146 DOMESTICATED ANIMALS 



keen sympathy which they exhibit with the sufferings of their 

 own kind and the willingness with which they encounter dan- 

 ger in protecting their comrades. It usually requires close 

 observation for the naturalist to determine the existence of 

 this motive among the other wild or domesticated mammals. 

 In fact, the traces of it are very slight indeed, and are gener- 

 ally to be attributed to the care of parents for offspring or of 

 the males for their harem a disposition which, though akin to 

 the defence of the kind, is nevertheless of a special and 

 peculiar nature. Even among our domestic dogs, whose 

 sympathies have been developed in a remarkable degree and 

 who will sacrifice their lives to defend or rescue the human 

 beings with whom they are familiar, there appears to be but 

 little disposition to support members of their species who 

 may be assailed. With pigs, however, as is well known to 

 all those who have observed their habits, the characteristic 

 cry of distress of their fellows proves very exciting and stim- 

 ulates all the adults, both male and female, who hear it to 

 hasten in defence of their kinsmen. It is a noteworthy fact 

 that while most other animals when in danger utter no dis- 

 tinct or continuous cry, the pig gives voice in a vociferous 

 and insistent manner, as if he had a right to expect the 

 sympathy and help of his species. The cry goes with the 

 custom of defence which in this species has attained a bet- 

 ter foundation in the sympathetic motives than in any other 

 mammal below the level of man. 



It is perhaps due to their relatively high intellectual 

 organization that the excessively domesticated pigs are 

 liable to suffer from attacks of mania. This is most com- 

 monly exhibited by the sows, which at times will destroy 

 their young shortly after they are born. The sight of their 



