138 THE PLAY OF ANIMALS. 



chievous ^coon found his opportunity, but as he feared 

 the badger's bite he carefully kept his distance, satisfy- 

 ing himself with touching his victim softly in the rear 

 at regular intervals. This was enough to keep the 

 sleepy badger awake and reduce him to despair. In 

 vain he snapped at his tormentor ; the wary ^coon trotted 

 to the edge of the inclosure, and scarcely had the badger 

 composed himself again before he was at his old tricks.'^ 

 I know from experience that young horses often tease 

 their masters. They will run up, stand very quiet with 

 head held high, then spring back and turn with a 

 menacing air. Scheitlin thus describes their actions: 

 "A young horse chased a company of travellers in a 

 narrow Alpine valley. He allowed them to walk past 

 him undisturbed at first, then galloped after them, sud- 

 denly stood still threateningly, then turned back and 

 pretended to graze, but soon came bounding on again. 

 This was repeated several times to the no small alarm 

 of the travellers, but he was evidently acting from pure 

 mischief, just like a youth in high spirits." * 



Herds of gnus behave in much the same way, so that 

 travellers often have really to run the gauntlet among 

 them. 



Saville Kent contributes the following anecdote 

 about dolphins: "A few dog-fish (Acanthias and Mus- 

 telus) three or four feet long now fell victims to their 

 tyranny, the porpoises seizing them by their tails, and 

 swimming off with and shaking them in a manner 

 scarcely conducive to their comfort or dignified appear- 

 ance. ... On one occasion I Avitnessed the two cetacea 

 acting evidently in concert against one of these un- 

 wieldy fish (skates), the latter swimming close to the 



* Thierseelonlvundc, ii, p. 242. 



