THE PLAY OF ANIMALS. 113 



Young bears are exceedingly playful. One that I 

 watched for a long time galloped with indefatigable 

 energy around the great kennel, directing his course 

 through the water pool each time. His noisy splashing 

 seemed to give him particular pleasure. The young 

 badgers in Regent's Park, London, amuse visitors by 

 turning somersaults hundreds of times in succession in 

 the same spot. The wild buck gives expression to its 

 joy in graceful, sportive leaps.* Such leaps, alternating 

 with tearing madly around, are expressions of well-being 

 which so intoxicate the young hare that his worst enemy, 

 the fox, creeps up unawares. Buffaloes, tapirs, and 

 crocodiles sport in the water as night comes on. The 

 leaping of young horses, asses, sheep, and goats is fa- 

 miliar. A phenomenon pointed out to me by Director 

 Seitz illustrates how closely such movement plays are 

 connected with habits which are indispensable in the 

 serious struggle for life. He writes: " It is my impres- 

 sion that, in general, the play of animals exercises them 

 in directions that will be useful for them in the neces- 

 sary struggle for existence. The gazelle practises long 

 jumping and leaping over bushes; goats and sheep, that 

 live in mountains, the direct high jump." Many will be 

 surprised to find an explanation for such goat leaps, 

 which usually make us laugh, and are certainly extraor- 

 dinary movements and wholly inexplicable on level 

 ground. They are, however, necessary practice for life 

 in rocky hills. 



" A two-weeks-old goat," says Lenz, " not satisfied 

 with the remarkable leaping record which he had al- 

 ready made, had the greatest desire to attempt break- 

 neck feats. His motto was 'Excelsior.' His greatest 



* A. and K. Muller, Thiere der Heimath, i, p. 422. 



