THE ANIMAL COMMUNITY 5 



may come and go; whole families may depart or 

 die out and be replaced by alien stock; but the 

 village retains a definite unity with a more or less 

 distinct individuality which may persist for 

 decades. 



In such a community as a village, men are as- 

 sociated not only with each other but also with 

 other animals. If in the country, horses and 

 cows are present; cats and dogs are to be found 

 everywhere; they feed on surplus food and pro- 

 vide in their turn companionship and amusement 

 for man; they add to the dirt of his household 

 and spread bacteria and other parasites. Flies 

 rear their young in the offal from larger animals 

 and associate themselves with man even at his 

 meals; mosquitoes breed in water reservoirs and 

 feed on man and other animals. Birds are at- 

 tracted by the shrubs and trees planted by man 

 or to the openings he makes in the surrounding 

 forest; rats and mice are also attracted. Snakes 

 come in to feed upon these. Insects feed upon 

 the growing gardens or orchards and are in turn 

 eaten by other insects; and finally some animals 

 exist without close relations to the human com- 

 munity except that they occupy the same general 

 space. 



Unexpected interlocking of interests occurs 

 between different animals in such a community; 



