112 THE PLAY OF ANIMALS. 



making bounds that brought him to one wall of his cage, 

 Avhere he quickly turned and sj^rang back, landing in 

 the middle of the floor, then to the other wall and back 

 — in short, describing the figure 8, and with such rapid- 

 ity that its outline seemed to be formed of the animal's 

 body/' * 



A caged fox that I have observed behaved in the 

 same way, except that his motion was in a circle, because 

 on leaping to one wall he rebounded to the opposite one, 

 and only then came to the floor. Every visitor to zo- 

 ological gardens or menageries is familiar with the tiger's 

 ceaseless walking up and dow^n, the constant waving to 

 and fro of the badger's and bear's fore paws, and other 

 such motions. They are all playful, and are the best 

 possible examples of discharge of superabundant nerve 

 force; for, of course, caged animals do not have a suffi- 

 cient outlet for their energies. However, the kind of 

 movement is not determined by outward circumstances, 

 but, like all play, rests on an instinctive basis. A hunter, 

 cited by Tschudi, testifies that the badger when wild and 

 free and especially comfortable waves his fore paws in- 

 dolently. The decidedly rhythmical character of such 

 movements is noteworthy. Indeed, they tend to prove 

 that all free motion unimpeded by other forces is likely 

 to be rhythmical. 



Schlegel tells of a tame leopard that was very fond 

 of children — " especially of a little girl five years old, 

 whom he often jumped over in play, and with such 

 ease that without any preparatory running he crouched 

 and easily bounded higher than the child's head.'' 



* When free, too, the younc: marten is much inrlined to move- 

 ment play, restlessly busyin.e: himself with all sorts of climbing 

 and leaping exercises (A. and K. MuUer, Hohern Thierwelt, p. 75). 



