Guard Dogs 185 



scarcely be said to possess a spoken language, or even 

 distinctly articulate speech. In certain cases, their lan- 

 guage, of whatever character, is very limited and rudi- 

 mentary. Thus, certain aborigines of Borneo, have no 

 language of their own, and only learn with great labour 

 to pronounce a few Malay words. Savage peoples have 

 frequently mnemonic signs ; the language of expression 

 in them is much the same as it is in many animals. Thus, 

 their mode of salutation or greeting is not more expressive, 

 consisting as it does either of 



i. Some simple gesture. 



2. Touching noses, or 



3. Rubbing other parts of the body against each other. 



" All their language consists of mere inarticulate sounds 

 of the nature of shrieks— i.e., in certain natives of the 

 Philippine Islands, or among the South African Bushmen. 

 Brazilian Boto Kudos speak little to one another, but 

 rather mutually grunt and snuffle. The Apache Indian 

 speaks little, rather in gesture than in sounds. The speech 

 of the Fans of Western Africa, is a collection of gut- 

 turals, unintelligible to white races. It can scarcely be 

 called a language in the human sense of that word. The 

 talk of the savages of Borneo and Sumatra, is described as 

 a sort of cackle or croak. Generally, savages are accustomed 

 to talk more by gesture and looks, than by voice. Thus, 

 the Veddas of Ceylon use only signs, grimaces and guttural 

 sounds. Houzeau remarks on the paucity of letter sounds 

 in savage languages." 



In the chapter on Instinct, I have recorded my observa- 

 tions with regard to the influence, exercised on the dog, 

 by the attitude of mind possessed by its master, and also 

 by that of the majority of minds in its particular environ- 



