THEIR INTERPRETATION BY MAN. 341 



is dominant. Thus weariness of life may overcome in old 

 dogs the natural love of life or the tendency in all animals 

 to self-preservation, leading occasionally to suicide ; just as 

 maternal affection prevails over a selfish and it may be 

 added prudent regard for personal safety in the stork or 

 other bird that perishes with its young rather than leave 

 them to themselves in a conflagration. 



As in man, in a large number of cases, motives in other 

 animals are obviousl} r numerous, conflicting, and complex ; 

 and, in proportion as they are so, it becomes difficult to 

 determine, on the one hand, what influences are present, and 

 on the other, which of them is dominant. It is in this 

 group of cases of conduct determined by complexity of 

 motive that man is apt to err most in his interpretations or 

 analyses of, or inferences from, animal conduct. 



In the first place, the apparent motive, or motives, may 

 not be the real ones ; those which alone appear may not be 

 the only ones. Illustrations of this proposition are so 

 abundant that it must suffice to give a few as typical of 

 the kind, variety, and number of those which might be 

 adduced. 



When a dog saves the life of its tipsy master, who is 

 perishing in the snow, by laying itself upon or beside its 

 master's body, and thereby imparting its own heat, it is 

 obvious that the incident is capable of various explanations. 

 The motive of action may have been one of several, or there 

 may have been a combination of several, motives. The 

 explanation most apt to be adopted the motive most likely 

 to be assigned in such a case is that which is least credit- 

 able to the lower, and least derogatory to the higher, 

 animal. It is suggested probably that there could have 

 been no idea of life-saving on the part of the dog no 

 realisation of its master's danger, and consequently no de- 

 vising of means of averting it or protecting him. There 

 was, perhaps, a mere selfish consultation of its own comfort 

 even a stupid ignorance of the kind and amount of danger 

 to both its master and itself. So far from desiring to impart 

 heat, its object, it may be alleged, was to withdraw it in its 

 own favour. But, on the other hand, the conduct was pecu- 



