ANIMAL REPUTATION. 95 



Even more loathed than the serpent, an animal that 

 inspires in most men a feeling of intense disgust is the toad. 

 Nevertheless, Jesse assures us, ' everything about a toad is 

 worthy of our attention all that he is and all that he does.' 

 It affords aid to its maimed brother ; and if it does not wear 

 outwardly, as is alleged by fancy and fiction, ( a jewel in its 

 head,' it shows certain excellencies of moral or intellectual 

 character ( Percy Anecdotes '). 



The hedgehog is usually regarded as a mere animate ball, 

 a, thing for boys to pelt; but it is tamable, becoming 

 quite domestic (Baird) ; acquires a familiarity with persons, 

 distinguishes them by their voices or otherwise, and answers 

 their calls (Jardine). 



The dove, with its olive branch, is regarded as the em- 

 blem of peace and innocence. The philosopher is made to 

 say 



In parental care and nuptial love 

 I know my duties from the dove. 



We liken the course of ' true love ' to the ' billing and cooing ' 

 of the pigeon, and popular imagination finds it almost im- 

 possible to conceive anything unamiable as attachable to the 

 dove or pigeon. Nevertheless the facts are these : White 

 tells us of the fieriness or ferocity of certain young ones 

 of their general wildness of demeanour being such as to 

 frighten their foster-mothers and prevent their being fed, 

 and so of their dying of starvation. Other authors describe 

 the male dove as a regular libertine, instead of a pattern 

 of marital or conjugal affection and constancy. 



Watson gives the case of a female deserting her mate ; 

 of the return of the faithless partner, who was refused re- 

 admission to marital favour ; of the use of her arts and 

 efforts to regain the lost regard, to revive the conjugal af- 

 fection of the justly offended spouse; of her importunity, 

 ending in her at last forcing her way into the nest, her old 

 home; of her death, probably from disappointment at the 

 failure of all her attempts at restitution to her old place in 

 her husband's affections ; and then, and not till then, of the 

 remarriage or re-mating of the widower. He also cites an 

 instance of a female deserting a mate forced on her, and 

 his young, to return to her ' first love.' So that the character 



