THE COUNTRY HOME [CHAPTER 
to undertake to comprehend their methods of ex- 
pression. An acute observer tells us that she 
watched her cat feeding two kittens. Each kitten 
could understand the call of its mother, when she 
brought a mouse, and never responded when the 
other one was summoned. Youatt asserted that two 
hounds which he possessed understood French; 
it is more likely that he thoroughly understood dog 
language. Prof. Evans thinks that an animal 
language could be constructed, by using which we 
could communicate with quite a range of the higher 
mammals. 
Animal language is, at its base, precisely the 
same as our own; it is only in its evolution that it 
has differentiated into unlike channels. Bayard 
Taylor tells us that the Hindoos and Arabs always 
talk to their elephants and camels as if they were 
human. ‘Taylor himself found that, by talking to 
his dromedary, the animal after a few months cer- 
tainly did understand much that he said. Going 
to Barnum’s Museum, Taylor saw the hippopot- 
amus looking very dejected; when he spoke to him 
in Arabic, saying, “I know you; come here to me,”’ 
the huge animal at once turned his head; and when 
the words were repeated, it came up to Taylor and 
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