68 ADVENTURES AMONG BIRDS 



other cases the advances are resented, and if persisted 

 in will develop a quite savage animosity 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 sometimes 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 some one 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 would stand for a few moments, 

 touching noses, which is the horse's way of kissing or 

 expressing affection. They would then go quietly back 

 together to the others and begin grazing side by side. 



