WILD TRAITS IN TAME ANIMALS.* IN the introduction to this
entertaining and suggestive book Dr. Robinson traces back our innate liking and aptitude for naturalising in the open air to habits developed by the necessi- ties of our primitive forefathers. For countless ages the existence of the race depended on man's exercise of his skill as a naturalist and observer. His fruit-eating ancestors, who dwelt high up and in comparative safety among the tree-tope, required no special means of defence nor specially keen sense of smell. When man changed his habitation and enlarged the sources of his diet, he found himself without natural weapons, and unable to follow his game by scent. In sporting language, man " had no nose." This, argues our
• Wild Traits in Tanis Animals ; being some Familiar Studies in Evolution. By Louis Robinson, M.D. London William Blackwood and Sons. 110s. dd.]
author, proved greatly to his advantage, as it brought his cunning into play :— " Had he developed, during his early earth-walking career, olfactory powers anything like equal to those of the dog, I make bold to say that all of us, if we were now existing, would be getting our livings by sniffing for roots and grubs like a badger, or by yelping along a trail like a pack of jackals Because, happily, he could not profitably follow his nose, primitive man was obligel to use his wits. Where the dog or the wolf gallops blindly or without thought along the tainted line left by the feet of his quarry, the primeval hunter had, from the first, not only to learn to notice each displaced or shifted stone, or shaken dewdrop, but had also—from these and a thousand other data—to infer what had passed that way, when it had passed, and often, in the case of one wounded animal in a herd, how it had passed, and whether it were sufficiently disabled to make pursuit a profitable speculation. As far as I can see, this faculty, engendered and necessitated by olfactory shortcomings, formed the basis of much of our vaunted reasoning power."
It is to be noted here that the method of this primitive ancestor was distinctly Darwinian, in so far as it was "an invariable and essential mental habit with him not only to gather facts, but to read their meaning, both immediate and remote." Thus Darwinism may be said to have restored the method used by our ancestors through a period of incon- ceivable duration. It has taught the naturalist of the present day to regard each recorded fact as a link in the chain of reasoning, or as part of an argument or narrative. No scrap of knowledge, however trivial, is to be neglected or cast out as rubbish. Properly interpreted, it may yield a truth or kindle a suggestion of the highest value. Dr. Robinson holds that among the daily phenomena surrounding us, and which are under the eyes of all, lies the field wherein future discoveries of great moment will be made. It is only our habit of taking common things for granted that blinds us to their importance and significance. The story of Darwin's monograph on "The Action of Earthworms" may be advanced as an example of this. Dr. Robinson himself won his spurs as an observer through the experiments he made on the suspensory powers of very young babies, which, in the opinion of competent judges, bore results little, if any, less valuable, than some of Darwin's most important researches. Yet that an infant would cling tenaciously to a proffered finger was a fact open to the eyes of everybody, but without meaning until viewed in the light of Darwinism. It is now fully accepted as a wild trait, and takes its place with. oat any cavil as an item in the past history of the race.
The contents of this volume afford a further example of the truth of the foregoing remarks. Without going outside the limits of the farmyard or beyond the range of readers whose knowledge of natural history is elementary, Dr. Robinson has found ample material for a delightful treatise, which will give great enjoyment to all lovers of animals. The creatures around us abound in "ways that are dark and tricks that are vain," or rather that appear to be so. Yet could we but read them aright, there is a world of meaning in their commonest actions and manners, and it is interesting to see how often investigation will resolve these into wild traits. Take the dog, for example, which has been more modified by civilisation than any other animal. Dr. Robinson shows that nearly every virtue that gives the dog value in our eyes may be traced back to the time when his wild ancestors lived and hunted in troops. The watchdog's bark is a call to his fellows to guard the lair of the pack. Co-operation in hunting, allied with quick perception and intelligence, faithfulness in word and deed, loyalty to his fellows, obedience to leaders, and the observance of certain rules of conduct, are all things essential in canine commercial morality, and, to some extent, amongst all gregarious animals. Our author discusses at some length the method of signalling by the waving of the tail, and in connection with it gives a very interesting example of co-operative pack strategy which came under his own experience. He shows how wagging of the tail may have passed into an expression of pleasure as we regard it, although originally a wild trait of a very businesslike character. It is difficult for us to regard life and its surroundings from an animal's point of view, for, as Mr. Matthew Arnold so often assured us, we can never tell how anthropomorphic we are. But the dog seems really to have accepted man as his com- rade, and behaves in every way as if he were one of a pack of which his master and the rest of the household were members. Now note the difference in habit and its cause, between "the average dog and unregenerate cat," to use Mr. William
Watson's expression, the cat is a solitary denizen of the forest, and has acquired no new instincts since it came to live with man :—
" All the cat's habits show it to be by nature a solitary animal. Even in early life, when family ties bring out the instinct of association, this is apparent. If you compare the play of puppies with that of kittens, you will find in one case that companionship of some kind is an essential, for if a puppy has no playmate of his own species, he will always try to make one of the nearest biped ; whereas a cork or a bit of string is all that is necessary to satisfy the requirements of the kitten. The way in which the eat takes its food is a sure sign that, in its natural state, it is not in the habit of associating with greedy companions. When given something to eat, it first carefully smells the morsel, then takes it in a deliberate and gingerly way, and sits down to finish it at leisure. There is none of that inclination to snatch hastily at any food held before it which we observe even in well- trained dogs ; nor does a cat seem in any hurry to stow its goods in the one place where thieving rivals cannot interfere with them. Indeed, no greater contrast in natural table manners can be observed anywhere than when we turn from the kennel or the pigsty and watch the dainty way in which a cat takes its meals. That a cat allows people to approach it while it is feeding with- out showing jealousy, proves that it does not attribute to human beings like tastes with its own."
