2i8 CHILDHOOD OF ANIMALS 



been changed by domestication, but that spirit and independence 

 have been bred out of the race by getting rid of the adults which 

 showed " vice/' the name that we apply to the qualities that do 

 not suit us. Tapirs, in my opinion, are stupid and rather un- 

 interesting animals. The young follow the mothers closely, and 

 parents and young interchange little shrill piping noises. Orphan 

 young tapirs will attach themselves to a keeper. They are harmless, 

 inoffensive creatures, but as they grow up become rather shy of 

 human beings. Two young but well-grown Malay tapirs, which 

 came to the London Zoological Gardens in 1912, allowed me to 

 handle them, to rub and slap their backs and necks the first time 

 I went into their enclosure. 



The relations between a young hippopotamus and its mother 

 are intimate and long continued. I have seen very little of young 

 hippopotami and nothing at all of baby ones, but so far as I have 

 been able to find out, they are friendly and docile. The full-grown 

 animals, although they know their keepers well, are not to be trusted, 

 and if given the chance, would charge and do serious injury. The 

 young of all the swine and of the peccaries become tame almost 

 at once and show great affection for their owners. Young peccaries, 

 wart-hogs and river-hogs have often been brought to the London 

 Zoological Gardens by persons who had obtained them when they 

 were mere babies, and who all speak with delight of their intelligence 

 and devotion. As they are powerful, extremely active, and able 

 to give most dangerous wounds when they are full grown, familiarity 

 with them is generally dropped as they grow up, but they continue 

 to recognise their owners and to show pleasure at their presence for 

 many years. 



Although camels have been domesticated for so long that 

 the truly wild animal is unknown to exist, they have never 

 really become tame. They know their masters and obey them 

 within limits, but most of them are ready to bite at any time and 

 do not discriminate between friend and stranger. Young camels, 

 certainly, are moderately docile and show some cupboard affection 

 for those who feed them. The South American llama and alpaca 

 have been domesticated almost as long as camels, but are less 

 obstinate and more gentle. The wild forms of them, the small 

 vicugna and the larger huanaco, are much more intelligent. They 

 are extraordinarily active, rearing on their hind-legs, and dancing 

 in the most curious ways. They recognise those who feed them, 

 and the single males of each species now alive in the London 



