CHAPTER XXM 



THE MOUSE: A STUDY OF THE EVOLUTION OF 

 DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



]\Ian loves company, not only of his own kind but also that of 

 other animals, and many other animals similarly enjoj' societj^ 

 The dog is one of these. In the wild state it goes in packs and 

 when alone gladlj' attaches itself to man. Such a mutual, 

 social instinct was probabl}' the earhest impulse to associations 

 between man and other animals such as dogs and cats. More- 

 over, man found that certain other animals, which might not 

 share his fireside, could nevertheless be trained to stay about 

 his tent or hut, where they could be utilized for food, for 

 clothing, or for burden-bearing. Thus man came to domesti- 

 cate cattle, goats, sheep, and horses. A list of the more fa- 

 miliar domesticated anunals is as follows : 



Hairy animals (Mammalia): cat, dog, rabbits, guinea-pig, 

 mouse and rats, pig, horse (inclucUng the ass), cattle, llama, 

 camels, sheep, goats, and elephants. 



Birds: canary bird and various finches, paraquets, poultry, 

 pheasants, ducks and geese, guinea-fowl, turkey, ami ostrich. 



Fishes: goldfish. Insects: bee, silkworm. 



Some of these domestic animals deserve a fuller description. 



The cat is a solitary animal with a strong homing instinct. 

 There are several domestic races, such as long-haired, short- 

 haired, and tailless (or Manx). In each of these races there 

 are various color types, — white, black, tortoise-shell, tiger, and 



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