CONCEENING THE COW HEESELF 19 



getting his first meal out of a tin pail, yet the com- 

 ing of the mother with just a low mother-call or a 

 caressing touch of her tongue would almost in- 

 stantly find the calf alert and ready for a meal 

 from her udder. The lamb seems to look out on 

 this cold world with different vision, and if long 

 neglected by its mother announces the fact to 

 everybody by piteous baby cries or bleating. 



It seems remarkable that the new-bom calf con- 

 trives to nurse as quickly as it does. Usually 

 within an hour or two after birth, with wide un- 

 seeing eyes and wobbly uncertain footsteps, he 

 staggers against his mother and promptly finds his 

 way to her full udder. Of course, under modem 

 dairy conditions, the calf is allowed to nurse in 

 nature's way for only a day or two at longest and 

 then is suddenly and rudely snatched from the 

 maternal fount forever and compelled to take his 

 meals out of a bucket supplied by a man in over- 

 alls. The greatest wonder is how rapidly he man- 

 ages to accommodate himself to changed condi- 

 tions. For untold generations the calf has learned 

 to look up and search when it is hungry. We com- 

 pel him to do the diametrically opposite thing, to 

 look down and drink with its nose at the level of 

 its feet. No wonder we think it stupid and some- 

 times lose our temper, yet generally from three 

 to six tactful lessons will sufQce to establish the 

 new habit. It is commonly said that the calves of 

 our special dairy breeds learn to drink more 



