LANGUAGE IN OTHER ANIMALS. 297 



society or presence of man, or of particular men that do not 

 represent their true feelings or thoughts, but are the result 

 of conventionality and constraint. It is quite common, again, 

 for the guilty but quick-witted dog to assume the aspect of 

 ignorance or innocence, and it may require long and close 

 watching to detect and only when it believes itself un- 

 watched by man the little signs by which it betrays itself 

 the furtive look, the slinking gait, the avoidance of man. 



And there are other animals quite as capable as man is 

 of assuming, for the purposes of deceit, such looks or mien 

 as will serve to throw man himself, or their animal enemies 

 or prey, off their guard. 



While, as a rule, and especially in young animals, there 

 is an obvious outward demonstration or demonstrativeness 

 of feeling ; and while also there are cases mostly in mature 

 and experienced animals in which there is, for some specific 

 purpose, a successful repression of emotion, there are certain 

 other cases in which there is simply, for various reasons, a 

 non-expression of wants, desires, or ideas. Such animals do not 

 give natural vent to their feelings ; they are not naturally 

 demonstrative ; they are what in man would be called cold 

 and self-contained, stolid, indifferent, impassive. This con- 

 dition, however, when it exists, is generally the fruit of 

 mental defect or disorder ; in other words, it is morbid in its 

 character. 



Such animals find their human analogues in many savage 

 races, and in many individuals among civilised peoples. 



Thus Wallace says, ' In character the Malay is impas- 

 sive. . . . He is not demonstrative. His feelings of surprise, 

 admiration, or fear are never openly manifested, and are 

 probably not strongly felt.' 



Among the most interesting features of animal language 

 are the fact that and the means by which such animals as the 

 dog make themselves intelligible to man for instance, by 



1. Attracting his attention to themselves, their young, 

 or other animals ; to things, persons, places, or events. 



2. Making reports to him of the occurrence of events, 

 involving the communication of information or intelligence. 



3. Issuing invitations to him to go to a given place. 



