A STUDY IN ANIMAL CHARACTER 



A WELL-KNOWN naturalist declares that 

 " among animals there is not the same 

 diversity of individual character as among 

 men, nor the same variety ; all the in- 

 dividuals of one species are cast pretty much in the 

 same simple mould." It is true that the character of 

 birds and beasts is less complex than that of human 

 beings ; nevertheless, among the higher animals there 

 is sufficient complexity of character to allow of very 

 great variation. So far from animals of the same 

 species being cast in the same mould, they often 

 exhibit very marked differences in manners, habits, 

 temperament, and tastes. Just as no two creatures are 

 alike in bodily form, so do no twain exactly resemble 

 one another in temperament. 



A stroll in the garden will furnish evidence of this. 

 You come upon a company of "seven sisters" rummag- 

 ing among dried leaves and picking up unconsidered 

 trifles. The birds are, of course, keeping up a running 

 conversation. Babblers, like Madrassi coolies, can do 

 nothing without singing and shouting. One of the 

 little company catches sight of you and informs his 

 friends of your presence. The more timid of the 



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