MENTAL DIFFERENCE AND DISORDER. 239 



placed animal (Low). The latter may merely imagine itself 

 displaced or supplanted in a master's affections ; and hence 

 its jealousy may be groundless. This, however, does not 

 render the emotion less acute, less powerful or dangerous. 

 The ostrich is liable to sudden fits of jealousy, begetting 

 domestic quarrels sometimes fatal or serious mutilations 

 of, or injury to, each other. And in other birds fierce, even 

 murderous, attacks on each other are the occasional fruits of 

 the same evil passion (Darwin). 



An instructive instance of jealousy and its results in the 

 cat has been given by Pierquin. In various respects there 

 was first a marked change of character, including a gradual 

 loss of affection for her young, whom she at first simply 

 avoided. Then their approach caused anger, expressed by 

 biting, followed by hatred. Next she killed one favourite 

 kitten after another. She now became sad or melancholy, 

 easily frightened, full of fears, solitary in her habits, refusing 

 her usual caresses. And all, we are assured, apparently 

 from jealousy at the growing attention bestowed by her 

 mistress on her own kittens. 



To appreciate such an incident or history, to be able to 

 judge of the morbidity of feeling it illustrates, one must 

 remember how ready the mother cat usually is to display her 

 progeny ; how she glories in her maternity, and glorifies her 

 young, as the human mother adores her babe, obviously 

 seeing beauties in them worthy, in her estimation, of general 

 admiration ; and how she takes every means of soliciting and 

 securing it either by bringing her kittens under a mistress's 

 notice in the drawing-room, or by leading her to admire 

 them in their litter or lair. 



Jealousy is a common feature of certain male animals at 

 the rutting season, and it is this passion in great measure 

 that provokes their fury in their combats for possession of 

 the female. 



Jealousy is important in its relation to the development 

 of unjust or unfounded suspiciousness or suspicions, and the 

 consequent punishment or revenge, as well as of delusions of 

 suspicion or fear. 



Both rivalry and jealousy, then, which are so frequently, 



