298 THE PLAY OF ANIMALS. 



key, * Kees," of stealing eggs. " So I hid myself one 

 day to watch, when the cackling of the hens proved that 

 they had laid. Kees was sitting on a cart, but as 

 soon as he heard the first cackle he jumped down to 

 get the egg. When he saw me he stood still at once 

 and affected an attitude of great indifference, swayed 

 on his hind legs for a while, and tried to look very 

 artless. In short, he used every means to put me off 

 the track and conceal his intentions."* Tame ele- 

 phants evince remarkable talents in this direction, 

 which are utilized in capturing others. Sir E. Ten- 

 nent describes a female elephant who excelled in this 

 game. " She was a most accomplished decoy, and 

 evinced the utmost relish for the sport. Having en- 

 tered the corral noiselessly, carrying a mahout on her 

 shoulders with the headman of the noosers seated be- 

 hind him, she moved slowly along with a sly com- 

 posure and an assumed air of easy indifference; saunter- 

 ing leisurely in the direction of the captives, and halt- 

 ing now and then to pluck a bunch of grass or a few 

 leaves as she passed," etc.f When a pair of wolves 

 fall upon a flock the female often draws the attention 

 of the dogs to herself and lets them chase her while the 

 male seizes the prey. J; K. Euss says after describing 

 the diseases of parrots: " Some of the cleverest and 

 best-talking birds will sham sickness in a manner 

 that seems incredible. Careful scientific observation, 



imaginary game if he wished to take a direction different from the 

 one followed by the guide. 



* H. 0. Lenz, Gemeinnutzige Naturgeschichte, vol. i, p. 50. 



f E. Tennent, Natural History of Ceylon, pp. 181-194. See 

 Romanes, Animal Intelligence, p. 402. 



X Leroy, Lettres philosophique sur l'intelligence et la perfecti- 

 bilite des animaux, p. 24. 



