FRIENDSHIP IN ANIMALS 67 



which is like an infatuation, and who is happy if his 

 presence is tolerated and who will go on day after 

 day for weeks and months following the indifferent 

 one about. In other cases the advances are resented, 

 and if persisted in will develop a quite savage ani- 

 mosity in their object, resulting in bites and kicks 

 or blows with whatever weapon Nature may have 

 endowed the species. 



All these actions may be easily observed in our 

 domestic animals and are common enough, although 

 probably not nearly so common in England as in the 

 pastoral countries where the animals are not housed 

 and fed, but are allowed to lead a semi-independent 

 life. I have said that I first observed friendship in 

 horses. We usually kept fifteen or twenty, and as 

 the country was all open then, our horses did some- 

 times take advantage of their liberty to clear out 

 altogether; as a rule they kept to their own grazing 

 ground within a mile or so of home, and when a fresh 

 horse or horses were wanted someone was sent to 

 drive the troop in. As a boy who wanted to spend at 

 least half of every day on horseback I went after the 

 troop very often and grew to be very familiar with 

 their little ways. There were always horses in the 

 troop that went in couples, and who were chums and 

 inseparable. After one of a couple had been in use 

 for some hours or for a day, on being liberated he 

 would gallop off in quest of the troop and on catching 

 sight of them neigh aloud to announce his coming. 

 Then his chum would neigh in response and start 

 off at a trot to meet him, and meeting him the two 



