STUPIDITY. 119 



relief by cultivation, just as they may be repressed or per- 

 verted by cruelty. Chateaubriand, too, had a high opinion 

 of the moral character of the donkey, and thus wrote : f I 

 have a prodigious liking for asses, and have for a long time 

 been their defender.' In the wild state the ass shows such 

 qualities as a sense and use of discipline ; while in domesti- 

 cation, when properly trained and kindly used, it displays 

 such powers or aptitudes as 



1. The opening of gates, including the lifting of gate or 

 door latches, by means of its teeth (Watson) . ' There was 

 not a gate about the place but he would open it/ says Wood 

 of a certain donkey. 



2. Way-finding over unknown country. 



3. Sense of danger, with due caution and precautions in 

 its presence. 



4. Obedience, perseverance, alacrity, steadiness and re- 

 gularity in work. 



5. General ingenuity in difficulty or emergency. 



6. Patient endurance of ill-usage. 



7. Affection to its master, expressed sometimes by at- 

 tempted caresses, by throwing its forepaws round his neck. 



8. Behaviour at man's table, partaking of his food and 

 drink, taking tea with him ( c Animal World '). 



In short, it is frequently only too clever for stupid man ; 

 and those familiar with its aptitudes, as developed by proper 

 training or treatment, may be disposed to agree with Wood 

 that the ass really ' is one of the most intelligent animals in 

 the world.' 



Two other familiar domestic animals of the utmost im- 

 portance to man share with the ass the reputation of 

 stupidity, to wit, the sheep and the pig. Of the argali or 

 mountain sheep of Central Asia, ' the Mongols told us that 

 if they placed some conspicuous object such as a piece of 

 clothing to attract their attention, they would remain 

 motionless while the hunter stalked them without difficulty. 

 I myself successfully tried the experiment, by suspending a 

 red shirt 011 the top of a ramrod, which I stuck into the 

 ground, and in this way arrested the attention of a 

 frightened herd.' Moreover, ' if one of a herd fall lifeless, 



