THE PLAY OF ANIMALS 225 



gave it up and took to some other amusement. One re- 

 markable thing is that he should take so much trouble 

 to do that which is of no material benefit to him." This 

 last remark is interesting, though it should have been ex- 

 pressed differently. It is part of the essence of play that 

 it is not of direct material benefit. 



Passing from gambol and experiment to somewhat more 

 evolved forms of play, we find that a number of animal 

 games may be summed up under the title " sham-hunt." 

 Into this there seems to enter a psychological element of 

 self -illusion. The booty may be real, as when the cat 

 plays with the mouse, or both the booty and the chase 

 may be fictitious. The sham booty may be living, as 

 when the dog plays with a beetle, or, more commonly, 

 not living, as when the kitten plays with a ball of twine. 



Many naturalists have written concerning the play of 

 a cat with the mouse. It has been interpreted as a whet- 

 ting of the cat's appetite, as a means of improving the 

 flavour of the mouse, and as elaborate cruelty. Romanes, 

 though a man of keen insight, committed himself to 

 the view that it illustrates the delight in torture. Prob- 

 ably these suggestions are all unnecessary. Surely, 

 what we see is just a little game, justified in the present 

 by the repetition of pleasant excitement, justified in the 

 future by the increased dexterity which it develops. When 

 exhibited by cats of mature years, it is perhaps just a 

 relapse into a favourite game of youth and analogues 

 of this may be found among men. It must be remembered 

 that a great many carnivores play just as the cat does. 

 Their play is a practice for their work. 



Another type of play is the sham-fight, which we see so 



often between puppies or kittens. It has been described 



among lions, tigers, hyaenas, wolves, foxes, bears, and other 



carnivores ; among lambs, kids, calves, foals, and other 



15 