Dr. Robinson brings forward a theory that the markings on the tabby cat are an instance of protective mimicry of a snake. A drawing of a boa and an ocelot show a remarkable resem- blance when both animals are lying curled up. Moreover, an angry cat strongly resembles an angry serpent, in expression
of face, in the sinuous switching of its tail, and in its hiss. The kittens of almost all varieties of cats hiss in the same
way. Further, nearly every young bird or mammal whose nursery, like that of the wild cat, is in a shallow hole or dark retreat utters a sharp hissing sound on the approach of an enemy. Now the horror of serpents being innate, this sound would have a deterrent effect on any intruder. The suggestion, to which we can only refer, is discussed at length in the chapter on the cat, and is likely to attract the attention of naturalists. As all young creatures show a tendency to resemble remote ancestors, both in external form and mental attributes, wild traits will be found very marked in them. A young foal is a case in point. With his enormous legs he can gallop, when only a few days old, as fast as he ever can in after life. Never far from his dam, he takes his nourishment in small doses, avoiding a full meal, which would impede swift escape from his foes. When he lies down, he makes no attempt at concealment, and when he stands his head is held high, and he looks boldly about him. These habits are all wild traits which show that his early ancestors had left the forests for wide, open plains, where only wolves could overtake them, and these enemies acted as agents in improving the speed and endurance of the wild horse. The calf is very dif- ferent in his habits. A poor traveller, he fills himself with milk, and can then be concealed by his mother, whilst she, in a wild state, travels to some distant glade where food is abundant, and does not return for some time, during which her milk is collecting. Hence the importance of a large " bag" in the cow, and also the need of the power of retaining her milk, wild traits which man has not failed to turn to his own advantage, as he has also the swiftness and staying power of the horse. It is to be noted that the calf, like its mother, holds the head low, in order to look under the branches of the forest, for everything about cattle points to an ancestral home in a moist and wooded country. Our author acutely remarks that in the case of a new animal first brought to this country it would be easy to
decide whether it dwelt in forest or roamed on plains by observing the way in which it carried its head.
Actions that we term stupid are simply wild traits in animals that have become highly specialised, and have been unable to adapt themselves to their new environment. The
donkey, the sheep, and the goose are exceedingly intelligent and wary animals in their natural homes. It is the same with what we call vices, such as shying and buck-jumping in horses. Many a wild horse must have saved his life through the habit of swerving suddenly aside on discovering a lurking foe. Buck-jumping, which is a habit with all young colts when at play, and therefore instinctive and extremely ancient, must have been protective against the successful spring and hold of a leopard or panther. Some horses are frantic with terror at the rustling of reeds by a river-bank, and a donkey carries this fear further, and refuses to enter running water. The probable explanation is that carnivore,
especially crocodiles, lay in ambush at the ancient drinking places.
It is impossible here to do more than touch the fringe of this most interesting subject, which Dr. Robinson handles with a great deal of power. He is already well known as a writer on Darwinism, and this book will maintain his reputa- tion as a keen and alert observer. In style it is pleasant and lively, with an agreeable ripple of humour running through its pages. Mr. Dadd's illustrations are excellent, and add much to the interest of the letterpress. It would be well if Dr. Robinson could find time to study the question of the develop. ment of the index, a subject which he may rest assured is worth his attention. The one at the end of this volume shows a tendency to become vestigial in character.
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