434 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



had gone out with his gun waited for him to return ; meanwhile 

 he took a book and sat down under a tree near a pen in which 

 some foxes were confined. Suddenly he heard them utter certain 

 sounds which according to his vocabulary were expressive of sur- 

 prise and joy, and after listening for a time came to the conclusion 

 that the foxes had discovered some means of escape and were ex- 

 ulting over the prospect of regaining their freedom. When the 

 hunter returned, Wenzel informed him of what he had heard and 

 advised him to look into the matter, but was only laughed at for 

 his credulity and assured that the pen was perfectly secure. They 

 went into the house, where they were taking some refreshments 

 and talking about other affairs, when a servant rushed in greatly 

 excited and announced that the foxes had escaped. 



"Wenzel admits that the language of animals is extremely sim- 

 ple and limited, and consequently monotonously repetitious ; the 

 same combination of sounds uttered with a stronger or weaker in- 

 tonation serves to denote a variety of mental states and must be 

 largely supplemented by lively pantomime. In conclusion, he has 

 eighteen pages of what he calls an " animal pathognomic-mimetic 

 alphabet," showing the value and function of each part of the 

 physical organism, from the teeth to the tail, as a vehicle of ex- 

 pression. Dogs and cats fairly bristle with strong emotions, and 

 birds show their ruffled feelings in their feathers and wax eloquent 

 with their wings. Wenzel is convinced that every species of ani- 

 mal has its own dialect, which is to be regarded as a modification 

 of the common or generic language of the race to which it belongs. 

 Thus he seems to think that the zebra would understand the ass 

 more readily than the horse, because the first two are more closely 

 affiliated, although all three are endowed with equine speech. The 

 same principle applies to the different varieties of the domestic 

 hog in relation to other suilline quadrupeds. 



As an example of the extent to which animals may acquire a 

 knowledge of human speech he prints a communication from a 

 clergyman who had taught his dog to fetch books from his library 

 in an adjoining room. " Fido," he would say, u on the table near 

 the window are a quarto, an octavo, and a duodecimo ; go and get 

 the quarto/' Fido never failed to bring the volume designated. 

 He had trained the dog to perform this service by showing him a 

 book and saying very distinctly and repeatedly quarto, octavo, or 

 duodecimo, and then laying it down in the library and making 

 him fetch it. In the same manner the dog was taught to bring 

 many other objects, the names of which he seldom confounded or 

 misunderstood. The clever animal could also be sent on errands. 

 " Fido," the clergyman would say, " go to Mr. B. and tell him that 

 I shall call upon him to-day." Thereupon Fido ran to Mr. B/s 

 house and on finding him gave three short barks, which were per- 



