MEDICAL AND SUEGICAL TKEATMENT 395 



know of the keen observation of facts connected with physical, 

 and even mental conditions in their young, their mates, their 

 companions, their leaders, even in man, there is no room for 

 doubt that notice of the symptoms of disease, and inference 

 as to the dangerousness of given diseases, falls quite within 

 the powers of the dog, cat, and many other animals. They 

 readily read the signs of suffering in man, the signs of cha- 

 racter, even ; they can follow man's moods or feelings, in- 

 terpret his feature-play with such nicety as apparently to 

 foresee and forestall his very intentions ; and there is, there- 

 fore, nothing strange in the supposition that they can equally 

 well read the signs of disease in each other. 



Nor, indeed, is there good ground for doubting that 

 animals can communicate to each other their morbid as well 

 as healthy feelings. Why should we believe for a moment 

 that the free and full intercommunication of ideas, feelings, 

 wants, wishes, is confined to their normal condition or ex- 

 pression ? 



