WAYS OF NATURE 
said that an iron hoop or wagon-tire placed around a 
setting hen in the woods will protect her from the 
foxes. 
Animals are afraid on general principles. Any- 
thing new and strange excites their suspicions. In 
a herd of animals, cattle, or horses, fear quickly be- 
comes a panic and rages like a conflagration. Cattle- 
men in the West found that any little thing at night 
might kindle the spark in their herds and sweep the 
whole mass away in a furious stampede. Each ani- 
mal excites every other, and the multiplied fear of 
the herd is something terrible. Panics among men 
are not much different. 
In a discussion like the present one, let us use 
words in their strict logical sense, if possible. Most 
of the current misconceptions in natural history, as 
in other matters, arise from a loose and careless use 
of words. One says teach and train and instruct, 
when the facts point to instinctive imitation or 
unconscious communication. 
That the young of all kinds thrive better and 
develop more rapidly under the care of their parents 
than when deprived of that care is obvious enough. 
It would be strange if it were not so. Nothing can 
quite fill the place of the mother with either man or 
bird or beast. The mother provides and protects. 
The young quickly learn of her through the natural 
instinct of imitation. They share her fears, they fol- 
low in her footsteps, they look to her for protection; 
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