THE POULTRY-YARD. 295 



widely distributed in nature. It is often re- 

 marked that many animals are shrewd judges 

 of character ; and we all recognise how quickly 

 very young children perceive and take advan- 

 tage of intellectual or moral weakness in those 

 about them. Probably to a great extent this 

 readiness of animals to accept man as their 

 superior is due to their perception of the con- 

 fidence which he feels in himself when dealing 

 with creatures of inferior brain power. All who 

 have had much to do with horses know how 

 quickly a rebellious colt recognises the autho- 

 rity of a courageous rider, and how readily 

 also he takes advantasfe of nervousness or in- 

 experience. Man, confident in his superior 

 wits and weapons, encounters animals much 

 stronger and more formidable than himself with 

 a comparatively calm mind and a steadfast eye. 

 Throughout the whole mammalian world there 

 is a remarkable uniformity in the machinery of 

 emotion. This facilitates sympathy, and estab- 

 lishes, to a certain extent, a common language 

 between creatures which are very widely sep- 

 arated in nature, habits, and mental develop- 

 ment. It seems probable that man's moral and 

 mental superiority is chiefly recognised through 



