Plea for mercy to animals / by James Macauley.

  • James Macaulay
Date:
[1875]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Plea for mercy to animals / by James Macauley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    50/168 page 46
    to her satisfaction, she returned to her companions, and requested the cow’s attention by tapping her gently on the shoulder, first with her hoof, and then with the head. The cow then followed her conductor to the invalided part of the fence, and the pair having attentively surveyed it together, went back for the heifers, after which, the old mare setting the example, the rest followed her over the gap, and found themselves (literally) “ in clover.” It would not be difficult to translate the quadruped ideas and language here into our own tongue. First, we may suppose the reflection of the old lady to be something like this : “ The vegetation in that field looks particularly rich and good ; it makes one’s mouth water. I’ll just go round and see if there’s no way of getting in.” Then, having discovered the suitable spot—no selfish desire to leap the fence unobserved, and feast, like Jack Horner, all in a corner by herself, but— “ I’ll go and tell the cow, and bring her to look at the place.” This done, the two consult together, and agree that “ it will do veiy nicely ; but we mustn’t leave these poor young things in the lurch; they must share in the feast; let us go back for them.” If these were not exactly the reasoning processes that took place, the initiatory movements and final result lead us to conclude that they must have been very similar. A very interesting anecdote is related by Frederic Cuvier, showing not only great power of memory, but also strong attachment in an animal generally supposed to be destitute of all good qualities—the wolf. A gentleman had trained up one from infancy till he was as tractable _as a dog, would follow him about whenever allowed, and become quite low-spirited when he was absent. Being compelled to leave home, his master made him over to the Menagerie du Roi, where he at first drooped and refused to eat, but gradually became more recon- ciled to the situation. After the lapse of a year and a half his
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3