A CURIOUS TRAIT 199 
steps from hiding and secures and pinions the second 
crow. These two catch two more, the four catch four 
more, and so on, until there are enough for dinner, or 
to take into a town, where the crow-catcher stands 
before some respectable Hindu shop and threatens to 
kill the bird he has in his hand unless the Hindu pays 
for its liberation.” 
It is a well-known fact that cattle almost invariably 
attack and gore to death one of their companions 
which is in great distress. The case of the crows kill- 
ing their shaven and painted companion is almost 
certainly to be explained by supposing that they mis- 
take it for some strange bird. They mob it for the same 
reason that they mobbed the cockatoo. 
It seems to me that the attacks of animals on their 
companions in sore distress may be accounted for in 
the same way. The crows, or the cattle, or whatever 
be the animal in question, do not recognize their com- 
panion on account of its strange antics; they take it 
for some enemy and attack it. 
It may seem highly improbable that animals should 
make such mistakes. We must, however, bear in mind 
that the attacking animals are at the time so excited as 
to be almost beside themselves. The cries of a fellow 
in distress exert a most extraordinary effect on the 
species. The howls of a companion will often drive a 
dog almost mad. 
I have sometimes been looking at a pariah dog, 
which for no apparent reason suddenly begins to howl. 
The other dogs of the village rush up excitedly, but, 
seeing no enemy, they begin to attack one another. 
