116 THE PLAY OF ANIMALS. 



back on the snow. However, this forms a companion 

 piece to the tale of the chamois. 



The effort of puppies to walk is the first manifesta- 

 tion of movement play. At first they can only creep 

 about with difficulty, and when they learn to stand up, 

 an attempt to bark is enough to upset them. As soon as 

 they can stand decently they at once try to gallop, 

 usually in a slanting direction. By constant practice the 

 necessary accuracy is gained for carrying on their chas- 

 ing and fighting games. 



The play of grown dogs in water is noteworthy. 

 The Newfoundland especially is such an enthusiastic 

 swimmer that he has been known to leap from a bridge 

 to get to his beloved element. However, as most of the 

 play of dogs belongs in another category I shall not 

 dwell on it here, except to record what in our fam- 

 ily we call the run-fever, the aimless and objectless 

 running about that is to be observed of little dogs in a 

 large room, but of large dogs only in the open air. He 

 tears about wildly, mostly in curves, though our fox 

 terrier loves to dash off straight as a line to a great dis- 

 tance till he is lost to the eye of his vainly whistling mas- 

 ter. It might be said that this points to imaginary prey,* 

 and that this is accordingly a chase play rather than 

 a movement play. Eomanes tells of a poodle, named 

 Watch, that belonged to the Archbishop of Canterbury, 

 that hunted for imaginary pigs when he heard the word 

 called out. He went so far as to beg to be let out, run- 

 ning to the door for the purpose, and rushing out with- 

 out any further instigation than that the word " pigs " 

 should be mentioned. It is difficult to determine 

 whether he really imagined the pigs or not, but such 



* Or perhaps in some cases an imaginary flock to collect. 



