THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. II7 



this sometimes, not to the benefit or exclusive interest of their human 

 proprietors, in fact they are rather apt sometimes to improve on his 

 teaching and to carry the morale of his tuitions beyond the point of 

 strict economics and strict regard to the thriftiness of field crops. 



In their emotional nature, too, we may see that they display 

 more than a faint copy of semi-human traits. In their devotion lo 

 their young offspring — ^in their sympathy with each other in moments 

 of danger — in their demonstrations of hope, fear, indignation 

 and revenge they give evidence of a long memory and an inva- 

 riable inclination to pay off old scores. In fact there would seem to 

 be no reason to doubt the rationality of brutes — that is, their capa- 

 bility of inferring results from past experience. 



In brutes, as in human beings, there is a gradual accumulation 

 of experience, beginning at the zero level of birth, and culminating 

 in a degree of sagacity that keeps the inventiveness of the stockman 

 on the alert to baffle and out-manoeuvre. The young calf has not only 

 instinct, but an inquiring gaze may be noticed in its eyes on the 

 approach of a moving object, and its mental acquisitions ascend 

 through a scale of faculties that seem identical with those of psycho- 

 logical growth in a child. "^ 



In the adult ox or cow we can see a change of attitude and plan 

 of operations, in conformity with a change of surrounding circum- 

 stances, and they have much self-will and adaptability in overcoming 

 opposing influences. 



Hunger and thirst are the impelling energies of their lives — 

 and in the animal world the whole tuition of seniors seems to con- 

 sist in imparting to the young the knowledge of what to seek and 

 what to avoid. They teach them not to trust to appearances, that 

 the world is full of snares and illusions, and that eternal vigilance 

 and suspicion is the price of safety. This is more obviously true of 

 wild or semi-wild animals, and cattle that roam the wild woods are 

 much more noted for cunning and acuteness and abundance of re- 

 sources than such as are waited on and regularly fed by the stock- 

 keeper. 



A well known source of expense and trouble to the farmer 

 is the tendency of animals to jump over or to break down fences. 

 This quality is called " breachiness" and animals that have a strong 

 tincture of the propensity get a bad name, and are deteriorated in 

 value. They learn this trick by degrees. Sometimes, when chased 



