between Man and all other Animals. 139 



their weal and maintenance, these, in consequence, supersede 

 the necessity of habitual observation ; whence their reasoning 

 even may be independent of experience. Indeed, it is hard 

 to instance a case wherein the conduct of truly wild animals 

 may not be satisfactorily referred to instinctive motives ; but 

 that such cases do occur is shown by eaves swallows (Hirundo 

 urbica) having been known to immure a sitting sparrow that 

 had usurped their nest*; which fact is proved sufficiently to 

 be in nowise referable to instinct, inasmuch as it is contrary 

 to the ordinary habit of the species upon such occasions. It 

 will be readily admitted, however, that such instances are 

 extremely rare exceptions to the general rule; and I imagine 

 there are few who will be disposed to refer the ordinary 

 habits of any species of the lower animals to aught else than 

 original intuition. 



I have yet another phenomenon, which is now, I believe, 

 for the first time introduced to notice. It is the occurrence, 

 in domesticated animals, of what is analogous to idiocy in 

 the human race. Of this I have several instances in poultry, 

 and one in a sheep. It consists in the privation of more or 

 less of that intuitive knowledge which is needed to enable an 

 animal to maintain its existence amid the numerous dangers 

 with which it is naturally surrounded ; dangers against which 

 no experience could suffice to fortify it. The creatures I 

 allude to evinced a listlessness in their deportment strikingly 

 similar to what is commonly observed in human idiots : they 

 sought not the society of their companions ; and one of them, 

 a hen (of which only I can speak from personal observation), 

 would heedlessly wander close before the kennel of a fierce 

 dog, which the other fowls constancy avoided. Whether the 

 dog would have attacked another fowl, I cannot say ; very 

 likely not: but it is a well known fact, that the most savage 

 of the canine race will never attack a human idiot, nor a 

 child, nor a person stupified by intoxication : of the truth of 

 which latter, a most remarkable exemplification lately hap- 

 pened in this neighbourhood ; a drunken stranger having 

 been absolutely permitted to share the straw of a very fierce 

 watch-dog, which those it knows can hardly approach with 

 safety. 



In the foregoing pages, I have all along been considering 

 the diversity of human influence from that of all other orga- 

 nised races, rather in its effects towards these latter, than by 



* Even here it might be objected that man's influence could alone have 

 brought these species into contact ; so hard is it to disentangle ourselves 

 entirely from the meshes of human interference. Such an objection would, 

 however, in this instance, be frivolous. 



