Mind in Animals. 375 



upon them, and that they felt it as such their looks only too 

 strongly testified. There was a relish of delight in it for the 

 cock, for the cackle, which he immediately gave, assured me 

 of this fact as much as the laugh of a man could have done 

 who had played such a joke upon one of his fellows. 



Parrots are much given to practical joking, after the ways 

 of mankind. A parrot, belonging to an aunt, had a bad habit 

 of whistling for a dog, and then enjoying the animal's bewil- 

 derment and discomfiture. She would call the cat, as her 

 mistress was accustomed to do, and when puss would come, 

 expecting some dainty article of food, she would call out in 

 her severest tone, " Be off, you hussy !" and the cat would 

 make all possible speed for. a place of security, greatly to the 

 amusement of the parrot from her perch in the cage. There 

 have been known parrots that would play practical jokes 

 upon human beings, but dogs and cats seem to be the prin- 

 cipal victims of the parrot's sense of humor. 



Animals not only show their playfulness in such tricks as 

 have been mentioned, but many of them are able to appreciate 

 and take part in the games played by children. When I 

 was a boy I knew a dog, a species of greyhound, which was 

 an accomplished player at the well-known game called tag, 

 or touch. Quite as much enthusiasm was displayed by the 

 animal as by any of the human players. He would dart 

 away from the boy who happened to be " touch " with an 

 anxiety that almost appeared terror. It was an impossibility 

 to touch the clever canine player ; but he was a generous 

 creature, with a strong sense of justice, and so, when he 

 thought that his turn ought to come, he would stand still 

 and wait quietly to be touched. His manner of touching 

 his play-fellows was always by grasping the end of their 

 trousers with his teeth, and as it was impossible for the boy 

 to stop when so seized in full course, the dog was often 

 jerked along the ground for some little distance. 



Hide-and-seek is a game which is often learned and en- 

 joyed by many animals. I have often been an interested 



