228 ANIMALS AT WORK AND PL A Y 



wild, but among domesticated species, and appears 

 in the competition of the latter with the former. 

 Had the white man's cattle not been available to 

 compete with the red man's bison, the whites might 

 have domesticated the bison, instead of killing him 

 off to make room for the more useful domestic 

 species. Had the wild ancestors of our cattle not 

 proved more useful when tamed than those of the 

 still wild aurochs, the latter might be fattening for 

 Christmas beef, while the former survived only in 

 the forests of Esthonia. 



Two obvious instances of animals whose instinct, 

 when wild, is certainly not benevolent to other 

 species, occur. The dog, when wild, whether as 

 wolf or 'hunting dog,' is the inveterate foe of all 

 those kinds with which he has to live in domestica- 

 tion, and the cat is by nature hostile to the whole 

 class of domesticated birds. These anti-domestic 

 instincts have never yet been completely lost by 

 either, but are held in check in the case of the 

 dog, by intelligence and quick sympathy with the 

 desires of man ; in the case of the cat, mainly by 

 intelligence also, and the fear of punishment. The 

 sheep-killing instinct is never wholly eradicated from 

 the canine brain. It breaks out among all breeds 

 of dog, and is often indulged with curious cunning 

 and consciousness of criminal intent. Few domestic 



