THE FLOCKS AND HERDS 107 



experiments which have been made to domesticate this inter- 

 esting- American form. 



The limitations of the domesticating work, the fact that 

 as between two kindred species the one has been chosen by 

 man and the other left, indicate the truth — which is generally 

 of much importance — that the intellectual qualities of animals 

 commonly differ more than their frames. This is a part of the 

 larger fact that with the advance in organization the individu- 

 ality, as regards the whole spiritual field in persons and species 

 alike, becomes greater. The culmination of the tendency is 

 seen in man, where, with bodies which do not vary much, we 

 have an almost infinite range in individual qualities. 



This is perhaps a good place in which to make answer to 

 the suggestion that the domesticability of the animal species 

 is in inverse proportion to their native courage and indepen- 

 dence of mind. The reader will see how fallacious is this 

 common notion if he will consider the quality of the supremely 

 domesticated creature, the dog. There is probably no beast 

 which has a larger share of natural courage and of indepen- 

 dent motive. When not under the control of their masters, 

 they have perhaps as free a contact with nature as any creat- 

 ure in the world ; the same thing may be said of the elephant, 

 which, next to the dog, lends himself most obediently to the 

 requirements of the master. Owing to the power of his huge 

 body and to the ease with which he wins his food, he is in his 

 native wilds the least dependent of land animals. Except 

 from the assaults of man, he has nothing to fear ; yet when 

 enslaved he at once surrenders himself to his captors. In 

 general, it may be said that the true gauge of domesticability 

 is the sympathetic motive, that strange outgoing spirit which 

 leads the mind to recognize the life about it and to accept 



