A STUDY IN ANIMAL CHARACTER 
WELL-KNOWN naturalist declares that 
“among animals there is not the same 
diversity of individual character as among 
men, nor the same variety; all the in- 
dividuals of one species are cast pretty much in the 
same simple mould.” It is true that the character of 
birds and beasts is less complex than that of human 
beings ; nevertheless, among the higher animals there 
is sufficient complexity of character to allow of very 
great variation. So far from animals of the same 
species being cast in the same mould, they often 
exhibit very marked differences in manners, habits, 
temperament, and tastes. Just as no two creatures are 
alike in bodily form, so do no twain exactly resemble 
one another in temperament. 
A stroll in the garden will furnish evidence of this. 
You come upon a company of “seven sisters” rummag- 
ing among dried leaves and picking up unconsidered 
trifles. The birds are, of course, keeping up a running 
conversation. Babblers, like Madrassi coolies, can do 
nothing without singing and shouting. One of the 
little company catches sight of you and informs his 
friends of your presence. The more timid of the 
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