208 THE PLAY OF ANIMALS. 



act of one animal spreads through the whole company 

 like a sudden contagion. Very often, and especially 

 in the courtship plays, what is at first taken up in a 

 mere spirit of imitation becomes the sharpest rivalry. 



It is difficult to speak w^ith assurance in this matter, 

 of the larger mammals especially, but I have no doubt 

 whatever that the mad rushing of great herds of wild 

 horses, deer, and goats that is so common on the plains 

 is as often the result of a general desire to play as of 

 apprehended danger. When one cow in a herd leaps 

 down the slope where they are grazing, a large part of 

 the herd will often follow with sportive bounds and 

 mock fighting. Even a drove of pigs will show play- 

 ful movements that are infectious; the wild gambols 

 of seals and dolphins have already been instanced. 

 Hudson saw a very beautiful game played by a number 

 of weasels. " They were of the common larger kind 

 of w^easel {Galidis tarbara), about the size of cats, and 

 engaged in a performance that suggested dancing, 

 which so absorbed their attention that they did not no- 

 tice me when I came within four or five metres of 

 them to see what they were doing. It proved to be a 

 chase on a deserted viscacha mound; they all, about 

 a dozen in number, ran swiftly across. Jumping over 

 the holes, turned at the end of the mound and came 

 flying back without ever colliding with one another, 

 though they were apparently beside themselves with ex- 

 citement, and their paths crossed at every possible angle. 

 It was all done so quickly and with such constant 

 changing of direction that I found it impossible to fol- 

 low a single animal with my eye, however hard I 

 tried.^^ * 



* The Naturalist in La Plata, p. 384. 



