own unpleasant situa- tion, bring stall sunned by the pm before named to a piece of cork. When the fly was devoured, the insect began to flutter, and made several attempts to regain its liberty. The gentleman, greatly surprised at this incident, and willing to improve the experiment dill further, caught another fly, which he offered to it. This was eagerly seized by the rapacious insect, and de-. soured with greediness; and when its meal was finished, it began to flutter again as before. It certainly is not derogating from the benevolence so con- spicuous in all the works of Providence, to conceive it probable that it has, with infinite wisdom, withheld from some of the lower classes of animals that degree of sensation so abundantly dispensed to others filling the higher ranks of creation, as, from the habits necessarily entailed upon them, they are more likely to encounter accidents that tend to mutilate, than other in- dividuala of higher powers of sensation."

Here is the defence of an old acquaintance.

"The ass is always esteemed as the stupidest of animals, yet if one be shut up in the same enclosure with half-a-dozen horses of the finest blood, and the party escape, it is infallibly the poor donkey that has led the way. It is he alone that penetrates the secret of the bolt and latch ; and he may be often seen snuffing over a piece of work, to which all other animals are incom- petent."

The kindness or kin affection of animals is one of the subjects noticed by Mr. Thompson, though not under very well-connected heads. The following cheerful facts come from the chapter on playfulness. " Small birds chase each other about in play, but perhaps the conduct of the crane and the trumpeter (Psophia crepitans) is the most extraordinary. The latter stands on one leg, hops about in the most eccentric manner' and throws somersets. The Americans call it the mad bird, on account of these singularities. The crane expands its wings, rune round in circles, lespa, and throwing little stones and pieces of wood in the air, endeavours to catch them again, or pretends to avoid them, as if afraid. Water-birds, such as, ducks and geese, dive after each other, and cleave the surface of the water with outstretched neck and flapping wings, throwing an abundant spray around.

"Deer often engage in a sham battle or a trial of strength, by twisting their horns together and pushing for the mastery. All animals that pre, tend violence in their play stop short of exercising it : the dog takes the greatest precaution not to injure by his bite ; and the ()twang outing, in wrestling with his keeper, attempts to throw him and makes feints of biting him. Some animals carry out in their play the semblance of catching their prey : young eats, for instance, leap after every small and moving object, even to the leaves strewed by the autumn wind ; they crouch and steal for. ward ready for the spring ; the body quivering and the tail vibrating with emotion, they bound on the moving leaf, and again watch, and again spring forward at another. Renner saw young jaguars and curlers playing with round substances like kittens.

"Young lamba collect together on the little hillocks and eminences in their pastures, racing and sporting with each other in the most interesting manner.

" Birds of the Pie kind are the analogues of monkeys, full of mischief, play, and mimicry. There is a story told of a tame magpie, which was seen busily employed in a garden gathering pebbles, and with much solemnity and a studied air dropping them in a hole about eighteen inches deep made to receive a poet. After dropping each stone, it cried currack ! triumphantly, and set off for another. On examining the spot, a poor toad was found in the hole, which the magpie was stoning for his amusemeut."

Sometimes Mr. Thompson quits the subject of mental qualities or affections altogether, and enters the field of the natural theo- logian, showing the relation of the creature's organization to its circumstances and condition. The following medley on hearing is of this kind.

"Among mammalia the formation of the ear varies in very many cases, according to the habits and peculiar nature of the animal. The .portion of the ear of the mole assigned for the cognizance of sounds pasting in the air, is lees perfect than those which, deeper seated, receive the impression of any sound or vibration proceeding from the earth. The beaver has the power, when diving, to fold its ear backwards on its head ; and the water-shrew, for the same purpose, has three distinct flaps, which close the orifice in the same manner that many diving and burrowing animals are furnished with flaps to the nose, by which they close the entrance to all injurious bodies. The hippopotamus, which remains for lengthened periods beneath the sur- face of the water, is also provided with a valve-like apparatus- Hares and rabbits, which squat close on the .ground, and which nught be more readily discovered were any projecting point of their bodies to be visible, fold their ears flat backwards. In all, this sense is remarkably keen ; and with horses it is only exceeded by that of the smell : they hear sounds and are matins. long before the rider can perceive an animal or a human being in the dis- tance. The carrier-horses in Switzerland hear the fall of 842 avalanche, and warn their masters of the danger by their terror, and by refusing to advance, and even by turning in an opposite direction. Tlis acute sensibility of this organ is somewhat obstruct by the bushy hairs which grow in the outer sheath ; and thus horse-dealers cut them out from horses they have for sale, in order that sounds, striking on the nerves with greater force, may, by ex- c the animals, give them a more lively appearance. " e flight of the bat, like that of the owl, is perfectly noiseless ; and its ear, equally acute, detects the slightest humming of an insect, at a distance of several feet, and while it catches such as are in flight, it touches none which have settled or are silent."