Chap. III.] MORAL SENSE. 73 



Now one of the largest males, a true hero, came down 

 again from the mountain, slowly went to the young one, 

 coaxed him, and triumphantly led him away — the dogs 

 being too much astonished to make an attack. I cannot 

 resist giving another scene which was witnessed by this 

 same naturalist ; an eagle seized a young Cercopithecus, 

 which, by clinging to a branch, was not at once carried 

 off; it cried loudly for assistance, upon which the other 

 members of the troop with much uproar rushed to the 

 rescue, surrounded the eagle, and pulled out so many 

 feathers, that he no longer thought of his prey, but only 

 how to escape. This eagle, as Brehm remarks, assuredly 

 would never again attack a monkey in a troop. 



It is certain that associated animals have a feeling: of 

 love for each other which is not felt by adult and non- 

 social animals. How far in most cases they actually 

 sympathize with each other's pains and pleasures is more 

 doubtful, especially with respect to the latter. Mr. Bux- 

 ton, however, who had excellent means of observation, 9 

 states that his macaws, which lived free in Norfolk, took 

 " an extravagant interest" in a pair with a nest, and, when- 

 ever the female left it, she was surrounded by a troop 

 " screaming horrible acclamations in her honor." It is 

 often difficult to judge whether animals have any feeling 

 for each other's sufferings. Who can say what cows feel, 

 when they surround and stare intently on a dying or dead 

 companion ? That animals sometimes are far from feeling 

 any sympathy is too certain ; for they will expel a wound- 

 ed animal from the herd, or gore or worry it to death. 

 This is almost the blackest fact in natural history, unless 

 indeed the explanation which has been suggested is true, 

 that their instinct or reason leads them to expel an in- 

 jured companion, lest beasts of prey, including man, 

 should be tempted to follow the troop. In this case their 



9 'Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist.' November, 1868, p. 382. 



