CHAPTER XVII 



ON THE FIRST ATTITUDE OF WILD ANIMALS TOWARDS MAN 



Opportunities for observation rare — Migration of guanaco limited — Guanaco 

 and man — Upright and crawling attitudes — Will allow approach with horses — 

 Tame near farms — Easily domesticated — Curious — Shyness of ostrich — 

 Huemul curious and confiding — Instances — Easily rendered timid — Puma 

 cowardly — Attacks upon man — Tame cubs — Cordillera wolf — Very fearless — 

 Instances — Pampa-fox also fearless, but in less degree — Resume of evidence. 



It will be conceded that few subjects have more interest than the 

 attitude assumed by wild animals towards man on first acquaintance 

 with him. I think it may be claimed that we had exceptional oppor- 

 tunities for the study of this very important question. In most other 

 districts into which white men have passed for the first time, they 

 have usually been preceded by aborigines, who have made that 

 declaration of war which must invariably be given forth between 

 men and fens natures. But in Patagonia, when the beat of the 

 Tehuelches is left behind, there are many places to which one may 

 penetrate where the animals ■ have never before seen man. We 

 here come to a question which is as old as the world — what were 

 the original relations existing between man and beast ? On man's 

 side we know the position ; on that of the wild animal we can 

 rarely obtain evidence at first hand, especially in these latter days, 

 when the earth is overrun and populated in almost every habitable 

 region. 



It will be seen from the description given of Patagonia that 

 some of its remoter portions offer a unique field for observing the 

 effect of man's appearance on the behaviour of animals that have 

 had no previous knowledge of him. These places present some 

 of the few localities left untouched by the presence of human 

 beino-s. The value of any evidence still obtainable as to the bearing 

 of wild creatures when brought into contact with human beings for 



