440 General Notes. [April, 
binding on his conscience.’ He then goes on to say that “an 
incapacity of relying on oneself and a faith in others are precisely 
the conditions that compel brutes to congregate and live in herds; 
and, again, it is essential to their safety in a country infested by 
large Carnivora, that they should keep closely together in herds.” 
n ox feeding alone is easily surprised, yet a crouching lion 
fears cattle who turns boldly upon him, as they can make ugly 
wounds with their horns in the paw or chest of a springing beast. 
Hence, a cow who has calved by the wayside, and is restless and 
eager for the safety of her calf, even when temporarily abandoned 
by the caravan, is never seized by lions. Ordinarily, however, 
when grazing, their heads buried in the grass, or while ruminat- 
ing, they are peculiarly liable to attack. 
alton’s account of a herd of oxen and their relation to their 
environment is well worth quoting: “ But a herd of such ani- 
mals, when considered as a whole, is always on the alert; at 
almost every moment some eyes, ears and noses will comman 
all approaches, and the start or cry of alarmof a single beast isa 
signal to all his companions. To live gregariously is to become 4 
ber in a vast sentient web overspreading many acres; It's ae 
become the possessor of faculties always awake, of eyes that see 
in all directions, of ears and nostrils that explore a broad belt of 
air ; it is to become the occupier of every bit of vantage ground 
whence the approach of a wild beast might be overlooked. 
The protective senses of each individual who choses to live’ 
companionship are multiplied by a large factor, and he thereby 
receives a maximum of security at a minimum cost of restless- 
ness 3) 
d Natural selection tends to give but one leader to each suitably: 
` sized herd, and to repress superabundant leaders. m ; 
there is “a certain size of herd most suitable to the geograp" 
and other conditions of the country ; it must not be ae oe 
pe 
re similar 
all, or 
jmals 
are more easily approached by a lion or hunter than a large: rs 
s 
d by jions- 
flanks a 
Wwe may justly assert that the wild beasts trim and sere united 
body with a single well protected leader. That the dere its 
J 
of independence of character in cattle is thus suppresse 
