1875]. Animal Depravity. 425 
authenticated instance of a terrier who, in picking a quarrel 
contrived, as skilfully as if trained in the Kanzlei of Prince 
Bismarck to place himself technically in the right. He 
would time his movements so that some passenger should 
stumble over him, and would then fasten on the calf of his 
leg. With a most statesmanlike aptitude he selected the 
aged, the infirm, and the ill-dressed, as the objects of his 
cunningly-planned attacks. Lord Lytton tells us that the 
dog is a gentlemanly animal! 
Closely conne¢ted with quarrelsomeness is the most fiend- 
ish of all man’s failings—overlooked, as it is, by world-bet- 
terers and vice-suppressers—his disposition to give pain, 
bodily or mental, for mere amusement. There are few 
human beings, of the male sex at least, who do not delight 
in tormenting other creatures, whether of their own or of 
some different species.* Yet even this kind of malignity is 
not unshared by man’s poor relations. Fall among wolves, 
and they will kill you for the straightforward purpose of eat- 
ing you. Fall among blue-nosed baboons and they will tor- 
ment you to death “‘just for the fun of the thing.” Could 
a Red Indian, or even a normal English school-boy, greatly 
improve upon this ? 
With the exception of a few genuine—not professional— 
philanthropists, man is remarkable for persecuting such of 
his own species as are unfortunate. This diabolical propen- 
sity shows itself in a variety of forms. ‘‘ Hit him again, 
he has no friends,” is scarcely a parody on the avowed 
opinions of the less hypocritical of the species. Those who 
lay claim to higher culture express their sorrow for the 
calamities of a neighbour by eschewing his society, or per- 
haps even by asking him whether he does not recognise in 
his sufferings a well-merited Divine chastisement ? 
Odious as is this trait of human character, man has no 
monopoly thereof. The wounded wolf is at once devoured by 
his comrades. 
Cattle, both wild and tame, have been observed to gore 
and trample to death a sick or lame member of the herd. 
A rook, accidentally entangled in the twigs of a tree, is 
pecked and buffetted by its fellow-citizens. This, of course, 
has been pronounced ‘“‘ instin¢tive.” Animals, we are 
gravely told, put an end to sufferings which they are power- 
less to alleviate. They do not wish that the herd should be 
encumbered with a sickly or wounded member. Taking 
these explanations for what they are worth, we still ask 
_* When an Englishman talks about amusement, it may be inferred as a 
general rule that he means killing something. 
